Viva La Revolution

The Year of Books and Financial Aid

Today, I attended my first classes of the semester and then after two hours of being nice and getting nothing, I got pushy at financial aid. I got my loan money though, so I don't mind having to push to get my way. While I like to be a nice person, sometimes a little force is what's necessary to make the wheels turn.

On a different note, I have a stack of reading material that actually stands taller than me (I measured). I have decided that this, 2009, will be the Year of Books. After I finish a book, I will write a small review. Mainly, I want to keep track of this for myself, but I figure I can also give you guys some interesting book reviews. So, first up: Viva La Revolution by Mark Steel.

In this weird and quirky book, Steel claims that revolutions are not started by one group of people or one set of circumstances. Instead, these moments swirl up from just the right mix of anger, outrage, justification and ambition. While this image is powerful, I wonder if the American Revolution follows the same guidelines. Seeing as how we didn't end by lopping off people's heads to carry on our pikes, I would think most likely not.

The book so far, while candid and humorous, it also gives incredible insights into the motivations of men in times of revolution. In my steampunk-fantasy, I've planned an elaborate story about unrest in a world with many parallels to our own, so after taking notes I've got some pretty great ideas.

So, next, I plan to read up on the American Revolution, a subject I haven't touched since grade school because the founding fathers were always portrayed as boring fops - not the tremendous men who founded a nation and overthrew monarchy for democracy and equality. Reading about our founding father seems appropriate, seeing as how inauguration is only a few days away.

Holding the Line.
Bri