r/JewsOfConscience • u/ArmyOfMemories Jewish Anti-Zionist • Jul 01 '24
Creative What books are you reading lately?
I haven't read any new books recently, but I have a large backlog.
I did listen to the audiobook for 'Project Hail Mary' (from the author of 'The Martian'). I love sci-fi, and this was a great book.
Vague but somewhat spoiler-y praises I have for it: very life-affirming story, and I loved the friendship between the 2 central characters despite being so different. It was inspiring even, especially when I think about world-conflicts IRL.
How about you?
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u/dadverine Reconstructionist Jul 01 '24
I finished sharp objects earlier this year and am halfway through dark places now. Man, gillian flynn writes compelling women. She's one of my biggest inspirations.
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u/ArmyOfMemories Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 01 '24
Have you seen the HBO adaptation of Sharp Objects? I really liked it.
I remember thinking 'no one makes movies like this' (in a good way) after seeing Gone Girl in the theaters.
David Fincher + Gillian Flynn are a perfect match.
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u/dadverine Reconstructionist Jul 01 '24
I LOVED it. I could go on and on about how well it adapted the books and why the few changes they made make sense. But it was so close, many lines came directly from the book! I think we miss out on something by not having Camille's inner monologue but the way they expanded upon the culture of the town and other things made up for it! Read gone girl and saw the movie ages ago, i should do both again so i can remember it better.
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u/ArmyOfMemories Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 01 '24
Nice. I am curious about the book. I'll pick it up.
There was a Dean Koontz movie (based on his book of the same name) in the 90s called 'Intensity') that reminds me of Gillian Flynn. I only saw the movie, but the archetype of the main character and the plot all remind me of Flynn's style.
It's cool that she's raised the bar so high for this kind of gritty story-telling.
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u/Uncanny-- Jul 02 '24
I’ve read The Two Towers, The Jakarta Method, Dune Messiah, Woman’s Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle, The Fellowship of the Ring, and State and Revolution in the past few months. I’m reading Das Kapital now. I recommend them all
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u/radiocreature Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 01 '24
just finished the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen, now reading martyr! by kaveh akbar
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u/Adept_Thanks_6993 Orthodox Jul 01 '24
I just finished Apostles of Mercy-by Lindsay Ellis. Currently reading How To Blow Up A Pipeline-Andreas Malms
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u/ArmyOfMemories Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 01 '24
Nice, I used to watch her video essays back when she was still active on YouTube. I think there's a movie adaptation of 'How To Blow Up A Pipeline', looks very interesting.
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u/elithesilverbee Jul 01 '24
I've been reading "Judaism is About Love: Recovering the Heart of Jewish Life" by Shai Held
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u/Thisisme8719 Arab Jew Jul 02 '24
Just read Marjorie Feld's Threshold of Dissent a couple of days ago. Quickly rereading Wertheimer's New American Judaism today
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u/ArmyOfMemories Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 02 '24
Have you ever read the 'The American Jewish Philanthropic Complex' by Lila Berman?
Seems like it would be a good companion piece to Feld's book, from a materialist perspective.
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u/Thisisme8719 Arab Jew Jul 02 '24
I've read it and other works from her, but it's very different than what Feld wrote. Zionism is just a peripheral tangent and it's more about its role in philanthropy. There are other books that are closer to what Feld was doing here, like Fischbach's The Movement and the Middle East or Levin's Our Palestine
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u/ArmyOfMemories Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 02 '24
Thanks for the recommendations. Is that the same Fischbach who wrote 'Records of Dispossession'? I've been reading it in spurts and the stuff on the JNF has been illuminating.
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u/ThatAnthrozoologyGuy Anti-Zionist Jul 01 '24
Recently I read a decent amount of Jewish With Feeling (when reading books like this I tend to jump around and read sections out of order, and write tons of annotations). I find that a lot of it really resonates with me. I love reading books about Jewish spirituality, theology, practice, culture, etc., and they help me continue to learn more while my conversion process is on hold.
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u/softwareidentity Anti-Zionist Jul 02 '24
just finished Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. It's quite good and quite pertinent for background on current events.
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u/theLeader11 Jul 03 '24
Oddly enough, I've been going through an old collection of children's books my mom had from my childhood. Berenstain Bears, Richard Scarry, The Magic Treehouse, Thea Stilton...I can go on and on.
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u/Disastrous_Platform5 Jewish Communist Jul 03 '24
Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky, and Rabbi Shaul Magid’s The Necessity of Exile
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u/farbissina_punim Jewish Jul 01 '24
I have to read a lot of YA and kids books as part of my job, and this book Time and Time Again comes out at the end of this month. It's a groundhog day-style narrative starring two disabled Jewish queer kids. It's pretty fun if you like romances and light sci-fi. I think it would make a great Netflix show or movie.