Nickolas Massar

Eh

Revisado: 08-22-23

Came thinking it would be a story about growth and the relationship between a child and their parent as they grow.

Instead it’s a story with overwhelming religious undertones and red scare perspectives. It may have been progressive 60 years ago for having a female protagonist, but in the 21st century it is dated, out of touch, and more of a commentary on Americana in the Cold War era.

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Fantastic

Revisado: 10-17-21

I was critical of Lieberman’s text “on the human body,” and almost didn’t listen to “Exercised” because of my prior experience.

I’m glad I listened.

Exercised is an incredible book - thorough, thoughtful, relevant. It’s a great book for anyone who already does exercise to get to know the benefits of their actions more completely, as well as a bridge for anyone looking to start a routine to understand why they might feel let down at first.

It’s also a very humbling book: Lieberman comments on current attitudes of highly fit people and demonstrates via evolutionary biology why sedentary individuals are simply following their natural inclinations. This is a contrast to the prevailing ideology that exercise is natural, rather than the other way around.

I found it to be one of the more important books I’ve listened to this year, and above all, inspiring. “Exercised” has made my workouts more meditative, and I take note of the experience in a more deliberate way because of it.

I was ready to hate this book, but Lieberman’s perspective and Runnette’s narration are both fantastic. Everyone should give this book a listen, regardless if you exercise or not. It will make you think differently about exercise, and, if you’re like me, help you enjoy it even more.

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An Utter Accomplishment of Literature; One Caveat

Revisado: 08-05-21

I love this book. It’s a masterpiece, and an absolute behemoth of a project to undertake. I actually found myself wondering at several points how on earth Haynes was able to pull it off. The writing style and stories depicted are magnificent, and the characters felt so well fleshed out. Fans of George RR Martin will be familiar with the, ‘chapter-by-character’ style of narrative, and I appreciated just how enormous in scope this book is, but there is a caveat [spoilers ahead].

Let’s start with the good stuff and clear some things up: you’ll see some reviews talking about how depressing this book is, but that’s not a fair critique, because this is a book about the sacking and dismantling of a city by the city’s civilian population - not exactly the most jovial topic. I actually found the recounting of Troy’s fall and it’s aftermath fantastic: Haynes captures the emotions of dread, loss, anger, regret, and duty so perfectly that it’s honestly one of the more important aspects of the text. Moreover, this experience of loss is such a good counter-narrative to the grand narratives of the Iliad and Odyssey. Most of us are the bystanders, and almost none of us are the ones getting glory or voyaging to fun and fanciful lands. In this way, Haynes’ text is more of a realistic depiction of war: actors in the story are largely passive and at the whims of the greater conflict, and I really appreciated the effort to look onto the conflict, rather than be in it.

That comes with costs, however, and this is the caveat: time is bewildering in this book, and so are the stories of the characters within it. Really, if you don’t have at least a decent grasp of both the Iliad and odyssey, this book is going to be so entirely confusing, (until you get to year two or three of Penelope), because almost no one is really introduced, and set pieces that naturally formulate the narrative that the characters are in are entirely scrambled together, until you get a few chapters into Penelope’s story.

The Iliad and odyssey have these ‘set-pieces’ that move the narratives forward and drive the stories: Achilles is probably the best example of just how vital these set-piece moments are. In “A Thousand Ships,” however, because the protagonists are passive and looking onto the conflict, time is completely disoriented in the first dozen or so chapters, especially since chapters are made to describe the lived experience of a certain character. This results, especially in the first few hours, in a story that is so hard to follow: Patroclus is dead in one chapter, but a couple of chapters later is then alive, talking, and a central figure to the chapter, for example. By removing the lineage of set pieces, Haynes’ narrative can feel all over the place for the first dozen or so chapters, and only really starts making sense once Penelope’s chapters start picking up pace, at which point the reader is left with a removed version of the Odyssey, and this is the inflection issue of the text - this is what will make you either love or hate this book: the narratives are that of characters that lack active capacity.

The Iliad and Odyssey are both pretty grim as they are, but that grim-ness is alleviated by the characters’ ability to enact change onto their environment. Characters in these texts get to make choices that affect their environment, instead of having to deal with the feelings of being acted on by their environment. By instead focusing on the female narratives in these texts, (who, by default due to the highly masculine-driven society of Greek antiquity, were rarely drivers of action in the stories told by said society), Haynes’ work is more meditation than action; reflection rather than story. Some people, like me, will absolutely love this for what it is and how it draws forth stories of the people whose tales are almost never told. Others will find it unbearable, and understandably, because it’s like reading the Iliad and Odyssey, but without any of the grandeur, decision making, and strategy, leaving almost entirely loss, reflection, remorse, duty, and acceptance.

This book is important, and you should definitely read it. You should also read the Iliad and Odyssey for how indescribably important they are as well. What I took away from this book was gratitude: I was grateful to have someone focus on the female narratives of the Iliad and Odyssey, and I really appreciated the reflection and meditation on the conflict of Troy and it’s aftermath. Calliope’s chapters were a little on the nose, but definitely did give the text a more classical feel, which I definitely appreciated.

Reading this made me want a similar text for the Aeneid and founding of Rome, and I do sincerely hope Haynes considers writing on that as well, (I mean Dido’s story is just begging for a Haynes retelling, in my opinion). Overall, this book should be considered an essential companion to the Iliad and Odyssey, because it tells the story that those texts do not: the story of the civilians, and especially of the women, who must cope with entirely different lived-experiences and feelings than their male counterparts. The reflection on the war is amazing, the writing is gorgeous, and the narration is perfect. I near wept listening to Polyxena’s final chapter, and this is in no small part due to Haynes’ evocation.

One final note: to all the readers who found the narration ‘monotonous:’ spare me. Haynes’ narration is exactly as it should be and reflects the ethos of the text perfectly: it is calm, reflective, and clear.

4.99/5: absolutely unbelievable accomplishment, but 100% requires some research beforehand to enjoy fully.

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At best, interesting

Revisado: 05-01-21

Let me save you 15.5 hours: an unbelievably privileged person spends 15 hours describing diseases that have come out of stable, civilized society. He then contrasts modern circumstances by painting a rosy-hued picture of hunter-gatherer lifestyles; glosses over the near constant violence, death, and insecurity of hunter-gatherers. He then concludes by spending 30 minutes promoting basic primary prevention practices such as moderation and frequent exercise without any modicum of actionable means of application, and speculates on healthcare advances he seemingly knows little about.

I would have loved an evolutionary biology perspective on recent healthcare trends, how we can incorporate our natural biology into our daily habits to better our lifestyles, how to better address diseases of aging and food surplus, and how to promote a better healthcare model, but you will not find anything of that sort here. I found the suggestions at the end of the text vague, utterly lacking in breadth, and frustrating.

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Honestly? Fantastic.

Revisado: 11-14-20

The rendition is wonderful, the material is immortal, the dialogue is invaluable; this is a book worth getting.

You may not (and should not) agree with Socrates, the point isn’t to take what he says and assume it to be true. Plato is challenging the reader with one notion about the world, and formulates that challenge through argument. The argument is far from rock solid, and the vision is culturally contextual - the point is to consider it in relation to your own values, and to enjoy the journeys taken through the argument. It is a classic, an indisputably relevant text that everyone should read, and I’m grateful I did. There were many times I found myself entirely disagreeing with Socrates in the dialogue, but in between those disagreements are moments of genius, and lessons worth sipping on.

The narration was excellent, and I found myself repeatedly grateful that the narrators put in the effort that they did.

If you want to challenge your ideology, think critically about the world around you, and enter into one of the most renowned dialogues in all of human history, then yeah, this book’s for you.

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You Really Really Need to Like a Specific Image of Pirates to Enjoy

Revisado: 10-10-20

I came into this book with basically no real knowledge about the subject matter, so the following review is for the average person with a basic interest in the topic.

Unless you are obsessed, and I mean obsessed, with hearing a history of about 20 pirates in the Caribbean, in the 1600-1700s, sourced overwhelmingly from one book, (I think it’s the general history of pirates?), narrated with cheekily acted out ‘pirate voice’ tone, which shifts pace from years to days frequently, and which attempts to confirm the preconceived fantasies of pirates in this time period (rather than challenge or think critically about it), than you’re better off leaving this one on the shelf.

I learned some fun facts, I got a sense of the background, and it wasn’t the trash-bin, bottom-of-the-shelf work like that of “The Silk Roads,” but it’s not compelling in any way, doesn’t ever evolve or paint a picture, but rather just has the narrator act out snippets of text about different pirates’ lives in the aforementioned ‘pirate voice,’ like a 20 person bio about people that (I guess) we’re supposed to know.

It’s just a very dry, very dull cover of an inherently interesting topic.

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A Masterpiece

Revisado: 09-01-20

What an incredible book. It’s difficult to even put into words just how good it is, because it’s premise alone is unbelievable: to add more depth to the fall of Troy, and the characters in it.

If you want to read this book and get the full effect and breadth of how unbelievably good it is, I’d recommend listening to the Odyssey, Iliad, and Aeneid beforehand, which cover the events in much more detail, whereas this is more of a character study. Even on its own, though, the book is unbelievably good. There are some spicy scenes in it that I had not expected, but are important to the overall narrative and not out of place, for those listening to it in the presence of others.

Beyond that, this was probably the fastest I’ve ever read a book in my entire life. Once the story gets going, (and especially if you know of the events already), it’s near impossible to put down. The text just punches into gear and doesn’t stop from hours 4-end, because you know what’s going to happen; it’s relentless, but simultaneously gripping. Even the ending, (which I was ready to be somewhat disappointed by, given that the penultimate chapters were so cathartic), was so utterly complete: the cherry on top of an already unreal creation.

This book is not for everyone - those unaware of the story of Troy probably won’t get as much out of it, and those with misgivings towards the lgbtq+ community will likely struggle to get through some parts of it, but those individuals are missing out, because it is among the greatest love stories I’ve ever read, full-stop.

The interplay between all the characters is an endless dance through the story, the narration is incredible, the exchanges and figures are very fleshed out, and I really walked away feeling like I knew not just Achilles and Patroclus, but all the Greek characters of the story even more than I already had.

You should read this book. It’s amazing, it’s beautifully written, and it will stay with you long after you finish reading/listening to it.

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Excellent in both writing and narration

Revisado: 08-24-20

Anyone unfamiliar with Duncan should know that he had, prior to the authoring of this text, been the host of his own podcast, The History of Rome, which is in of itself an absolutely wonderful resource for those interested in Roman history. They should be aware of it, because The Storm Before the Storm reads in the same style: concise, thorough, and intellectually critical.

I love this book - it focuses beautifully on the less examined history of Rome before the class of the first Triumvirate, something that most Roman historians tend to shy away from. Best of all, it does it wonderfully: it isn’t overbearing, it isn’t blindly accepting of what the record tells us, it’s just an incredible, well put together history of the liminal period prior to the clash.

10/10 would recommend

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Should be Required Reading

Revisado: 08-13-20

Anyone intellectually curious in any way about themselves and their relationship to the rest of the world/universe should read this book. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I plan to recommend it to basically everyone who asks.

Watts is maybe the best intermediary between eastern and western philosophy/theology that I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. He manages to (incredibly) bridge the secular and spiritual in a succinct and digestible way, all the while challenging all the judgements of all religions.

I went into this book thinking that I’d learn a thing or two about self-help philosophy the way that I have with other texts on spirituality, and I walked out of it realizing how silly the whole notion of that was. Watts, almost via the Socratic method, completely picks apart all these notions of self-help, meditation, and religious practices like prayer, then ties a bow of reality around all of it. The conclusion of the lectures, that one is not a separate entity from the universe or earth but rather an expression of it, is direly lacking in most dialogues about most issues, both then and today.

What I loved most about this book is that it offers a sort of olive branch between spirituality and atheism: you can be secular, you can leave all the silly prayers behind, and still be in concert with the universe. It’s not just comforting, it’s game-changing, and I’m grateful for being able to hear his perspective in his own words.

Seriously, take the time to enjoy this book if you’re interested in philosophy at all. It’s worth your time.

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What’s Not to Love?

Revisado: 07-12-20

I love this book, and I get why that’s not saying much, being that it’s Michael Pollen, who has, in my opinion, a defining and landmark style to his writing: accessible but intricate, intelligent but not banal, Pollen has so much to say, and every word is a joy to listen to.

Cooked is a story of human development as seen through the classical elements, which are further abstracted into food - what it means to work with fire, water, air, fungus, how it defines us, and why the forms of food are the way that they are. It’s an anthropological exploration, but one that can be discovered in your kitchen. Moreover, it’s an homage to the human story. Pollen’s section on air is probably my favorite part of the novel, but the water sections are likewise excellent. It is a joy to listen to, and you’ll learn a lot in the process.

It is a breeze to listen to the whole text, and all the more so if you’re doing it while cooking. Read it: it’s fantastic, and worth every minute.

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