Sit Down, Start Writing, No Excuses
Author: Bill O'Hanlon
Genre: nonfiction, how-to
Publication info: F+W Publications, 2007
Pages: 212 (plus bonus DVD!)
The title says it all. Just get writing, because writing begets writing. The more you write, the more you write. And the better you get at it. So that's what I'm going to do.
But if you, like me, aspire to be a writer and, also like me, need a good kick in the pants, this book might be helpful to you.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The Prince
Author: Niccolò Machiavelli, translated by Peter Bondanella
Genre: nonfiction, politics
Publication info: Oxford World's Classics, 2005 (originally published in 1532)
Pages: 130 (including notes)
Take it from me: The Prince is not exactly a beach read. Or an exercise-bike read, as the case may be. This book takes some serious thinking, which I wasn't always able to give. So I probably didn't get as much out of this book as I could have, but I definitely found it interesting.
You may have heard of The Prince, or maybe you've heard Machiavelli's name. Perhaps what comes to mind is the maxim "The end justifies the means." Well, as it turns out, Machiavelli never actually said that. Not in those exact words, anyway. But in this book he does put forth some principles that may be a little alarming to most decent people. For example, it is most important for a prince to be feared by his subjects. He should always keep his promises, unless he needs to break them in order to maintain his power.
For reasons like those, The Prince has been condemned by many people and organizations. Now I'm not necessarily supporting everything that is said in this book, but I think we should be careful not to take this book for something it isn't. Machiavelli wasn't trying to write a book on how to be a good person. His intention was to instruct princes on how to be effective princes (not good, but effective). And we also need to keep in mind Machiavelli's ultimate goal in writing this book, as he discusses in the final chapter: he wanted a strong leader to come forward that could unify Italy and fortify it against outside influences.
If you want a deeper understanding of The Prince, there are a bazillion scholars who have written about it. My purpose in reading it was actually a little different. I really did want to learn how to be a strong, effective, even ruthless prince, so I could put those abilities and traits into a character I have plans for in a future novel. And I was pretty pleased by the ideas this book gave me. I also simply enjoyed how much this book made me think.
So if you want a real thinker, give this book a try. But don't necessarily try to live by it.
Genre: nonfiction, politics
Publication info: Oxford World's Classics, 2005 (originally published in 1532)
Pages: 130 (including notes)
Take it from me: The Prince is not exactly a beach read. Or an exercise-bike read, as the case may be. This book takes some serious thinking, which I wasn't always able to give. So I probably didn't get as much out of this book as I could have, but I definitely found it interesting.
You may have heard of The Prince, or maybe you've heard Machiavelli's name. Perhaps what comes to mind is the maxim "The end justifies the means." Well, as it turns out, Machiavelli never actually said that. Not in those exact words, anyway. But in this book he does put forth some principles that may be a little alarming to most decent people. For example, it is most important for a prince to be feared by his subjects. He should always keep his promises, unless he needs to break them in order to maintain his power.
For reasons like those, The Prince has been condemned by many people and organizations. Now I'm not necessarily supporting everything that is said in this book, but I think we should be careful not to take this book for something it isn't. Machiavelli wasn't trying to write a book on how to be a good person. His intention was to instruct princes on how to be effective princes (not good, but effective). And we also need to keep in mind Machiavelli's ultimate goal in writing this book, as he discusses in the final chapter: he wanted a strong leader to come forward that could unify Italy and fortify it against outside influences.
If you want a deeper understanding of The Prince, there are a bazillion scholars who have written about it. My purpose in reading it was actually a little different. I really did want to learn how to be a strong, effective, even ruthless prince, so I could put those abilities and traits into a character I have plans for in a future novel. And I was pretty pleased by the ideas this book gave me. I also simply enjoyed how much this book made me think.
So if you want a real thinker, give this book a try. But don't necessarily try to live by it.
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