Terry's reviews

Walzer discusses just and unjust wars, and the character of each. Think that's easy? It's not. War is politics and (as in the current Iraqi one) money. Walzer is a philosopher who thinks deeply about these violent episodes and the crimes that go with them. This is an important book. When may violent means be used against another nation? This question is rarely asked before engaging in warfare, but seems essential: often nations engage for reasons that do not justify the deaths which will follow, and often do not engage when doing so might prevent great harm. A basic premise in Just War philosophy is that the killing of civilians is always a criminal act. Military personnel must therefore be close to their targets before attacking them and be sufficiently trained to tell the difference between enemy soldiers and civilians. The premise that a nation may fight a war from long range with 'smart munitions' is therefore false. And the premise that an army's first duty is to protect it's troops from harm is also false; in order to kill enemy soldiers they have to accept casualties amongst their own. This is a series of essays written between 1988 and 2003, so are influenced by events at the time of writing. The discussion of terrorism is particularly incisive and useful. A few, like those about the Palestinians' plight, seem absurdly hopeful, and all reflect Walzer's American background. for anyone who thinks about politics, this is a must read.

Every child should read this; it will allow them to sneer at their parents and teachers. Every adult should read it too, because it will allow them to think more clearly about the frauds they are regularly subject to. All readers will be amused by the exposed gullibility of the public and their leaders, and will come away with a better understanding of what science is and does. Goldacre exposes dodgy science and even dodgier media campaigns which have cost many lives and caused much misery when people believed them and rejected proper medical treatment in favour of 'snake oil'. We've seen it here: "The MMR vaccine causes autism!" or "Green-lipped mussel extract cures cancer!". Behind these hoaxes, more often than not is a millionaire at an imaginary university with a bogus PhD and a product to sell. If you only read one book this year, Bad Science should be it. It will make you wiser.

This is not one of those self-improvement books that tell you how to make yourself happy, loved and rich. It does, however, suggest ways of looking at the world creatively, and appreciating the ordinary. Marcel Proust imagined himself incurably ill and spent much of his adult life in bed. There he scribbled the enormously long novel 'In Search of Lost Time' about Charles Swann, who was remarkably like himself apart from the malaise. And in it he described every experience lovingly in detail. De Bouton's ironic style dissipates any tendency to hero-worship Proust. Yet his relaxed and thoughtful style encourages us to appreciate Proust's celebration of the banal. It is not a book to hurry though but rather rewards a slow perusal. I've sometimes thought Proust's vast novel might be the ideal Desert Island Book. But it would be good to have this along, as well. It's deeply humorous, witty, and wise.

This is the first novel that made me want to own it. It's beautifully written and thought provoking. And yet there's no action, no tension. It's a monologue, an autobiography written by someone else over a period of 20-odd years. Hadrian was a Roman Emperor for about 20 years in the early part of the second century AD. He consolidated the empire and made peace on the borders. Devoted to Greek philosophy, he is regarded as a considerable philosopher in his own right. He wrote his own autobiography, but it was lost. This book reads like it was written by a philosopher-prince. It's a lovely, relaxing read. It's no page-turner but rather a book to be read and savoured a little at a time. It's a masterpiece.

Neil Shubin is a paleontologist who also teaches human anatomy to medical students. He is an extraordinary skilled writer. This 'journey into the 3.5-billion-year history of the human body' is therefore well informed and very easy to read. Anyone over eight years of age should enjoy it hugely. He describes with excitement how his gang discovered an ancient fish in arctic rocks that had the shoulder/ humerus/ two bones/ lotsa bones/ fingers arrangement that all land animals share. That was 'tiktaalik', essentially the ancestor of all land animals. He goes on to show how we share every part of our bodies with ancient creatures: how our shark ancestors bequeathed us a weakness that can lead to hernias; for example. Your ear bones were once gill arches; your eyes are arranged according to a plan that suits scallops very well. Shubin shows how each part of us is the result of adaptation over hundreds of millions of years. This is a wonderful book for people of all ages. It provides insights into not only human development but that of fish, sponges, flies and mice. It clearly explains the action of genes in our development. It is a short book but covers everything clearly. A real pleasure to read.