Book Reviews

A New Water Cycle

This summer, I read a fascinating book call "The Humanure Handbook; a guide to composting human manure"

For two decades now I have imagined waste water recycling systems for domestic use.

We are planning to build a green home in a semi-arrid desert space, with a solarium and (hopefully) attached green house(s). Water conservation is very important!

This book details how human sewage can be composted to provide safe, balanced, and fertile soil fit for gardening. This promotes a direct, synergistic relationship between you, your food, and your immediate environment!

Creativity, Teamwork and the Social Parasites

I stumbled upon an interesting e-book titled "How To Be Creative" (Warning, it contains some foul language). It is inspiring on several levels. It's a 20 minute read, at a calm, pondering pace. If you have a creative streak in you, you should probably read it.

One quote that made me laugh out loud reads, "They may not have mentioned this in business school, but...people like watching dinosaurs die." (page 16)

A Nation of Millionaires

This is another of those books that I pickup and think "Right on! I'm not alone in my opinions!"

His basic premise is that we could all be propserous, and safe, and free, if we exercised simple, responsible, free-market principles, instead of extending government. He computes estimated values for each social and political change and finds that the lowest income workers in the US could retire with over $1,000,000 in raw assets. He claims this to be a conservative estimate.

The Humanure Handbook

Enlightening. What more can I say? Human manure is a sensitive topic, unmentionable in most circles. I'd say it's even more taboo than religion and politics! Rather than tip-toe around and hope to not offend our senses, the author, Joseph Jenkins, just wades in with frank honesty and shows us that our  fears are unfounded. In fact, our senses need not be offended at all if we take a few simple steps and trust in nature to do the rest.

To sum up the book:

Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse

Doesn't that title sound selfish, cruel, opportunist, or even Machiavellian? I first heard of it referred to as an alternative viewpoint to main-stream media's take on our economy. The commentator stated that John Downes was the "ultimate pessimist" about our economy. I felt that this was a promising viewpoint to the lopsided reports I was getting.

Before I committed to read it, I skimmed a few pages here and there. It seemed level-headed enough and certainly not mean-spirited. So I checked it out from the library and proceeded to renew it for five months, determined to finish t!

Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life

Enough was a fun read! It was like reading a book from the future that I wrote in my old age. Most of the chapters were based on points of view that I already have. That's fun enough. Though I did pick up a few insights.

Bonds That Make Us Free

This is an amazing book! Not perfect, but amazing none the less. I find myself referring back to it in other conversations and using the concepts to clarify relationship problems and solutions, both for myself and for friends, family and society at large.

The fundamental premis is that we always have some part in our troubles. There is always something we can do to change or improve a situation or relationship. The most powerful change we can make is how we see the other person. Love and compasion can completely change the equation. These are the bonds that make us free.

ETL: Contentrated Power in a Global Economy

I subscribe to the netcast (iTunes link) of the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar, provided by Stanford University.

The Revolution; A Manifesto

[Review in process].

Weaknesses:
he perpetuates the use of "liberal" and "conservative" labels. This is polarizing, and over simplifying [see blog entry].
many readers miss the meaning of "manifesto"
despite knowing the weaknesses of the party system, he still maintains loyalty to the Republican party and the party system
.
.

Strengths:
clear, strong narrative
lots of historical examples, some personal
variety of sources for quotes
solid, simple arguments with minimal jargon
bold but respectful statements of his position and opinions of others' actions and theories

Seeker

Thousands of years after an entire colony mysteriously disappears, antiquities dealer Alex Benedict comes into possession of a cup that seems to be from the Seeker, one of the colony's ships. Investigating the provenance of the cup, Alex and his assistant Chase follow a deadly trail to the Seeker-strangely adrift in a system barren of habitable worlds. But their discovery raises more questions than it answers, drawing Alex and Chase into the very heart of danger.