I loved Dante's Inferno. Yes, it was hard to read due to a rough translation, but I still thought it was a great work of Art, very powerful and influential, especially for it's time. So when I heard that there was a book called "The Dante Club", a murder mystery about a serial killer who kills his victims in accordance with the tortures in Dante's seven layers of Hell, I thought to myself "this is a can't miss"
I don't think I have ever been more wrong. I hated this book. I don't think I even got past the first few chapters. I tried, I tried really hard. But I just couldn't do it.
I felt that the author was more interested in filling the novel with gross gorey fluff for shock value than telling a good story. I felt nauseous while reading the description of the first murder scene. I am all for a lot of detail in a book, but this took it way to far. I tried reading on after that, but I was mostly bored and my mind kept drifting back to the gruesome description of the murder, so I couldn't focus on what was really going on in the story very well.
So I would recommend this book if you either want to be bored, or you want to be grossed out, but other than that I would pass.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Only Thing Worth Dying For by Eric Blehm
The Only Thing Worth Dying for is a true story that chronicles the mission of the first Special Forces Unit to hit ground in Afghanistan in 2001. This enthralling narrative is very well written and does not beat around the bush about what those brave men did over there.
The unit was dropped deep into enemy terrority in order to protect the leader of the rebellion against the Taliban in Afghanistan. This man, Hamid Karzai, would go on to become the President of Afghanistan, winning the support of the majority of the country due - in part - to the efforts of these Soldiers.
It is also a sad story about how machoism and eagerness to "get a part of the action" on the part of some service members and military leaders can lead to tragedy. It plays well to the idea that each member of the armed forces has a specific role and that they should stick to their own job (however benign it might seem) rather than try to take over the job of someone else who is better qualified (whether they be of a higher or lower rank). This book should be on the must-read list for any person in a leadership position, not only in the military but in any organization.
The Only Thing Worth Dying For is also a must-read for anyone who is oppossed to the war in Afghanistan and thinks that we do not make a difference over there. We have made a difference already, and we continue to do so.
Support the Troops!
And if you read it, let me know what you think.
The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets Forged a New Afghanistan
The unit was dropped deep into enemy terrority in order to protect the leader of the rebellion against the Taliban in Afghanistan. This man, Hamid Karzai, would go on to become the President of Afghanistan, winning the support of the majority of the country due - in part - to the efforts of these Soldiers.
It is also a sad story about how machoism and eagerness to "get a part of the action" on the part of some service members and military leaders can lead to tragedy. It plays well to the idea that each member of the armed forces has a specific role and that they should stick to their own job (however benign it might seem) rather than try to take over the job of someone else who is better qualified (whether they be of a higher or lower rank). This book should be on the must-read list for any person in a leadership position, not only in the military but in any organization.
The Only Thing Worth Dying For is also a must-read for anyone who is oppossed to the war in Afghanistan and thinks that we do not make a difference over there. We have made a difference already, and we continue to do so.
Support the Troops!
And if you read it, let me know what you think.
The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets Forged a New Afghanistan
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