The World Unmasked

Shah of Shahs Ryszard Kapuściński 5/5 stars “Everything that makes up the visible outward part of revolution vanishes quickly. A person, an individual being has a thousand ways of conveying his feelings and thoughts. A crowd on the other hand reduces the individuality of the person, limits him to a few forms of behavior. The forms through which a crowd can express it’s yearnings are extraordinarily meager and often repeat themselves, the demonstrations, the rally the barricades. This is why you can write a novel about a man but a crowd - never” Kapuscinski One of the things that Kapuscinski brings to the table which I more often than not find lacking in the modern worlds cold and analytical journalism is a certain element of empathy. The ability to enter a situation , that to us makes little sense and place oneself in the position of both the victims and the perpetrators. To do this selectively is easy, it allows poor journalists to craft one sided narrative of good

Norse Mythology Author: Neil Gaiman Rating: 5/5 When I began reading this book I felt somewhat discouraged. The introduction gave me the impression that I was ready to wade through hours and hours of a scholarly account of the poetic edda. I sat on my bed priming myself to endure another dry translation of archaic myths riddled with footnotes and fragmentary accounts. I was happily surprised to find that no such torture would be in store for me. Quite unlike many other authors and translators of ancient myths, Gaiman is able to make use of a compelling and simple writing style of breath new life into the Norse myths. I began reading the book in the dim light produced by the clouded sun that shone through my window. By the time I was finished I was far from that place, gripped with terror and amazement, as the book rendered up before me images of the world serpent in battle with Thor, and armies of the undead clashing in the winter of Ragnarok. Gaiman transported me to a land