There's a lot of things to like about this book. Even if you don't think Jeff's ideas are original and even if you don't like the reductionist approacThere's a lot of things to like about this book. Even if you don't think Jeff's ideas are original and even if you don't like the reductionist approach to "solving" the problem of consciousness (yeah I'm calling out the ridiculous reviews on goodreads), there is still value in reading books like these - because it gives a glimpse in to a personal story - the story of technologist who reinvented himself just so he could study the inner workings of the brain. Although I wish the author could've gone more into detail about how reference frames allow us to create models of the world (with solid examples rather than just abstract thought), I understand this exercise may be too complicated for a popular science book.
Tldr; don't buy the book for the hype or expecting some grand epiphany. Buy the book to experience an arguably brilliant mind grapple with an age-old problem that we might be close to solving. ...more
I really want to give this book 5 stars because it made me radically change the way I eat. And no book has ever done that. :) But I have a few issues.I really want to give this book 5 stars because it made me radically change the way I eat. And no book has ever done that. :) But I have a few issues. So let's do some pros and cons:
Pros: 1.) The book will give you a lot of motivation, about eating healthy and avoiding processed food. 2.) It will give a breakdown of what ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) are.. For instance, I knew emulsifiers were questionable, but I didn't know the softness of the food engineered to increase rate of intake was inherently bad for the digestive system. 3.) It'll help you literally "trust your gut" more. And realize the dangers of flavor extracts and flavor enhancers. 4.) The book is sprinkled with British humor. YMMV of course, but I love the ridiculousness mixed with serious topics, so this is a pro for me. 5.) Gives you insight into the food-industrial complex and conflicts of interest in science. 6.) Gives you insight into food corps aggressive marketing and exploitation of rural communities that are not equipped to make rational decisions for themselves.
Cons: 1.) The author claims if you eat 80% UPFs for a week, you will be converted and see the danger of UPFs. I mean yeah - if you eat 80% broccoli for a week, you'd probably feel that way too. The dose determines the poison, so it's kind of false experiment. 2.) Processed food have reduced world hunger to a great extent, and have literally saved lives. This version of history needs to be told alongside the dangers of UPF. I felt like that was touched upon but not elaborated. Without that context, some of the babble seems like outright doomerism. 3) A moderate amount of rambling, and beating around the bush. But hey, that's typical non-fiction in the 21st century for you. 4.) Equating activists working with the industry almost akin to working with the devil. Yes, as a rule of thumb big corporations are bad. But there are humans working inside those corporations that are genuinely working for change. Why not work together - rebellions can come from the inside too.
Growing up in an age where "personal is political" was used as a device for guilt and shame, this book did make me question my own beliefs. Although mGrowing up in an age where "personal is political" was used as a device for guilt and shame, this book did make me question my own beliefs. Although most of the focus is on gender/sexuality based shame, the same principles can be applied to any kind of of systemic shame. The only thing I wish the author could've done was to include a chapter on practicing moral responsibility in the age of systemic shame - it would've made the message more balanced and more recommendable. Still, a worthwhile read....more
This book collects a lot of great ideas and presents them in a digestible format, peppered with plenty of personal stories, famous cameos, and downrigThis book collects a lot of great ideas and presents them in a digestible format, peppered with plenty of personal stories, famous cameos, and downright clever epiphanies that will delight the avid non-fiction reader. I would go far as to say this is probably one of the best non-fiction books I've read since "Thinking fast and slow" by Daniel Kahneman.
But… the ideas presented here will take time to sink in. And I imagine a lot of you benefit from reading the book twice or thrice, at various stages in your life. Here's a little summary/cheatsheet that might help you build some structure into the insights the book provides.
Diminishers vs Illuminators
Diminishers usually can't see past their own anxiety, or their own ego and make assumptions about people by generalizations. They also reduce other people to static mind-sets and think that everyone else has lesser minds than them. They have a naïve realism that can't penetrate other's subjective realities.
Illuminators on the other hand are receptive, have an active curiosity, and have an aura of tenderness and affection about them. They have are generous with their time and have a more holistic attitude that prevents them from classifying people's traits (kind, wicked, energetic, apathetic etc). Strive to be an Illuminator.
Constructionism vs naïve realism
Naïve realism is the idea that reality is what we see. Constructionism, on the other hand is the idea that even though there is an objective reality out there, what we see is a construct of that reality and not necessarily a direct one to one relation. Constructionism therefore gives value to subjective experience - "People don't see the world with their eyes. They see it with their entire lives.". To understand other people, we have to step into that subjective experience, however unreal that may seem to us.
Conversation as an act of exploration
Getting to know someone is like floating in a river and feeling the river run through you. It's not about winning, it's about playing and being present, being the accompaniment and complimenting the score instead of trying to rise above other instruments.
Somebody floats a half-formed idea. Somebody else seizes that idea, plays with it, offers their own perspective and subjective experience and floats it back so the other person can respond.
What are the practical things you can do to facilitate such a conversation?
1.) Pay attention - sit up, lean forward, ask questions, acknowledge the speaker (nod and keep eye contact, be a loud listener) 2.) Keep others attention by focusing on the familiar. There's a novelty penalty to pay if you bring in a new subject to the conversation. Make sure to bring novelty only when it makes sense. 3a.) Ask small questions. Loop back around and see if you got what they really said. 3b) Ask Big questions. Ask open ended questions. Don't be afraid to look dumb. 4.) Don't fear the pause. 5.) Midwife the conversation. Be there as she gives birth. You are only there to support. 6.) Don't be a topper - "I know exactly what you mean" might not be the flex you think it is. 7.) Disagree with grace. Always assume good intentions. Find the disagreement under the disagreement. 8.) See the difference between the official conversation and actual conversation. The words you say about current events are the official conversation. The emotions underlying it (being threatened, disrespected etc) are the actual conversation. 9.) People like to tell their life stories. Give them the chance.
Navigating Identity politics
Unhappy societies create the politics of recognition. Identity politics (both on the left and right) usually arise because someone is trying to affirm their identity, against a seemingly judgmental society, and wants to regain status and visibility. While this is not always done in bad faith, it will lead you to sadness and loneliness. One researcher claims that mass shooters are not loners; they are failed joiners. "Love rejected, comes back as hatred." and "victimhood turns into villainy".
How do we bridge this gap? Learn to have hard conversations. Realize that when we meet people, we meet them in a landscape of distrust and disconnection, in a landscape where people see each other as members of opposing groups and with all the baggage that has been historically inherited in those groups. You might not subscribe to those ideals (slavery, elitsm, sexism, bigotry, etc) but realize that you inherit these group prejudices in the eyes of the other person. It's in that context you have to establish conversation and connection.
Don't be afraid to clarify and assert your own experience but also be ready to reach across the aisle and understand the other persons grievances. Be ready to have a difficult conversation, be ready to ask questions, be ready to respect the other persons activism by letting them stay in their frame.
The other part of identity is that, people go through transformations where they want to transcend their group. Understanding that not everyone at every moment in their lives identifies with their demographic is another important point to consider.
Navigating Depression
Depressed people usually don't have the desire to do things. So giving them ideas on how to fix their depression will go no where and likely lead into them think you just don't get it. It's not your job to cheer people up. Instead acknowledge the reality of the situation, show respect and love and show that you haven't walked away from them.
"Depression is the malfunction of the instrument we see reality with." No amount of intellectual reasoning can bring that back.
There's a lot more in the book about a personal tragedy, that I'm not summarizing here.
Navigating the terror of being abandoned
The neurons in our brain that we use to feel love for others is the same ones we used to love our parents in early childhood. If we received conditional/anxious love as a child, we would anticipate the same in adulthood. "If I didn't have that uneasy ache, that prickly anxiety around someone, how would I know it's real love?"
The manifestation in being abandoned comes in many ways: 1.) Avoidance - Since emotions in relationships hurt, people try to shy away from them. They overintellectualize and avoid their own emotions. 2.) Deprivation - The "I'm not worthy" excuse. Blaming themselves for the harm that others cause. 3.) Overreactivity - seeing neutral faces as angry faces. Interpreting ambivalent situations as menacing situations. 4.) Passive aggression - someone who fears conflict and hasn't dealt with emotion in a healthy way, will resort to self-pity and passive aggression
These defenses are not necessarily bad. They help people navigate a fraught past. But such defenses are not controllable. They control you.
The author argues that one should be empathetic (mirror, spot emotions, and co-regulate) towards such individuals. This is probably the one area that I disagree with the author. Compassion without empathy is a better solution. But that's a conversation for another time.
Navigating Grief
Grief is one of the strongest emotions that someone could go through. The author paints a compelling picture with vivid examples and argues that to really know someone, you have to go through how they have processed loss in their lives. The process of excavation - going back into the past and reinventing the stories of your life - can bring people together. These are some actionable ways to achieve that.
1.) Ask questions about the deep values that were embedded in childhood. What were they allowed to do? What were they not allowed to do? 2.) Write a first person narrative of the past year of your loved one's life. And then let them read it. 3.) Fill the calendar - walk through periods of the others life. 4.) Free form writing about your own emotional experiences. 5.) If you've lost someone close to you, tell stories about that person to your friends.
The 5 big traits
Extroversion, Conscientiousness, Neurotism, Agreeableness, and Openness can predict many things about a person. Spotting these features in other humans will help you navigate the conversations you have with them and avoid pitfalls.
Integrity vs Despair
Types of Consciousness in development psychology: lantern consciousness, imperial consciousness, interpersonal consciousness. These evolve with each stage of our life, and it's important to realize where we are in the journey. Even people who have not succeeded in imperial goals (career, life achievements) or interpersonal goals have a chance at redemption in later life generative acts of mentorship.
"An infant believes I am my parents, then they realize I am not my parents. A teenager may believe that I am my friendships, but then they realize they are just a person who likes friendships."
The problems we create cannot be solved at the same levels of consciousness that we created them.
Tl:dr: Read the book. You'll not only learn to know a person, you will learn to know thyself. If I was non-fiction writer, living a different life, I could certainly see myself writing this book. I say this not as a cheeky jab, but because my subjective experience thinks it's the highest form of compliment I can give. :)
There is so much nonsense in the review section for this book. I get it, some people think they already know the answer to the question in the title aThere is so much nonsense in the review section for this book. I get it, some people think they already know the answer to the question in the title and they come here to whine about the author not understanding it. If you are one of those people this book is not for you! If you do want to understand the intricacies of what goes behind the scientific process - especially the battles fought between strong ideological fronts regarding consciousness and animal cognition, this might be the book for you. The book shines light on the prejudices inherent in the science establishments and goes through the new experiments and the work of researchers who have tried to course correct it. It shows the reader that scientists are not infallible, but the scientific process is. I do think the author could've expounded a lot more on animal cognition experiments and spent a little less time on making it an opinion piece - but that's a minor complaint. I enjoyed it overall, and learnt quite a bit about the surprising political power struggles of apes, facial recognition of crows, language sensitivity of elephants, meta cognition in rats, playfulness of octopuses, the altruism of chimpanzees, and many more....more
This book is more for the policy maker than for the fitness enthusiast. If you've already established an exercise regime, you might feel that the authThis book is more for the policy maker than for the fitness enthusiast. If you've already established an exercise regime, you might feel that the author could've done a bit more. For example, which types of exercises increase what type of neurotransmitters, or perhaps what type of training regiment would you want to focus on if you have a certain ailment? But if you're a teacher, parent, or an education policymaker this might be the book for you.
As with most brain-based non-fiction books in the market today, Spark goes through various empirical examples to drive the point in. How the Naperville school district managed to get the best results consecutively for years by incorporating an innovative physical-ed class before tough classes is hammered to death in several chapters. And the inquisitive reader is left with the question "well that's a nice correlation, but do you have a conclusive theory that has been tested and that can be used to analyze and treat my condition?" Maybe the science isn't there yet, maybe the author didn't do enough research, maybe it's impossible to formulate a general physiological theory of exercise that fits most humans? Whatever the reason, the book doesn't convey it clearly.
But if you can get past that expectation, this is actually a pretty nice read. What the book repeatedly says is that exercise is good for you. And not just exercise alone, but also exercise that incorporates the social aspect (like dancing or yoga) and also how to maintain the incentive for exercise by incorporating challenges like beating your own records etc.
The book touches on how exercise increases the human growth hormone (BDNF) and GABA- the natural calming agent of the brain. It also contains anecdotal evidence that exercise can decrease depression without the use of anti-depressants and their notorious side-effects. The examples on how a parent made significant strides in a custody battle by starting to exercise regularly and how a man regained his enthusiasm for his relationships and life are uplifting real life personal examples that the author draws upon. They give enough fuel to make you want to go out and exercise right now than. But again, it's a guide for those who need convincing to stop sitting around and do some exercise, than an actual scientific reference that you can rely on to change the way you exercise. ...more
Disclaimer: This is NOT a critique of Haidt. This is a critique of the ideas that Haidt brings up in the "The Righteous Mind" book. It is not a condemDisclaimer: This is NOT a critique of Haidt. This is a critique of the ideas that Haidt brings up in the "The Righteous Mind" book. It is not a condemnation but (what I hope is) constructive criticism. Haidt has done more rigorous work on social media's influences on the adolescent mind which is worth reading (see more at https://www.thecoddling.com/)
I had great expectations for this book after watching the author give an introduction in the Colbert report. However, the book didn't hold up to it's namesake. These are some of grudges I have against this book:
1.) The author doesn't tackle conservative vs. progressive morals in the philosophical sense. He tackles left wing vs. right wing morals.
To illustrate what I mean; in America, conservatives fight for free markets, the freedom to bare arms, and less government intervention. However in countries that have not embraced capitalism as much, the liberals (or progressives) are the ones who fight for free markets, less government intervention and individualist ideals such as the right to bare arms and freedom of speech.
It would've made much more sense in a philosophical context if the argument was about progressives (who want change) and conservatives (who want the things the way they are). But Haidt's main goal seems like to bridge the gap between the American Right and American Left. Unfortunately this caters to the "enlightened centrists"; which brings me to the second point.
2.) The author tries too hard to stay on the "middle ground".
Have you ever witnessed fights where you absolutely know that one party is being unreasonable, and someone comes along and tries to be "fair" to both parties? Obviously the unreasonable party profits and the reasonable party loses because the negotiations were trying to be "fair" to both parties. It's a simple case of the "Anchoring effect."; whoever anchors the furthest from the truth, wins.
3.) The author's epiphany comes from his visit to India, where he associated conservatism with likeable people. He probably didn't stay long enough to see the dark side of the culture.
Unlike the author, I was born in the East. And I can tell you first hand that the morals which seem to paint a pretty picture of eastern culture, is just a pretty picture - nothing more, nothing less. Hiding behind that pretty picture is a culture of corruption, a culture where shame and guilt are the driving forces of society and a culture where an individual is judged by his/her group (race, creed, school, hometown etc). A culture where you must bow down to someone just because they are older than you, or are in a higher paygrade than you.
Having said all that, the book is a good read. It's written beautifully with a style commonly found in most best selling non-fiction books these days. It get's you thinking, even if it's in the wrong direction. And it does point towards why there's a rift between left-wing and right-wing American political groups. I agree with the author that a lot of left-wing supporters just go with the tide and need to realize where the right-wing groups are coming from. What I don't agree is placing the philosophical ideal of conservatism on the same ground as the philosophical ideal of progressivism. ...more
The book is a lengthy, self-conscious and a challenging read but highly recommended if you're interestHands down, one of the best books in its genre.
The book is a lengthy, self-conscious and a challenging read but highly recommended if you're interested in why human beings behave the way they behave. It's given me so much 'oh snap, so that's why we're so dumb' moments that at this point I don't even want to admit I'm a human to any space-time traveling race that comes in collision of 21st century Earth.
Citing behavioral research studies, he's convinced me that human confidence is a measure of whether a person has built up a coherent story not that the person truly knows what she's doing. He's convinced me that the feeling of 'ease' is just cognitive familiarity. He's convinced me why first impressions matter more than we think due to the Halo effect. He's convinced me that the human mind doesn't understand non-events. We think we understand the past, but we really don't. We create coherency by attributing causality to events, but not to non-events. In other words we underestimate the role of luck or the role of unknown variables in a given situation. He has given me reason to believe that in low validity environments, it's better to use formula's than to listen to expert human judgment. For example, the stability of a marriage can be better predicted by a simple equation like [stability = frequency of love making - frequency of arguing] than an expert opinion.
But one of the most interesting hypothesis he builds up is the existence of two systems in the mind. System 1 is prone to cognitive biases described above, but it's also where morality comes from. Not to mention intuitive judgment and hueristic answers to life's everyday questions. Would you believe it? Morality is more of an intuitive thing than a logical and reasonable framework! And the funny thing is without system 1, we'd won't survive a day in the life. Not to mention we wouldn't act human. System 2 on the other hand is more introspective, rational and is capable of being aware of the cognitive biases created by System 1. If my understanding is correct then, we can replicate system 2 by a machine or artificial intelligence. But that machine will not have the same extent of morality that we have.... food for thought!
In later chapters of the book, he describes another variation of duality in the human mind. An Experiencing Self and a Remembering Self. With countless examples (both experimental and anecdotal) he vividly paints a picture of how humans have this notion of "I am my remembering self, and strangely my experiencing self is a stranger to me." We're actually okay with letting our Experiencing Self suffer for the good of the Remembering Self!! This ties in to the cognitive bias of "focusing Illusion" (Focalism) and how we tend to overestimate a certain aspect of life.
To put the icing on the cake he finalizes the book by analyzing how we appreciate, value and judge the quality of our lives with all these biases combined. And it's amazing how irrational we are in doing so. Not only have I realized from this book that I should stop worrying about societal standards (because they are mostly based on irrational biases) but that I should spend a significant amount of my time and effort to into creating a value structure ideally suited for myself. Now, only if I had bit more memory and cpu speed on System 2......more
Advocates the Atkins diet. Underlying theme is controlling insulin which acts to store fat in your body. The first few chapters seemed a bit repetitivAdvocates the Atkins diet. Underlying theme is controlling insulin which acts to store fat in your body. The first few chapters seemed a bit repetitive and is more of social critique than the answer to the topic in question. But the book has some interesting points, and forced me to change my diet. Good book, recommended. ...more
Hilarious at times. Doesn't shift to heavy science, but skims over the logistics of space travel for lay earthlings. Not much of a page turner, but noHilarious at times. Doesn't shift to heavy science, but skims over the logistics of space travel for lay earthlings. Not much of a page turner, but not bad either. ...more
Wonderful book on how evolution led us to self-deception. The book strays away from science but does so cautiously and warns the reader when it does. Wonderful book on how evolution led us to self-deception. The book strays away from science but does so cautiously and warns the reader when it does. Many ideas in this book aren't new, and I've seen them elsewhere, but the author seems to have put it to a coherent believable story.
I thought I'd be a bit troubled after reading the book, but on the contrary it's shown me to appreciate the subtle things in social interactions (even internal conversations), and to accept any kind of morality with a grain of salt. Perhaps the most important thing the book brings to light is the lie that we are completely conscious beings. ...more
Loved the book. The fact the story is real, makes it even more lovable. I've dealt with pathological liars in my school days, and have always been curLoved the book. The fact the story is real, makes it even more lovable. I've dealt with pathological liars in my school days, and have always been curiously fascinated by their extraversion, charisma and how the people around them conveniently overlook their lying habits. Thus the main character of this book "Professor Drewe" hit close to home.
Compared to the first few chapters, the final few flew by. I'm not saying that the first few chapters are bad, I'm saying that the last few chapters (especially the final chapter) was brilliant.
The only thing that I can complain is the lack of illustrations in the book. Since it goes into depth about art and forgeries, it would've been nice if there were a few Giacometti's here and there. At least for us folk who know next to nothing about modern art. ...more
Entertaining, informative and scientific. Three words rarely used to describe a book on happiness. But yes, it's true; Daniel Gilbert's acclaimed bookEntertaining, informative and scientific. Three words rarely used to describe a book on happiness. But yes, it's true; Daniel Gilbert's acclaimed book lives up to it's hype and even exceeds it.
The book goes on to describe what it means to be human, how difficult it is for us to fathom anything except the present, how our memories deceive us, how our forecasts of the future is utterly flawed, and how our bodies experience while the mind simulates. Although the book's narrative tie everything back to "happiness", there are many intriguing things that you will learn about the human condition. If you're a careful reader that's willing to spend some time going through the references, you'll be rewarded exceptionally.
However I'd like to note one thing that Gilbert overlooks or takes for granted. Which happens to be the underlying assumption of the book - that our ultimate goal in life is to achieve happiness. This is a tricky assumption to disprove because it'll depend on how we define happiness - and as Gilbert himself points out, many a college professors have made lucrative livings out of defining happiness. To me, Survival, Purpose, Meaning and Tranquility are clearly different than happiness and are equally important things that I pursue in life. Thus at times the narrative runs into definition problems that creates an obvious dissonance with intuition. It's like reading Russell and having WTF moments when he assumes that all actions of men are driven by the pursuit of power.
Then again, I'm also grateful for the fact that the book cares less about philosophy and focuses more on science. And so, using the Umbrella word "happiness" to describe everything we pursue in life, and then contradicting the narrative later, isn't much of a big deal when you see the wealth of information and perspective change that this book gives the reader - and does so by referencing scientific studies.
When you give a man a screwdriver, he thinks that all the world's problems can be fixed by screwing around. That's essentially what's happened to GeofWhen you give a man a screwdriver, he thinks that all the world's problems can be fixed by screwing around. That's essentially what's happened to Geoffrey Miller.
Don't get me wrong. This is an excellent book, for the first half. It covers fitness indicators and how we're using consumerism as a modern way to express them. It covers psychology's current obsession with personality traits and how they fit neatly with our consumer behaviour. So far so good - I mean how rarely does scientific models fail to describe the world? You'd have to really suck at science to fuck that up. And Geoffrey Miller doesn't. He lives up to his reputation.
Where he fails is where most men and women of science fail. That is applying the theory to the real world and making predictions and policy decisions. He goes on about marketing for the six personality traits, preaches on how to avoid consumerism, builds up an agenda to tax consumerism, and encourages people to live in racially segregated communities to build up community spirit. Midlife crisis much? Maybe, I dunno. He sure builds up a strong case for it.
Maybe I'm an optimist, but I'd like to see an evolutionary psychology book for once that takes into account the human condition and tells us how to exploit it and be better than it. We're not supposed to be bogged down by Human nature. We're supposed to rise above it. Isn't that what humanity has achieved in the past few centuries? The study of evolution is the study of our past. If we let our past dictate our future, who are we but prisoners of our own past lives?
Anyone up to the challenge? Matt Ridley, are you listening?...more
Solid introduction to Evolutionary Biology. Would recommend this to anyone who wants an updated version of the Selfish Gene. I would really like to seSolid introduction to Evolutionary Biology. Would recommend this to anyone who wants an updated version of the Selfish Gene. I would really like to see an updated edition to this, with current research added to breathe life back into this book. But for someone seeking an introduction to this field, this would be the place to start. ...more
A Masterpiece. Matt Ridley is always a pleasure to read, but this puts the icing on the cake. If I claimed The Rational Optimist to be the most importA Masterpiece. Matt Ridley is always a pleasure to read, but this puts the icing on the cake. If I claimed The Rational Optimist to be the most important non-fiction book I've read in my entire life, it wouldn't be far from the truth. I'll be going through the individual references next week, and looking at their citations for more insights, but seriously, this is a must read. If you want to fight poverty, save the environment, and build a better world - look no further. READ THIS BOOK.
Edit: Also, this book, if you read between the lines, is the ultimate self-help book. As Einstein put it "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving". As Gouthama and Heracletus put it "The only constant in this world is Change". Thus the path to enlightenment is not the search for tranquility by staying constant, but acknowledging and being aware of Growth. When Matt built up his argument for the pervasive "equilibrium searching" side of Science, my heart skipped a beat.
Anymore detail, and I would spoil the book. Hence I will stop here.
P.S. This book is on Obama's Summer reading list. Depending on the votes it get he might read it in August. So if you've read it and think it's worth the president's time, please go the below link and vote for it. http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/64...
Technically, this shouldn't have been titled "The perfect scent". 'A year inside the perfume industry in Paris and NY' would've been sufficient. If yoTechnically, this shouldn't have been titled "The perfect scent". 'A year inside the perfume industry in Paris and NY' would've been sufficient. If you advertise your book as the Perfect scent, then that would entail giving details into how and why the receptors in our nose become sensitive aromas, and the science behind making a "perfect" scent. The book does not go that far. It doesn't even try.
But having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Being the very secretive industry that it is, Chandler Burr gets the maximum out of the chance he got to spend with 2 great perfume houses and writes elegantly and somewhat humorously about the time he spent with Sarah Jessica Parker, and the master perfumer Jean Claude Elena. The latter came as a pleasant surprise to me because I personally love Terre d' Hermes and how it stands out to be masculine but yet a refined, subtle and non-aggressive fragrance that you can wear without attracting unwanted attention. The book doesn't talk about the making of Terre d' Hermes (it talks about making the Jardin Hermes fragrance), but none-the-less the life and inclusion of Elena made the book so much appealing to me.
The book also goes dwells into the economics of the perfume industry, but it could have done better. There is a reason why there is a growth in the fragrance creation just like constant growth of hard-drives and CPUs. The author doesn't go as far. So I'm a little disappointed there as well.
But all in all, it was an OK book. Educational, somewhat humorous and a relaxing read. A bit more effort on fine tuning the broadness, and I would've given this 4 stars. ...more
This is a very emotionally tiring book. At times I felt it was too dramatic. At times I just threw the book away because there was too much selfishnesThis is a very emotionally tiring book. At times I felt it was too dramatic. At times I just threw the book away because there was too much selfishness in the first person narrative. But I kept wanting to read it because of it's raw, uncensored, and unabashed style. The book reminded me to slow down. To see the everyday struggles of other people. To see that every person who steps out has a destination in mind, a purpose that they want to fulfill and the ever-present desire for belonging.
The story doesn't run deep, and neither do characters. But I think that's one of the strengths of this book. It takes the lives of ordinary people (subject to an extraordinary event) and blows up the aftermath.
Recommended. I would've given it 4 stars, but the book is overrated. It doesn't deserve this much attention. ...more
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