Even as a book reviewer, it is not often that you come across books that deal with the subject of death. You may come across themes of loss, loneliness, and other emotions that death brings, but to look at non-existence in the face and examine it critically is something I am not used to. So, ladies and gentlemen, I present Death: A Reader, by Mary Ann G. Cutter.

Death: A Reader takes a broad look at the way humanity views death. The author examines various cultures from different timelines to illustrate how our perspectives on death differ. Ultimately, the book concludes that how we view death affects the way we view suicide, old age, how we handle the news of our demise, and the manner with which we conduct funerals.

Though the author points to a personal event (the loss of her husband) as one of the triggers for writing this book, you will find that this work lacks a personal touch.  Death: A Reader reads like an academic paper and it has lots of references that might put an average reader off.

Having said that, this is a well-researched and thorough work. Granted, it is a dry read; however, those looking for materials on this grim subject (whether for academic, legislative, or personal purposes) will find a few useful information and philosophical ideas to help them on their way.

Many thanks to the University of Notre Dame Press for the review copy.

Some of us are worried about the devaluation of artistic and creative skills going in today's technological age. Creative works are constantly offered for exposure or less money than they are worth. Many companies and individuals, even those with lots of money, continue to see artistic people's insecurities as something to exploit for cheap labour.

The natural or artisanal wine industry is one that has caught Jonathan Nossiter's eye. In his book, Cultural Insurrection, he evaluates the rise of this tiny sector and how it has risen against all odds to thrive and prosper.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE BOOK
Nossiter points out many lessons from how natural winemakers worked together, defied government interference, and resisted the allure of over-the-top profit to create something they are genuinely proud of.

WHAT I DISLIKE
While this book has lots of examples of winemakers and the negative events they had to overcome to make a success of their craft, it fails to do a good job in drawing enough parallels between natural winemakers and the creative arts. We are left to figure out how, for example, writers or illustrators, can use these examples to fight for fairer wages in their industry.

Cultural Insurrection by Jonathan Nossiter stirs up the blood with its premise but falls a little bit flat in its execution.

Many thanks to Other Press for review copy.

I designed this after observing the beauty, usefulness, as well as deadliness of mushrooms.

Imbalance (Part One) paints a detailed picture of what happens when "progress" or what counts for innovation and societal change leave people worse off. Imbalance Part Two, on the other hand, delves deep into the mechanics of divide and rule.

In the latest part, we witness Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph trying to get to the bottom of the conflict between benders and non-benders in Cranefish Town. After much investigation, they discovered that one of the town elders is organising and pulling benders together to act against non-benders. This particular elder tells benders that the technological innovations made by the non-benders are designed to keep benders out of jobs as well as relegate them in society.


Much of this story details the methods Aang and his friends employ to find out the truth. It also looks at the difficult decisions that await Aang in particular when confronted with the reality of the situation.
Imbalance Part Two is a story that mirrors the world's present political and cultural malaise. It shows how the rich and powerful manipulate certain sections of the populace against the other in other to maintain the status quo - the one that keeps excessive wealth in their families - and the deep community divisions that result from it.

I am mostly careful when picking books from the self-help genre. There are lots of idea and concept crossovers that sometimes makes you feel as if you are reading the same book even when you have gone through 15.

Being You is a work that promotes authenticity and becoming who we are in our core being (sorry if you have heard that before). The authors tell us that being ourselves is the best thing we can do when building a brand.

Being You touts the notion that everyone ought to define what success means to them. The author emphasises that while money and fame are good, not everyone defines their existence or goals around that. Being You exhorts us to build our brand around values that we deem important to us.

What this book does well is how it delves into profiles of famous and well-known celebrities who have used their uniqueness to create what the author calls a successful brand. The book cites people like Malala Yousafzai, Opray Winfrey, Roger Federer, Ed Sheeran, etc. as examples of those who built successful brands around what their uniqueness.

Unfortunately, the downside of Being You is that while it tells us to find our own unique definition of success, it still manages to promote one narrow brand of success - fame and wealth. You will find no scraped knees or twisted ankles here, just a gallery of humble beginnings, cliched hard work, great decisions, strong convictions and voila! Success.

There are no up and coming artist or sportspeople whose struggles are plain to see. No failed brand that crashed but managed to find its purpose. The people we see in Being You are in places that common people would find almost... unattainable.

Being You is a useful book. This is a book for those who know who they are and are looking for practical advice on a few things. Many will find tactical advice here on public relations, social media, design, etc. But those who are on a journey to finding who they are might find themselves feeling a bit helpless and depressed by the end of the book.

There have been dire situations in history where people pooled together, helping one another survive and thrive against wars, famine, cruelty, natural disasters, etc. There have also been cases when the opposite is true - where hate and blood flowed from fear and petty anxieties.

Fissure examines these situations in its story about a strange disaster that befell El Sueno, a multicultural town riddled with prejudice and discrimination. Hark, a white man, is set to take Avery Lee, a Mexican lady as his partner. It is a union Hank's father opposes for fear of losing his son as well as the colour of Avery Lee's skin.

The story traces the obstacles Hank and Avery Lee have to face in the midst of an unworldly disaster that is claiming lives regardless of age and race.

Fissure looks at how petty divisions destroy a community and how love, family, and solidarity can contribute to its healing.

Many thanks to Vault Comics for review copy.

There are a few things a ruling government fear more than its citizens unifying under a purpose it does not support. Modern history is rife with examples of crackdowns against labour unions and systematic propaganda against leaders of any organised citizen-led action.

1919 is a graphic novel that goes back to capture the roots and atmosphere of the Winnipeg strike of 1919. This was a strike (lasted for six weeks) led by workers who no longer felt able to feed their families on low wages.

1919 chronicles the police beatings, unjust imprisonments, demonisation of immigrants, and other tactics used by the Canadian ruling government to crush the movement.

More importantly, 1919 also highlights the bravery of men and women who sacrificed so much to bring dignity and power to normal working people. This is a book that emphasises the power of the collective as a strong weapon against business elites who are trying to create an unjust world for the sole aim of profit.

Many thanks to BTL Books for review copy.