Aristotle For Everyone

If you know it of not , we are all philosophers. We may not come out and call it that, but we all wish to know what is the meaning of life. Where do we come from? Where are we going?
It didn't start with Aristotle who was a student of Plato (You remember your class mentioning the cave. We are in a cave and seeing only shadows. That Plato)

This is  a book back in 1978. The almost dark ages. But it was a time when people were still studying philosophy. Students were taking at least one course in the subject to take care of that requirement. I am not sure what they do today. A course in gender studies? Well, even that is some what philosophical. What gender are we and how do we know it?
Aristotle was the one who postulated classification. Plant, animal, vegetable. Rational or non-rational. Thinking or non thinking. inanimate bodies and living organisms. The three areas of existence. Thinking, doing, being.
Philosophy is not simple.
Our author, Mortimer Adler has written a good introduction to the foundational philosophy of Aristotle.
He points out that Aristotle's wisdom and philosophical insights are grounded in our common  experiences. If this is so, I feel it is very  needed for us to have a foundational  grasp of him.
This is a book to digest. Take your time and slowly devour it.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

It is a big issue today. I am talking about the issue of police violence and the black community.

 I am sure books have been written about it and will continue to be written.

Sixteen-year-old  Starr Carter is trying to fit in to the world around her which is poor black neighborhood  with her attendance at the fancy prep school in the suburbs.

She is living in two worlds. At school she is different than when she is in her neighborhood.

 She witnesses the shooting of her childhood friend by a white policeman who, despite her attempts to hold him responsible, gets off.

The situation places her neighborhood and her family in the midst of the struggle to get along and to get justice. She must find her voice.

This forces her to come out of her shell to become an activist. This pressure is handled very well by the author.

This young adult fiction feels sound. It is not too harsh and not too lenient of the situation.

This is Thomas’ first novel. She handles her characters well. I will look forward to her further venture into the fiction realm, should she choose to go in that direction.

This tome has received the Coretta Scott King Award and the Michael L. Printz Award for 

Excellence in Young Adult Literature from the American Library Association. So, it is one of those we should pay some attention to, I feel.

The publisher is Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins. It is 444 pages long with an acknowledgement. It retails for $18.99. I am sure you can find it cheaper online if you don’t wish to support your local bookstore. 

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

This is a book worth waiting for and once receiving it, worth your time reading.
It has been on the best sellers list now for many weeks and may be there for many more. People are buying it--you can get it from your local library if you don't mind being on a holding pattern for a while-- and it is worth the $28.00. You could order it on Amazon, what is not found on Amazon these days? if you wish.
In the Los Angeles paper it is said to be the story of the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public library, but it actuality is more than that. Sure, it starts there but blooms out to be the history of the library and the brave fight to save what was lost. The book details the improvements since the fire and the rebuilding of a better house for books and improvements to the library system.
For those who love books it is a tear inducing book. Keep tissue close by as you start through the book. Who ever could be so hateful as to destroy books doesn't really deserve sympathy.
I enjoyed the tracing of the library movement through history.
A good book is worth the time spend reading it and someone has to  take the time to store a copy of two or more. It is hoped that libraries will be with us for a long time to go. No one has the right to burn down our libraries and the goodies found inside. Not just books but DVDs and maps and magazines. We need our books and stores of knowledge. To burn down and destroy books and buildings is not an act of bravery.
I highly endorse this book and others like it.

Believe Me-The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump by John Fea

Book after book will be written about Trump and his ascent to the office of President. It is not my position to pick out the one that is truer than any other. All must be taken in context and all must be processed through your thinking process.

This is not the book for that. This book tries to explain the evangelical mindset.  In my opinion, this  is a book for discussion groups.

There seems to be somewhat of an interest in the right-wing evangelical support that has gone Trumps’ way. But historically , it has always been this way. Irrespective of  where you personally stand in that issue, to be fair to people, you should know your facts before you form a lasting opinion on the issue.

Fea attempts to explain the phenomenon.  This is not another book explaining Donald Trump. This is a historical look at evangelism and how it has affected American politics.

Trying to put politics and religion together will never bring about peace. As introduced into politics it has brought about a fear factor. It has even directed preachers to think they can influence politics. Something like that was thought could be so even our founding fathers have placed restrictions on the possible movement to blend the two into the system of government established through the constitution.

It is interesting to trace evangelism as a factor in politics from its’ birth to the present day. Fea does this in chapter three.  He starts with the Puritans who feared the immigration of the French Catholics to show there has always been the mindset.

Rhetoric is important also. The term Make America great divides. For the white American the tendency is to remember days of wealth, nuclear family, The Beaver. There is a lot to celebrate.

For the black American it would tend to make them remember slavery and the civil rights movement and discrimination. They are not prone to a mindset of the past was good. If they are honest, today is the greatest time.

Also, the feeling that we started as a Christian nation historically can’t be sustained. Our founding fathers were religious people as they saw some divine being ruling over men. They even went so far as to state I the Constitution that we have inalienable rights given  by a creator. Our rights come from God.  But they have divergent views of Christianity and the nation they were founding. They even put in the first amendment the freedom  to freely exercise religion and  rejection of a state-sponsored church.

In America at the time of the founding history seems to say we were highly influenced by the Bible. They saw a  God who presided over nature, was the author of human rights would someday judge dead, and  govern the world by His providence, the author points out. Religion was important to them Early state constitutions required officeholders to affirm the inspiration of both the Old and the New Testaments.

Today, not so much.  Chapter five discusses this.

Today  we are a Christian nation as  most American identify with some form of the Christian faith. But the influence has diminished in the last fifty years, Fea points out.it can be said that Article six of the US constitution forbids religious tests for office. We don’t know.

The first amendment does not allow a religious establishment but at the same time secures religious freedom for all Americans. Go figure.

There is so much in this book that people need to read and discuss. I highly recommend this.

William B. Eerdmans’s publishes this. You should be able to find this in your local library, so you won’t to run out and get a copy.

Liars, Leakers, and Liberals by Judge Jeanine Pirro

This is a must-read book. If you have any question what so ever concerning the current presidency, this is the one you should read.

Before you open your mouth and show your one-sided understanding of Trump, and show your lack of proper research, you must secure a copy and read this side of the story.

It is a balance to  a lot of what you hear coming from the ignorant masses.

Pirro bases her book on interviews with top administration officials, family members and insiders. She reveals the dark sources seeking to obstruct and undermine the president.

No one president has had this much trust a him so soon. Obama didn’t. Clinton didn’t. Not right from the start.

Pirro puts forth that there is a plot against the people of the United States and the outcome they seek is to destroy our democratic republic.

And Trump is not the perpetrator.

Pirro explains what the 2016 election was all about. She explains false news and why it is so prevalent.

I find her research to be first rate. She doesn’t make claims and not back them up with facts. She is not an outsider herself having been friends with Trump long before he sought office.

One fact she points out concerning the charge of Russian influence is that as far  back as 2012 while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State , she and then President Obama sold uranium to Russia. That doesn’t sound good.

And Trump was not involved.

 Politics is not a nice game to play and you must respect the gumption of those men and women who seek the position. You must also recognize actions speak loudly. In the future our leaders will be judged by their actions much more than they are now. Pirro offers us a counter balance to what is in the papers and on the television and the radio concerning the present occupant of the office.

What you must do, if you are honest, is research for yourself the facts. This means reading both sides before coming to an opinion. You owe it to yourself.

This book is published by Hachette Book Group, Inc and retails for $29.00. I am sure you can find it on Amazon or your local library. You must secure a copy and read this side of the story.