10-05-13 UPDATE:Podcast Update: Time to Read Episode 125: Temple Grandin, 'The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum'
Click image for audio link.
Here's the one hundred and twenty-fifth episode of my series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. Hitting the two-year mark, I'm going to make an effort to stay ahead, so that podcast listeners can get the same sort of "sneak preview" effect that radio listeners get each Friday morning.
My hope is that in under four minutes I can offer readers a concise review and an opportunity to hear the author read from or speak about the work. I'm hoping to offer a new one every week.
The one hundred and twenty-first episode is a look at Temple Grandin and 'The Autistic Brain.'
"...it's hard to have a decent relationship if those early relationships are fraught...."
—Mark Epstein
Make no mistake; everyone who is human can benefit from reading 'The Trauma of Everyday Life' by Mark Epstein, MD. But hearing the man speak, sitting down with him to discuss the book, adds a new layer — literally a new voice to the experience.
The word "experience" is likely to be up front in readers' minds as they read Epstein's quietly intense examination of the human mind, and how it works — and in some ways, does not work. The common response to trauma — five stages, then get over 'em — proves to be less than helpful and less than adequate.
Of course, it's our understanding of the mind and trauma in specific that tends to be flawed. What becomes clear as I talk with Dr. Epstein, is the import of the human voice, the sound of a writer. Epstein and I walked through some parts of the book and discussed many of the points he makes. But more importantly, just listen and you can hear the mind at work.
I suppose what is really the most interesting aspect of this book is that you can't avoid the trauma of everyday life by reading 'The Trauma of Everyday Life.' You can, however, learn to deal with them gracefully, to take then within and work through them without the ultimately useless effort of trying to shut them down and shut them out.
'The Trauma of Everyday Life' is one of those books that tends not to stay in your hands once you've read it. You'll talk about it with those you know, who will want to read it themselves. If you loan it, be careful. It's unlikely to return of its own accord.
10-01-13 UPDATE:Podcast Update: Time to Read Episode 124: Mark Epstein, 'The Trauma of Everyday Life'
Click image for audio link.
Here's the one-hundred twenty-fourth episode of my series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. Hitting the one-year mark, I'm going to make an effort to stay ahead, so that podcast listeners can get the same sort of "sneak preview" effect that radio listeners get each Friday morning. This week, delays due to the fact that "this is how the world ends, not with a bang but a splinter," intervened. I am hoping to stay back up and running.
My hope is that in under four minutes I can offer readers a concise review and an opportunity to hear the author read from or speak about the work. I'm hoping to offer a new one every week.
: "...you have so little control and not nearly enough information..."
— Connie Willis
Connie Willis is simply a joy to talk to, to listen to, to read; pick up 'Blackout / All Clear' and lose yourself in World War II, only to find a powerful vision of what it is to be human.
While these two novels have been out for some time, I only recently had the opportunity to talk to Willis about them in full. There's been a bit of a buzz about the Blitz of late, and Willis was there first, time traveling ahead of the crowd. Being from the future would help in that regard.
But what is so appealing about Willis and her work is the timelessness of her writing. Sure, she may use all the late 20th century SF-genre fiction tropes like a pro, but her stories are all essentially about what it is to be human. Willis as a writer is always one step ahead of her readers and characters. But at heart, Willis offers readers a vision of humanity that is always one step behind it's own inventions, its own innovations, its own seemingly civilized constructs.
Willis is also the kind of writer who can effortlessly pull off humor and farce. She's very funny with a screwball sensibility that teeters on the edges of life as we know it. She offers readers a view of their own lives seconds before the banana peel.
Willis and I discussed not only 'Blackout / All Clear' but also her forthcoming book. It sounds a treat. You can hear about the near future by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
New to the Agony Column
09-18-15: Commentary : William T. Vollman Amidst 'The Dying Grass' : An Epic Exploration of Simultaneity
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with William T. Vollman : "...a lot of long words that in our language are sentences..."
09-05-15: Commentary : Susan Casey Listens to 'Voices in the Ocean' : Science, Empathy and Self
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Susan Casey : "...the reporting for this book was emotionally difficult at times..."
08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]
07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."
04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Marc Goodman : "...every physical object around us is being transformed, one way or another, into an information technology..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It
