Pride and Prejudice

I’ll continue the book and movie review theme with a combination. A short while ago, I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The motivation was primarily due to a friend’s reference to Elizabeth Bennet going clear over my head. I can only give this novel my highest praise. Its characters are quite extensive and were challenging (for me) to keep straight, but it was completely worth the time spent.

The clever book contains great wit and humor. The characters and their experiences are fundamentally timeless, a quality many find analogous to Shakespeare’s work. In a very impressing way, the elegant title becomes more and more fitting as the story builds. I’d recommend without reservations.

I also had the chance to watch the BBC version of the movie. It was quite lengthy but followed the book extremely well. It was almost like the movie version of a play. I expect anyone’s opinion of the book would mirror this movie version identically.

While literature is most definitely not my profession, engineers must critically analyze and make connections. So, I can relate to the field, but I’m just not as familiar with the surroundings.

In my effort to be ‘educated’ I strive to make and understand other people’s literary jokes and references. Luckily, people don’t usually expect much out of an engineer. How’s that for Pride and Prejudice?

It's Not About the Truth

I just finished reading my (autographed) copy of the It’s Not About the Truth: The Untold Story of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case and the Lives It Shattered. It’s a long, but accurate subtitle. Don Yaeger’s book is an easy read, and, written with former coach Mike Pressler, provides an extremely interesting view of the case. Even after peeling away the layer of bias presented in the book, you still get a feeling for how outrageous the case was. The reading level was basic and the clichés plentiful, but in many respects this parallels the media’s coverage of the incident/rape/scandal. I’m glad I had the opportunity to attend the book signing in Durham and am happy to show my support for the team.