Martin Chevreau's Blog

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Anxious Generation is as simple as academically-informed books go, which is a strength given the gravity of the message. Haidt gives substance to ideas that feel intuitively correct: that a phone-based childhood impedes healthy child development. He also dedicates a considerable portion of the book to policy recommendations to make his ideas actionable at the community level. Although some recommendations on overprotection may be risky in some urban areas, I appreciated that the risks of overprotection and those of a phone-based childhood were addressed together. A must-read in this era.



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Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Barbarian days could have been about surfing, friendship, journalism, politics or overtourism among other themes. Instead, Bill (it feels weird to go by Finnegan after reading 500 pages of such personal narrative) blends these together beautifully, particularly in the final chapter. Admittedly, there were some passages where I needed to be patient with the surf jargon, but I suppose that’s part of the story and it’s not detailed to the point that I would have overlooked this memoir; the author’s story is really just too good to miss out on.



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James by Percival Everett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


James represents a very important and tragic story in literary History. The relationship between language and power is cleverly woven into the book, as are a few dry humourous jokes. The only aspect I don't comprehend so much is the elusive appearance of other literary figures (whether fictional or real), whose dialogues with the protagonist are often cut short.



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Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet by Hannah Ritchie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In Not the End of the World , Dr Ritchie does a great job at dispelling misconceptions through data and at highlighting the advances of environmental regulation since the 1990s. It was an enjoyable read and it's refreshing to find a book accessible to all with an appeal to multiple generations. The only point on which I part ways with the author is ideological. The epistemic scope of the book is pretty classical in terms of economic theory, which I believe leads to a lack of ambition regarding some of the solutions. Why do industrialising countries have to experience inequality when industrialising? Why is degrowth portrayed as so unrealistic? Could multinational corporations not finance a sustainable transition rather than solely governments? Further, the flip side of relying so much on environmental regulation and technology is that it requires a lot of willpower on behalf of regulators at local, national and international scales, which in the current climate (pardon the pun), is not a guarantee like it was at the time of the Paris Agreement (2015). That said, Ritchie is still sensitive to social issues and as she says in her very last point, everyone working on the matter, regardless of their political stance, are vying for the same thing: a more sustainable planet. Perhaps the solutions in this book are compatible with others.



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Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I think there's a time, a place and a specific target audience which makes reading Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop a pleasant experience, and it's marketisation as a 'therapy book' means that these conditions are often met. In my case this was true and I got a lot out of indulging in this story, including plenty of book and coffee-related analogies! The story doesn't delve quite as much as it could into the individual lives of all the characters as it's a fairly short read, that said it does focus on their relationships and what unites them- in this, it's very successful!



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Late City by Robert Olen Butler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I did not find Late City to be as moving as the blurb claims, but it certainly is visionary in its approach (one continuous narrative, the conversation with God...). I'm also not entirely sure about the relevance of the protagonist's long life and of the year 2016 aside from a reference to the potential election of 'heartless egotists of [...] reckless intelligence'. So although I find the approach interesting in parts, I can't seem to justify it all holistically; inevitably the story is more focused on Sam's ambigious and evolving feelings towards war and pacifism, at the expense of the other characters who I think remain marginalised until the very last pages. Maybe this was intended, I'm unsure. Still, an intersting read with a lot of scope for reflection at the end.



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Stoner by John Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read William's Stoner passively initially as I found it difficult to relate to the character(s) and most importantly to the decisions made by the protagonist. That said, book became interesting once all of Stoner's cards have been dealt (so to speak) as he reflects on the absurdity of life and of the complexity of his relationships with those around him. The last couple of chapters really honed in on this, which leaves the reader asking him/herself unanswerable questions- this I think is the best part of the book, to which I will likely return.



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King: A Life by Jonathan Eig

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A compelling account of King’s life but also of nonviolent resistance in the civil rights movement, peppered with fascinating anecdotes and conversations, whether between King and acronymised presidents (JFK, LBJ) or among friends at his dinner table. It's also a wonderful ode to King's more complex and "radical" vision of a democratic America, one rid of materialism, militarism and racism; one which seems to be slipping away from us at this very moment, sixty years later.



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The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A really interesting collection of chapters on Basque history, including illustrations and even recipes. Although some of the passages in the first few chapters feel a bit extraneous, it all comes together in the end and your knowledge of the Basque country accumulates throughout; this is particular true as you reach the late 19th century (the chapters are more of less chronological in order). I do feel like it's easier to keep up with some prior knowledge of Spanish history but generally easy enough to follow!



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Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A unique book which I devoured in a couple of days. The only comparison I had to a story like this one was The Road- I'm not sure why but I was surprised by how different this story was to McCarthy's novel. Multiple stories come together to bring this story alive: Miranda's imaginary Station Eleven universe, the theatrical (pre- and post-pandemic) worlds embodied by the protagonist, Arthur and Clark's parallel rise to success in their respective fields. No character can really be described as marginal and it was a pleasure to see all lines cross at the end.



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