Suggestions for our non-fiction Book - Q1, 2008

[seeker]

One of the books on my must-read list is The Stuff of Thought by Steven Pinker.

From Booklist

Experimental psychologist and cognitive scientist Pinker is fascinated by the symbiosis between language and thought. In this stimulating volume, a continuation of the discussion found in The Language Instinct (1994), he argues for the "real-world importance" of "the relation of language to our inner and outer worlds." Anchoring his discussion of why semantics matter to 9/11 and other momentous public events, Pinker teases apart the gap between the literal meanings of words and their elaborate connotations, which leads to fresh explanations of humor, the importance of metaphors, and the significance of swearing. Some of the most mind-expanding chapters involve the subtlest, most taken-for-granted aspects of mind, namely our sense of time, space, and causality. Drawing on philosophy, evolutionary psychology, physics, neurology, anthropology, and jokes, Pinker presents a convincing theory of conceptual semantics, itemizing the "fundamental ideas" that form the "language of thought." From politics to poetry, children's wonderful malapropisms to slang, Pinker's fluency in the nuances of words and syntax serves as proof of his faith in language as "a window into human nature."

[Dissident Heart]

I've made this selection before, but I think it even more pertinent and really a worthwhile read for Booktalk

Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... mentcom-20

The text is written by Jonathan Shay, a brilliant combination of ancient classicist and psychiatrist specialist in the field of PTSD and combat survival. Odysseus' journey home becomes the paradigm for US soldiers returning home from Vietnam. The book was published before the ill-thought invasion of Iraq, but I think it will prove a fruitful challenge for Booktalk to make the connections between the two wars, and the ancient story.

Here is Jonathan Shay's page at the Macarthur Foundation 2007 Fellows page: http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQ ... 7D&notoc=1

From Publishers Weekly
It's not exactly a secret that those returning from war often have difficulties adjusting to the peaceful life at home. Nor is it a secret that hundreds of thousands of Vietnam veterans have had emotionally rocky homecomings. The main reasons Vietnam veterans have suffered disproportionately have been identified in many books. Shay (Achilles in Vietnam), a Tufts Medical School faculty member, serves as a Veterans Administration psychiatrist administering to emotionally troubled Vietnam veterans and offers his second study engaging the Homeric epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, in order to describe and explain veterans' plight. Shay presents an amalgam of scholarly Homeric interpretation and case studies of maladjusted Vietnam veterans, arguing that leaders-from top policy makers to drill instructors-hold the key to preventing many psychological problems in the military. He advocates fostering a climate of community at the unit level by training and supporting competent, open-minded, ethical military leaders who have the full support of their superiors. While it's an intriguing argument, the case studies do not contribute to existing literature, and the tone of the book-which contains countless italicized words and phrases-comes off too often as hectoring or stridently didactic. Readers with a working knowledge of The Odyssey and a familiarity with the effects of PTSD among Americans who served in the Vietnam War may get the most out of this book, which could affect policy if it finds its way to upper echelons of command.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Shay, a psychiatrist in the Department of Veteran Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Boston, has worked with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Vietnam veterans for many years. In his first book, Achilles in Vietnam, Shay explored the stresses and psychological injuries caused by armed combat, using the insight of Homer's Iliad. That book was warmly received in both the medical and the military professions. In the first third of the new book, Shay uses Odysseus's epic journey to explore the stresses faced by veterans who return home, still scarred by their intense experiences. In Shay's interpretation, Odysseus experienced nearly all of the symptoms he has observed in returned veterans of modern wars fearfulness, inability to trust or be close to anyone, emotional outbursts, violence, criminal activity, sexual adventurism, and so forth. Clearly, Homer understood and appreciated what war really meant to the participants. The second section deals with healing techniques. The third contains Shay's suggested measures for prevention of such long-lasting injuries. Whether or not one agrees with Shay's prescriptive measures, this is a mandatory purchase for any library serving the military or their families, or where medical professionals deal with any kind of stress-related disorder. It is also a fresh take on a literary classic. Highly recommended. Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
This book's readers ought to read Shay's Achilles in Vietnam(1994), too. Although the main thrusts of the two books differ, asdo the characters of Achilles and Odysseus, they arecomplementary. Shay, a psychiatrist with a Ph.D. in neuroscience,worked with the V.A.'s Veterans Improvement Program for more than adecade. The veterans in the program, especially those who experiencedgreat difficulty returning to society and family, soon learned thatShay wasn't just interested in them; he actually listened tothem. This led to productive realizations for doctor and patientsalike, such as that feeling guilty about what a man has or hasn't donedoesn't necessarily imply that he is guilty. Just as Homer's warhero Achilles "speaks" to the psychology of the soldier, the characterand experience of Homer's returning vet Odysseus, Shay says, are fontsof insight for vets, their families, and their employers. Meanwhile,nonvets will perceive from this book the wisdom of replacing wholeunits rather than individual soldiers at the front. William Beatty
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
Richard Rhodes Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Why they Kill and The Making of the Atomic Bomb: "A brilliant successor to Shay's groundbreaking Achilles in Vietnam."

Library Journal: "[A] fresh take on a literary classic."

Thomas E. Ricks Defense correspondent, The Washington Post "Should be read by anyone interested in the effects of combat on troops or in the meaning of Homer's works -- and by everyone who wants to better understand today's United States."

Asa Baber Vietnam-era marine veteran and the Men columnist for Playboy "One hell of a book. It is well written, honest, healing, and aimed at all of us who have trouble handling the stress of our crazy world."

Gregory Nagy Professor of classical Greek literature, Harvard University "A true American Odyssey."

Steven Pressfield Author of Gates of Fire and Last of the Amazons "Jonathan Shay plumbs the Odysseus myth for healing, working the real-life agonies of his own clients at the V.A. in Boston into the wisdom left to us by Homer. An important book."

Lieutenant General Bernard E. Trainor USMC, retired, Marine Corps Gazette "Groundbreaking work in understanding, preventing, and treating mental injuries....Leaders at all levels would profit from a journey with both Achilles and Odysseus. Homer and Jonathan Shay are excellent tour guides."

[MadArchitect]

I'll second Seeker's suggestion for Steven Pinker's "The Stuff of Thought". I was going to suggest "How the Mind Works" as an alternative, since I'm currently reading Daniel Dennett's "Freedom Evolves", in which Dennett cites "How" as the book with which Pinker defected from the camp represented by he and Dawkins -- but looking over the Amazon reviews, I'd say that "The Stuff of Thought" looks like the more eloquent of the two.

[Mr. P]

I'll second Seeker's suggestion for Steven Pinker's "The Stuff of Thought". I was going to suggest "How the Mind Works" as an alternative, since I'm currently reading Daniel Dennett's "Freedom Evolves", in which Dennett cites "How" as the book with which Pinker defected from the camp represented by he and Dawkins -- but looking over the Amazon reviews, I'd say that "The Stuff of Thought" looks like the more eloquent of the two.

Third on the Pinker book. Fits the criteria of being in the top 1000 on Amazon and I just got an email from Amazon and it is also #3 of 10 on the list of best Science books of 2007.

Mr. P.

[Aubrey.Alexis]

I would like to suggest The First Word by Christine Kenneally.

A compelling look at the quest for the origins of human language from an accomplished linguist

Language is a distinctly human gift. However, because it leaves no permanent trace, its evolution has long been a mystery, and it is only in the last fifteen years that we have begun to understand how language came into being.

The First Word is the compelling story of the quest for the origins of human language. The book follows two intertwined narratives. The first is an account of how language developed-how the random and layered processes of evolution wound together to produce a talking animal: us. The second addresses why scientists are at last able to explore the subject. For more than a hundred years, language evolution was considered a scientific taboo. Kenneally focuses on figures like Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker, along with cognitive scientists, biologists, geneticists, and animal researchers, in order to answer the fundamental question: Is language a uniquely human phenomenon?

The First Word is the first book of its kind written for a general audience. Sure to appeal to fans of Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct and Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel, Kenneally's book is set to join them as a seminal account of human history.

I'm sorry, but I don't know how to add a link other than to copy the url.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bookse ... 901&itm=29

[Mr. P]

I would like to suggest The First Word by Christine Kenneally.

Aubrey...you are not a newbie are you? I remember you being around for a while. Anyway...welcome back and stick around!!!

Mr. P.

[Dissident Heart]

I like the Ten Theories of Human Nature selection, and I like Pinker's Stuff of Thought...I also like The First Word. I think these are all quality works that could prove well worth the effort to read.

I want to make another suggestion, after discovering it at the library this weekend. Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History by Rosemary Radford Ruether. http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9564.html

I think it's a great combination of history and comparative religions, with an expert analysis of feminist theory and theology in their complex evolution in understanding the role of godesses and the divine feminine in human experience. It is highly critical of traditional religious systems and ideas, but comes to much different conclusions from thinkers like Dennett, Harris, Dawkins, et al.

"Clearly written, erudite, lavishly detailed, and with unbiased analysis."--Library Journal


"The scholarship in this book is superior, revealing a depth of insight and a scope of knowledge possible only from a scholar who has lived with the concerns of feminist theology for decades. Ruether is a gifted storyteller, and lucidly translates complex ideas and debates. This work is of the highest importance, and Ruether asks the right questions at the right time. The text is groundbreaking."--Nancy Pineda-Madrid, Saint Mary's College of California

"Ruether has provided a valuable introduction to an important feminist topic: what can we know about sacred female imagery in Western culture? She guides us through contemporary feminist scholarship, providing engaging narrative, and venturing her own interpretations. Ruether calls for feminists to move beyond divisions created by our different interpretations of prehistory and work together towards our common project of a more peaceful, just, and ecological world."--Carol Hepokoski, Meadville Lombard Theological School

DESCRIPTION

This landmark work presents the most illuminating portrait we have to date of goddesses and sacred female imagery in Western culture--from prehistory to contemporary goddess movements. Beautifully written, lucidly conceived, and far-ranging in its implications, this work will help readers gain a better appreciation of the complexity of the social forces-- mostly androcentric--that have shaped the symbolism of the sacred feminine. At the same time, it charts a new direction for finding a truly egalitarian vision of God and human relations through a feminist-ecological spirituality.

Rosemary Radford Ruether begins her exploration of the divine feminine with an analysis of prehistoric archaeology that challenges the popular idea that, until their overthrow by male-dominated monotheism, many ancient societies were matriarchal in structure, governed by a feminine divinity and existing in harmony with nature. For Ruether, the historical evidence suggests the reality about these societies is much more complex. She goes on to consider key myths and rituals from Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Anatolian cultures; to examine the relationships among gender, deity, and nature in the Hebrew religion; and to discuss the development of Mariology and female mysticism in medieval Catholicism, and the continuation of Wisdom mysticism in Protestanism. She also gives a provocative analysis of the meeting of Aztec and Christian female symbols in Mexico and of today's neo-pagan movements in the United States.

CONTENTS

Introduction
1. Gender and the Problem of Prehistory
2. Goddesses and World Renewal in the Ancient Mediterranean
3. The Hebrew God and Gender
4. Savior Goddesses in the Mystery Religions and Gnosticism
5. The Spiritual Feminine in New Testament and Patristic Christianity
6. Feminine Symbols in Medieval Religious Literature
7. Tonantzin-Guadalupe: The Meeting of Aztec and Christian Female Symbols in Mexico
8. Mary and Wisdom in Protestant Mystical Millennialism
9. Contested Gender Status and Imagining Ancient Matriarchy
10. The Return of the Goddess

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rosemary Radford Ruether is Carpenter Professor of Feminist Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She is author of numerous books, including Sexism and Godtalk: Toward a Feminist Theology (second edition, 1993), Gaia and God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing (1992), and Women and Redemption: A Theological History (1998).

[JulianTheApostate]

I plan to read The First Word and The Stuff of Though, both of which are sitting on my bookshelf. Pinker's books are fascinating and discussion-worthy.

My wife read Howard Gardner's book The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach. If we want one of his, I'd rather choose that one, which involves a topic I'm more curious about.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0465088961

Ten Theories of Human Nature also sounds interesting, though I'd rather pick a book that I already own. The other suggestions were less appealing.

[JulianTheApostate]

This book, from the NY Times notable books of 2007, sounds like a decent possibility.

The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics, and the Modern West
by Mark Lilla
Amazon rank: 2,322
http://www.amazon.com/Stillborn-God-Rel ... 1400043670

This searching history of western thinking about the relationship between religion and politics was inspired not by 9/11, but by Nazi Germany, where, says University of Chicago professor Lilla (The Reckless Mind), politics and religion were horrifyingly intertwined. To explain the emergence of Nazism's political theology, Lilla reaches back to the early modern era, when thinkers like Locke and Hume began to suggest that religion and politics should be separate enterprises. Some theorists, convinced that Christianity bred violence, argued that government must be totally detached from religion. Others, who believed that rightly practiced religion could contribute to modern life, promoted a liberal theology, which sought to articulate Christianity and Judaism in the idiom of reason. (Lilla's reading of liberal Jewish thinker Hermann Cohen is especially arresting.) Liberal theologians, Lilla says, credulously assumed human society was progressive and never dreamed that fanaticism could capture the imaginations of modern people-assumptions that were proven wrong by Hitler. If Lilla castigates liberal theology for its naïveté, he also praises America and Western Europe for simultaneously separating religion from politics, creating space for religion, and staving off sectarian violence and theocracy. Lilla's work, which will influence discussions of politics and theology for the next generation, makes clear how remarkable an accomplishment that is.

[MadArchitect]

I've previously linked to articles by Mark Lilla, and have preciously suggested "The Stillborn God", so I would support the suggestion that we make that book an official non-fiction or freethought selection.