Book review: Civilization, The west and the rest by Niall Ferguson ISBN 9781594203053

In Civilization, the author suggested that our modern society is dominated by western civilization, which he defined as "more than just one thing; it is a package. It is about political pluralism (multiple states and multiple authorities) as well as capitalism; it is about the freedom of thoughts as well as the scientific method; it is about the rule of law and property rights as well as democracy". And 6 "killer apps" comprise this package:

• Competition: a decentralization of political life, which created the launch-pad for both nation-states and capitalism
• Science
• Property rights
• Medicine
• The consumer society
• The work ethic

Throughout the book, the author explored and traced 6 "killer apps", how they came into being, how they shaped the West and led the West to world domination. And because of the network effect of these 6 apps, hence the West (which presumptuously means America and Europe) even with its dwindling economic and political influence over the world, still has more of the institutional advantages than the Rest.

Rating: 3 of 5

Book Review: The Emperor Far Away, Travels At the Edge of China by David Eimer ISBN 9781620403631

This is a book by an outsider looking inward to understand China's outmost regions and contentious borderlands.

The book is broken into 4 parts:

• Part 1: Xinjiang- The new frontier
• Part 2: Tibet - The wild west
• Part 3: Yunnan - Trouble in paradise
• Part 4: Dongbei - Pushing the boundaries

I only managed to finish part 4, and the authors went to Yanbian and Mohe to try to experience first hand Korean minority and Orequn minority life in modern China.

Should be a great travel book if you are not satisfied with stop-and-take-picture type of tourism and would rather immerse yourself in the local culture and history.

Rating: 3 of 5

Book Review: "Lives of" series by Kathleen Krull

What:Short and colorful biography for young readers age from 6 to 10. A gentle way to introduce kids to biography

Include:

• Lives of the athletes : thrills, spills (and what the neighbors thought)
• Lives of the writers : comedies, tragedies (and what the neighbors thought)
• They saw the future : oracles, psychics, scientists, great thinkers, and pretty good guessers
• Lives of the musicians : good times, bad times (and what the neighbors thought)
• Lives of extraordinary women : rulers, rebels (and what the neighbors thought)
• Lives of the presidents : fame, shame (and what the neighbors thought)
• Lives of the scientists : experiments, explosions (and what the neighbors thought)
• The book of rock stars : 24 musical icons that shine through history
• Lives of the artists : masterpieces, messes (and what the neighbors thought)

Book Review: Rouge Elephant, Harnessing the power of India's unruly democracy By Simon Denyer ISBN 9781620406083

The best book about modern India I read so far. "A penetrating portrait of what has happened to India in the past decade and where it is headed".

It covers India's pillars of democracy: Executive branch, legislative branch and media by profiling the movers and shakers of the country: Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Arnab Goswami, Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal, etc. The angles of author's viewpoint are wide and analysis of each area is deep, from India's Right for Information law to land ownership dispute, the author talked to the key people and also went to the ground level to research, and the end result is a remarkable piece of India democracy today that is both sobering and hopeful.

What kind of democracy will Arab Spring bring to middle east? Maybe India is a good place to look and study. With the democracy's success in holding up the diverse and multi-religious cultures together as a country, and rampant corruption and inefficiency in governance as side effects from the democracy.

One wanting I have for the book is a detailed map of India, for people who are not familiar with India.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Book Review: Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee- A look Inside North Korea by Jang Jin-sung ISBN9781476766553

What: An Kim Jong-il's "Admitted" poet wrote his escape from North Korea and along the way he shared his insider viewpoint on Hermit kingdom.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Best for: History buff and North Korean

Related book: Nothing to envy

Book Review: A weave of words by Robert D. San Souci ISBN 0531300536

Armenian tale of king Vachagan and Queen Anait

Book Review: Pearl Moscowitz's Last Stand by Arthur A. Levine, pictures by Robert Roth ISBN0688107532

How a grandmother preserved the last Gingko tree on Gngko Street. Funny and warm story.

Book Review: Brush of the gods by Lenore Look & Meilo So ISBN 9780375870019

The legend of Chinese artist Wu Daozi in a beautiful picture book, oriental style.

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