Fenwick vs. Felicity
Students earn scholarships
Minster vs. Southeastern
Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2008 > February > 28 > Entry
LA Times book prize nominees
Three of my favorite books from 2007 have been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. In non-fiction:
Simon Sebag Montefiore “Young Stalin” (Alfred A. Knopf)
and
Naomi Klein “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” (Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt)
and in fiction:
Junot Díaz “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” (Riverhead Books)
For the full list of nominated books click here.
Here is my capsule review of “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” by Naomi Klein:
This disturbing piece of investigative journalism asserts that some theories of the late economist Milton Friedman have adversely impacted economies around the world. Klein claims disasters are providing opportunities for the exploitation of millions of people under the guise of spreading democracy and free markets. She demonstrates how crises were exploited in Chile, Russia, South Africa, China and Iraq and in situations like Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami and 9/11.
And my capsule review of “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz:
This story bounces across the pages. Oscar is intelligent, overweight and obsessed. He’s a Dominican kid living in New Jersey with his comic books and a fantasy of one day finding the woman of his dreams. The action shifts to the Dominican Republic, where Oscar becomes enamored with a dangerous female. This inspirational tragedy unfolds with diabolical precision among astonishing footnotes.
I just re-read “Young Stalin” by Simon Sebag Montefiore and I remain astonished at the superb job he did in researching the early years of the brilliant, demented monster Joseph Stalin. The author dug up information in obscure archives in the former Soviet Union that had never been revealed to anybody but perhaps, the secret police. Some documents had eluded Stalin during his lifetime, otherwise he would have surely destroyed them. The book ends as the Bolsheviks are taking power. There are many astounding footnotes. My favorite one is that the current Russian leader, former KGB officer Vladimir Putin, had a grandfather who was a cook in the Kremlin. Putin’s grandfather prepared meals for Lenin and Stalin. Amazing!
I’m delighted when books that I enjoy are being appreciated by others.
Vick Mickunas
Permalink | | Categories: that's what they say
