Girls like us by Sheila Weller

Details  amazon 

Started reading 18 August 2008         Finished reading 25 August 2008

A revelation for me, Engrossing to say the least since the book involves three women singer, songwriters that are in my good books – Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon.

A common thread seems to be the man in their lives. It seems improbable that a few of the men that they encounter were linked in one way or another to the three women. I guess being in the music circle, the chances of that happening is quite high. But the three seem to be drawn to almost similar traits in their companions.

Aside from that, their diverse backgrounds belie the struggle that they had to go through to make a name for themselves in the music industry. Women in the 1960s and 1970s were still appendages to men and for these three to make it to the top on their own merit is testimony to their talent and creativity. A wonderful gift, tunes that strike a chord in the listener’s mind from a woman’s perspective. We owe them a lot for those moments.

 

Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi

Ebook version

Details  amazon

Started reading 1 June 2008                             Finished reading 23 June 2008

“It so happened that I believed in the secular separation of religion and government because fundamentally, Islam, like any religion, is subject to interpretation.”

“The last twenty-three years, from the day I was stripped of my judgeship to the years doing battle in the revolutionary courts of Tehran, I had repeated one refrain: an interpretation of Islam that is in harmony with equality and democracy is an authentic expression of faith. It is not religion that binds women, but the selective dictates of those who wish them cloistered. That belief, along with the conviction that changes in Iran must come peacefully and from within, has underpinned my work.”

Those two extracts from the book highlights the author's life long work and conviction. She is still there in Iran, but we are not sure how long she'll be allowed to continue as the ruling clique will always try to obliterate independent voices like hers. She has not given minute details of every facet of her life as I'm sure in that way, she is protecting others from facing the wrath of those in power.

May she continue her good work and hope against hope is able to see some of the fruits of her labour during her lifetime. Future generations must continue in her footsteps or even go beyond what has been achieved. That is the only way.

The problems of philosophy

by Bertrand Russell

Ebook version

Details  amazon

Started reading 1 May 2008

Finished reading 14 May 2008

A step by step primer on why we need philosophy. Starting from his first sentence “Is there any knowledge in the world which is so certain that no reasonable man could doubt it?” until the last page, the author provokes and cajoles the reader to go beyond his customary comfort zone.

Lucid with many clear examples, we go through the problems faced by all of us. Us, the homo sapiens, the questioning life form.

The last paragraph in the book says it all:

Philosophy is to be studied, not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions, since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true, but rather for the sake of the questions themselves; because these questions enlarge our conception of what is possible, enrich our intellectual imagination and diminish the dogmatic assurance which closes the mind against speculation; but above all because, through the greatness of the universe which philosophy contemplates, the mind also is rendered great, and becomes capable of that union with the universe which constitutes its highest good.

Blue Moon
by Joshua Parapuram

Details silverfishbooks

Started reading 9 May 2008
Finished reading 11 May 2008

A page turner. Maybe the subject matter is so close to home, the water dispute between Malaysia and Singapore. In this cautionary tale sometime in the future, Singapore has taken over the water supply area in Johor. The reader sees the leaders, their followers and others involved in this never ending saga. Each character is painted in general strokes, so we get a continuation of the accepted traits of each race in both countries.

What is most intriguing probably is the premise itself. Singapore taking a preemptive action in the style of the Americans invading Iraq on the pretext of destroying weapons of mass destruction. In this instance, water is the key.

A cautionary tale indeed. Something that leaders of both nations should take cognisance of in view of the umbilical cord that ties both lands to each other.

Mencari Jalan Pulang
by Kassim Ahmad

Details kinibooks

Started reading 4 May 2008
Finished reading 6 May 2008

The author is infamous for his left leaning ideas and the so- called book against the hadis (Prophet Muhammad's sayings). We see a life's journey that spanned nearly eighty years starting from a village boy with not a care in the world to a world renowned intellectual who champions the downtrodden.

This journey is an endorsement of the critical thinking and ever questioning mind of man. The seeds of that inquisitiveness was nurtured by books. The author's own thirst for knowledge and his propensity to challenge accepted ideas put him on that chosen path. His contemporaries during his student days were of equal calibre.

They were the pioneers of an independent nation. Their vision for an egalitarian state did not quite materialise as intended but it is never too late make the necessary changes. As long as we acknowledge that there are so many ways to that utopia in heaven or on earth, men with the same persuasion as the author must be nurtured and encouraged to bloom.

A colourful life with its many ups and downs, but never surrendering to the easy way out. Always on the less traveled path.

Social Roots of the Malay Left
by Rustam A. Sani

Details kinibooks

Started reading 1 May 2008
Finished reading 3 May 2008

This is originally the author's dissertation when he was preparing for his Masters programme at university. The author shows through his research of available information that the Malay Left did not start as the Left of the Western ideals.

The historical journey of Malaysian politics conveniently groups certain associations that do not belong to the ruling class as the 'other'. That in a sense germinated the seeds of the Malay Left.

The author is lucid in this detailed study. A good background material for those who want to delve deeper into other groups that exist in the Malaysian political landscape.

Stumbling on Happiness
by Daniel Gilbert

Ebook version

Details randomhouse

Started reading 7 April 2008
Finished reading 17 April 2008

This is not a book of solutions on finding happiness. More of a very enjoyable scientific explanation of how we feel at each moment. The way our brain works and how sometimes we are deceived. The author engages the reader in a fascinating study of our emotions and its effects on our decisions.

Quote from the book:

“There is no simple formula for finding happiness. But if our great big brains do not allow us to go surefootedly into our futures, they at least allow us to understand what makes us stumble.”

Memoir Shamsiah Fakeh
2007 Edition
Published by Strategic Information and research Development Centre

Details gerakbudaya

Started reading 9 March 2008
Finished reading 12 March 2008

The lady in question has always been a fascination to the generation of Malaysians who lived through the years between the end of the Second World War and the beginning of Independence. How could a Malay girl from the a rural background, brought up in a traditional Muslim household leave all that behind and join forces with the communists.

The memoir does answer some parts of the question. But I guess the present has clouded some of the past memories. There are still some nagging question on her psyche, that momentous decision when she decides to abandon family and everything familiar for a life unknown.

She did live by her ideals. Even when she thanked the Malaysian government for allowing her to come back, there is a sense of satisfaction that she did not sell out. Her struggles does warrant a note in the history books. She is representative of the alternate route that some have chosen in the quest for independence from the British.

Gitanjali
by Rabindranath Tagore

Ebook version

Started reading 9 March 2008
Finished reading 10 March 2008

Details schoolofwisdom

This should be read at a leisurely pace. Each stanza should be savoured for its succulent images that come to mind. An ode to an almighty, a creator who is omnipresent. His touch is everywhere, seen through the naked eye and felt subconsciously. This is a love poem from a subject drunken in the throes of such greatness, dedicated to the one and only relevant idea that deserved such adulation.

This read requires patience to fathom the underlying beauty. A worthwhile effort.