This isn't really a book; more of an interview with some guy. The books name is Interview With Noam Chomsky. The book is really good;I mean after reading that book I like didn't have to read all what TX posts links to.

I know this isn't a "book" or a "political book" but if you have any interest in comic books/graphic novels, you HAVE read it, and even if you don't, you should still read this. Being an ex comic collector, if I were to recommend one graphic novel to anyone, this would be it:

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller

quote:

FROM THE CRITICS Washington Post There's never been storytelling quite like this. It took someone who views comics as an art to create it. — Washington Post Rolling Stone … an unusually ambitious and gripping crime novel … New Haven Register The Dark Knight Returns is unquestionably a work of genius, a serious work from an artist who takes comic books seriously. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING … probably the finest piece of comic art ever published in a popular edition… - Stephen King This guy is good! - Mickey Spillane

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"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller

For those of you interested in Islamic history, PBS made a three part documentary which is actually pretty informative:

Islam: Empire of Faith

quote:

Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Islam: Empire of Faith is the epic PBS documentary that charts the history of Islam from its beginnings in Mecca and Medina in the seventh century to the glory of the Ottoman Empire 1,000 years later. The demonization of Islam by the West has a long history, stretching back to the First Crusade at the end of the 11th century. This documentary redresses the balance by showing the riches of Islamic culture and the vital role played by Islam in preserving and building upon ancient wisdom from East and West at a time when most of Europe was stumbling through the Dark Ages. Muslim physicians, mathematicians, and astronomers stretched the boundaries of human knowledge, and Muslim architects created some of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Islam also offers fascinating insights into key personalities, from Muhammad himself--a simple merchant whose vision of a single deity forged warring tribes into a nation--to great conquerors such as Mehmed and Suleyman, who presided over an empire that stretched from Spain to India. The faith itself is clearly explained, and interviews with historians and religious scholars bring home both its simplicity and the way that it survived huge cultural changes (like the Mongol invasions of the 13th century) to emerge stronger than ever. Islam has often been misunderstood in the West, but this splendid documentary helps to set the record straight. --Simon Leake

___________________
"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller

quote:

Originally posted by shaolin_Z For those of you interested in Islamic history, PBS made a three part documentary which is actually pretty informative: Islam: Empire of Faith

I am going to get this shaolin_z. My girlfriend whome I am getting very involved with is Lebonese(sp)and her father spoke of this PBS special the other day.

quote:

Originally posted by LazFX I am going to get this shaolin_z. My girlfriend whome I am getting very involved with is Lebonese(sp)and her father spoke of this PBS special the other day.

Cool, let me know what you think of it.

___________________
"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller

reading John Steinbeck - Grapes of Wrath

wow! second favorite piece of american literature i've read (1. Catch 22)

Last edited by tathi on Nov-29-2005 at 22:49

quote:

Originally posted by tathi reading John Steinbeck - Grapes of Wrath wow! second favorite piece of american literature i've read (1. Catch 22)

Out of curiosity what European literature is on par with Catch 22?

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Retro ...

i couldn't compare anything to Catch-22 because the book is very very different to any other book (reason why it's one of my favorites!) but heavyweights of literature are all profoundly unique and amazing

these three books are amazing european literature:

Alexander Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo

Cervantes - Don Quixote

Victor Hugo - Les Miserables

quote:

Originally posted by occrider Out of curiosity what European literature is on par with Catch 22?

I haven't read Catch 22; I assume that by literature you mean fiction and more specifically modern novels, rather than pre 1900 stuff; and finally, the far majority of the books that I love are by US authors. That being said, I do think that "Atomised" by Michel Houellebecq is one of the most funny, thought-provoking, and flat out terrifying books I have ever read. And he's a European.
Furthermore, "Sophie's World" by Jostein Gaarder is quite unique, and "Hitchhiker's guide...", the Discworld series, the Middle Earth books, and the Harry Potter books have been quite successful among readers.
EDIT: Oh yeah, Don Quixote is probably the worst book I have ever read. It's reusing the same bad joke over and over again - like the similarly awful Candide - but unlike Candide's 70-80 pages, DQ is about 1000 of pages of torture.

Edward GIBBON: The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire

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"Those are my principles, if you don't like them... well, I have others.”

quote:

GP: But there is, right now, a book called, “The Forbidden Truth”, which was just put out in its English edition, which has added some of these documents. All W199 says is that, it shows that the U.S. FBI had closed and then on September 13th of 2001, two days after the attack on the World Trade Center, re-opened that investigation of the bin Laden family, indicating that the investigation had been previously shut down. AJ: Look, I read the document here on air. The thing is on-line. It was in nine major newspapers. You can go to infowars.com and print it off. You’ve got the government blocking investigations of al Qaeda, of the bin Ladens, of Hamas. We’ve got FBI agent Robert Wright. We’ve got Judicial Watch head Larry Klayman. And David Schippers at the National Press Club giving an hour-long press conference of how they were blocked from stopping al Queda and hijackers at bases. That’s been all over the news. GP: There is a massive suit brought by the attorney, it’s a multi-trillion dollar suit for the victims of September 11th, against the Saudi government. http://www.infowars.com/transcripts/palast_nov4_02.htm

http://www.forbiddentruth.net/

quote:

Originally posted by tathi reading John Steinbeck - Grapes of Wrath wow! second favorite piece of american literature i've read (1. Catch 22)

I prefer The Pearl...

my recommendation: Arnold Toynbee - A Study of History

=> check this out