"Tai Pan", by James Clavell- Book Review

Like the rest of James Clavell's Asian saga, "Tai Pan" has a width that can be daunting to perspective readers. At a mere 700ish pages, this tome is at the light end of Clavell's works. Don't let the size fool you. "Tai Pan" is a entertaining read that readers breeze through more quickly than they expect to. In "Tai Pan", James Clavell accomplishes what authors of historical fiction strive for. He captures his readers and transports them to a different age and place.

"Tai Pan" opens in the year 1841, in the wake of the Opium War. Hong Kong is the most recent addition to the Brittish Empire. Most deem the island a worthless rock acquired through a diplomatic misstep. But one man, Dirk Struan, Tai-Pan of the Noble House, the preeminent trading house in Asia, sees Hong Kong as his greatest achievement. He believes that the port at Hong Kong will make it the gateway to Asia and the shining Jewel of Britain's Asian Empire. However, hanging onto Hong Kong will not be an easy task for Dirk Struan. Perserving his greatest achievment Hong Kong will conflict with holding onto the Noble House, his remaining family, and the Chinese mistress whom he loves.

Through detailed discription, Clavell develops characters and settings that become real in the minds of the reader. Clavell also demonstrates and ability to balance action and drama. Despite his voluminous discriptions and plethora of background information, Clavell the action is engaging enough to keep the reader entertained throughout the novel.

"Tai Pan", along with the rest of Clavell's Asian saga, recieves my highest recomendations. "Tai-Pan" once again throws you headlong into the East. Though Clavell repeatedly states that all of the characters and happening in the book are fictional, his detail and insight into asian culture is truely amazing. Dirk Struan becomes so real, that you can't help but despise his enemies, love his lovers, and have a sense of longing to be or at least know someone like him.

Off Topic But... Here My View Of the War In Iraq

As we sit in our homes and see story after story about our brave soldiers dying in battle, a need to bring them rises in our stomachs. However, with this overwhelming emotion building up inside of us, it is easy to forget about a historical precedent that all but screams "do not remove the troops prematurely".

Perhaps the most glaring example of what a premature withdrawal could entail was Nixon's "Vietnamization" program at the end of the Vietnam War. After over a decade of bloody conflict that claimed thousands of American lives, the American people had had enough. In the early-70's Nixon proposed "Vietnamization", a phased withdrawal during witch time the South Vietnamese would take on the responsibility of defending themselves. Just days after the last American's pulled out, North Korean troops marched into Saigon and defeated the South Vietnamese resistance. All of the American efforts in the region had been futile.
Iraq obviously poses a different situation than Vietnam. There is no declared enemy to fight and the combat takes on a vastly different form than the jungle battles of Vietnam. However, the precedent is the same. Leaving Iraq now, would be like leaving the unprepared Vietnamese to fend for themselves all over again.

Pulling out of Iraq now would yield the same consequences. The fragile government would quickly collapse, and factional violence would break out over the entire country. All of the time, and money, and blood, that Americans invested in Iraq would be for not.

America entered this war with the Intention of investing billions of dollars in establishing peace in Iraq. Pulling out now would not only be a waste of thousands of American lives and hundreds of billions of American dollars, but it would leave the country in a worse state than we found it.

"Mind Wide Open" by Steven Johnson- Book Review

"Mind Wide Open" opens gateways into the brain. Johnson’s work simultaneously opens a doorway into the realm of brain science and stimulates the readers to delve into their own consciousness. Johnson does nothing repeated demonstrates that brains are complicated mechanisms, but as a writer he has a gift for breaking down and explaining even the most fluid and complex processes of the brain. It is deeply satisfying to put down the book and feel that you could discuss the concept of consciousness with a brain scientist.

"Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life." Is a personal story about Johnson’s quest to understand what takes place between his ears. His mission: Helping us to understand how our brain chemistry shapes our daily behaviors and mental ups and downs.

What makes "Mind Wide Open" so enjoyable is that beneath all of the science it truly is a story; A story of discovery. The main character- Johnson’s brain, and the brains of his family and friends.

Johnson conveys his story by relating amusing but relevant stories of self-experimentation and personal experience. As the book wears on Johnson demonstrates that even the most complex of human behaviors can be attributed to anatomy and chemistry.

"Mind Wide Open" offers a tour of a brain that you will never quite look at in the same way after reading the book. Despite his neuroscience background, Johnson clearly illustrates the theory behind how our brains work.

Not only does Johnson succeed in giving us tools to better understand ourselves, but he also truly inspires the readers to “open their minds.”

Other Recomended Reading:
"Blink"
"The Brain Has A Mind Of Its Own"

"Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert T. Kiyosaki- Book Review

By no means is Rich Dad, Poor Dada literary masterpiece. However, Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a departure from the typically bland genre of investing advice literature in that its anecdotal narration make makes for a light and rather enjoyable read.

You can choose to look at Rich Dad, Poor Dad as either an investing and financial guide or as a motivational work offering a fresh perspective on finance.

If you choose the first option and scour the pages for concrete investing advice you will be disappointed. There was only a limited amount of 0f hard information and the bits of concrete advice tended to be exceedingly general: create assets, save money, avoid overspending, etc. Anyone reading the book intent on picking up concrete investing tips or hard financial advice would put the book down unsatisfied with the few solid morsels of information the book had to offer.

However, those who began reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad with and open mind soon realized that maybe the book was not intended to be an investing guide. Rather, Kiyosaki hoped to write a book that would offer a new perspective on money and motivate the readers to take their finances into their own hands. The Rich Dad, Poor Dad dichotomy presents an entertaining and powerful microcosm that demonstrates the differences in social classes in a fun to read manner. The lesson’s that Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad” teaches him are lessons for all of us. They aren’t get rich quick tips, they are anecdotal teachings that offer the readers a fresh perspective on finance. A reader who approaches Rich Dad, Poor Dad with and open mind, can put it down with a valuable new perception of finance and an inspiration to take on more financial responsibility..

Other Products You May Enjoy:
Cashflow Quadrant
Rich Dad's Guide to Investing