Hugely interesting essay by Miss Sonntag on the way viewing the pain of others has been perceived throughout history and accross countries. I bought this book just before the horrific beheadings in Iraq and the abuse of Iraqi prisoners scandal.
Sonntag forces you to ask questions of yourself. Why is it almost a norm to show poor africans dying slowly and painfully of AIDS on TV but if a camara visited a western hospice and showed the same there would be an outcry. Why is it OK that the US showed the bullet ridden corpses of Saddam Hussein's sons on TV but not the caskets containing the bodies of servicemen and women who lost their lives in the same conflict.
Why do certain images such as the napalmed girl in Vietnam stick in the mind but not others. An interesting and disturbing read. I commend this book to you.

RELEASE NOTES:

Flying off to The Hoosie one on the shortest ever bookring.

Just after I posted the book I got a request from okyrhoe to join the ring so I guess it is no longer the shortest ever ring. :oD

On loan from marko - thank you very much. And there are such yummy, yummy treats enclosed!! I've already sampled them - before I journaled the book! Sorry, but the computer was turned off (I had to collect the book as I wasn't home the other day when the postman tried to deliver it - missed him by just three minutes!) and had to get the kids their lunch first. I'll safely store the other box until the October meetup. I'll miss the September one to attend my brother's wedding.

I see someone else will be waiting to read this book, so I'll pass it on to them when I'm finished.

((((marko))))

I actually finished this book on December 22 when we were in Edinburgh. I didn't have any computer access there, then we were back home on Christmas Eve, and things have been all-go ever since. This morning hubby is off to work, so I have time to get out books and make journal entries. :)

This book was very, very interesting. It took me so long to read because I've undertaken too many things with my children. School, pre-school, swimming lessons, dance, etc. Ms. Sontag has given a lot of work and done so much research on this topic, but has also presented it in a flowing manner. It isn't at all dry, as it might have been if written by someone else.

It has made me think a lot. A new case for such a discussion would be the recent video of Saddam Hussein's execution. There is the official video, without sound, and the unofficial one taken with a mobile phone with camera. In the unofficial one, you can hear what the executioners and witnesses were saying to Saddam, and it was very abusive. The powers that be neither controlled how this man was treated in his last moments, nor what people were allowed to take into this execution. Did they want him to be treated this way? And did they also want for news of this treatment to be leaked?

I'm so sorry, it has taken me so long to read this and to pass it on. I'll now contact okyrhoe for an address.

Happy New Year, marko, and thank you for lending me your book.

Taking to the post office after lunch.

Arrived today in my p.o. box. Thanks marko167 for including me in this ring/ray and ScottishHoosier for posting the book to me!

Yes, the reading of this book couldn't be timelier...

Mea culpa! Finally posted it today.

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A interesting observation: I highly recommended this book to a friend of mine in the US. She says she couldn't understand what it is all about (and she has two college degrees). I wonder why?

Oh buggery, forgot to journal that I had received this book.

Apologies and thank you returning it safely to me.