Mere Mortals Book Reviews

Who is to blame if the leader can never be wrong?'Tragedy Without Consequences' by Frank Dikötter is a historical book looking at the famine that was caused during China's 'Great Leap Forward'. It showcases the period from 1958-62 and why a series of decisions stemming from Chairman Mao resulted in the death of 30-45 million people. A reoccurring theme was being out of touch with reality, whether it be untested agricultural reforms, distorted data collection or continual lies bouncing from top to bottom. A truly sad period of history.Massive thanks to Petar & Queen Mother for the support. Would love to hear your feedback and appreciate any support you wish to give :)Timeline:(0:00) - Intro(2:18) - Themes/Questions(28:36) - Author & Extras(32:21) - Summary(35:06) - Value 4 Value(38:03) - Join Live!Value 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcastConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast

Praise be to the philosophers for the hard sciences!'The Problems Of Philosophy' by Bertrand Russell is his attempt at explaining basic philosophy as well as giving a brief history of philosophical thought. He starts with questions about reality before expanding out with more and more questions. He covers the writings of some famous philosophers (Descartes, Kant, Hume, etc.,) and gives his own thoughts on why they were right or wrong.Would love to hear your feedback and appreciate any support you wish to give :)Timeline:(0:00) - Intro(1:49) - Themes/Questions(13:18) - Author & Extras(17:09) - Summary(21:59) - Value 4 Value(23:32) - Join Live!Value 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcastConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast

Mr. Sandman, bring me some freedom.'The Woman In The Dunes' by Kobo Abe is a rather simple story of a Japanese man who becomes trapped in the sand dunes. He is led into a large hole where a woman lives and is forced to help her keep sand from encroaching onto the nearby village. We witness his escape attempts and gradual process of getting accustomed to his new environment. It's told from his POV with snippets of external newspaper clippings.Huge thanks to BitpunkFM for supporting the podcast. Would love to hear your feedback and appreciate any support you wish to give :)Timeline:(0:00) - Intro(2:00) - Themes/Questions(13:34) - Author & Extras(16:32) - Summary(18:02) - Value 4 Value(21:05) - Join Live!Value 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcastConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast

Welcome back to Mere Mortals book reviews! Today, we dive into the timeless wisdom of Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations." I'll share key learnings from the Penguin Classics edition. Join me as we explore profound Stoic insights that are just as relevant today as they were in ancient Rome. Don't miss out on these gems!(00:00) - Introduction and Overview(00:24) - Highlighting Key Learnings(01:04) - The Importance of Not Putting Things Off(02:18) - Embracing Present Tasks with Determination(03:48) - Urgency in Becoming Good(04:54) - Judging Events by Your Own Terms(06:14) - Welcoming Death as Part of Nature(07:12) - Reflecting on the Loss Through Death(08:04) - Final Thoughts and Viewer EngagementValue 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcastConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast

Welcome back to Mere Mortals book reviews! Today, we're diving into Stoicism from the top with Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations." I'll share my thoughts and some interesting insights from the Penguin Classics edition. If you're new to Stoicism or curious about the Roman Emperor's personal reflections, this one's for you!(00:00) - Introduction and Overview(00:33) - Context and Historical Background(01:44) - The Purpose of "Meditations"(02:29) - Marcus Aurelius' Commitment to Stoicism(03:26) - Structure of the Penguin Classics Edition(04:51) - Notes and Annotations in the Book(05:35) - Personal Reflections and Journaling(07:03) - Timeless Wisdom and Relevance(08:31) - Marcus Aurelius' Writing Style(10:01) - Private Journal and Unique Perspective(11:17) - Reading Recommendations and Final Thoughts(12:30) - Closing Remarks and Viewer EngagementValue 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcastConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast

In this learnings episode, I delve deeper into the lessons and philosophical insights from 'The Little Prince,' sharing my experience of reading it in French. Join me for a thoughtful exploration of this timeless classic.Timeline:00:00 - Introduction01:00 - Reading Experience02:00 - Key Learnings03:00 - Reflections and AdviceValue 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcastConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast

In this review, I delve into the enchanting world of 'The Little Prince,' uncovering its profound lessons wrapped in a whimsical, childlike narrative. Join me as I explore its timeless themes and delightful illustrations.Timeline:00:00 - Introduction01:00 - Plot Summary02:00 - Themes and Insights03:00 - Personal ReflectionsValue 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcastConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast

Philosophy that is actually fun to read & contemplate!'Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals' by Robert M. Pirsig is a sequel to his very popular 'Zen & The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance'. We follow Phaedrus this time sailing to New York and Florida. He meets an interesting lady called Lila who joins him on his adventure but causes him trouble. He's an intellectual philosopher and she's an emotional wild cat. It expands upon the metaphysics of quality and provides examples of his differentiation between Dynamic & Static Quality.Would love to hear your feedback and appreciate any support you wish to give :)Timeline:(0:00) - Intro(3:25) - Themes/Questions(16:57) - Author & Extras(23:33) - Summary(26:37) - Value 4 Value(28:14) - Join Live!Value 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcastConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast

Future predictions that have NOT come true ..... kind of.'The Iron Heel' by Jack London is a dystopian novel with a heavy political undertone (maybe even overtone) that wrongly might be called science fiction. Starts in 1900 America and told from the point of view of Avis who is seduced from her privileged upper class world by Ernest Everhard and his socialist philosophy. Increasing tensions occur between the dying middle/lower class and the capitalistic upper class, which results in revolution and an underground war. The Iron Heel oligarchs vs the Revolutionary socialists. Would love to hear your feedback and appreciate any support you wish to give :)Timeline:(0:00) - Intro(3:49) - Themes/Questions(11:22) - Author & Extras(18:38) - Summary(22:03) - Value 4 Value(23:01) - Join Live!Value 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcastConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast

Future predictions that have come true ..... kind of.'New Rules For The New Economy' by Kevin Kelly are 10 rules that he predicted would change the world just as the internet was coming of age. Most of these are related to networks, increasing adoption of technology and the ability for information to spread cheaply. He makes a lot of generalities that did indeed seem to predict massive trends like social media and businesses like Amazon built from user data. However, the book is not specific in it's predictions, making them appear smarter with hindsight.Would love to hear your feedback and appreciate any support you wish to give :)Timeline:(0:00) - Intro(1:56) - Themes/Questions(8:42) - Author & Extras(10:49) - Summary(13:28) - Value 4 Value(15:02) - Join Live!Value 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcastConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast