Wulf's Book Reviews

Existentialism Is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre (Please note that Sartre consistently speaks of "man". Ironically, Simone de Beauvoir's partner of 51 years is unable or unwilling to include women in his language at least. Nevertheless, the essence of his will includes any gender.) » Man is nothing other than his own project. He exists only to the extent that he realizes himself, therefore he is nothing more than the sum of his actions, nothing more than his life.” « “ Existentialism is a Humanism ” is originally a lecture by Jean-Paul Sartre , first delivered in 1945, aimed to clarify misunderstandings about existentialism. He adeptly defends the philosophy against critiques of it promoting despair, amorality, and nihilism. The book is built on the existentialist premise that " existence precedes essence ". Or, in Sartre’s own words: » We mean that man first exists: he materializes in the world, encounters himself, and only afterward defines him...

It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet: The Classic Memoir of a 1930s Vet by James Herriot My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is pure “comfort food” for me: James Herriot's memoirs are like a soothing, nurturing balm for the soul for me. Nestled within the pages of this book is not only the continuation of the endearing sagas I came to love from his previous work but also a wealth of humour, warmth, and genuine affection for both animals and humanity. » It was to a moribund horse, and Mr. Sidlow, describing the treatment to date, announced that he had been pushing raw onions up the horse’s rectum; he couldn’t understand why it was so uneasy on its legs. Siegfried had pointed out that if he were to insert a raw onion in Mr. Sidlow’s rectum, he, Mr. Sidlow, would undoubtedly be uneasy on his legs. « What strikes me most about Herriot's writing is the effortlessly vivid way he captures the life of a country vet in Yorkshire. His narrative weaves intricate tales that both amuse ...

If Only They Could Talk by James Herriot My rating: 5 of 5 stars As a rule, I never re-read books. To me, it seems like a waste of precious reading time. There are exceptions to every rule, though, and the books by James Herriot are one of those. I mostly read them as in-between books: When I’ve finished a book and cannot review it right away as I usually would, I open a Herriot and am right back in his beloved Yorkshire Dales. " If Only They Could Talk " is the first of a series of books that are essentially memoirs of Herriot's experiences as a young veterinarian in the Yorkshire Dales, beginning in the 1930s. It is a heartwarming and humorous account of his encounters with animals and their owners, as well as his struggles to establish himself as a veterinarian in a rural community. Herriot's love for both animals and people shines through in his writing. He has a great empathy for both his animal patients and their owners, and he portrays them with w...

Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir by Natasha Trethewey My rating: 4 of 5 stars » All those years I thought that I had been running away from my past I had, in fact, been working my way steadily back to it. « This was not easy to read and even less so to review. In “ Memorial Drive ” Trethewey remembers her childhood, born 1966, in a still very much segregated Gulfport, Mississippi, USA. Her mother black and her father white this clearly was a challenge. Trethewey’s father leaves the family and when her mother meets another man and, ultimately, marries him, things quickly escalate for young Trethewey who is routinely abused by her stepfather, Joel, who also beats his wife and terrorises the entire family. Joel eventually murders his then-ex wife. First and foremost, “Memorial Drive” is about remembering a loving mother and telling her story. When asked about what Trethewey would want to be a key takeaway from reading “Memorial Drive” she answered as follows: “If I w...

Last Chance to See: In the Footsteps of Douglas Adams by Mark Carwardine My rating: 4 of 5 stars You might wipe your eyes and wonder “Haven’t I seen this title before?”; and, yes, you might have because this is a follow-up on the original book “ Last Chance to See ” by the late-and-yet-immortalised Douglas (Noël) Adams (DNA) and Mark Carwardine . I love the first book as it is testament to DNA’s manyfold interests and his engagement in several fields. Not to mention his trademark humour. This time around, Mark Carwardine, British zoologist and conservationist, is joined on a series of trips by Stephen Fry who is a worthy successor for Adams albeit not quite as funny. As in the original, the authors have done a marvellous job of blending witty humour with profound insights into the world of endangered species. Carwardine's expertise as a zoologist and conservationist, in conjunction with Fry's linguistic prowess, creates an enchanting and deeply engaging narrative throughout ...

Persepolis: The Story of an Iranian Childhood by Marjane Satrapi My rating: 4 of 5 stars Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis is a powerful and moving graphic novel that tells the story of the author growing up in Iran. I was pleasantly surprised the graphic novel form succeeded at telling complex and nuanced stories in a highly accessible way. For readers like myself with limited prior knowledge of Iran, the book provides a valuable and accessible window into the complexities of life during this historical period in a country that I for one only associate with the "Axis of Evil" and the brutal oppression of any kind of opposition to the regime. One of the strengths of Persepolis is the way that it makes the experience of living through the revolution and the war tangible. It presented me with a sense of the everyday challenges and fears that people faced, as well as the more profound philosophical questions about identity and beliefs. The book feels so real, so true to lif...

Happening by Annie Ernaux My rating: 5 of 5 stars "(Perhaps this description seems irritating or repulsive, or it may be perceived as distasteful. Having experienced something, whatever it is, gives one the inalienable right to write about it. There is no inferior truth. If I don't recount that experience in detail, I contribute to obscuring the reality of women's lives and make myself complicit in male domination of the world)." Annie Ernaux, a 23-year-old student at the time, became unintentionally pregnant in 1963 in what was then arch-conservative, Catholic France and was de facto abandoned by the father of the unborn child. None of the doctors she consulted helped her in any significant way and so she has no choice but to place herself in the hands of a so-called "angel maker". "In writing, I sometimes have to resist the urge to lapse into angry or pain-filled lyricism. I don't want to do in this text what I haven't do...

Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage by Heather Havrilesky My rating: 5 of 5 stars » Forever is two immortal elves, sipping pink champagne by a burbling stream, then exploring the wild, gorgeous woods around them in everlasting harmony. Forever is set in New Zealand, not New Jersey. « It was around Christmas when I came across Heather Havrilesky ’s essay “ Marriage Requires Amnesia ” (which is an adaptation from this book) in the New York Times. In it, Havrileski poignantly describes her 15-year marriage to Bill Sandoval. While reading it, I laughed out loud and I cried and sometimes all of it at the same time. Being in the 23rd year of my marriage myself, I felt both understood and like gaining a better understanding of my wife. » But we weren’t married yet, so he still thought he could do whatever he wanted. « I couldn’t wait to see “ Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage ” released in early February because I was hoping for more of the same. And I got it - to ...

Lonely Planet Unpacked by Lonely Planet My rating: 1 of 5 stars Travel disaster stories were promised but the only disaster were the stories… DNF at 72%. Ever since I stumbled upon “ Kamikaze Kangaroos!: A trip around Oz in a van called Rusty ” by Tony James Slater several years ago, I sometimes like to read travel memoirs - especially when there’s disaster involved! By now, I’ve read all of Tony’s books (and those of many other travellers!) and it seemed a logical next step to take a famous travel guide’s collection of supposedly funny travel stories… Sadly, the promised “disaster stories” here are mostly of the following variety… “Look, I did this and this is why: (long-winded explanations)” “I could have died from that long walk, the road traffic, my inability to overcome inertia, (blah blah)!” “And, lo and behold, I dangerously sprained my ankle!” This is neither very entertaining nor does it make for a good read which is why I’m abandoning this for good. One star out of fiv...

A Soldier's Quartet by Colin Baldwin My rating: 2 of 5 stars DNF at 58%… I really hoped I would like " A Soldier's Quartet " by Colin Baldwin but it was not to be for a lot of reasons. First of all, we’re jumping around in time as if we were Doctor Who’s new companion - from 1918 to 2018 to 1914 and so on and on… This is not only confusing and exhausting, it actually wastes the chance to actually make us care about the German soldier Wolf who first dies and only later do we get insight into some of his life before. Also, the narration about Conrad’s contemporary research into the letter doesn’t really work for me: It’s a thinly veiled memoir of Colin's endeavours and it feels entirely authentic (including some “classic” German habits and traditions) - but, to me, it’s just not very interesting. A lot of it would totally work and amaze me if told briefly and anecdotally in person. Not so much as a book, though. There’s also at least one instance in which a l...

When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut My rating: 1 of 5 stars This is one of the very few books I’m not finishing. Let me explain why: The problem with this one is that Benjamín Labatut introduces the history of an invention to us. Let’s take the first story on “Prussian Blue” as an example: Labatut starts by shortly describing the invention itself and what lead to it. He then proceeds to tell us about the inventor(s) and how they relate to each other and the world. Labatut does this, and that’s my first issue, at break-neck speed. He drops name after name after name and forms connections between them in rarely more than a single sentence. It’s exhausting and not very illuminating. Much worse, though, whenever there’s insufficient historical evidence Labatut chooses the most lurid and raciest possible explanation. For example Fritz Haber’s (Haber played a most prominent role in chemical warfare) wife, Clara Immerwahr , did commit suicide - but the reasons ar...

Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary by Linus Torvalds My rating: 3 of 5 stars » And I have a wife to make the decisions that complete my wardrobe, to pick out things like sandals and socks. So I never have to worry about it again. « Those who know me a little better know that I fell in love with Linux some 27 years ago. In March 1995 IBM OS/2 Warp was replaced by (I think) DLD - the Deutsche Linux-Distribution - and I was… free. » As I read and started to understand Unix, I got a big enthusiastic jolt. Frankly, it’s never subsided. (I hope you can say the same about something.) « How could I not admire the person who started it all - Linus Torvalds. Torvalds is just a few years older than me and I was delighted and highly amused to find him very relatable in the first half of the book. Be it then… » It probably won’t surprise anyone that some of my earliest and happiest memories involve playing with my grandfather’s old electronic calculator. « (In my case, ...