Review: From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000

From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000 by Lee Kuan Yew
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a thick tome, but every page was fascinating and a revealing insight into the founding of a new country from scratch, and a uniquely successful country at that.

I went into this taking it with a grain of salt, since memoirs, especially by public figures like Lee Kuan Yew, tend to be self-serving.

However, even given this, it was extremely interesting and enlightening. This book will be eye-opening to pretty much anyone, whether you are familiar with Singapore's history or not (I wasn't really).


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Review: A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno

A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno by Joseph Bonanno
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An entertaining read which, despite everything, has quite a lot of interesting information. Revealing to hear about Sicily when he was a child, and about the old names (Maranzano, Masseria, Terranova, etc.). Also revealing to hear that Luciano had a "street accent", while it seems like most of the other dons of the period, including the "young turks" like Anastasia and Gambino, had thick italian accents. 

Some obvious lies and possible self-deception going on. I very much doubt he would pick the moment Magliocco died, and the liberal faction took over the commission, to travel the world with his wife. Much more likely he'd try to escape to Canada, as the feds believed he was doing. 

Also, interesting to note how many of these original old-timers ended up telling all. Bonanno and Luciano both wrote autobiographies. Costello was about to. Luciano died on his way to have a movie made of his life. I guess the concept of omertà was pretty ambiguous even back then. Bonanno does try to justify this, but I doubt his definition would hold in the commission. 

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Review: Minding the Store: A Big Story about a Small Business

Minding the Store: A Big Story about a Small Business by Julie Gaines
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I discovered a (very niche) genre that I really like: autobiographical graphic novels. After having read this and 'Uncomfortably Happy', by Hong Yeon-sik, I think there's something I really enjoy about them. They aren't autobiographies by any means (they seem to deal with just a certain period, and are obviously non-exhaustive and just give a broad overview), but they help to get a quick feel for what the author experienced, and the graphics help because I don't overlay my own imagery, but see what the author saw and remembers. I'm not sure if that explanation made sense, but suffice it to say that I enjoyed this book a great deal and I look forward to reading more in this niche genre, if I can find any. 

I may even visit Fishs Eddy the next time I'm in New York, even though I confess it's not my style of store. 

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Review: The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea

The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea by Lady Hyegyeong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's interesting how she, as the wife of a prince and mother of the king, hoped future generations of her family would not serve in court, since she saw it as fraught with trouble and badmouthing and backstabbing, and would rather they just live and work away from the royal palace.

Also, understanding these are personal memoirs, and that, as a woman, she was kept apart from the governing issues of the royal family, it still struck me how her whole life revolved around palace intrigue and politics. She claims multiple times that no one suffers as she does, not really taking into account everything going on outside the palace walls.

Regardless, an interesting read. The last book is definitely the most interesting, since it tells the story of Prince Sado's descent into madness and imprisonment in the rice chest. I'm guessing he was a paranoid-schizophrenic, although I'm not sure. Wikipedia didn't help much.

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Down Below by Leonora Carrington

Down Below by Leonora Carrington
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

****Spoilers ahead. Definitely****

Wow. That was disturbing. I confess I started reading it without knowing anything about the book (and practically nothing about the author). I thought it was pure fiction until about halfway through, when I read the back cover. Then it was pretty intense. And damn, Max Ernst is a d-bag. Also the tone is interesting. Not a drop of self-pity or anything along those lines. If you happen across this book I would recommend picking it up. If you have an interest in surrealist painters, or in how World War II might affect someone's psyche, then look for it.


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