A good book worth a read is …

December 3, 2009

A good book worth a read is China – Fragile Superpower by China expert,  former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under the Clinton administration and current professor on International Relations and Pacific Studies, Susan Shirk.

The book explains and examines the many complex factors which define, underline, and often potentially undermine the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as it continues to weave the fine line of keeping its economy going along steadily whilst keeping its increasingly mobile, educated, spirited and critical populace happy, (or at least pre-occupied with other concerns), all the while having to deal with trade agreements and alliances, foreign partners and former foes, disputed regions and potential flashpoints both within and near the country.

Having opened up to the world with Nixon’s state visit in 1972 and furthermore in 1979 with Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms of “socialism with capitalist characteristics” which have transformed the sleeping giant into an economic dragon in a generation, the CCP can no longer rely on trotting out the old Communist lines that once placated the masses as its increasingly sophisticated and educated populace no longer believe it. What the CCP has found as a substitute in motivating and rallying the public behind a uniting cause is to use nationalism as a basis to underpin Chinese identity and enable the CCP to continue with its agenda. The trouble comes though when its time to rein in the masses once their spleen has been opened to vent against a common foe (usually either Japan*, Taiwan or the US) before it either jeopardises foreign relations and trade, leads to war or – what the CCP fear the most – brings down the central communist Government.

* – The 2005 anti-Japanese demonstrations are one such notable example where the powers that be initially supported and allowed the masses to protest, before deciding to clamp down on the protests a month later as they were starting to impact negatively on China’s trade relationship with Japan and China’s image abroad.

The book clearly details and explains the many push-pull factors and balancing efforts the CCP and its many and various wings have to manipulate in order to achieve internal unity and stability whilst at the same time not jeopardise its foreign relations and trade on which the economy relies on to grow, as the CCP well know once the economy dips and jobs become scarce, the conditions become ripe for civil unrest which is the worst case scenario for the CCP.

Shirk’s book also looks at the power structures and hierarchy of the various branches of the CCP and China’s all-powerful military, whom the CCP know they must appease lest there be any military revolt.

Chinese – Fragile Superpower does a thorough job of explaining and detailing the many domestic and foreign issues which the CCP must manage to keep the world’s most populous, and 3rd largest (both physically and economically) nation progressing without disintegrating as the world is more intertwined than ever and China and the US, as the book demonstrates, are intricately connected so that if one economy collapses the other will too, and with that a massive black eye or worse for the world as a whole.

Now that China has been opened and its economy set rolling it simply cannot turn back. The CCP know this all too well and now are more fragile and paranoid than ever to keep the lid on firmly so that they stay in control.

A fascinating book and must-read for anyone interested in China, US-Chinese relations, China’s relations with its neighbours, and China’s many problems and issues with its huge, dynamic and diverse population.

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Posted by elcanguro76

Book Review:: Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers

September 26, 2009

You can tell that I am completely snowed under by work judging by how quickly I’m getting through books these days. Well, I thought two book reviews in a week wasn’t enough so I’mmacommin’rightbackatcha’ with another.

Today’s book is Outliers: The Story of Success by British-born, Canadian journalist and The New Yorker columnist Malcolm Gladwell.  This is Gladwell’s third book following on from his previous highly-acclaimed books The Tipping Point and Blink, released in 2000 and 2005 respectively. I first became aware of this book via an interview (part 1; part 2) Gladwell had with CNN presenter Fareed Zakaria and decided this book was a book I must read.

Outliers is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at successful and talented individuals and just how they got to where they are. On the surface, it may appear that they were born ‘with God-given talent’ or that they were born with ‘exceptional’ IQ. But, Gladwell contends that whilst these factors no doubt play a highly significant role in the shaping of these individuals’ destiny, a bigger factor is the often unseen factors that come into play and contribute to their success. The lucky breaks they receive, the fortunate events or time they are born into, not to mention the endless hours of hard work and religious devotion to their skill, talent or passion.

These factors may be the significant advantages of coming from a upper- or middle-class family where studies have proven children growing up in these families significantly receive more support, assistance, talent recognition and empowerment through their childhood than children of poor or working-class families. Another significant factor is happening to be born at the ‘right place and the right time’ and Gladwell clearly illustrates several examples where the individuals in question, one notable individual being Bill Gates himself, openly state that luck and significant fortunate occurrences played a key role in getting to where they are today.

Gladwell also examines and returns to throughout the book the ‘10,000 hour’ rule whereby any individual can become significantly talented and skilled in a subject given the circumstances where they are given 10,000 hours to perform and perfect this task in their early lives. Here Gladwell uses the example of The Beatles, among others, whereby The Beatles by a series of fortunate, random encounters were asked to perform in Hamburg at a club 8 hours a night, seven days a week. Most bands would baulk at this work condition but The Beatles were so enthusiastic and passionate about their music that they relished the opportunity given to them, perfected their craft whilst spending those long hours in Hamburg and went on to become the most successful musical group in history.

Gladwell also points to the largely illogical cut-outs dates for junior sports teams and how frequently stars develop having been born within a few months of the junior cut-off dates, having the advantage of being older and usually more physically developed at a young age, and how these individuals go through the system and are picked for the regional and elite squads until it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy whereby 75% of professional sports stars were born within six months of their junior leagues cut-out dates.

The book also looks at how intelligence can only get you so far, and to get beyond that point you need early intelligence monitoring and subsequent streamlining, a support structure, vast network and nous to get ahead, citing two notable examples of two highly-intelligent men who have/had led incredibly different lives, almost entirely due to their upbringing and childhood.

Interestingly, the book looks at and examines the key roles in which culture shapes and molds individuals’ work ethic, thought processes, language acquisition and entire way of seeing and interacting with the world. Understandably, culture can be play a key – yet often overlooked – factor on how individuals and the societies they live in deal with issues, problems, conflicts and opportunities. In these chapters, Gladwell provides several notable examples – most significantly the key role culture played in the conduct of Korean Air pilots pre-2000.

In Outliers, Gladwell also takes a personal look at his mother’s family history in Jamaica and the chance opportunities, lucky breaks, fortunes of time and random occurrences which enabled her to move to London to further her studies and become a success.

Outliers is an entertaining, highly interesting and thought-provoking book. You may not be thoroughly convinced of Gladwell’s theories by the end of it but will no doubt be impressed by how well he presents his case. I give it five out of five stars.

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Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

September 22, 2009

Well, another day another Bill Bryson book review!

This afternoon I finished reading Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island based on his seven-week journey cross the length and breadth of his adopted homeland of twenty years before he and his family were to move onto his homeland of the United States. (- He’s since moved back to the UK.)

The journey begins at Dover, where he first stepped foot on British soil back in 1973 and re-acquaints himself with his virgin British city. He discovers that the vast changes in Dover largely mirror the vast changes which – often for ever not for better – transformed the UK during his two decade spell.

The book continues with his journey zig-zagging east and west cross the country in a northward motion, re-counting interesting anecdotes and asides, reminiscing on past adventures and discoveries, and filling in on the details of each spot he encounters and the history and characters behind each location throughout his journey.

This book’s greatest asset is that it does pull any punches – it covers Britain and the British, warts and all – all the niceties, oddities, obscenities and eccentricities. All the blights, all the beauty, all the bustle, all the warmth, the coldness, and all that’s in between. Basically, Bryson does a brilliant job of providing us a taste of Britain – the true Britain which you can only true admire and appreciate from within. In this sense, he performs better than Down Under, which in hindsight looks like Bryson somewhat held back at parts in his critiques, possibly for fear of offending Australian readers – he shouldn’t have worried nor cared.

Notes from a Small Island is a fascinating and engaging read which does a great job of capturing British identity. Indeed, it was voted on a BBC Radio poll as the book which best represents England as part of World Book Day 2003.

As you can see by my current reading choices, Bill Bryson is one of my favourite authors and this book of his does not disappoint and is an ideal reading companion for anyone currently traveling or away from home themselves. Great little read, five out of five stars.

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A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

September 21, 2009

I finished writing Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything last week and really enjoyed its entertaining, interesting, understandable and detailed look at all the weird and wonder things in this world we should have learned at school but didn’t due to a variety of differing factors. Bryson himself got the inspiration for this book whilst on a continental plane flight, looking out of the window over the clouds and realising just how little of this world he  – and if the book sales are anything to go by, we – didn’t know about this incredibly fascinating, complex, and wonderful world – and surrounding universe – we live in.

Bryson covers not only all the strains of sciences, all aspects of the physical universe – both in the macro and micro scale, evolutionary history, extinctions. But, all the many, weird and wonderful characters who have featured throughout history in bringing us to the – still, limited – understanding we have today of this world around us. The book does a great job of keeping the topic’s lively and interesting without unnecessarily dumbing it down. Bryson also brilliantly illustrates just how much of a colossal fluke it is that us humans are here where we are at this point in time. Humans were not pre-ordained to take perch at the top of the food chain, human evolution has been the result of thousands upon thousands of freak events, flukes of nature and downright miracles to continue to this point in history.

Finishing the book you are confronted with not only feelings of satisfaction for knowing just that bit more about the world and its many matter and forces around you. But, more importantly, are left with a strong feeling of wonder and appreciation for being part of this incredible miracle to be living and breathing on this wonderful sphere of Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, and other elemental matter – Planet Earth.

Great read, interesting, informative and fascinating at the same time. Well worth a look at. Five out of five stars.

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Book review: Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

August 24, 2009

I’ve had this book for while though never got round to reading it until recently, daunted by the sheer size of the book. But, having already read Jared Diamond’s fascinating, follow-up book Collapse, and hearing nothing but good reports on Guns, Germs, and Steel, I knew I had to get my arse into gear and read the darn thing. And, I’m sure glad I finally did.

The main motivation for the book, Diamond recalls is a conversation with friend, Yali, a Papua New Guinean politician who in 1972 asked Diamond as to why it was Europeans with the ‘cargo’ and Papua New Guineans without. At the time, Diamond was largely unable to give a concise answer and so – two and a half decades on – this book set out in the aims of doing so.

Guns, Germs, and Steel is an incredibly ambitious book looking at the evolution and migratory patterns of modern humans, particularly from 13,000 years ago onwards – from around the time humans in the Fertile Cresent first began to move from hunter-gathering towards subsistence farming, and determining facts as to why some humans ‘developed’ more than others and as such managed to conquer foreign lands by means for their acquired guns, germs, and steel.

It’s a colossal task to take into account all the possible factors as to why some groups managed to progress to further stages of development, whereas others were largely unable to do. Though, through Diamond’s thorough research and sheer intellect, he successfully does so, and in doing so opens the floodgate to a whole new approach of the science of human evolution. And, whilst doing so closes the gate on the racist theories of the past as to why some groups prospered and spread whereas other did not.

In his book, Diamond explains how the guiding factors behind why peoples of the Eurasian continent were largely able to develop and progress at a more advanced rate than indigenous peoples of other continents were largely due to environmental and physical factors rather than any intrinsic racial difference between peoples of different continents in terms of intelligence and ingenuity. Environmental examples given as to why Eurasia was able to proceed at an accelerated rate compared with other continents include: being blessed with the most productive crops for food consumption; containing a large mass of land within the temperate climatic region, where the bulk of the world’s grains and livestock are located; having the good fortune of having the most malleable and reliable animals in which to domesticate; and having a predominately east-west continental axis allowing for comparatively easy transferring of domesticated crops throughout the continent due to similar daylight hours and seasonal patterns compared with the continents of the Americas and Africa which follow a predominately north-south axis.

So, as such, Eurasians were blessed with being born in the right location in order for them to develop subsistence farming which enabled them to give up hunter-gathering, enabling more time for child-rearing and food production, which produced greater populations and population density, which in time gave birth to a hierarchical system whereby chiefs, kings, armies, slaves and cities were created which would then move on in order to appropriate more land and resources, and the domino effect continued until reaching the New World, Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia and Oceania where the peoples of Eurasia’s superior weaponry, wealth, legal systems – and in particular, imported diseases, largely decimated indigenous peoples of the previously mentioned continents.

Diamond’s book was not without its critics however – which was inevitable given the sheer scope, worth of material, and potentially controversial topics and fields of study in the book. However, in his follow-up editions of the initial publication, Diamond has largely answered his critics – in my opinion, successfully – in terms of discussing reasons as to why it was Europe and not China, a long-running hotbed of civilization and inventions, that managed to colonise so much of the world and not vice versa. More recent editions also include a section on Japan, its current position in the global hegemony and just how it got to that position.

I haven’t nearly done justice to explaining the theories and principles behind Diamond’s book, and strongly recommend you to read this important book to further your knowledge of human migration and evolution, and in doing so realise that it was largely chance – being born in the right place at the right time – as to why Eurasian people got to their point of relative affluence today. The book is quite lengthy and in some sections a tad technical but should be readable for any adult or teenager, and as such would make a great resource book for high school or university students studying a variety of fields ranging from physiology to geology and evolutionary biology.

I strongly recommend Guns, Germs, and Steel and his follow-up book, Collapse, which focuses more closely on examples from the past provided in Guns, Germs, and Steel; and also looks at modern implications of the environment, climate and how strongly it determines our very existence. I give this book a top five out of five stars, and am looking forward to acquiring Diamond’s two previous books, The Third Chimpanzee and Why Sex is Fun?

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