User Profile

possm

possm@bookwyrm.tilde.zone

Joined 1 year, 4 months ago

silly little guy he/it

My languages in order of proficiency: German French English Chinese. The reason I read so much in English is only because most pirated epubs are in English. I have no consistent grading system, the stars are based on vibes, don't read into it. I am not a critic; my "reviews" simply document what it was like for me to read the book in question.

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possm's books

To Read

Currently Reading (View all 5)

2024 Reading Goal

90% complete! possm has read 27 of 30 books.

Stefan Muller-Doohm: Adorno (Paperback, 2005, Polity Press) 4 stars

Extremely thorough biography

4 stars

This is a long and thorough biography of Adorno that works well as an introduction to his philosophy. I feel like I learned a lot. The more theoretical passages went over my head, but I think the mind still retains something even of texts that are several levels too difficult. It's not a waste of time to read them, more or less attentively. I'm side-eyeing the biographer for conservative intuitions and misogyny. I'm especially surprised at his seeming lack of curiosity towards Gretel Adorno, who by his own account played a major part in TWA's writing process. Why does the biographer feel the need to tell us all about TWA's grandfather, several of his intellectual friends, etc, but next to nothing about who his wife was? Before reading this biography I felt unequipped to read any work of Adorno on my own - now I feel equipped for a few …

reviewed Wiesel, Wiesenthal, Klarsfeld by Tabatha Yeatts (Remembering the Holocaust)

Tabatha Yeatts: Wiesel, Wiesenthal, Klarsfeld (2014, Enslow Publishers) 2 stars

"Discusses the experiences of people who survived the Holocaust, the trials of Nazi leaders at …

The aftermath of the Shoah explained to children

2 stars

I had this idea that a history book written for schoolchildren might make for a lighter and easier read. It turns out I didn't like this, but I'm not sure whether my idea was mistaken or whether this is simply a bad book. Honestly, I remember as a child how much I hated feeling like an author was talking down to me. I think this book would have given me this kind of feeling had I read it as a child. In the end it's like I read a couple wikipedia articles in Simple English. I did learn a few things but I also wasted a lot of time.

Magali Nieradka-Steiner: Exil unter Palmen (Paperback, 2022, wbg Paperback) 2 stars

Chronicles of exiled German intellectuals in one French village

2 stars

The book contains a couple of fun anecdotes, I especially enjoyed reading about Marta Feuchtwanger, she sounds amazing. But for the most part, it's not making the most of the material. Bad structure, bad transitions between parts, sentences that should have been broken up. Often the writing devolves into just listing names of notable people, sometimes over half a page. The author is clearly passionate about her research and very knowledgeable, which is great. But this book is not well written.

reviewed Fritz Bauer by Ronen Steinke

Ronen Steinke: Fritz Bauer (German language, 2015) 5 stars

Fritz Bauer zwang die Deutschen zum Hinsehen: Inmitten einer Justiz, die in der jungen Bundesrepublik …

This is how you write a biography.

5 stars

Extremely solid biography. Just the right amount of detail, just the right amount of historical context, just the right amount of philosophical context, very little psychological speculation with a good amount of solid evidence-based argumentation. Very little sentimentality, deployed appropriately. Good, matter-of-fact prose. Absolute Goldilocks type biography. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the subject matter.