jhoiraartificer's reviews
16 reviews
Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun Harrison
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Rebel in the Ranks: Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the Conflicts That Continue to Shape Our World by Brad S. Gregory
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A solid history of the Protestant Reformation covering the religious, political, and social interactions that led to the "takeoff" of Protestantism. Primarily a history from about 1517-1700, but draws connections forward to the present day conceptions of religion and tolerance that we have now. A good read for anyone wanting background on Early Modern Europe from a more religious perspective.
The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American by Andrew L. Seidel
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.
I was hoping this book would explain why Christian Nationalists held these beliefs about American principles. Instead, the book reads more like a New Atheist screed that treats "religion", "Christianity", and "Protestantism" as interchangeable, with a concordant loss of explanatory power. Similarly, Seidel seems to uncritically accept the (largely Christian Nationalist) appending of "Judeo-" to "Judeo-Christian values"—an important rhetorical move that also feeds into American evangelical politics in important ways.
Given that the remainder of the book seemed to be a point-by-point rebuttal of specific C.N. beliefs/talking points with similarly medium analytical rigor, I didn't feel a need to finish reading it.
Given that the remainder of the book seemed to be a point-by-point rebuttal of specific C.N. beliefs/talking points with similarly medium analytical rigor, I didn't feel a need to finish reading it.
Printed in Utopia: The Renaissance's Radicalism by Ed Simon
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
A collection of essays (both reprinted and new) on Early Modern European culture, especially as expressed through the literature of the time. Well worth a read—I now have a number of new Early Modern authors whose work I want to investigate!
The Map That Changed the World: The Tale of William Smith and the Birth of a Science by Simon Winchester
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
I really, really wanted to read this book. Who wouldn't want to learn about the first large-scale geological map created? And yet, I found the book absolutely insufferable in the most early-2000 Rational Thinker kind of way (as it turns out, published 2001, so this impression of mine was spot on). Not so much the turgid prose (though it definitely has that), but the incessant denigration of religion and, in practice, the sheer fact that scientific 'knowledge' was different back then.
If he had confined himself to a brief explanation of the religious basis of prior scientific understanding, even in a condescending way, I could have dealt with it. However, I was reading sentences like "So even though William Smith was brought up in a society still in the firm grip of purblind churchly certainty, his scientific training—such as it was—allowed for a measure of liberality." nearly every other page. As it turns out, it's possible to explain prior beliefs about the origins of fossils without slagging off hundreds of years of peoples' best attempts to understand the world.
I'm sure there is at least a book's worth of information on both William Smith and the origins of the science of geology... but this isn't it. Hoping I can find a better one another time.
If he had confined himself to a brief explanation of the religious basis of prior scientific understanding, even in a condescending way, I could have dealt with it. However, I was reading sentences like "So even though William Smith was brought up in a society still in the firm grip of purblind churchly certainty, his scientific training—such as it was—allowed for a measure of liberality." nearly every other page. As it turns out, it's possible to explain prior beliefs about the origins of fossils without slagging off hundreds of years of peoples' best attempts to understand the world.
I'm sure there is at least a book's worth of information on both William Smith and the origins of the science of geology... but this isn't it. Hoping I can find a better one another time.
The Silent Bullet by Arthur Reeve
medium-paced
2.75
I don't regret reading this book, it's historically interesting, but let's just say... there's a reason the "British Sherlock Holmes" still has stories and pastiches written and the "American Sherlock Holmes" doesn't.
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon
informative
medium-paced
4.5
This book reads like the best of Academic Tumblr and the Toast, and I mean that in a highly complimentary way. Clearly the author knows their stuff, and also knows how to make it very engaging.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future (Updated With a New Epilogue) by Riane Eisler
1.0
This book is... an experience. While I understand where Ensler was coming from, her relationship with science is loose at best. She's attempting to make a scientific historical argument but her use of sources is... not good. I agree with her that the 'scientifically supported' (to be overbroad) "man the hunter" theories can have alternate explanation, but even given that, I could easily find other interpretations of the sources she cites and was not convinced. This book is extremely third wave feminism in its worst form... logical in historical context but maddening now. I wouldn't have finished it if it weren't required reading for a course I couldn't drop, so my roommate and I spent all our time shredding it. Interesting reading but ultimately far more mythohistorical than historical.
Bittersweet: Diabetes, Insulin, and the Transformation of Illness by Chris Feudtner
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Well-written book, highly recommend. That said, I can read about 15 pages at a time before getting stressed about learning how I would have died in any given time period. I'm getting through it but like, glacially slowly.