THE FAULT IN OUR PANTS by STEVE LOOKNER

The Fault in Our Pants by Steve Lookner
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
As I was approaching the mall exit, this cute
little girl with barretted braids appeared in front of me and said,
"What's that in your nose?"
"They're called cannula," I said. "These tubes give me oxygen, which helps me breathe."
"Would they help me breathe, too?" she asked.
"I dunno, wanna try?"
"Nah," she replied, "I don't wanna look like a weirdo."
"Wanna know a secret?" I asked.
"Yeah!"
I licked my finger and rubbed it on her arm. "I just gave you cancer," I whispered.

MY REVIEW: The fault with THE FAULT IN OUR PANTS is the fault of the author who has written what I consider to be a very weak parody of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green - at least, that is what I thought after reading about 30% of the book and giving up on it. I like a good parody. The best parodies are of those that are about things that, in reality, are pretty awful. The problem, of course, is that I liked the book THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. So parodying something that is good just doesn't work for me. Maybe if the parodying was clever it might have worked. But what I read of the FAULT IN OUR PANTS is quite pathetic humour which essentially follows the storyline of the book and inserts what might be called schoolboy jokes every few lines. Not worth reading.

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COMFORTING THOUGHTS ABOUT DEATH THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH GOD by Greta Christina

Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing to Do with God by Greta Christina
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION: If you don't believe in God or an afterlife -- how do you cope with death? Accepting death is never easy. But we don't need religion to find peace, comfort, and solace in the face of death. In this mini-book collection of essays, prominent atheist author Greta Christina offers secular ways to handle your own mortality and the death of those you love. Blending intensely personal experience with compassionate, down-to-earth wisdom, Christina ("Coming Out Atheist" and "Why Are You Atheists So Angry?") explores a variety of natural philosophies of death. She shows how reality can be more comforting than illusion, shatters the myth that there are no atheists in foxholes -- and tells how humanism got her through one of the grimmest times of her life.

MY REVIEW: Despite the title, there is a good deal of talk about God in this book! One of the issues I have with a lot of atheist books is that they seem to continually define their perspective contra theism. So while there are quite a few interesting (and comforting, depending on who you are) thoughts about death in this book, too much of it is arguing against theistic ideas or criticising the way theists may communicate with atheists about death and grieving. What I'd like to see is a book that makes no reference to religion but provides a discussion about death, grieving and journeying through toward and/or through these experiences that is comforting. Having said that, the book is worth reading to get a sense of what options there may be for approaching death and grieving from a secular perspective. Christina rights with sensitivity and warmth and it is timely that a calm conversation begins amongst secularists about one of the great certainties of life -- death.

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PSYCHOANALYSIS AND ZEN BUDDHISM by Erich Fromm

Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism by Erich Fromm
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION: The essential point of this book is Fromm's opinion that psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism subscribe to the same aim. For the author, 'The aim of Zen is enlightenment: the immediate, unreflected grasp of reality, without affective contamination and intellectualization, the realization of the relation of myself to the Universe.' For Fromm, this is precisely what psychoanalysis aims to do.

I'm not completely convinced of the 1:1 relationship between the two systems of thought and practice. However, I am not an expert in either field. The book is brief and does not include any in-depth discussion of critiques of the ideas Fromm presents. The language of the author is often unnecessarily complex making it difficult to read at times.

If you have some knowledge of psychoanalysis or Zen Buddhism, you will probably find this book of interest. It's probably not a good place to start before a basic introduction to each.

MY REVIEW: The essential point of this book is Fromm's opinion that psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism subscribe to the same aim. For the author, 'The aim of Zen is enlightenment: the immediate, unreflected grasp of reality, without affective contamination and intellectualization, the realization of the relation of myself to the Universe.' For Fromm, this is precisely what psychoanalysis aims to do.

I'm not completely convinced of the 1:1 relationship between the two systems of thought and practice. However, I am not an expert in either field. The book is brief and does not include any in-depth discussion of critiques of the ideas Fromm presents. The language of the author is often unnecessarily complex making it difficult to read at times.

If you have some knowledge of psychoanalysis or Zen Buddhism, you will probably find this book of interest. It's probably not a good place to start before a basic introduction to each.

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