Book Recommendation

My Hero Academia

Ryan Yarber Book Recommendation Tags: , , Leave a comment

My Hero AcademiaMy Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi is a series that focuses on a young man’s journey to become the number one hero. In a world where nearly all individuals develop a superpower of some kind, commonly called a “quirk”, the profession of hero has emerged to help maintain law and order. However, there are very few who are born that never develop a quirk. Enter Izuku Midoriya, a quirkless boy who dreams of being a hero, and who is given the opportunity of making that dream come true.

I typically try to avoid recommending a series that hasn’t been completed, but this story is in its final arc and has been simply incredible throughout. I’ve read all volumes currently available (in English) which is 33. I suspect the series will end somewhere between volume 38-40. The show has done a great job of adapting the story without really any changes or omissions which often happens with adaptations. Staying true to the source material, and even adding more content for some of the many interesting side characters, makes me appreciate the show even more.

My Hero Academia 27What I like most about this series is seeing a young generation all working hard toward their dream of being heroes which is centered around saving and helping people. So the general story is uplifting throughout, but it also covers, and questions, some key components as to what a superpowered society and the role of hero would actually look like. Obviously villains are those who use their quirks for selfish gain or to harm others, but some assume the title of hero with less-than-honest purposes.

Popular culture today may seem saturated with heroes as Marvel and DC continue to make many movies and people are talking about various other superhero movies, shows, books, etc. I’m glad this one isn’t simply following in those shadows. I think it brings some really interesting questions to light and even questions the definition of hero and villain and what it means to save someone. Seeing some heroes fall from grace and a hero-killer gain a cult following are a few things I have not yet seen in any other story about heroes (I’m sure it has happened somewhere, but I’m certain not in quite the same way).My Hero Academia 33

So, whether you are a fan of heroes or not, you may like this series that takes place in a superpowered society, especially since not all quirks are created equal.

Happy Reading.

Salt, Sugar, Fat

Ryan Yarber Book Recommendation Tags: , , Leave a comment

Salt Sugar FatSalt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss was an enthralling read. From the history of food to the nutrition (or lack thereof) of processed foods, this book gives a fantastic insight into how food production has developed over the years and how it has impacted and influenced our society.

To put it bluntly, the three ingredients in the title have been used by food manufacturers to make their products as enticing as possible so consumers buy more. Of course, businesses are competing against each other for the limited shelf space within supermarkets and within pantries at home, but their primary goal remains to make money and this book shows how, repeatedly, food manufacturers have chosen profit maximization over consumer health. They don’t care if their products make you fat or if their brands lead to coronary heart disease or a plethora of other health symptoms. They only care that the public keeps buying more and more of their products so the money keeps flowing.

Now, this book isn’t actually about attacking food manufacturer’s and trying to hold them accountable. This book focuses on the history of food and how the food industry has changed over the past 50-60 years. It also brings to light how some of the practices that started off honest and practical have turned to excessive use and are large contributors to the health epidemics we see today (primarily obesity).

Soda used to be a rare and infrequent treat. As was ice cream and other foods that are now so readily available that people could have them every day or even at every meal. These products have also been loaded with salts, sugars, or fats, to make give them a competitive edge and make people essentially addicted to them so they continue to buy them every week or every day.

Things you wouldn’t think would have these ingredients may have more than half your daily recommended value in a single serving. This book does go into the daily recommended value (and the pitfalls of serving sizes) as well as government agencies and programs meant to combat the obesity epidemic and be advocates for consumer health, but it also reveals how little they have actually done (or rather how much influence the now mega-corporations have in legislature).

I could go on and on about the various topics this book covers, but I’d rather you read it yourself to better understand how, and perhaps why, the western diet has become riddled with timebombs that are contributing to major health issues for the majority of the public that consumes many processed foods. These issues in turn overburden health fields and lead to many premature deaths. We only get one body.

I have been reading several nutrition books the past several years and had already started to cut out processed foods, especially hyper-processed foods, but the more you know the better equipped you can be in making the best choices for you and your family.

Perhaps you’ve been struggling with your weight or a health issue without realizing how impactful your eating habits have on it. Or perhaps you do know but find it difficult to cut a habit such as eating a sweet dessert after dinner. Many of these foods are made to be addictive, so if you find yourself with such an addiction, it very well may not be your fault, but you may need some extra help to wean yourself off said addiction.

Whatever your area of interest, I think you’ll learn something from this book and hopefully it will be beneficial, or an initial step, to a healthier you. You only get one body, and your physical health impacts your mental health, so take care of yourself as best you can.

Happy Reading.

The Sirens of Titan

Ryan Yarber Book Recommendation Tags: , , Leave a comment

Sirens of TitanThe Sirens of Titan is actually a re-read for me as I venture through all of Vonnegut’s novels. If I recall correctly, I first read this book in 2015 and it was the first Vonnegut book I ever read. My recent re-read is due to my new appreciation of Vonnegut’s works, and I wanted to read this book with my new perspective. I did like it the first time around, but I enjoyed it a bit more this second time. This definitely falls in the genre of science fiction as many of his earlier works do, but it is less a science fiction story than a story that hints at that question: What is the meaning of life?

This novel has many interesting ideas and themes much like his other novels. I think I enjoyed this one more than most of his others partly due to the science fiction elements but also because it hints at a beauty through the harshness of humanity and even hints at the beauty of action in a universe seemingly pre-ordained. It speaks to the resiliency of humanity in a universe where we have no real control and there is no clear reason for our existence. It playfully dabbles with religion but does not comment directly like a few of his other novels. This story also dabbles with the meaning of luck and its inequity. Life can be difficult and unfair, just as it can be easy for some. Just as Malachi Constant.

It’s difficult to give a summary of this book without giving away key elements. To put it as simply as possible, this novel is about Malachi Constant, the wealthiest man on Earth for a time, who travels from Earth to Mars to Mercury, back to Earth, and finally to Titan, a moon of Saturn. This may not be the most enticing descriptions of a novel, but given the other tidbits discussed above, I think you’ll know whether or not you want to give it a go.

Happy Reading.

Bluebeard

Ryan Yarber Book Recommendation Tags: , , Leave a comment

BluebeardBluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut was first published in 1987 and is the hoax autobiography of Rabo Karabekian. This novel is laced with many parallels to Vonnegut’s own life. Much more so than his other novels as they all include aspects, either references or core experiences, from his personal history. Regardless of any level of direct association between author and text, this book was fun to read because it focuses on a changing history within America (and the world) mostly around art, war, and the changing of generations and what is remaining, fading, or gaining the spotlight of world events.

This novel centers around Rabo Karabekian, an aging artist and World War II vet, who has a secret locked away in his potato barn on Long Island. Along comes a younger, recently widowed, woman who invites herself to stay in his home and badgers him to tell her his life story. The result is in effect the entirety of this novel.

Circe Berman, the widow in question, is tiresome at times with her efforts to uproot Rabo’s contentment with (or resignation to) the life he has led. I doubt anyone would really have put up with some of her behaviors, but her own vitality re-ignites the old man’s interests in life to the point he is no longer content just sitting around and waiting to die. This gives us our story and one which I recommend because Vonnegut again gives a narrative that provides a unique perspective of what life means on this small world and how we live together within it.

The celebrities of today will fade and new popular artists and persons will emerge. Each generation seems to have their own heroes and time is unrelenting. Rabo Karabekian was fine thinking he was a forgotten artist who possibly made it into a footnote of history. He had seen much change in the world and most of his friends were gone. His perspective of seeing a world that has somehow already moved on from such a major event as World War II is both incredulous and sorrowful.

Unfortunately, the technologies of today almost make it seem like newsworthy events are cycling through the front page faster and faster than ever before. The world has forgotten the realities of the World Wars and unfortunately quickly forgets the realities of yesterday leaving us no time to mourn or laugh or even ponder the moments that are making up our lives.

So, dear reader, I hope you remember to slow down and enjoy the life you have. Read books that make you feel, think, wonder, and learn. Read books that give you new perspectives. The world is rich with all types of experiences. Go forth and enjoy the time you have.

Happy Reading.

Mother Night

Ryan Yarber Book Recommendation Tags: , , Leave a comment

Mother NightMother Night is Kurt Vonnegut’s third book and was originally published in 1961. It is one of several of Vonnegut’s novels that is relatively short and, at least for me, read easy. I very well could have finished it in an evening. I did finish in just a few days.

This story features Howard W. Campbell, Jr. who is wanted as a WWII Nazi war criminal. However, he was secretly a spy for America, his native country, but has no way to prove his work that helped defeat the Nazis and no agent from America will or can vouch for him. His work as a spy prevented him being tried as a war criminal directly after the war, but after 15 years lying low in New York, he becomes the center of many people’s, and several nation’s, attention once again.

Not only does this book drip with references to Vonnegut’s own time during WWII, but it provides a fictional yet very real perspective of how people still hold strong beliefs and alarmingly hateful ideas despite what paths have been walked throughout history. I hate to say that this book very much remains relevant considering the growing number of people spouting old hatreds that should have been buried by society long ago (or perhaps the hatreds were always there and they found new ways or more confidence in shouting them).

Howard W. Campbell, Jr. is a man who did and promoted terrible things. He admits as much and states how he was able to do them in order to survive the times that enveloped much of the world. He knew the evils he committed but held shreds of hope that his work was worthwhile as through those evils he provided information to assist those he truly believed in. His struggles resulted in a mostly apathetic, shattered old man who finds a way to live through any situation or society. Unfortunately, I think to a degree, we all take part in a society where we disagree with many aspects and wish things were better than they were or more accepting of the things we hold most valuable.

For me, that would be books, and the recent increases in book bans (including works by Vonnegut) only increases my desire to speak up and spread the information others want to suppress. Perhaps this counts as doing just that.

Happy Reading.