Journal Entry (Monday November 7, 2022)
If you are asked to review a book, you should probably give your submission a modicum of thought (or at least read the book?). As evidence of this, I present the following reviews, all of these were for the book “Under a White Sky, The Nature of the Future,” by Elizabeth Kolbert. (A very good book — that is not my review.)
”Unlike a lot of people who write about the environment, Kolbert doesn’t resort to hype. She just lays out the facts and wraps them in memorable anecdotes. It’s a sobering but engaging and informative read” - Bill Gates
”Beautifully written… an excellent book.” - Jon Stewart
”Kolbert has established herself as one of our very best science writers. She has developed a distinctive and eloquent voice of conscience on issues arising from the extraordinary assault on the ecosphere… The result is a clear and comprehensive history of earth’s previous mass extinctions — and the species we’ve lost — and an engaging description of the extraordinarily complex nature of life.” - Al Gore
”A wonderful book” - President Barack Obama
I like Al Gore’s review the best. I have to note that even with this well written review, he hasn’t convinced me he read the book, since Kolbert’s previous work has been about mass extinctions, but this one focused on other topics. If I wrote a book, I would love to have President Barack Obama review it, but frankly, I’d be a bit disappointed if all he could give me were three words. I suspect the publisher showed Jon Stewart President Barack Obama’s review and asked him if he could do slightly better, which he pulled off marvelously… My vote goes to Bill Gates, I’m guessing he actually read the book.