Mere Mortals Book Reviews

In this book review Kyrin goes over the books 'The Day Of The Triffids' by John Wyndham & 'A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man' by James Joyce. The first is a story of an apocalyptic world populated with dangerous plants and the second is of a young Irish boy growing into a young man. Neither books were spectacular in his opinion but did raise some questions of ethics being context dependent and the psychology of spiralling downwards. Hope these brought some insights into your own reading.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

'Ordinary Men' by Christopher R. Browning details the experiences of Reserve Police Battalion 101 during the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany. It examines the role played by the battalion in the murder/exportation of the Jewish people in this era. Browning shares his thoughts on some of the psychological and ethical issues raised by the circumstances.I summarised the book as follows. "This was a sombre and difficult read. It's extremely detailed so be prepared to learn in excruciating detail about the gore & heartbreak of the mass shootings in cold blood. Psychologically there were so many aspects to explore and the author really goes deep. A stark reminder of what ordinary men (aka all of us) are capable of."As always, I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!If you enjoyed this review and would like to support the team, feel free to use our referral link here! https://amzn.to/3mUsTQjTimeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(3:59) - The circumstances of the mass killings(7:27) - Being a social misfit(12:46) - Ethical actions but with wrong moral reasonings(18:21) - Personal Observations(22:22) - SummaryConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Welcome to the Mere Mortals Book Review channel!'Island' by Aldous Huxley is a utopian world set on the island of Pala. Will Farnaby is an embittered journalist who arrives to convince the ruler to sell the oil rights to his boss. As he stays longer he learns about the social setup and interconnected community of the inhabitants. The main themes focus on the interweaving of religion/meditation/psychedelics and how they play a part in the structure of the island.I summarised the book as follows. "An intriguing creation of a better world .... that probably could never exist. As a utopian ideal it's nice but nothing of this fictional world convinced me that this sort of community would be sustainable. I found the tone to be really preachy in parts and highlights the bad parts of the western philosophy without highlighting the good parts either. Overall it was a fun read though and emphasises the complexity of life and the need for balance."I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!If you enjoyed this review and would like to support the team, feel free to use our referral link here! https://amzn.to/3mUZsNWTimeline:(0:00) - Welcome to the channel(1:25) - Synopsis(5:46) - The three parts of the story(11:07) - The religious & woo woo(16:42) - Golden nuggets in a stream full of diamonds(21:49) - Psychedelics and meditation(23:45) - SummaryConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show