Friends helped me pick out books for my very own reading list on Facebook. The first one I read off the list was a graphics novel from the Fables series. The name of the book was A Thousand Nights of Snow Fall, told by Snow White, who wasn’t as innocent as snow after all. The illustrations were by different people. I especially like the one where Snow and Rose met the wicked witch from Hansel and Gretel.
I like fairy tales. Even the ones that have no happy endings.
The second book I only started yesterday. It’s titled Stranger in a Strange Land, and I haven’t been able to put it down since the first page. A sci-fi written in 1961, the story is more about sociology and philosophy rather than any major scientific phenomenon. Instead of addressing any questions, or predicting the future, it was more a story that raises questions. What does it mean to be civilized? Should one always try to assimilate to the cultural norm without questioning why things must be done a certain way? Is it wrong to rise against authority for the rights of one versus the stabilization of society? What is power, what what should one do when power is readily at your service? What is sovereignty? What is death? What is love? What makes one human? What makes us bond?
There were many questions, and discussions on all. The author points out different views, and does an amazing job of not giving the “right” answer. After all, these were questions that could be debated for centuries. The point of a good philosophical debate is not to come up with the right answer, but to exercise one’s mind beyond the mundane of everyday life. I feel like my mind has been rusted by Excel formulas and SQL queries for quite a while now, and it’s quite refreshing to be able to think beyond numbers again.
I’m about half way through the book and have not a clue what could possibly be the ending. The anticipation of the unknown is quite exciting 🙂
Leave a Reply