Book Group: Which books?

[Sophist]

Reading invigorates, vexes and stimulates the mind depending what sort of book you are feasting your eyes upon. In this thread, let us present the books we have enjoyed tremendously, those made our mind ache with sheepishness and those which changed our out look in life.

 

We all know that the Holly Quran is the best book but the books I am referring to here are not holly but mere the amalgamation of mere mortal’s thoughts so please hold your horses.

 

Don’t just mention the name, do tell why you feel the why you feel about this particular book which either vexed you, stimulated, or even influenced you extremely.

 

Your input is awaited.

 

Respectfully,

 

Sophist

[Ariadne]

A tree Grows in Brooklyn:

This book deals with being the daughter of immigirants who are poor and survival as a family. I enjoyed it tremendosely because it deals with every day themes in this life even though it was set in the early 1900s. And as an immigrant myself I related to her parents experiences.

 

The Piano Mans Daughter:

A story of a man (born a ******* ) who lives a life of struggles taking care of his crazy mother and her taking care of him as a child. This book was very dry and boring the first few chapters. However it got very sentimenatal and intellectual by the 4th chapter. I really liked it because the intellectual aspects were very stimulating to the mind.

[Miriam1]

I have just finished two books...

 

The poisionwood bible by Barbara Kingsolver..a very dull book in the start..continues to be dull at the end. Most of the book takes place in the Congo, a missionary family from the US tries to convert a village in the middle of congo, the family gets mixed up in the heat politcal uprise in early 60's of that country.

 

The house of the spirits by Isabel Allende..this book was amazing i loved it..entailed politics, family,sacrifice. Based compeletly in Chile..the form of writing the author uses is amazing in a strange way u can almost feel the emotions of the characters.Let me just say i cried couple of times.

 

I recomend one book always Harafish by Naguib Mahfouz ... amazing saga that goes for almost 5-6 generations of one family.

[X]

"Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo; it's a great story that teaches unselfishness, sacrifice, love, patience, endurance, power, forgiveness, humaneness and many other commendable virtues. The last chapters will make you cry.

[Sophist]

My much-loved and favourite books of all times are below.

 

English Novel: James Joyce’s Ulysses.

 

This is book is deemed to be Joyce’s furthermost attainment. It transports together journalistic writing, drama, questionnaire anecdotes, , bawdy episodes, stream of consciousness writing, archaisms, neologisms and – astoundingly more.

Due to the lack in possession of all of human knowledge, it will allow you to find oneself in bloom and his companions rather than a century’s worth of critics and scholars. It is ravishing to read though you would need a fat dictionary beside you.

 

Philosophy:

 

Tahaafutul Falaasifa and English –The incoherence of the Philosophers-

 

This book is a masterpiece. It had a consequential impact on philosophy in general and Islamic Philosophy in particular.

 

If you read the philosophical works of Descartes, you would see that all his ideas stems from Al-Ghazalli. Al-Ghazali, refuted many of the atheist philosophical ideas utilizing what the mainstream philosophers understood well.

 

 

Critiques of Pure reason: Immanuel Kant

 

This book is must read for any one who wants to engage reason in his arguments. Kant, is one of the most concrete western philosophers in his time. In this book Kant examines in detail the problems about metaphysics, transcendental philosophy and all the other problems that Hume argued in his books in regards to reason. The Critique has no other goal than to sort out the possibility of synthetic a priori cognitions. Its raison d'être consists in establishing the credibility of some form of rational metaphysics. Kant writes very specifically in the Introduction: "It is upon this inquiry, which should be entitled not a doctrine, but only a transcendental critique, that we are now engaged. Its purpose is not to extend knowledge, but only to correct it and to supply a touchstone of the value, or lack of value……….

This book is good for mental exercise, I would recommend any person who has a sound knowledge in Islamic creed “ this is because it deals very sophisticated issues that the reader my find extremely irrational to understand in regard to Islamic reason”.

 

 

Novels:

 

Fayador Dostoyevsky’s Novels

 

Brothers of Karazov, the culmination of Dostoyesky’s work. A story of parricide and fraternal jealousy profoundly involves the questions of anarchism, atheism and all the metaphysical issues.

 

Deamons

 

White Nights- short love story, the second best ever written about a dreamer in St Peterberg.

 

 

Nuradin Farah’s Secrets

 

The richly lustrous words that gleam out of its pages, the intensity of the subject it is dealing with not to mention bringing life to the characters leaves you gasping for more of its beauty. It portrays Somalia as country troubled with Secrets. He does this by reducing to whole country as one family dealing with secrets that will eventually be the cause of their destruction

 

 

The Wretched of the Earth. By Frantz Fannon.

 

I assume most of you know who this man is, this book is what inspired many revolutionary people all over the world, his is uncompromising and his truth hits you straight in the heart. He is a writer that writes about the African Liberation Movement, talks about the Colonizers and talks to the colonized, I love this one.

 

Black Skin White Masks. By Frantz Fannon.

 

This one deals with the affects of race in relationships, and how people view them selves. The complexity of race and why black people look up to the Whites as the title suggests.

 

If you guys are going to read any of the above, then I urge you to consider Fanon and Farah Dostoyevsky.

 

Respectfully,

 

Sophist

[Changed]

i just got done reading the house of the spirits too...

Time of the butterflies is a good book too

[Cant_Remember]

"Critiques of Pure reason: Immanuel Kant

 

This book is must read for any one who wants to engage reason in his arguments."

 

I can't help but to point out that a text book based on inaccessible premises is not something to recommend.

[Simple Woman]

Everyone probably read this book already... But i just love it so much....

 

TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD By: Harper Lee

[AUN]

Hello Sophist,

 

Does it include Somali books cause I read Somali,

 

Currently I am reading

 

1. DEVELOPMENT AS A FREEDOM by Amartya Sen for study purposes

 

2. Africa since 1935 by Ali Mazrui

 

3. Also I am reading AYAAD DARAN I think many of you are too young to remember this book unless you took most of your schooling in Somalia

[AUN]

sorry guys I mean AYAAN DARAN not AYAAD DARAN it is an interesting book

[SomeAlien]

i recommend this to everyone.

 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

The God of small things by Arhundati Roy

A finwe balance by Rohinton Mistry

and anything by Ka(ph)ka ... my keyboard is busted... a certain letter wont appear sometimes... i hope you guys are smart enough to know what author im talkin bout anyways.

[Baashi]

One book that stimulated me and added a whole new dimension to my understanding is:

 

Darwin on Trail by Philip Johnson

 

It takes on Westren educational system, the supreme court, and above anything else the 'Science'. It is relatively small book. It will help if you are fimiliar with few concept in science and philosophy/metaphysics. At the end of the book there is 'refutation correspondence' submitted by Yale guru Jay Gould, Futuyama, and other scientist.

 

I also enjoyed Dale Carnegies' books...all of them. He talks about how to be friendly, motivated, humble, and to be a leader...it is non-fiction. Very useful books.

[missy_1]

am thinking of wt me fave book woz and these cum 2 mind

1) bridget jones - really enjoyed it coz easy 2 identify wit without having 2 really think.

2) i think its called 'dont they hear my cries' by fauwziya k smthin. it tells story of gal who runs away from africa (togo) after her father dies cuz her relatives r tryin 2 circumstice her. she is v naive, n has 2 suffer in US 2 get 'freedom'. is really good n true story n she's muslim.

3) the power of 1 n sequal tandia. interestin n i think its true story. bout s africa n an english boy.

[sasa82]

I think Anything by toni morrison or Maya Angelou is good to read. I must warn you that Toni is a bit complecated but her novels have such vivd stries that you feel like you are there. Warning to those who want to read Beloved. It is very graphic and i recommend that you watch the movie first.

for nonfiction i would recommend Revolutionizing Motherhood: The Mothers of the Plaza De Mayo by Marguerite Guzman Bouvard. ITs about Argentina and how these mothers of their dissapeared children fought and defeated their dictorial government.

[SomeAlien]

Originally posted by sasa82:

[QB] I think Anything by toni morrison

 

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. song o solomon is phantabolous!!! and its not hard to read at all.