Bayan Aljazi Aljazi itibaren Texas
This is a really strange book. I was expecting a mildly arty look at a quirky family, which it sort of was. But I didn't expect the Odyssey that it turned into. Thinking back, the underlying horror of the whole voyage was intriguing. Like the author wanted the reader to have a conflict between trust in the supernatural and knowledge of the real world.
As I indicated, this book is great for history buffs and a general audience alike. Barzun provides a comprehensive, broad, yet original and insightful history on the last 500 years of Western culture. Although I recall the description salaciously advertising this book as a manifesto against contemporary culture in all of its decadence, Barzun spends most of his time documenting the intellectual accomplishments of man, from the Renaissance through the Romantic era. He challenges the dominant school of thought in useful ways. For instance, he defends the Romantics against the critique that they are all heart and no head by pointing out that the spirits of the human mind and heart are not separate entities--the former purely rational, the latter purely emotional--but rather inextricably intertwined.
Good book. Good ending. I felt like the end scenes in the capital were dragged out a bit in description, but other than that, it was a good read for sure. Can't wait for the movie!