nerdy_scholar's review against another edition
5.0
Although I am not a Dawkins fan, I cannot deny his linguistic gift. He has a style of writing that is just irresistible. In fact, I envy him that gift of his. Notwithstanding my envy, this is just a superb collection of essays and reviews penned in that enviable style of his. It does vary in quality from one piece to the other, but generally has an elegance worthy of literature. I did love it very much!
violethazel's review against another edition
aaaarghhh i hate this book. from literally the first page i was struck by dawkins' pompousness and terrible attitude, and it only got worse throughout the book. he shows his age, that's for sure - bigotry's not a great look, richard. some of the writing was interesting, but the format was repetitive and in every essay/foreword/article he managed to bring it back to himself. no one cares! and the little comments that he made every couple of essays - putting accusations of racism in air quotes when talking about dr. dolittle, supporting a transphobe - made it even more frustrating to read. he is so convinced of his own rightness in every single thing that he writes that it is irritating and frustrating to read, and he comes across as a selfish, pompous, holier-than-thou bigot. his derision towards non-scientists is clear, and he makes no effort in reducing this. if you ever see me reading a richard dawkins book again, it will be under threat of death. no thank you.
selkis's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
spoonofnutella_'s review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
This audiobook wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Perhaps that's my fault...
This was my first Dawkins read and I found the book repetitive and self-serving. However, it did leave me eager to read more of his work as I find his way of storytelling fascinating.
I enjoyed the interview chapters the most. The book is just a bit too surface level for my liking.
If you are interested in reading Dawkins and hearing a poetic spin on the history on evolution and genetic research, then don't start here... But do look elsewhere in Dawkins' work!
This was my first Dawkins read and I found the book repetitive and self-serving. However, it did leave me eager to read more of his work as I find his way of storytelling fascinating.
I enjoyed the interview chapters the most. The book is just a bit too surface level for my liking.
If you are interested in reading Dawkins and hearing a poetic spin on the history on evolution and genetic research, then don't start here... But do look elsewhere in Dawkins' work!
grantkeegan's review against another edition
4.0
Richard Dawkins is one of the best thinkers and writers alive today. He is exceptional at exploring and presenting ideas in the name of critical thinking, science, and the fight for rationality. He is a source of inspiration for many free-thinkers, myself included. And this book is a good way to explore a lot of his often-missed essays, reviews, and introductions to other works.
Books Do Furnish a Life is a collection of reviews, responses, and forewords to other books where Dawkins deconstructs ideas that he either agrees or disagrees on. It is also a way to introduce someone to the main topics he has focused on over decades of his career.
The best way I can describe this book is as a brief overview of Richard Dawkins’ main ideas that are found throughout his own books. From evolution to atheism and the fight against unfounded ideas, it was nice to go back and review these important concepts.
Although the book’s style can be a surprise for some, I enjoyed this format of Dawkins writing an essay on each book that has inspired him, with an overarching theme that ties together each chapter. It reminded me of John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed, also released this year which is also a showcase of the authors’ shorter, but equally important ideas compared to full books.
As is usual with his works, Books Do Furnish a Life is full of amazing writing that makes me feel inspired by the wonders of science. As someone who primarily has read Dawkins on his takes on religion, I can’t wait to read more classics on evolution, such as The Selfish Gene.
Sometimes the book can get repetitious, especially in the middle chapters. This might come from the fact that the book is a collection of separate writings that cover the same topics of Darwinian evolution and atheism over again. But it is still enjoyable, although reading the whole thing with no rest (like I did) might get tiresome as the same ideas are repeated often.
I definitely recommend Books Do Furnish a Life if you are a fan of Richard Dawkins as I am. If you are unfamiliar with him, I suggest reading his previous works before this one. But I think any person passionate about science and reason will take a lot of value from this collection.
Final Score: 82/100
For more reviews and cool content follow me on:
▶️ My Film and Gaming YouTube Channel - https://youtube.com/channel/UCpWCw5dVvb4QUGYHRrx4kmw
Books Do Furnish a Life is a collection of reviews, responses, and forewords to other books where Dawkins deconstructs ideas that he either agrees or disagrees on. It is also a way to introduce someone to the main topics he has focused on over decades of his career.
The best way I can describe this book is as a brief overview of Richard Dawkins’ main ideas that are found throughout his own books. From evolution to atheism and the fight against unfounded ideas, it was nice to go back and review these important concepts.
Although the book’s style can be a surprise for some, I enjoyed this format of Dawkins writing an essay on each book that has inspired him, with an overarching theme that ties together each chapter. It reminded me of John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed, also released this year which is also a showcase of the authors’ shorter, but equally important ideas compared to full books.
As is usual with his works, Books Do Furnish a Life is full of amazing writing that makes me feel inspired by the wonders of science. As someone who primarily has read Dawkins on his takes on religion, I can’t wait to read more classics on evolution, such as The Selfish Gene.
Sometimes the book can get repetitious, especially in the middle chapters. This might come from the fact that the book is a collection of separate writings that cover the same topics of Darwinian evolution and atheism over again. But it is still enjoyable, although reading the whole thing with no rest (like I did) might get tiresome as the same ideas are repeated often.
I definitely recommend Books Do Furnish a Life if you are a fan of Richard Dawkins as I am. If you are unfamiliar with him, I suggest reading his previous works before this one. But I think any person passionate about science and reason will take a lot of value from this collection.
Final Score: 82/100
For more reviews and cool content follow me on:
▶️ My Film and Gaming YouTube Channel - https://youtube.com/channel/UCpWCw5dVvb4QUGYHRrx4kmw
aylart's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
2.5
This was probably just about the worst place to start reading the work of Dawkins...
I wanted to get into his books since I had heard so much about him, and was tempted by this very recent work with a title that greatly intrigued this bookish nerd. Fair warning: the title is misleading!
This is a collection of previously published reviews, forewords, afterwards, and transcribed interviews. "previously published" means some are older than I am. Without much new material or a clear theme to bind these pieces together, it becomes repetitive fast, and fails to go beyond the surface of any issue. It ends up feeling like a gratuitous way of churning out another book.
This irritation also did not help me to overlook the sometimes arrogant, pompous writing. I normally don't mind so much, but for a book specifically about "the literature of science", I was not impressed with the clarity of the writing and I did find myself needing to look up words.
Nevertheless, I am intrigued by some of the content and not quite discouraged enough to keep me from trying one of his actual books (as in: one cohesive book instead of a collection of recycled stuff). I hope I won't regret it as I did this one.
I wanted to get into his books since I had heard so much about him, and was tempted by this very recent work with a title that greatly intrigued this bookish nerd. Fair warning: the title is misleading!
This is a collection of previously published reviews, forewords, afterwards, and transcribed interviews. "previously published" means some are older than I am. Without much new material or a clear theme to bind these pieces together, it becomes repetitive fast, and fails to go beyond the surface of any issue. It ends up feeling like a gratuitous way of churning out another book.
This irritation also did not help me to overlook the sometimes arrogant, pompous writing. I normally don't mind so much, but for a book specifically about "the literature of science", I was not impressed with the clarity of the writing and I did find myself needing to look up words.
Nevertheless, I am intrigued by some of the content and not quite discouraged enough to keep me from trying one of his actual books (as in: one cohesive book instead of a collection of recycled stuff). I hope I won't regret it as I did this one.
sarahxify's review
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
A really enjoyable roundup of some of Richard Dawkins' writings on books. The audiobook's interview with Christopher Hitchens was particularly interesting.
Briefly discussed on episode 48 of the Bookcast Club podcast (https://www.thebookcastclub.com/podcast/episode/4ccfbd42/48-new-book-releases-july-to-december-2021).
Briefly discussed on episode 48 of the Bookcast Club podcast (https://www.thebookcastclub.com/podcast/episode/4ccfbd42/48-new-book-releases-july-to-december-2021).
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