A Modest Construct

¶ The Mysterious Island

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne: Publisher: Modern Library; Year: 2004; Pages: 768

Though Jules Verne was best known as the father of science fiction—his most famous works, like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Journey to the Center of the Earth, but largely excluding Around the World in Eighty Days, all share this genre—but not even he could resist the hot topic of desert islands. Daniel Defoe arguably started the phenomenon with Robinson Crusoe in the early 18th century, and was imitated by everything from The Swiss Family Robinson (Wyss, 1812) to Gilligan’s Island (1964).

The only reason I so eagerly rushed out to read The Mysterious Island as a young boy was because I heard—the source is lost to me now—that the book contained an appearance by the hero (villain?) of 20,000 Leagues…, Captain Nemo. Moreover, I was promised, this later book would explain Nemo’s origins, heretofore shrouded in mystery. I was vaguely familiar with the genre at that point (I was probably about 10), having watched the requisite television like Gilligan’s Island and even, I suppose, Lost in Space, in addition to having read some pathetic children’s abridgment of Robinson Crusoe. Still, The Mysterious Island appealed to me for a number of different reasons which still hold true today.

§6059 · October 28, 2010 · (No comments) · Tags: Book Reviews, books, fiction, literature, reviews, translation

¶ Land of wood and water

Jamaica is one of those places which remained under foreign rule much longer than anyone probably realized; it didn’t gain its independence until 1962, before which it spent a little over three centuries as a British colony. Though its previous European tenants, the Spanish, had gifted it the uninspired name of Santiago (St. James), the British managed a hairsbreadth more historical sensitivity by opting for Jamaica, an Anglicization of the Arawak Xaymaca, meaning “land of wood and water”.

Though slightly better-known than other well-touristed locales of the West Indies, Jamaica’s status in popular knowledge is limited to its notoriety in the transatlantic slave trade, in which slaves from West Africa were rather unhappily exported to the Caribbean, where they were sold to sugar plantations, the sugar of which was used to make rum and other goods, which were then shipped to Europe and New England, where the proceeds from their sale allowed for the further purchase of involuntary labor from Africa. Jamaica’s other crowning achievement is the cultural institution of Bob Marley, whose musical contributions were immense, but whose legacy in the form of pot popularization and Rastafari I could do without.

Though notorious for its production of marijuana (“Jamaica Red” is one popular variety) and duly famous for its Blue Mountain coffee, tourism is Jamaica’s most lucrative and important industry, comprising about half of its national income. This past week, my new wife and I, by way of a honeymoon, became one of approximately 1.3 million people to visit Jamaica every year.

§6080 · October 23, 2010 · (No comments) · Tags: Allison, personal

¶ A bicycle built for two

Despite the implication of the title, it was a stylish marriage; more importantly, it was my marriage, long in coming and sweet in arrival. It was an eight-year courtship, longer than this blog’s relatively short life (during which she was occasionally featured); it becomes easy—discouragingly easy—in a relationship of such length and regularity to lose sight of its uniqueness. Perhaps that is why, even as the appointed day (October 9th) drew closer, I felt little anxiety. The wedding was, in terms of dedication of time, about as involved as washing my windows.

§6063 · October 21, 2010 · 2 comments · Tags: Allison, personal

¶ The Tipping Point

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell: Publisher: Back Bay Books; Year: 2000/2002; Pages: 301

I read Gladwell’s latest non-anthology, Outliers last year, and his sophomore effort a few months later. It appears that I am working backwards, having just finished his debut book, The Tipping Point. My review of Outliers was more favorable than Blink; this was due in part, I think, to Gladwell’s progression as a writer and thinker. Sadly, it also means that The Tipping Point being his first published book and now a decade old, is the weakest offering yet.

§6044 · October 10, 2010 · (No comments) · Tags: Book Reviews, books, nonfiction, reviews, sociology

¶ Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me

Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me ed. Ben Karlin: Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Year: 2009; Pages: 240

You may not realize it, but Ben Karlin has impressive comedy bona fides; he was, for a time, the executive producer of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report before leaving Comedy Central in 2006. He was also a writing lead on the wildly successful America: The Book under the same auspices.

Thing’s I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me is a relatively short anthology, collected/solicited by Karlin, of mostly humorous pieces about romantic breakups. Or it would be, if its writers didn’t so often stray from the assignment, but that’s not such a bad thing.

§6031 · October 4, 2010 · 1 comment · Tags: Book Reviews, books, humor, reviews, romance