Summer 2004

I Lied: I'm Totally Literate

My dang commute not only allows me to sleep and/or listen to music, I can also spend the time reading stuff. My new subscriptions to Scientific American and Astronomy Magazine are perfect for the ride because most of the feature articles are short enough to read in one 30-minute sitting. When I'm not nerding-out with my magazines, I try to read books as well. This month, I'm finishing Richard Dawkins' "The Blind Watchmater", which is super rad.

Between finishing Dawkins, I've read some Asimov short stories, and plenty of articles I've found through ALDaily.com and printed out for consumption on the train. Some articles are two to three page op-ed pieces about politics, philosophy or culture, while others, from super-big articles form American Prospect or Philosophy Magazine.

That's all well and good, but unfortunately, I've got a HUGE back-log of books that I'd like to read. A recent trip to the Strand in NYC, coupled with some overindulgence at Amazon.com, I've a book-back-up problem.

Below is the list of books I gotta read. Together, they almost take up one whole shelf's worth of space. Although I'm content to have shelves full of books from college that I have not read in years, I'm not happy to fill my house with so many books I ain't read yet.

The List

• "The Structure of Evolutionary Theory" by Stephen Jay Gould. My Dad gave this one to me, and I need to finish it by Christmas. At over 1,300 pages, it's a challenge.
  
• "A History of Knowledge" by Charles van Doren
  
• "Introducing Kafka" by David Zane Mairowitz and Robert Crumb
  
• "The Printer's Stand" by My Father. This is my father's dissertation. I do not have to read it, but he spent too much time writing to just let it sit on my shelf unread.
  
• "Paradise Lost" by John Milton. After reading "Frankenstein" in January, there's been a bee in my bonnet urging me to read this.
  
• "American Capitalism" by John Kenneth Galbraith
  
• "Robot Visions" by Issac Asimov
  
• "Partisan Hearts & Minds" by Donald Green, Bradley Palmquist, and Eric Schickler. I don't know if I'm going to like this, but the thought of reading a book full of stats about American voters compelled me to buy it.
  
• "Chasin' the Trane: The Music and Mystique of John Coltrane" by J.C. Thomas
  
• "Milk It! Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's" by Jim Derogatis
  
• "Are We Having Fun Yet? Zippy the Pinhead's 29 Day Guide to Random Activities and Abitrary Doughnuts" by Bill Griffith
  
• "Nightfall and Other Stories" by Isaac Asimov. I have a old-time radio version of 'Nightfall' on a CD collection Bigfoot gave me. It's a terrific story, encapsulating the conflict between men of truth and men of religion. The story had better be as good as the radio-play. (Who am I kidding? It's Asimov! Of course it'll be good!)
  
• "The Passion of the Western Mind - Understanding the Ideas that Have Shaped Our World View" by Richard Tarnas
  This is another one on my "Gotta Read it Soon" list. Another friend is reading it, as we've planned a sit-down for mid-September.
  
• "The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson"
  
• "The Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson" by Richard Geldard
  
• "Dynamics of Faith" by Paul Tillich

These last three must be read in conjunction somehow. My new goal in life is to understand my place in the universe. I've read some good things about Tillich and Emerson, and they both have lead me to believe that no journey of discovery is possible without them. Martin Luther King read and respected Tillich, and Nietzsche admired Emerson. That's enough for me.

As you can see, I'm all backed up. Don't send me anything to read unless it's absolutely necessary.