Olives and Figs: Book Reviews

Although I have titled this section "Book Reviews," the posts that follow might more accurately be described as "Book Responses." I hardly feel that I am reviewing the books in question; rather, I want to convince you to read them by attempting to touch on what made each a worthwhile read for me. Sometimes this is encapsulated by an image. Sometimes a general sketch of the text's arguments. Sometimes a consideration of weaknesses weighed against the overall strengths of the whole. Maybe a "review" and a "response" are the same thing. Probably they are not. To me, the former connotes a somewhat pretentious claim to objectivity and neutrality; the latter delights in the biases of perspective and emphasizes the communicative interchange between author and reader. A quick look at these two words in the dictionary will likely prove otherwise, but there you have it: I am rambling again, but I have defined my terms and you are forewarned!