How many times in your own life did things come about thanks to accident or circumstance? I’ll bet happenstance played a part in how you met your partner or chose your career or live where you do or a long list of other character forming events that now make you different from anybody else. That journey from past to present, full of unexpected encounters and events along the way, has brought you to where you are and who you are at this moment, reading these words. | |
— James Burke | |
From the “Forward” to his book: “Circles“ | |
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On This Day In: | |
2019 | Sin Less Every Day |
2018 | Probably Only A Little Easier |
2017 | Stars Above |
2016 | Where Do You Stand? |
Health Update | |
2015 | Leaving On A Mid-Night Train |
2014 | Questioned Faith |
2013 | At Home In Fire |
2012 | A Tale Of Two Books |
More Meaning | |
2011 | Back At The Millstone |
To Learn, Teach | |
Posts Tagged ‘James Burke’
At This Moment
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Serendipity and Chaos, tagged Accident, Career, Circles, Circumstance, James Burke, Partner, Philosophy, Quotes, Serendipity and Chaos on February 10, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Möbius
Posted in 2020 Book Review, Book Review, History, Reviews, Science and Learning, tagged 2020 Book Review, BBC, Circles -- book review, Connections, Culture, History, James Burke, PBS, Poor to Moderate Book Recommendation, Science, Technology on February 7, 2020| Leave a Comment »
“Circles” (2000©) — book review | |
Today’s book review is for one of the many books written by James Burke, who’s claim to fame is his ability to popularize science / technology with history and biography to “create” linkages which make the world (and history) appear to be interconnected. I believe his most well known work is the book and the BBC series “Connections“. At least this is how I first came to know Burke (and enjoy his work). | |
“Circles” is sub-titled “50 Round Trips through History, Technology, Science, Culture“. The book is a collection of essays which have been gathered into this form. Each “essay” / “trip” is about four pages and they are each fairly self-contained, so there is no inherent requirement to read them in order – or all of them for that matter. Each starts with some action in his life: a trip to the library, beach, coffee shop, etc; winds through the “circle” of people / history / discovery he is hi-lighting and then gets wrapped up with another reference to the initial action / place. | |
The stories are mildly interesting. The links are tenuous. The author occasionally breaks the fourth wall. But, most frequently, the author writes in a peculiar conversational form which struck me as not using full sentences or proper sentence structure. I found it hard to discern if this was more conversational, breaking of the fourth wall or simply lazy writing. In the end, I just found it frustrating to try to figure out the subject of a sentence by having to re-read sentences (or paragraphs). | |
Final recommendation: poor to moderate recommendation. I admit to being pretty disappointed. I was a big fan of his “Connections” series and watched it on my local Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) many years ago. I think I also read the book (way back when), but I can’t swear to it. I was, therefore, looking forward to more of the same. This book mostly was “just” the same, but (surprisingly) much less interesting or amusing. Now I think I have to go back and find the original book (“Connections“) to see if the author has changed or if it’s the reader (me) who has changed. | |
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On This Day In: | |
2019 | Eureka! |
2018 | Learning About My Humanity |
2017 | Laugh Or Shake Your Head |
2016 | The Expected Cure |
2015 | Of Two Minds |
2014 | Pride And Remembrance |
2013 | Repeating Bad Memories |
2012 | No Sooner |
2011 | Just Cheesy! |
Are You Illin’? | |