Our suggestions for World's Book Day 2022!
Literature is freedom of choice and thought. At a time when social networks "suggest" trends and impose a different conversation every day, resting and reading is worth its weight in gold. At Finques Feliu, in a free version of Joan Manuel Serrat, we told: "It is when I read that I see clearly!
1. "The Silent Spring", Rachel Carson Ecology:
The American scientist, she was poked up sixty years ago, captured in a vivid and documented essay an unacceptable truth for her contemporaries: pesticides are extremely dangerous for humans and our entire natural environment. Carson proposes an alternative against pests: every species, including pests, has natural predators. A suggestion which is especially appropriate because the "Earth day" is celebrated on April the 22nd.
2. "The Maltese Falcon", Dashiell Hammett Crime novel:
A statuette with a falcon figure that the knights of the Order of Malta gave to Emperor Charles V is the object, for more than four centuries, of thefts and misplacements. When the figure arrives in San Francisco, a group of criminals tries to steal it again. Then, detective Sam Spade will take action in the midst of the crudest violence of the underworld, creating the most thrilling suspense.
Doctor Zhivago", Boris Pasternak Historical fiction:
Yuri Andreyevich Zhivago, will be involved in a myriad of events as the first decades of the 20th century unfold as Tsarist Russia's decadence and the USSR frustrated hope. It is a portrait of the immense Eurasian state and at the same time a vibrant story of love and suffering. It should be remembered that no artist's cultural production has to be punished for the future actions of "his" state.
Anthology of Catalan Poetry" Poetry:
This volume proposes a journey through the poetic production in Catalan language from the origins to the end of the 20th century. It is also a journey through the poetic diversity throughout nine centuries of literary history.
5. "The cinema according to Hitschcock", François Truffault Cinema:
This book is a must! Fifty hours of conversation with the master of suspense. Because there is a whole world of teachings that only words can bring closer to all those who are fond of the seventh art.
6. "Imagination with René Descartes, Big ideas for little philosophers", Duane Armitage, Maureen mc Querry and "Sofia's world" Jostein Gardner Philosophy:
At a time when the Spanish legislator is hiding Philosophy from the school curriculum, at Finques Feliu we vindicate it. This discipline encourages us to have the audacity to try to answer the great questions of Humanity and those who first ask them are the children. For this reason this recommendation is divided, on the one hand, for your children, the book on Descartes -and by extension the collection where it is inserted- is carefully made. On the other hand, a passionate classic that, through the letters that the protagonist receives, takes us into the world of philosophy in an entertaining way.
7. "Good Economics for Hard Times", Esther Dufflo and Abhijit Banerjee Economics:
Within the welter of books on Economics this one stands out. The authors recognize the mistakes of economists, and consider that the scientific side of this discipline cannot remain imprisoned in the universities. On the contrary, it must help in the search for solutions to the Humankind great problems. The authors compare India with the United States and, thank to practical cases, provide keys to deal with problems such as poverty or lack of health care. Very accessible, which is not the same as simple.
The Human Stain" Philip Roth Psychological fiction:
College professor Coleman Silk will be accused of racism and prejudged by colleagues. A powerful indictment of American puritanism and "political correctness" which, in retrospect, has been shown to be a powerful corrosive of democracy.
9. "History of Black Africa", Joseph Ki-Zerbo History:
Do you accept the challenge of overcoming the prejudices that we ourselves and the Western education introduce us to about the continent closest to Western Europe? Welcome to this work that embraces from the prehistory to the independences of the continent. By "Black Africa", the author refers to the space between present-day Sudan and South Africa. He discovers in detail each region, the interrelations between all of them and the most notable characters of each era. One thing to note is that when he deals with slavery and European exploitation he does it without hate because Ki-Zerbo's proposal is to rise towards a world without racism where all cultures are mutually enriching.
10. "Farenheit 451", Ray Bradbury Science fiction:
We have started praising the freedom that reading gives, so the last recommendation cannot be other than Farenheit 451. This book is a dystopia that starts with people who dedicate themselves to burning books. In the society imagined by Bradbury where reading is a subversive act because it incites to think, reason and question power. Incidentally, the title alludes to the temperature at which paper burns.