Paul Tchir (Author of Beyond Time and Space)

Paul rated a book really liked it A Brief History of Egypt by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr.	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A Brief History of Egypt might better have been titled A Brief History of Modern Egypt, as the majority of the work focuses on the nation following the British occupation in 1882. With that said, this book is intended to be a broader, popular study o ...more
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Paul rated a book liked it Three Months in the Southern States: April-June 1863 by Arthur James Lyon Fremantle	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
While not entirely sympathetic to the cause of the Confederacy, Arthur Fremantle’s American Civil War travelogue Three Months in the Southern States espouses a positive opinion of the Confederates themselves. Written by a British military officer, th ...more
Oct 25, 2026 06:51PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Three Months in the Southern States by Arthur James Lyon Fremantle. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Three Months in the Southern States by Arthur James Lyon Fremantle <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul rated a book really liked it A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani is a classic, pioneering, and comprehensive work in the cannon of Middle Eastern History. Aside from a portion of the first chapter, the book focuses on Arabs from the advent of Islam, and this could la ...more
Oct 22, 2026 09:54PM · like · see review
Paul rated a book really liked it Sport and the Pursuit of War and Peace from the Nineteenth Century to the Present: War Minus the Shooting? (Routledge Studies in Cultural History) by Martin Hurcombe	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The introduction of Sport and the Pursuit of War and Peace from the Nineteenth Century to the Present begins with the question of how sport is perceived as both preparation for war and a tool for peace. To answer this, the editors have collected chap ...more
Oct 17, 2026 11:19AM · like · see review
Paul rated a book liked it History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey, Volume 1: Empire of the Gazis: The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1280 - 1808 by Stanford J. Shaw	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Stanford Shaw’s History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey is better known for the controversy engendered by claims in its second volume, but the first volume is relatively less problematic, even if it has been noted for containing many factual ...more
Oct 12, 2026 01:53PM · like · see review
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Paul rated a book it was amazing Stuff Every Beer Snob Should Know (Stuff You Should Know) by Ellen Goldstein (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
As always, it seems odd to review a book about beer once it is a few years beyond publishing, as Stuff Every Beer Snob Should Know was when I read it. Inevitably, some of the information is going to be out of date. Moreover, this book has no pretense ...more
Oct 05, 2026 10:43AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Stuff Every Beer Snob Should Know by Ellen Goldstein. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Stuff Every Beer Snob Should Know by Ellen Goldstein <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul rated a book really liked it Le Morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table by Thomas Malory	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
It might seem odd to write a review of a such a well-known work on Goodreads, particularly as it is over half a millennium old. If anything is to be said, let alone anything new, it should be said by scholars and experts in the literature of the time ...more
Sep 07, 2026 01:34PM · like · see review
Paul rated a book really liked it Race and Sport: The Struggle for Equality On and Off the Field by Charles K. Ross	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Race and Sport, edited by Charles K. Ross, is an essay collection drawn from a symposium on its eponymous topic. As such, its contents are more eclectic and less standardized than one might assume from an edited volume, although all are ultimately ac ...more
Aug 29, 2026 06:43PM · like · see review
Paul rated a book really liked it Regime and Periphery in Northern Yemen: The Huthi Phenomenon by Barak A. Salmoni	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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A Brief History of Egypt
by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr.

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A Brief History of Egypt might better have been titled A Brief History of Modern Egypt, as the majority of the work focuses on the nation following the British occupation in 1882. With that said, this book is intended to be a broader, popular study o A Brief History of Egypt might better have been titled A Brief History of Modern Egypt, as the majority of the work focuses on the nation following the British occupation in 1882. With that said, this book is intended to be a broader, popular study of the country that can be accessible to general audiences and, as such, is a vehicle for Goldschmidt to communicate his expertise to a wider audience. As the introduction highlights, this provides a good opportunity for the author to present an alternative vision of a Muslim-majority nation that, at the time of publication, was subject to a great deal of stereotyping. If it has any overarching narrative, it is that Egypt is characterized by more than the common perceptions that are often bandied about.

Following a brief first chapter that provides somewhat of a “Wiki summary” of the main details of Egypt, Goldschmidt begins his narrative back in Predynastic Egypt. This section is richer than most in terms of pictures, although the descriptions themselves are relatively superficial in detail. Certain interesting side notes, for example the gods of Ancient Egypt, are placed in boxes to separate them from the main narrative, a trend that will continue into the modern era and later include snippets of primary sources. This part ends just before the beginning of foreign rule, which starts in 525 BCE and lasts until the 1950s. The third chapter rapidly covers the Persian, Greek, Roman, and Arab reigns that ended with the rise of the Mamluks in 1250.

Mamluk and Ottoman rule is covered in somewhat more depth, but it is again only one chapter before the reader is brought to the next section: “Early Westernizing Reform (1798-1879)”. Here Godschmidt’s account delves into more depth, as he notes the French occupation as an important juncture in Egypt’s history, one that begins the country on the path to what might be termed “modernity”. With that said, this chapter also covers all of the key developments from the rule of Muhammad Ali and his successors and thus does not dwell on the French. It is the British, therefore, that the author considers the key turning point in Egypt’s history, and their occupation through World War I, as well as the resistance to it, is given the entire sixth chapter.

From this point, the focus of each section becomes chronologically narrower, beginning with an examination of Egypt’s quasi-independence from 1918 through 1936. It is here that Goldschmidt’s expertise truly begins to emerge, as we get more details about all facets of the political machinations, which carry over to the next chapter about the period from 1936 through 1952. Chapter nine narrows the scope even further, looking at the first decade of Egyptian independence, followed 10-year sections on Egypt’s union with Syria as the United Arab Republic, and then the Sadat years. It follows this up with a look at Egypt from Sadat to the date of publication in the mid-2000s, followed by an official conclusion that focuses on population growth, climate, and status as a power broker in the Middle East. Of course, it could not predict the ouster of Mubarak in the Arab Spring, but it ends on a positive note and emphasizes its good relations with the United States.

Overall, A Brief History of Egypt bites off a little more than it can chew. As a work clearly designed for a popular, if intellectually-minded audience, it seems a bit unaware that many would pick up this book expecting much more engagement with Ancient Egypt, while even some of the other premodern material would have benefitted from some expansion. Had it included “modern” in the title and left out everything pre-British occupation, however, this would not have been an issue, and it would be an accessible history of Egypt and a testament to the author’s ability to condense his knowledge and expertise. Because it is now outdated, it might be somewhat difficult to recommend, but a friend curious about the history of Egypt, with the proper expectations, would probably enjoy and reflect on this work. ...more

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Three Months in the Southern States by Arthur James Lyon Fremantle

Three Months in the Southern States: April-June 1863
by Arthur James Lyon Fremantle

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While not entirely sympathetic to the cause of the Confederacy, Arthur Fremantle’s American Civil War travelogue Three Months in the Southern States espouses a positive opinion of the Confederates themselves. Written by a British military officer, th While not entirely sympathetic to the cause of the Confederacy, Arthur Fremantle’s American Civil War travelogue Three Months in the Southern States espouses a positive opinion of the Confederates themselves. Written by a British military officer, the work chronicles the author’s time among the Confederates during the Civil War and, without a personal stake in the conflict, he attempts to present an understanding of the Southern cause and his impressions of the people. As such, he provides an account that, while certainly not objective from a personal point of view, is relatively neutral in terms of the issue at hand: slavery.

With that said, he admits a clear admiration for the character of the Southerners. As such, insofar as there is an overarching “theme” to the work, it is as a paean to the to the spirt and determination of the Confederacy. The remainder of the book is a diary of his travels, ordered chronologically. Although his account begins officially in England, the journey to the United States is of limited interest to Fremantle, who has already arrived in the southern states within a page. Immediately, he begins to elaborate on the individual characters that he encounters, which will be the focus of the rest of his tale.

The author proceeds to comment on a variety of individuals above, at, and below his station in life that he encounters on his journey through Texas. Here his reactions are nothing out of the ordinary, as he is generally impressed with the white officers that he meets and derisively paternalistic towards his non-white companions (and at least one Jewish individual), as one might expect. A lengthy description of the state of Texas, by which Fremantle is more amused than anything, is woven through these character descriptions. He follows this with a sojourn through Louisiana, which he seems to find unpleasant, as he covers it only briefly. The author’s experiences are more eventful as he goes through Mississippi and gets closer to the front lines. His trip through Alabama is covered with relative alacrity before he arrives in Tennessee, where he spends much more time. He then skips through Georgia quickly to end up in South Carolina. Fremantle seems more interested in the Carolinas than most of the previous states, but soon arrives in Virginia, where he meets Confederate President Jefferson Davis, followed by General Robert E. Lee.

The author ends up witnessing the Battle of Gettysburg and provides a detailed description of the events. In the aftermath, he prepares to leave the southern states and move to the north, while reflecting on the exceptionally positive perception he has been left with of the southerners. This is contrasted within a few pages to his negative impression of the Union troops that he first meets while trying to cross over, although he is more pleased by the officers, given their treatment of him despite his suspicious circumstances. His descriptions of his travels through the North are less detailed, although he does observe the New York City draft riots. He concludes with a postscript that decries the war against the south as “the destruction of […] a gallant race.”

As a historical document, Three Months in the Southern States is a rare perspective on the American Civil War from outside of the United States, with all of the advantages and disadvantages of being written by someone not directly involved. As a primary source, it provides insight on the perspective of everyday confederates, rather than the crafted political statements. On the rare occasions in which Fremantle engages slavery, he is relatively apologetic towards the Southern attitudes, arguing that it is justified as an economic necessity even if it is morally questionable. In his account, it is not so much that slavery is desirable, but required, and an acceptable evil if it means preserving the dignity of Southerners. With that said, as a foreign visitor, it is clear that he is being shown a picture of the south that the people want him to see, despite his criticisms, and that he elects not to think too critically beyond his own initial impressions. As such, this might be a useful resource for teachers that do not specialize in the region, as it provides a broader understanding of Southern attitudes that could be useful to share for comparative purposes. With that said, there is not a particular section that would be suitable to assign to students for their own reading, so it best serves as an informational tool, rather than a teaching one. ...more

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A History of the Arab Peoples
by Albert Hourani

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A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani is a classic, pioneering, and comprehensive work in the cannon of Middle Eastern History. Aside from a portion of the first chapter, the book focuses on Arabs from the advent of Islam, and this could la A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani is a classic, pioneering, and comprehensive work in the cannon of Middle Eastern History. Aside from a portion of the first chapter, the book focuses on Arabs from the advent of Islam, and this could largely be considered a study of that religion in the Middle East, minus Persia/Iran. With that said, as the book progresses, there is an increasing focus on the social life of Arabs outside of the faith, particularly as more sources outside of religious writings become available. Nonetheless, this is primarily a work that focuses on politics, economics, and high culture, and is much more of a classic history than a product of the cultural turn.

Part I starts with the rise of Islam and covers familiar ground in the history of Islam by looking at the spread of the faith through the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates in Chapter 2. The third chapter examines what kept Islamic empires together culturally and economically, but split them politically. Chapter 4 examines the traditional lines of fracture in Islamic thought, which sets the stage for Part II and the societies of the 11th through 15th centuries. Although the fifth chapter outlines the political dynasties, the remainder of this section focuses on societal developments instead.

Following Chapter 6’s look at rural life during this era, to the best of its ability given the availability of the sources, the seventh chapter moves to the cities and reviews the situation of different segments of the population based on class, religion, and gender. Chapter 8 marks a brief return to the political dynamics, but also focuses on broad notions of political authority. The next three chapters engage developments in Islam, particularly the development of the scholarly religious class ‘ulama and the status of those in opposition with differing interpretations. This section concludes with a look at the courts through a cultural lens, including poetry, music, and scholarship.

Part III covers the Ottoman Empire, although in a relatively limited capacity compared to other texts, since these rulers were Turks, and thus the imperial center is engaged in Chapter 13 only as necessary to understand the situation in the Arab provinces. The following chapter quickly returns to the provinces, but covers their culture in a fairly cursory manner. The more politically-oriented, and brief, Chapter 15 makes this Ottoman section seem perfunctory, but Part IV, “The Age of European Empires” goes into much greater depth regarding the Arab response to its eponymous subject, after a short chapter about the development of European empires in general.

The seventeenth chapter engages the political divisions engendered by Europe carving out spheres of influence in Africa and the Middle East, with some attention paid to the changing societal conditions of the Arabs. Then begins a chapter on Arab thought as it developed in reaction to Europe’s imperialist intrusion. Here, Hourani’s text grows richer as he examines contrasting notions of reform, particularly their negotiation of secular ideas with Islam. Unbounded by the Ottoman Empire and its Turkish center, Chapter 19 and 20 follow these notions through World War I and the interwar period, within the context of political and social developments. This primes the text to begin its final section, which launches from World War II into the era of decolonization, beginning with Egyptian and Algerian independence.

Using nation states as its driving theme, Part V focuses more on individual, modern countries than the Arab collective as a whole, although it also utilizes the notion of Arabism to connect them. Chapter 22 is focused on the economic aspect of Arab ties, while the following one attempts to identify what cultural elements shaped each nation and also tied them together. Chapter 24 takes an explicit look at Arabism, which reached its climax in the 1960s, while the following one focuses more on the fractures in this philosophy. Chapter 26 concludes with an evaluation of cultural factors since 1967, balancing optimism and pessimism.

Overall, while every portion of A History of the Arab Peoples is worth reading, one may nonetheless find it difficult to finish it cover-to-cover and retain significant amounts of information. In succeeding at being comprehensive, the work struggles to produce an overarching narrative or thesis that is readily accessible. As a foundational text for the politics and economics of the Arab people, its breadth remains unsurpassed, but there are many smaller, more focused works that do a better job of exploring the cultural and popular elements of Arab society. As an academic text, this book is a worthwhile read for any specialist of the Middle East, but one they may have difficulty applying to an undergraduate classroom setting, as any individual chapter would likely be too in-depth for a cursory overview, and too limited for a deep dive, with other sources better filling these roles. ...more

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Sport and the Pursuit of War and Peace from the Nineteenth Ce... by Martin Hurcombe

Sport and the Pursuit of War and Peace from the Nineteenth Century to the Present: War Minus the Shooting? (Routledge Studies in Cultural History)
by Martin Hurcombe

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The introduction of Sport and the Pursuit of War and Peace from the Nineteenth Century to the Present begins with the question of how sport is perceived as both preparation for war and a tool for peace. To answer this, the editors have collected chap The introduction of Sport and the Pursuit of War and Peace from the Nineteenth Century to the Present begins with the question of how sport is perceived as both preparation for war and a tool for peace. To answer this, the editors have collected chapters that cover the spectrum of these identities to track the evolution of social conceptions of sport, which have trended generally from the militaristic to the diplomatic. Divided into four sections, each covers a portion of this spectrum, tied together under the aforementioned theme. As such, its contents are roughly chronological, but not strictly so.

Part One, “Military and Sporting Cultures”, examines an early history of sport as an activity for preparing soldiers for war, or at least demonstrating one’s capacity for it. Chapter 1, for example, explores how pig-sticking in the British Army in India was used to demonstrate, among other concepts, masculinity among the officers. These games provided practical health and skill benefits as well, showing how the activity could “blur the boundaries between war and sport.” In the second chapter, Hurcombe provides a detailed account of how the death of French cyclists was reported on during World War I, adding another strong, yet accessible, analysis to the collection. Chapter three then fast forwards to 2019 to examine that year’s Solheim Cup and how national identity and narratives of war factor in to women’s golf and the legitimacy of its athletes. Taking the classic description of sport as “war minus the shooting” and putting it on its head, the fourth chapter examines how directly these ideas can be linked through the medium of esports, when video gaming and the military collide.

The second part examines the relationship between sport times of war, with contesting visions of just how much “sport” should be available and practiced during periods of actual conflict. It begins with an account of the battle over horse racing in New Zealand during World War I, wherein justifications for continuing the sport were increasingly rejected despite earlier military connotations. Chapter six examines a similar situation with lawn tennis in Britain, wherein the author rejects that the idea that the sport simply disappeared during the conflict. Instead, it was a contested site in public discourse, with attitudes shifting much as they had towards New Zealand horse racing. The seventh chapter takes a different approach and examines the role of sport in occupied Denmark and Norway during World War II, weighing the ways in which it facilitated both collaboration and resistance. Internal conflicts are studied as well, with chapter eight looking at the role of cycling under a dictatorship in 1950s Colombia, highlighting new channels of political narrative through sport.

Part Three glances forward to examine the relationship between sport and postwar eras. In the ninth chapter, for example, the author examines how physical culture took new forms in the media after World War I. In particular, masculinity was a means of restoring “order” and unity to a damaged society. Chapter ten looks at the composition of the Irish team at the 1948 London Olympics and explores how it impacted narratives of who qualified as “Irish” after World War II. Taking a rare venture outside of the “Western” world, the eleventh chapter examines how Japan engaged its sporting war causalities in the aftermath of that same conflict, showing how the national cinema negotiated different narratives that reflected on the war. Chapter twelve focuses on the use of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance, which the author argues has become spectacularized to the point of losing its authenticity and trivializing the memory.

Finally, the fourth part looks at sport as a means for achieving, or at least encouraging, peace. The thirteenth chapter engages British narratives about competing at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, with some believing that it was crucial in fostering international cooperation, and others being more apathetic and nationally focused, hoping to not embarrass British soft power. Chapter fourteen looks at the role played by physical culture during the French occupation of Algeria, focusing on times of peace. In particular, it examines how sport played a role in decolonization, and casts a wider net than most chapters, rather than focusing on a single thesis. The penultimate chapter returns to Japan and examines the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in the context of the Cold War. The author focuses here on the Games’ role in shifting the nature of the Cold War from a potential hard power conflict (as exemplified by the Cuban Missile Crisis) to a soft power, cultural one. Finally, Peter J. Watson comes back to Colombia, where he examines the role of sport in demobilization and reincorporation of guerilla groups. His general assessment is that football programs have been successful in achieving their aims, but there is more work to be done.

It is difficult to give an overall evaluation of Sport and the Pursuit of War and Peace from the Nineteenth Century to the Present, as the topics and scope are varied and broad. The general quality of the collection is high, however, and nothing stands out as being out of place conceptually or theoretically. One’s interest in this volume, therefore, is likely to be based on their own specialties, as the chapters that intrigue by their titles will likely be enjoyable on reading. As a cover to cover read, it can be a bit overwhelming, but there is nothing fundamentally problematic if one chooses to do so. ...more

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History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey, Volume 1 by Stanford J. Shaw

History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey, Volume 1: Empire of the Gazis: The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1280 - 1808
by Stanford J. Shaw

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Stanford Shaw’s History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey is better known for the controversy engendered by claims in its second volume, but the first volume is relatively less problematic, even if it has been noted for containing many factual Stanford Shaw’s History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey is better known for the controversy engendered by claims in its second volume, but the first volume is relatively less problematic, even if it has been noted for containing many factual errors. A detailed, academic-level review of the contents would be outside the scope of a Goodreads review, however, and thus the best way to engage it in a broader review is to look over its themes and presentation.

The book does not contain an explicit introduction, which reflects the lack of an overarching theme or thesis in the work. This is compounded by the absence of a conclusion at the end, and while this might be understandable given that it is the first of two volumes, a recapitulatory chapter that highlighted the main points would have been beneficial. Thus, the book begins instead with a review of pre-Ottoman Turkish history that is appropriately the shortest chapter, since it is not the main focus of the text, and sources for this period at the time of its publication in the 1970s would have been limited.

The author then proceeds to look at the initial period of Ottoman history, from its founding in 1280 to the interregnum that lasted from 1402-1413. Once again, the dearth of available sources limits what he is able to say about this period. Chapter three takes a brief look at Mehmet I and Murat II’s restoration of the Ottoman Empire through 1451, before finally picking up momentum with “The Apogee of Ottoman Power” between 1451-1566. Here, he covers what he considers to be the greatest of the Ottoman Sultans, including Mehmet the Conqueror and Suleyman the Magnificent. In the context of when it was written, nothing stands out in his analysis as either groundbreaking or questionable, and his fifth chapter makes some attempt to analyze Ottoman society, albeit mostly through the lens of economics and politics.

Chapter six is also the beginning of Part Two, which essentially engages the “decline” thesis of the Ottoman Empire, even if he does not always express it as such. An idea that comes up frequently in this part is the notion of “traditional reform”, wherein the Ottoman attempts to deal with the challenges that they faced to their regional supremacy always centered around the idea of “restoring” the Ottoman system to how it had functioned at its peak, as outlined in Part One. The few reformers who attempted to look beyond the past as a paradigm for the state were quickly ousted from their positions of power and their changes undone. This, according to Shaw, is the reason that the Ottomans fell into decline and were unable to adapt, because powerful actors in the state refused to allow transformations that stepped outside of the traditional Ottoman framework. This notion is the closest that Shaw gets to having a thesis for the work, although it is not developed explicitly.

Until 1683, however, the author suggests that there was some hope for reform, as the state still had the potential to adopt other paths forward. The sixth chapter engages these developments, while chapter seven covers most of what has been referred to as the “stagnation” period by taking his narrative to 1808 and Mustafa IV’s failed attempts to undo reforms started by his predecessor Selim III. Shaw’s concluding chapter looks at the Ottomans during this period through a societal lens, but again is fairly limited outside of engagement with some of the literary cultural developments of the time.

The book ends rather abruptly and, as mentioned, has no explicit conclusion. This is disappointing because the narrative is fairly dense, with some chapters being very lengthy, which not only makes retention difficult, but also makes it easy to get lost while reading, as many names are mentioned briefly and in rapid succession without enough depth or attention to aid in sorting them all out in one’s head. Although it is comprehensive, I was also unclear as to what it added to the historiography, aside from its age making it one of the earlier full surveys of the Ottoman Empire. The work is written for academics, but I am not certain that it would be worth reading for anyone today, even for students of the region who are curious as to why it was considered an important work in the field. Overall, I cannot speak much to the historical accuracy of History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey, but it would have been nice to see an explicit referencing structure to better understand how his sources were used to support his narrative and garner a better idea of what potential biases might lurk in what he chose. ...more

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Stuff Every Beer Snob Should Know by Ellen Goldstein

Stuff Every Beer Snob Should Know (Stuff You Should Know)
by Ellen Goldstein (Goodreads Author)

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As always, it seems odd to review a book about beer once it is a few years beyond publishing, as Stuff Every Beer Snob Should Know was when I read it. Inevitably, some of the information is going to be out of date. Moreover, this book has no pretense As always, it seems odd to review a book about beer once it is a few years beyond publishing, as Stuff Every Beer Snob Should Know was when I read it. Inevitably, some of the information is going to be out of date. Moreover, this book has no pretense to being anything more than a quick reference guide and a text to help one fill in the gaps in their knowledge. Yet its title also makes the claim to some universal applicability, and thus it seems worthwhile to cover it at least briefly, if for no other reason than to give indicators as to whether or not this would be worth buying.

The work is divided into three major subsections, each with a variety of topics that are rarely covered in more than two short pages. Thus this is not a work to gain an in-depth knowledge about any subject, but rather to keep the basics on the tip of your mind. After a brief introductory checklist that ensures that almost any reader will be classified as a beer snob (or at least one in-training), the book begins with “Beer Basics”, even down to the essential “what is beer” element. This is refreshingly unpretentious and does well in assuming no prior or specialist knowledge, with the exception (as is often the case in works such as these) of covering the chemistry elementals only superficially. This is not a significant issue, of course, since this book has no pretense to being a technical study. Here, foundational elements are engaged, with some portions such as “highlights from beer history” thrown in for fun and to not overwhelm the reader.

The next section is entitled “Drink Up”, but most of the information here could have been placed in “beer basics” as well, since this is the entire purpose of the work. Topics such as glassware are mixed with arguably “more than basic” subjects, such as “how to taste beer like a pro”, but the distinction could be considered rather subjective. Regardless, there are no serious issues with this section, although it offers the quick-freezing advice of wrapping a wet paper towel around your beer. This idea had been debunked long before publishing and could theoretically be dangerous with a glass bottle, making it a rare miss for this book.

Finally, we get “Live Your Beer Life”, which is, as the title suggests, about lifestyles and events that revolve around beer. This section moves away from what might be considered “basic” for the most part, with a small oddity being that they include “crushable” amongst a list of otherwise “confusing and/or ridiculous descriptors”. Even “honeyed” or “soupy” could be considered fairly straightforward, and the “Beer Buzzword Bingo” contains an odd mix of terms that are heard frequently and never heard at all, making it unlikely that someone could complete a row. This is all nitpicky, however, and meant primarily for humor, and overall this section maintains the same level of high-yet-accessible quality that characterizes the rest of the book. It also contains a checklist for determining if you’d enjoy homebrewing, but does not offer anything advice on doing so. This is, of course, meant only to be a primer, so this is expected.

Thus, the only portion of this text that is outdated would be the resources listed at the end, but this is unavoidable, and the work as a whole is still valuable almost a decade after its publication. This book was probably not intended to be read from cover-to-cover, but due to its short length, one can do this without becoming overwhelmed and to get a sense of which contents they will be referring back to from time-to-time. Overall there are no significant issues with Stuff Every Beer Snob Should Know, as it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to and no more. Experts may have some minor gripes; for example, the “extreme beers” section mixes ideas that are clearly out of the ordinary (bull testicles, squid ink, goat brains) with ingredients that even then would have been fairly common (maple syrup, cinnamon, chocolate, pumpkin, marshmallows), which gives a somewhat unrealistic picture of this scene. This, however, is nitpicking, and as a gift to a beer fan (which is how I received it) or a bathroom reader, it will not disappoint. ...more

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Le Morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table
by Thomas Malory

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It might seem odd to write a review of a such a well-known work on Goodreads, particularly as it is over half a millennium old. If anything is to be said, let alone anything new, it should be said by scholars and experts in the literature of the time It might seem odd to write a review of a such a well-known work on Goodreads, particularly as it is over half a millennium old. If anything is to be said, let alone anything new, it should be said by scholars and experts in the literature of the time period. I was given a copy of this book in graduate school and set it aside for nearly 20 decades before I decided to pick it up and read through it. After completing it, I wanted did not want to review the work as a whole, or even the particular edition I was given (rendered by Keith Baines and introduces by Robert Graves), but desired instead to record some thoughts on the experience of going through it.

The first consideration, as noted in the introduction, is that this does not particularly follow narrative structure as we know it today. The tale is primarily chronological and there is cause-and-effect, but its logic does not always follow what one might expect. The motivations of characters will change at the drop of a hat and loyalties switch in a single sentence, often for reasons that seem to make little sense. It is therefore difficult to experience this work as a story that unfolds towards its conclusion; rather, the closest approximation is a series of short stories with related characters, with the narrative returning to the primary story of King Arthur seemingly at random. That is not to say that the side narratives of the knights have no bearing on what happens, but the connection from one point to other is not always clear.

Secondly, the original author’s interests are not really in what we might consider the “action” of the story. As is also mentioned in the introduction, Malory rarely, if ever, goes into detail about the large battles and instead summarizes them rather blandly as a product of their casualties. Since there are so many knights mentioned in the work, this makes it difficult to follow whether someone more important to the tale was killed. At one juncture, I had to flip back to figure out where a main character died when he was mentioned as deceased later on; the prominence of a character rarely impacts the emphasis given to their death. In effect, Malory is most concerned with the moral and Christian lessons imparted by the telling; the more mundane concerns are of less importance.

The third consideration to note is that the side stories are highly repetitive, with the motivations, actions, quest elements, and results being largely the same across them. A knight is usually told that he must go on some quest to rescue or kill someone (usually both), often by an important figure in disguise. This person will usually try to trick, deceive, or tempt the knight at some point, and the knight will often fall for it; this often involves a woman that the knight falls for. At the end, depending on how he performed morally, he may be cursed or redeemed, and he may either kill his enemy or recruit him to his cause, with this result being determined less by the logic an audience of today would expect and more by Malory’s sense of morality. Knights are either allied with King Arthur’s famous Round Table or stand against it, often changing sides rather whimsically by modern standards.

These tales constitute the majority of the book and, as such, it is difficult to recommend the “best” way to read through this. Trying to do it all in a single sitting, or a series of sittings, is taxing even for the serious reader, and the repetition can cause one to glaze over parts often, requiring them to then go back and verify which knights were killed and review whether they were “main” characters. My edition had a brief appendix at the back that helped somewhat, but it only covers the principal figures. On the other hand, it would be difficult to say what sections a reader should consider skimming and which they should read in more detail. It is tempting to suggest reading just the sections that one is familiar with in popular culture, but since the narrative structure differs significantly from modern tellings, it can also be difficult to pinpoint which chapters would be best for getting the original story, while still skipping the repetitive portions. Overall, I would recommend reading Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur only if you have a serious interest in medieval literature. Picking it up just to see what the “real” story is behind the movies will likely lead to more frustration than interesting revelations. ...more

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Race and Sport: The Struggle for Equality On and Off the Field
by Charles K. Ross

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Race and Sport, edited by Charles K. Ross, is an essay collection drawn from a symposium on its eponymous topic. As such, its contents are more eclectic and less standardized than one might assume from an edited volume, although all are ultimately ac Race and Sport, edited by Charles K. Ross, is an essay collection drawn from a symposium on its eponymous topic. As such, its contents are more eclectic and less standardized than one might assume from an edited volume, although all are ultimately academic. Each selection also trends towards being accessible for a general audience, rather than a specialist one, so there is less theory here than modern scholars may prefer. The volume contains no subsections, so each entry stands on its own rather than contributing to a broader subtheme.

The work begins with a chapter on Fritz Pollard, a pioneering black player of American football. This sets the bar high as the first of the collection, as it covers its subject in a way that has not been done previously or, arguably, since, and does very well in highlighting his understated contributions to black sporting history. Arguing that Pollard should have some official status in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the author underlines his contributions as a player and a coach that paved the way for future black players to transform the game. The following chapter does the same with boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, except emphasizing how his commitment to managing his own financial affairs and building his image set an example that future black athletes would use to control their investments and secure their stability following their athletic careers. Both essays do an excellent job of highlighting critical, yet underdiscussed, aspects of these figures.

The third chapter is the only one to focus on women, as it examines the role that basketball played in instilling community values into black female college students. Focusing on the first half of the 20th century, the author makes excellent use of limited sources, as well as oral interviews, to demonstrate the key role that sport played in these women’s lives. Next is an essay that compares the experience of black and Latin baseball players during spring training in the aftermath of Jackie Robinson breaking the Major League Baseball color barrier. It does well in reminding the reader that Robinson’s achievements did not immediately end racism in sport; in fact, the resistance from conservative elements that it engendered actually increased hostility in many aspects. The segregation encountered by teams training in the south, and the general unwillingness of owners to push back against it, emphasizes how baseball’s commitment to integration for the first decade and a half remained relatively shallow, and it took considerable time before players were in a position to push back themselves.

Chapter five focuses on American imperialism through sport, a topic that at the time had been broached only rarely. As such, it explores how American sports administrators in Asia, and especially the Philippines, utilized physical activity as part of the “civilizing mission” that would help distinguish the “advanced” races from all others and justify American colonization in the early 20th century. The following chapter looks into the relationship between black student athletes and broader problems in the African-American community. Author Earl Smith argues that the success of individuals and the surrounding athletic culture do little to alleviate Issues such as crime and poverty in the community, because such athletes tend to reinforce the idea that education is uncool or unmasculine. Thus for black student athletes, education is devalued and his (as males are the focus) worth is based on athletic ability and other traits that today may be called “toxic masculinity”. Thus Smith argues for a new vision of the student-athlete that sees sport as a vehicle to improve the education level of the black community, rather than college as merely a potential ladder to sport superstardom.

In the penultimate chapter, author Patrick Miller discusses “muscular assimilationism”, which is the notion that black achievement in the sporting realm could be used as evidence, or a call, for the ability of black Americans to become integrated into broader society. Miller chronicles the ways in which athletic success was used to move towards equal rights, as well as the ways in which white society resisted this process and imposed limitations. The final chapter attempts to explain the lack of academic success among black student athletes and the dearth of effort that has been made at the college level to address this problem.

Overall, Race and Sport provides a solid foundation for some of the basic issues surrounding this topic, most, if not all, of which are still relevant today. Scholars in sport studies will likely find this collection outdated given the past 20 years of study on race and sport, and may feel that much of the material provides little more than a rudimentary understanding of its topics. For new students and general audiences, however, the essays could prove to be a useful entry point into the academic study of this important subject. It also remains a crucial work in the historiography of race and sport, as without it, we may not have had as much of the excellent research that was produced over the past two decades. ...more

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Regime and Periphery in Northern Yemen by Barak A. Salmoni

Regime and Periphery in Northern Yemen: The Huthi Phenomenon
by Barak A. Salmoni

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