What I read over the summer

[Blackocrates]

I had a mixed bag, but I mostly stuck with the dystopian themed novels. I read or re-read the following: 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Invisible Man, The Great Gatsby, Race Matters by Cornel West, Democracy Matters by Cornel West, I'm nearly finished with Dreams From my Father by Obama, and I dabbled in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. It'll be over a year before I finish it.

[Rafiki]

Good selection. Slaughterhouse-Five was great, I read it in two days this previous spring. I especially liked how the aliens said that out of the many species they've encountered, man is the only one who has a concept of free will. Very interesting when you tie it in with the World War theme. Maybe Vonnegut was trying to explain the inevitability of wholesale carnage. Maybe he was making a statement about how our species is careless to each other because we feel the need to enforce our will.

This summer I read a four-book historical fiction series by Conn Iggulden called Emporer. It was about the life of Julius Caesar. It was good. I especially liked the scenes where he explored the motives for Caesar's famous opponents, like Vercingetorix. I also read The Road, which I've made a thread on.