1. On Writing Well by William Zissner
Genre: Writing Reference
Rating: 9/10
This book is a helpful how-to guide for the art of writing non-fiction. Seeing as this is a reference guide, I will provide the most helpful writing tips I learned from this book.
Clear thinking is clear writing. Writing should be organized in a structured manner. Each sentence should serve a purpose in the context of a larger paragraph. Each paragraph should encompass an idea that supports the point of the whole piece.
Start strong and finish stronger. Readers are faithless and selfish lovers. If you do not engage them from the outset, they will put the work down. In our modern-and-technologically-distracted age, it is harder to capture readers' attention. For this reason, the introduction must introduce elements of emotional tension, mystery, or perplexity that engage the reader immediately. The reader must be led through the piece with a perpetual feeling of “what’s next?”. As for the conclusion, it should be a concise summary of the main arguments.
Avoid cliches. Cliches are so common during our everyday conversations that they influence our writing. Cliches are useful because they condense timeless truths into clever sentences. However, cliches have no place in good writing. Writing is a medium for conveying emotions through vivid descriptions. Cliche’s are repeated so often that the words lose their emotional impact.
Limit the use of adverbs and adjectives. Adjectives are excessive because they try to compensate for unclear sentences. Try using strong verbs and compact sentences to communicate the message. Additionally, adverbs are redundant because their meaning is implied within the verb. For example, one need not say that someone, “screams loudly”. Anyone who has been around a screaming baby knows that screaming is inherently loud. Adverbs usually create unnecessary clutter in our writing.
Don’t use big words. The author offers two explanations for why beginning writers' work comes off as unreadable, boring, and arrogant. First, they are insecure and feel like using big words makes them seem more credible. Second, they are so used to reading books by famous authors that they unsuccessfully try to emulate them. As an antidote to using big words, try to state things as plainly as possible.
2. A Naked Singularity by Sergio De La Pava
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 9.4/10
Oftentimes fiction is either really entertaining or really insightful, but seldom both. A Naked Singularity, however, fits into both categories. This was one of the best books I have read this year. A Naked Singularity is a hilarious, entertaining, and philosophical thriller about two lawyers that commit a heist. The main character, Casi, is a young public defender whose wit, compassion, and intelligence make him an entertaining character. I read 678 pages in under a week because it was so hard to put down!
De La Pava has an acute awareness of the philosophical and psychological forces that govern human nature. What makes De La Pava’s work even more enjoyable is that he explains his ideas in a conversational style. De La Pava’s stream-of-consciousness meanderings were unique and engaging. Additionally, I loved the breadth of topics that were covered in this book: the American justice system, physics, societal progress, addiction to entertainment, boxing, and religion. I highly recommend this hilarious book to fiction fans!
3. On Moral Fiction by John Gardner
Genre: Literary Criticism
Rating: 8.7/10
Gardner’s On Moral Fiction, is a call for modern artists - be they musicians, painters, or writers - to create moral art. Gardner defines moral art as a work that affirms and reaffirms timeless values such as bravery, compassion, and faith. Art is a refuge for the alienated. When we experience cynical art, we feel more alone and more helpless than before we consumed it. Moral art instills a sense of moral strength and courage in the readers.
From the historical perspective of literature, fiction became less about sharing moral lessons and providing spiritual guidance since the early-to-mid 20th century. I believe that the transition from moral art to immoral art was caused by a few important events of the 19th and 20th centuries: The theory of evolution undermined a belief in God; two world wars left the world terrified of man’s capacity for destruction; an economic depression caused by a greedy banking industry resulted in a lack of trust in institutions. These are of course just to name a few. As a way to cope with the disillusionment, people turned to art (as we often do). Yet, artists were not immune from feeling the despair and confusion that came from the 20th century. Fiction became a medium to mock and ridicule the logical inconsistencies of society. To tell stories of patriotism, bravery, fraternal love, and faith was a sign of naiveté. Instead, writers used irony and satire to fill the void. Irony is great at tearing things down and providing a laugh, but it doesn't tell us how to build things back up.
Gardner's criticism of modern fiction does not advocate censorship. The criticism explains why artists are obliged to create moral art. The artist must provide people the strength and courage to navigate the confusion and suffering of everyday life.
4. Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kanzantakis
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 7.8/10
The story tells of a scholarly and gloomy intellectual who is trying to find meaning in his life. He thinks a lot about the suffering of mankind and tries to pursue happiness through literature, poetry, and philosophy. He befriends an old free-spirited man named Zorba. They travel to the island of Crete to live a life of seclusion and minimalism. Zorba chastises the intellectual for pursuing meaning by being a bookish intellectual. Zorba thinks that reading books and abstractly theorizing is no way to live a full and enjoyable life. In Zorba’s eyes, one lives a full life by eating, drinking, and making love to women to excess. Unfortunately, this book was a huge letdown. My hopes were extremely high, as it came recommended by several friends. I did not like the book for a couple of reasons. The first being that the plot was uneventful. The second being that I disagree with the idea that misogyny and hedonism are a form of noble/moral living. The redeeming quality of this book was that it contained thematic elements of Buddhist teachings.
5. The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant
Genre: History
Rating: 9.5/10
This book is also one of my favorite books of 2020. Will and Ariel Durant were famous historians who wrote the Story of Civilization. It took them 50 years to compile 11 volumes of historical knowledge that spans 5,000 years. I love history, but reading an 11 Volume, 10,000-page historical account is impractical with my schedule. Luckily, the Durant’s wrote The Lessons of History. This 90-page book contains their most important insights from studying the history of civilization. The Durant's shared their perspective of religion, politics, war, economics, biology, communism, and societal Progress. Each page was packed with sobering and profound perspectives on the human condition.
6. The Language Instinct by Stephen Pinker
Genre: Psycholinguistics
Rating: 8.5/10
This book is a fascinating study into the evolution, neuroscience, history, and stylistic use of language. Steven Pinker is a psychologist and a linguist who wrote this book to explain why humans are biologically predisposed to acquire language. This theory runs contrary to the belief that humans acquire language through rote memorization and repeated exposure. Pinker argues that the evolution of the human brain happened in such a way that we are biologically wired to communicate with near-perfect grammar.
I was fascinated to learn about the origin of language. I was amazed to see what economic, agricultural, and political advantages caused certain languages to dominate the world throughout history. It was also interesting to learn how language provided an evolutionary advantage to humans. Language helped nomadic people communicate, gather resources, fight off predators, and form communities. Pinker explains that those who master language have an easier time climbing the dominance hierarchy. Those who can articulately explain themselves have an easier time finding mates and obtaining power. This can be seen today, as politicians, businessmen, and thought leaders are often the most educated and articulate people in society.
7. Kierkegaard: A Single Life by Steven Backhouse
Genre: Biography
Rating: 9/10
Søren Kierkegaard was a 19th-century Danish philosopher. He is regarded as the father of the philosophical movement known as existentialism. Existentialism investigates how a man can create a life of meaning to cope with the dread of living in a meaningless world.
Kierkegaard wrote a lot about the feeling of existential angst. He was a very melancholic man who saw all but one of his seven siblings die. Death weighed heavily on Kierkegaard’s consciousness and he thought about how it influenced our choices. While Kierkegaard's subject matter is grim, I find his philosophy uplifting. Kierkegaard thought it important to ruthlessly pursue truth in the pursuit of living a meaningful existence.
I am fascinated by Kierkegaard because he was a Christian as well as an existentialist. Most existentialist philosophers (Camus, Neitzche, Sartre) created systems of morality in a post-religious society. Yet, Kierkegaard believed that following Christian values were the foundation for a fulfilling life. Kierkegaard’s belief in Christianity as a philosophical doctrine was not without a critique of organized religion. For Kierkegaard, religion was not something to be mindlessly practiced; Rather, It was important to thoroughly understand the psychological and philosophical importance and to display the values consistently. I found Kierkegaard’s analysis of the psychology of biblical texts (Such as the story of Abraham being ordered to kill his son Issac) fascinating and profound.
Another interesting point of the biography was detailing Kierkegaard’s influence in the centuries following his death. Kierkegaard went on to influence other existentialist philosophers such as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. He also had an impact on my favorite psychologists: Viktor Frankl, Carl Rogers, and Eric Fromm.
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