BookOpinion

Author Will Self reads from his book “Psychogeography: Disentangling the Modern Conundrum of Psyche and Place” and discusses the concept behind it in this discussion at Google.

Publishers Weekly describes the book: “This artful and entertaining collection of essays by novelist Self (The Book of Dave) will delight anyone who enjoys his weekly column of the same name in the Independent or his last collection of essays, Feeding Frenzy. Here Self shifts from gonzo journalism to the study of psychogeography, the study of how geographical environments affect emotions and behavior. Setting off on a quest for the intrinsic character of various places as well as the manner in which the contemporary world warps the relationship between psyche and place, Self casts a dismissive eye on most of the world. Singapore strikes him as Basingstoke force-fed with pituitary gland; Sao Paolo’s lack of a street plan makes it an unholy miscegenation between London and Los Angeles. But Steadman’s beautifully harsh illustrations (worthy of their own book) and Walking to New York, a previously unpublished semi-autobiographical meditation on life and death, reveal a surprising depth to Self’s cynical insights.”

In the hour-long discussion, Self reads from “Psychogeography” and discusses why he wrote it. Self says people need to get out and interact with their world on a more personal level.

“This method is about reappopriating what is beautiful,” he says in the video below. “Why shouldn’t we live in a world that if we can’t consider it as being beautiful the the whole time? We can at least consider that we are actually in it. We can at least give it that respect.”

Looking for holiday gift ideas? Amazon has released a list of the books that are most found on its users’ wish lists. The range of titles includes: “Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain” by Oliver Sacks; “Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography” by David Michaelis; The Harry Potter Boxset Books 1-7 from J. K. Rowling; “Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia” by Elizabeth Gilbert; and many others.

Check out the Amazon wish list here to pick up some gift ideas for the holidays.

You can also go to their Gift Central main page to find user favorites in Electronics, Music, Kitchen, DVD, Jewelry, Toys, Home Improvement, Sports, Pet Products and more.

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Psychologist Philip Zimbardo discusses his book “The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil” at Google Headquarters in this hour-long video.

Publishers Weekly summarizes the book: “Psychologist Zimbardo masterminded the famous Stanford Prison Experiment, in which college students randomly assigned to be guards or inmates found themselves enacting sadistic abuse or abject submissiveness. In this penetrating investigation, he revisits—at great length and with much hand-wringing—the SPE study and applies it to historical examples of injustice and atrocity, especially the Abu Ghraib outrages by the U.S. military. His troubling finding is that almost anyone, given the right “situational” influences, can be made to abandon moral scruples and cooperate in violence and oppression. (He tacks on a feel-good chapter about “the banality of heroism,” with tips on how to resist malign situational pressures.)”

In the video discussion below, he talks about how easily people are susceptible to evil given the right circumstances. He also delves into the Abu Ghraib prison scandal (some images are graphic).

“Do we take into account the system?” he asks of our legal sentencing when outside influences pressure people to commit evil. To what extent are the individuals guilty compared to those who are in charge of the system?

“What you are going to see is that evil begins as all evil begins — with a small first step,” he says before discussing how the Abu Ghraib abuses escalated.

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BOOKOPINION REVIEW: What is the thing that terrifies you the most? Another terrorist attack? An invasion by UFO’s? Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes? Losing your job? Cancer? How about the kidnapping of one of your children? I think that must be one of the most agonizing, terrifying situations that could ever confront us. Imagine the day-in, day-out horror of the “not knowing” whether your child was alive, whether they were being tortured, if you would ever see them again.

Mark Gimenez has used this scenario in “The Abduction” and did it with a chilling plot that is baffling, frightening and will keep you on the edge of your seat to the very last page. Frankly, this story has so many twists and turns that I was constantly astonished by the brilliant imagination of the author.

Gracie Ann Brice, age 10 years, and an ace soccer player, disappears at the end of winning a tight game against a rival team. Her father, John R. Brice and a brilliant computer geek about to make a billion dollars on a business venture, is on his cell phone at the end of the game when his daughter goes missing. Elizabeth, a tough, controlling attorney and Gracie’s mother, arrives just minutes after her daughter is kidnapped. Bedlam follows as the alert goes out and the frantic search for Gracie begins.

When Ben Brice, Vietnam Vet and Gracie’s grandfather hears the news, he immediately flies from his isolated retreat in New Mexico to the family’s home in Briarwyck Farms, an exclusive conclave in Dallas, Texas. Upon arrival, he encounters not only the FBI but his son, John, who is practically catatonic. And Elizabeth is dealing with the situation in the only way she knows how…forcefully, angrily and outwardly, in complete control.

But Ben Brice has a unique relationship with Gracie…there is a mutual affection, understanding and comradery between them and he is determined to find Gracie and destroy those responsible for her disappearance. A long-shot for an alcoholic grandfather, haunted by memories of torture and murder? Ben Brice has a classified military file with a list of medals as long as your arm. No ordinary grandfather, this.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth has taken matters into her own hands and schedules an interview on national television. She offers to pay the kidnappers $25 million to release her daughter, unharmed. And then, “Because if you don’t take this deal, if you don’t release my daughter by the deadline, if you can’t release my daughter because you’ve already killed her, know this and know it well: you’re a dead man. I’m putting a bounty on your head same as the government put on Osama bin Laden’s head: commencing one minute after midnight Friday, we will pay the twenty-five million to anyone who hunts you down and kills you like the disgusting perverted animal you are. And know this: you’re not going back to prison to serve a few years then get released only to violate another little girl – that is not going to happen! You’re either going to release my daughter or you’re going to die. It’s your choice.”

In spite of this, the only information that arises is from Idaho Falls, Idaho…remote and unlikely. But Ben is convinced that this is the lead he has been waiting for. And surprisingly, John is determined to accompany his father on the search.

Is Gracie still alive? And if so, what kind of hell is she living in? And will they find her in time? And, is this the tip of the iceberg? Is there more to the plot then the kidnapping of a little girl?

Well, actually there is…and the unraveling of this entire plot will have you gasping with shock. “The Abduction” is riveting, the characters are revealed not only by their actions but by their past…and you never know how you feel about any of the players until all is revealed. The construction of this novel is suspense well defined and will appeal to anyone who loves a good thriller. I highly recommend this book!

– Elizabeth Channery

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