Rest in peace Chuck! You were part of the soundtrack of my youth. So when a colleague at work said he‘d have to Google him to know who he was, it made me feel so old! I never saw the movie or read the book, but I‘m adding it to my TBR now.
pickStein traveled around the world to document the last keepers of traditional crafts and knowledge. From the last 19 people who know how to make sacred mirrors in India, to the 3 women who make the most intricate pasta ever in Sardinia, to the handful of people who keep their bees informed of family events. Sadly, the craft may be lost in the next generations but the fact they existed will be saved.
An absolutely incredible book! I learned so much.
16 books in May. Tagged was my favorite
pickStein has traveled to collect these charming stories of by-gone professions that survive to this day, often families continue on the traditions: African ancient instrument caretaker, Japanese soy sauce brewing (sounds wayyy tastier than the modern stuff we can buy at the grocery store), Indian mirror making, German Bridegroom‘s Oak postman (write letters to it to find your partner, they actually get delivered!), and more. I was charmed.
pickPolicy of preventative deterrence = death by Sonoran desert.
Funneling migrants through the desert is intentional and cruel. Common sense suggests until the root causes of the migration are addressed it will not end. When migrants say they would rather die on the trail than remain in their home countries it speaks volumes.
Jason‘s second book focusing on human smugglers is even better because it really lays bare the complexities of the issue.
pickA charming survey of some whimsical and nearly forgotten traditions.
so-soIt has some interesting material on the society created in a part of Madagascar by European pirates and Malagasy natives. The local population had a lot of mixture of which the pirates were the latest. However, it suffers from a lack of sources and flaws within them. However it reads like an incomplete essay and relies on a great deal of surmise. The author sets out a proposition which he is ultimately unable to sustain.
