ASK Musings

No matter where you go, there you are.

Daily Archive: 11/12/2022

Sunday

11

December 2022

0

COMMENTS

Chatter by Patrick Radden Keefe

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Three Stars

Best for:
People interested in an historical perspective on data interception and ‘national security.’

In a nutshell:
Keefe explores the US systems of eavesdropping on allies and enemies alike.

Worth quoting:
“In times of panic, we overreact, we over-legislate. We get it wrong.”

Why I chose it:
I thought I’d read all of Keefe’s books then this popped up. I have thoroughly enjoyed his last two full-length investigations, so figured why not read this?

Review:
Reading a book about national security and intelligence that was released in 2005 is interesting, in that things like smart phones weren’t around, and so much has changed in terms of the data so many of us are willing to share. So this book is almost alike a time capsule, and while reading I mostly caught myself thinking ‘whoa, this is interesting – but what’s happening now?’

Keefe looks at ECHELON, the surveillance program that the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia all participate in, looking at the information their friends (and foes) share. It’s both super secret but also not really secret at all?

At times it was a bit hard to follow exactly what was being discussed, and how it related to everything else, but overall it was interesting, as it was written in light of the fact that 9-11 happened but all the fancy spying didn’t prevent it. A couple of main themes are that you can capture all the data you want, but you really do need humans to review it and make sense of it, and there aren’t nearly enough humans working in the field to do that; and is it worth giving up so much privacy if it doesn’t even lead to better security?

I would love an update to this book, looking at what’s been happening for the past 15+ years since the book was published, but overall for someone like me with very limited subject knowledge, it was a pretty good read.

Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
Not likely to recommend, and it’s an audio book so can’t do the rest!

Sunday

11

December 2022

0

COMMENTS

Who Is Wellness For? By Fariha Róisín

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Did Not Rate

Best for:
I’m not quite sure.

In a nutshell:
Author Róisín explores multiple ideas of wellness against the backdrop of Western cultural appropriation.

Worth quoting:
“How can we be individually well if we aren’t well collectively?”

Why I chose it:
The title intrigued me.

Review:
CN for the book: child sexual abuse, physical abuse of a child, emotional abuse, disordered eating.

I’ve not rated this book because I don’t feel comfortable doing so. It reminds me of a very important, very intelligent, very heartfelt independent film that just didn’t work for me. I don’t think I can rate it in a way that feels true to the author’s intention, nor true to how I felt about the book without those being in pretty stark opposition. On another type of book I’d probably rate it and move on, but this one is so personal and intimate that I think it requires an extra bit of care.

Róisín breaks the book into four sections: Mind, Body, Self-Care, and Justice. I did not finish the book as by the time I had gotten through Mind and Body, I knew that this book wasn’t for me. I don’t disagree or take issue with her statements; she’s clearly well-researched the topics she covers, and has a breadth of knowledge far beyond my own. But there was a point where reading this book became less of a challenge (a good thing!) and more of a chore (not such a good thing) for me. And I think part of that is because of the style of the book – it is much more … poetic? Than I was expecting. I’m not in a brain space for having to work that hard for a book.

And to some degree perhaps that’s a cop-out. Like giving up 3/4 of the way through training for a marathon. But also … training for a marathon is a choice? Reading is something I choose, and I love learning about things and places and people and ideas, but for me, this book wasn’t what I was necessarily expecting, nor did I find it making me think about the topic in unexpected ways. And that’s not me saying there wasn’t anything in there for me to learn, or that was new to me – there was LOADS – but it just didn’t work. For me.

That said, my goodness I can absolutely see this being a book that some people will absolutely love, read multiple times, dog-ear, write in, revisit. It has that feel, and I think that content. Just not for me. So I can’t recommend it, but also I can’t not recommend it.

Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
Donate it