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A great way to expand the knowledge base here imo would be to share, to some extent, the wide array of information that we acquire outside of the discussions here. What better way than to share comments on books that people are currently reading?
I'm reading Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane.
^Not completely finished but it has to be among the best autobiographies I've read since "Malcolm X". It is set in 1960s apartheid South Africa, following the coming of age of a young Shangaan/Venda boy by the name of Johannes. Every chapter is gripping and most of the account occurs during a short period of time during his childhood, hence he doesn't gloss over anything at all and tackles head on the emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual ramifications associated with his coming up under the Apartheid regime in Alexandra. Some of the details are extremely graphic and I caught myself more than a few times having to stop reading and putting the book down in disbelief. All in all, the book makes you feel as if you were right there, living the story as vividly as Johannes did. I can't believe Apartheid was only dismantled 17 years ago!
Anyways, I highly recommend this book for those who haven't checked it out!
Khufu Member # 17461
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I'm currently reading: "Black Genesis The Prehistoric origins of ancient Egypt" and "An Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics". I remember reading Kaffir Boy back in Highschool in Literature class during my senior year. GREAT BOOK!
Sundjata Member # 13096
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^I know, I love this book! I still need to check out Buvaul's book but I'll probably be getting Ehret's new book before I cop that one. You must be really interested in Astronomy (admittedly my first love).
Sundjata Member # 13096
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^I take it nobody else here reads books?
alTakruri Member # 10195
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Currently on my shelf for HIEROGLYPHICS are the below which go beyond alphabet and grammar and, I guess, more for referencing than reading. Their focus is just as much or even more on the culture than the language.
Richard H. Wilkinson Reading Egyptian Art: a Hieroglyphic Guide to Ancient Egyptian Painting and Sculpture London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1992 (1994, 1998)
Barry Kemp Think like an Egyptian: 101 Hieroglyphs New York: Penguin Group, 2005
Hilary Wilson Understanding Hieroglyphics: a complete introductory guide Chicago: Passport Books, 1993 (1996)
Bridget McDermott Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs: how to read the secret language of the pharaohs San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2001
When it comes to pure pleasure reading I go in for graphic novels (comic books in paperback binding).
The Gaul Member # 16198
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In spurts:
Deep Roots: Rice Farmers in West Africa and the African Diaspora Edda L. Fields Black, 2008 (Got a new appreciation for rice and why we eat it so much around here)
What is Mathematics? Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins, 1941 (Revised 1996)
Something Torn and New: An African Renaissance Ngugi wa Thiong'o, 2009
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Now reading Desmond Tutu's "No future without forgiveness"..
I still don't have any grasp of hieroglyphs (it may or may not be practical for what I'm trying to do, but it is ALWAYS useful). I just ordered Ehret's "History and the Testimony of Language" finally since linguistic analysis is proving to be more and more valuable in historical reconstruction.
quote:Originally posted by The Gaul:
Deep Roots: Rice Farmers in West Africa and the African Diaspora Edda L. Fields Black, 2008 (Got a new appreciation for rice and why we eat it so much around here)
Joseph Holloway Talked a bit about this in Edward Phillip's African history volume, but more broadly on the culinary and agricultural Africanisms present within the West African diaspora. This book looks to be an interesting read.
Grumman Member # 14051
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Just started this 900 pager.
The Nature of Nature: Examining the Role of Naturalism in Science.
--Bruce L Gordon and William Dembski, editors, 2011
The thrust of the book is a pro and con on how information in the cell came to be, hence the name of the title.
I don't expect to finish this book anytime soon as I'm backlogged on others already.
I should have purchased Kaffir Boy when I had it in my hands in the late 80s.
Ish Gebor Member # 18264
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I have not read it yet, but I think of purchasing this one.
The Dying God: The Hidden History of Western Civilization
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