Saturday, June 25, 2011

It's a mad, mad world

book review

Book: The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
Author: Jon Ronson
Genre: Non-fiction
Publisher: Picador (2011)
Excerpt: “Tony said faking madness was the easy part, especially when you're seventeen and you take drugs and watch a lot of scary movies. You don't need to know how authentically crazy people behave. You just plagiarise the character Dennis Hopper played in the movie Blue Velvet. That's what Tony did. He told a visiting psychiatrist he liked sending people love letters straight from his heart, and a love letter was a bullet from a gun, and if you received a love letter from him, you'd go straight to hell.
Plagiarising a well-known movie was a gamble, he said, but it paid off. Lots more psychiatrists began visiting his cell. He broadened his repertoire to include bits from Hellraiser, A Clockwork Orange, and the David Cronenberg movie Crash. ...
Tony said the day he arrived at Broadmoor, he took one look at the place and realised he'd made a spectacularly bad decision. He urgently asked to speak to psychiatrists. "I'm not mentally ill," he told them. It is an awful lot harder, Tony told me, to convince people you're sane than it is to convince them you're crazy.”


Writer Jon Ronson delves into the world of psychopathy in The Psychopath Test, his latest book in which he explores the arena of mental illnesses and their detection. The author of bestsellers including Them: Adventures with Extremists (2001) and The Men Who Stare at Goats (2004) takes a look at the madness industry and then relates his observations via a self-reflective analysis that touches on many interesting and provocative ideas.

The Psychopath Test begins with the writer trying to solve the mystery of a cryptic book that had been mailed to a few select academics and scholars by an unknown sender, and eventually realizing how one person’s “craziness had had a huge influence on the world”. As he ventures into the psychological sphere, he comes across the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the repository of all known mental disorders, and the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, a 20-point checklist devised by Robert D. Hare to identify psychopaths, which Ronson learns to apply after taking a three-day residential course taught by the list's creator. Armed with his newfound skills as a psychopath spotter, the author sets out to apply the checklist on potential suspects, along the way coming across people including a patient confined to a psychiatric hospital after faking psychopathy to get out of a prison sentence, and then being unable to prove his sanity; a former CEO with a reputation for ruthlessly firing people; and a former Haitian death-squad leader, now incarcerated for mortgage fraud. The writer also meets various people who touch upon topics like the exploitation of those who inhabit the fringes of normalcy, the vested interest of pharmaceutical companies, and the works of psychiatry naysayers.

Presented as an investigative piece build around a loosely-tied narrative reflecting the author’s journey and discoveries, the book highlights the dubious nature of the psychiatry manuals and checklists, their overuse and the dangers and repercussions of misdiagnosis, and our proclivity to define people based on their craziest attributes. But perhaps the most interesting insinuation in the book is that there might be a “preponderance of psychopaths at the top – in the corporate and political worlds – a clinical absence of empathy being a benefit in those environments”, and the idea that it might actually be madness that makes the world go round.

Each person and each story presented in the book is fascinating in its own way, and The Psychopath Test makes a complicated topic easier to understand and more accessible to the general audience; yet at times there seems to be room for a more detailed look into the dark nooks and corners that the author mentions, along with more and firmer exploration of some of the topics (like the issues affecting the corporate and political world). Still, The Psychopath Test makes for a fascinating read, and it presents its well-researched content in an interesting, albeit slightly meandering, way.

- By Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 25th June, 2011

For young readers: Books about Vikings

book reviews

The mighty warriors who explored the world centuries ago, Vikings are one of histories most well known conquers. Much has been written about these Nordic explorers as their lifestyle remains a fascinating topic even a thousand years after they first established their presence and hundreds of years after the end of their era. Various books for young readers shed light on the lives of these Scandinavian “sea raiders”, helping children learn about these historic adventurers.

Viking 
Authors: Carrie Love and Lorrie Mack
Illustrator: Andy Cooke
A tome that helps readers discover the world of Vikings, this book explains how the Vikings were skilled sailors, fighters, and craftspeople, and talks about their actions and culture, detailing everything from their lives as warriors to their recreational activities; you can find out about their warships with ferocious figureheads, how they raided and looted settlements, the weapons they used in their brutal warfare, what their houses and forts were like, how they dressed, made meals, and told stories, what kinds of crafts they built, and their legends and beliefs. Part of the DK Eye Wonder series of books, Viking encompasses the basis topics that showcase the life and times of these ancient Scandinavians, presents them in a simple and clear way, and uses descriptive photographs of reconstructions and reenactments to bring the Viking world to life; also included is a glossary of “words that are useful to know when you’re learning about Vikings”. Overall, this book is a very good introduction to Vikings for young readers who want to learn the basics about these ancient people.

Eric the Red
Author: Neil Grant 
Illustrator: Victor Ambrus
Based on the story of the Viking adventurer Eric the Red, this volume tells the tale of the warrior who, upon exile from Iceland, set out to find a new country and thus ended up discovering Greenland; his son Leif (the Lucky) would later sail to North America, nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus did. The children’s book, which is part of the What’s Their Story? series, presents a good, albeit brief, overview of the life of the Viking who is remembered in medieval Icelandic sagas for his escapades. Eric the Red uses simple language and presents a straightforward narrative that captures the gist of the famous explorer and the Viking way of life in general, and makes for an interesting read about the life of a historical Viking figure.

Viking Tales
Author: Jennie Hall
Illustrator: Victor R. Lambdin
Originally told as songs called “sagas” before being written down and preserved for future generations, the stories in Viking Tales help readers develop a better understanding of this ancient culture, as they illustrate the Viking values, beliefs, and traditions. The book begins with the birth of a boy named Harald, and recounts episodes from his life as he goes on to become the king of all Norway, and details his adventures and victories. The tales serve as a doorway into the Viking lifestyle, although the narrative is somewhat plain so it might not sustain the attention of kids who aren’t into this topic; young readers who have gone through the basic facts about Viking and have developed an interest in this subject, however, are more likely to find these stories fascinating.

- By Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 25th June, 2011

Saturday, June 11, 2011

How "Real" is your cat?

book review

Book: The Unadulterated Cat
Author: Terry Pratchett
Illustrator: Gray Jolliffe
Genre: Humour
Publisher: Orion Publishing
Excerpt: “On the one hand we have these great tawny brutes that sit yawning under the hot veldt sun or burning bright in jungles, and on the other there's these little things that know how to sleep on top of off-peak heaters and use cat doors. Not much in between, is there? A whole species divided, basically, between 500lbs of striped muscle that can bring down a gnu, and ten pounds of purr. Nowhere do we find the Piltdown Cat, the missing lynx.
All right, there's the wild cat, but that just looks like your average domestic tabby who's been hit on the head with a brick and got angry about it. No, we must face it. Cats just turned up. One minute nothing, next minute Egyptians worshipping them, mummifying them, building tombs for them.”


One of the most read authors in the world, Terry Pratchett is well known for his fantasy work that is draped in humour. But not everything that he has written is set on a planet that is a flat disc balanced on the backs of four elephants that are carried through the universe by a giant turtle. Take The Unadulterated Cat for instance – it’s a book, as its name suggests, about cats. And not just any cats, but Real ones as opposed to the “boring, mass-produced cats, which may bounce with health and nourishing vitamins but aren't a patch on the good old cats you used to get”.

A funny little book that finds humour in cat behaviour (and is in no way meant as a proper guide for pet owners), The Unadulterated Cat begins by describing what a Real cat is and how you can tell it apart from an unReal cat, and then goes on to discuss topics like the different types of cats (Farm Cats; Arch-villains’ Cats; Sort of Tabby Cats with a Bit of Ginger, But Sometimes In the Right Light You Could Swear There's a Hint of Siamese There...), how to get a cat and how to name it (“never give a cat a name you wouldn't mind shouting out in a strained, worried voice around midnight while banging a tin bowl with a spoon”), what kind of illnesses Real cats tend to get (impatient legs, flypaper, sitting and hiccupping gently...), training and disciplining the Real cat (“You think it's the cat turning up obediently at the back door at ten o'clock on the dot for its dinner. From the cat's point, a blob on legs has been trained to take a tin out of the fridge every night.”), and much more.

Pratchett uses his witty style to analyze cat quirks and provide insights into the interaction between humans and their feline overlords. If you’ve ever worried about your cat’s health after you found it eating grass, or seen a pretty pattern of pawmarks in what must’ve once been wet cement, or wondered what the deal with the Schrodinger Cat really is, then you’ll know exactly what the author is talking about and where he is coming from; the observations made in the book might not be groundbreaking, but they will repeatedly bring a knowing smile to your face.

So if you have ever owned a cat (or rather been owned by a cat), then the content of this book is very likely to tickle your fancy. But if you’re not a cat person and haven’t been around cats much, then the book probably won’t appeal to you as much; you might be amused by some of the bits here and there, but you may or may not be able to actually connect to the content. In short, The Unadulterated Cat is a fun, light read and will be a delight for cat owners/lovers who will certainly find their pets described in the lines of this book.

- By Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 11th June, 2011

For young readers: Books about pirates

book reviews

The swashbuckling outlaws that sail across the seas have been a part of numerous adventures that have made them exciting subjects for readers around the world, and their popularity remains high as successful franchise are built around the pirate concept. For young readers who are fascinated by the topic, numerous works – both standalone books as well as volumes that are part of series – have been written that shed light on the life of pirates and offer both simple, amusing stories, as well as dark exciting adventures.

A Year on a Pirate Ship
Author: Elizabeth Havercroft
A Year on a Pirate Ship helps young readers take a closer look at the world of pirates and tells the “story of what takes place during a year on a pirate ship”. The book uses descriptive illustrations – or “action packed scenes for a bird’s-eye view of the life and work of pirates on the open sea” – along with the text to connect to children, and takes them on a voyage accompanying the pirates through a year’s worth of excitement, as they load the ship, set sail, get stuck in weeds, attack a merchant ship, dig for buried treasure on an island, deal with a whale, get hit by a storm, and end up shipwrecked. All these incidents are presented in a very simple way; additionally, a small glossary at the end of the book, which the readers can refer to which going through the pages, provides definitions for terms like cutlass, mast, stern, and Jolly Roger, in order to help kids understand the basics of pirate life as they spent a whole year with the pirate crew.

The Royal Visit
Author: John Grant
Illustrator: Jon Davis
Troubles brews on the island of Sabatina when the king announces he is coming on a state visit, after it turns out that Governor Broadside, who has to “receive his majesty in full dress uniform”, has lost his badge! As that is a serious offence, the Governor risks losing his position (or even his head) for it. Worried that they “might lose a bad Governor…and get another who’s even worse”, the pirates of the region decide that they must help the Governor. Led by Captain Roger, Bo’sun Will, and the crew of Darkshark, the pirates set off on a quest to find the missing badge. The Royal Visit, which is part of the Lego Pirates series, is short and amusing and is helped by the bright illustrations that accompany the words; young ones who are looking for a fun story that is easy to read might enjoy this book.

Treasure Island
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
A young boy finds himself in the harsh world of treasure hunting in Treasure Island, one of the world’s best known adventure stories that grips the reader at the very beginning and keeps them captivated till the end. After coming in possession of a pirate’s treasure map, Jim Hawkins and his cohorts set off to find the buried loot, and on their way become aware that the pirates on their ship, led by Long John Silver, are planning a mutiny once the treasure is discovered. One of the most recognized pirate stories ever written, Treasure Island delves into the dark waters of greed and betrayal, and showcases the tussle between good and evil. Due to its enduring success, the book has been adapted for readers of all ages; young children who are looking for an adventure story can enjoy the Ladybird Children’s Classics edition of the book, which sees editor Joyce Faraday retell the story in simple language and features illustrations by Dennis Manton.

- By Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune - 11th June, 2011