What I've been reading

Seeing Voices
by Oliver Sacks

"This book begins with the history of deaf people in the 18th century, the often outrageous ways in which they have been treated in the past, and their continuing struggle for acceptance in a hearing world. And it examines the visual language of the deaf - Sign - which has only recently been recognized fully as a language linguistically complete, rich, and as expressive as any spoken language."

Not as much fun as I hoped - his books on his neurological patients and their conditions are much more accessible than this and, dare I say it, more entertaining. This is academic with the entertaining stuff only in the footnotes. It does make me want to learn more about Sign language though.

Politics on the Edge
by Rory Stewart

narrated by the Author

"Over the course of a decade from 2010, Rory Stewart went from being a political outsider to standing for prime minister, before being sacked from a Conservative Party that he had come to barely recognise. Stewart emerged battered but with a profound affection for his constituency of Penrith and the Border, and a deep direct insight into the era of populism and global conflict."

I chose this because I've become a keen follower of the podcast where Rory Stewart (ex-Conservative) and Alastair Campbell (ex-Labour) have the kind of conversations about current affairs that I wish were the norm throughout politics. In the final section of the book he describes his part in the debate preceding Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister. I wouldn't have watched that debate, and his description horrifies me. The contemptible behaviour of politicians continues as they declare, unchallenged, that black is white just because they say so, and integrity and intelligence go unrewarded while corruption and incompetence are honoured with a place in the House of Lords. I despair.

The Reader
by Bernhard Schlink

translated by Carol Brown Janeway

"For 15-year-old Michael Berg, a chance meeting with an older woman leads to far more than he ever imagined. The woman in question is Hanna, and before long they embark on a passionate, clandestine love affair which leaves Michael both euphoric and confused."

A short book, easy to read, which was made into a memorable film. I had forgotten the twist that comes half way through, and thought it was pretty good and written in a very understated and real way that made it seem true despite being fictional.

The Code Book
by Simon Singh

"From Mary, Queen of Scots, trapped by her own code, to the Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allies win World War II, to the incredible (and incredibly simple) logistical breakthrough that made Internet commerce secure, The Code Book tells the story of the most powerful intellectual weapon ever known: secrecy."

Another book I had read before that didn't disappoint. Interesting to be reminded of the state of play twenty years ago, and the predictions for Internet traffic, e-commerce and online activity that have become reality.

Remembering Babylon
by David Malouf

narrated by Paul English

"In the mid-1840s a thirteen-year-old British cabin boy, Gemmy Fairley, is cast ashore in the far north of Australia and taken in by aborigines. Sixteen years later he moves back into the world of Europeans, among hopeful yet terrified settlers who are staking out their small patch of home in an alien place."

I'm not really sure what the point of this book is. The story seemed quite flat, I didn't understand any of the nuance (if there was any), and maybe it was because of the audio format? So there was no satisfaction in reading, no understanding, no comedy or tragedy, nor any emotion at all. Strange, because the description above holds so much promise, but none is realised.