There are only a few weeks left until the end of the World Citizen Challenge  hosted by Eva.  So, when I saw at the library  ”Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book” by The Nelson Mandela Foundation, I thought it’d be a good, quick read in the Memoir/Biography category.  For the final book at a PhD level for this challenge, I could pick a second book to read in any category (see end of post for all books read).

Nelson Mandela has had a very full life; can you believe he is 91 years old now?  This comic book (in hardback, 193 pages long)  includes every minute detail of his life.  For example, seemingly every single lawyer that has worked for him is listed throughout this book.  There are many people who have worked alongside Mandela during the struggle for freedom in South Africa, and it seems that it is the foundation’s desire not to forget anyone who has been associated with him.  Unfortunately, all this extensive documentation of facts and people makes this comic book somewhat dull.   Additionally, the drawings of the people seem somewhat unnatural.

This might be a good book, and starting point, for young adults assigned to do a research project on Mandela, but not as a sole source for information.  There is a limited bibliography in the back of the book; and you can also go directly to their website:  The Nelson Mandela Foundation.

I found one other review of this comic book  who seems to feel the same way as I do.  If you like graphic novels and similiar books, the reviewer’s website  is Comics Worth Reading.

Now I have attained a PhD level in this challenge.  Thanks to Eva for hosting it.

The rest of the  books I’ve read for this challenge:

History:  “The Fate of Africa” by Martin Meredith

Culture/Anthropology/Sociology: “We Look Like the Enemy” by Rachel Shabi

Politics: “Dreams and Shadows” by Robin Wright

Memoirs/Autobiographies: “Honeymoon in Tehran” by Azadeh Moaveni

Worldwide Issues: “Day of Empire” by Amy Chua

Economics: “Spin-Free Economics” by Nariman Behravesh

“The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence” by Martin Meredith left me feeling very sad and frustrated about the condition of most countries in Africa.  This is a very big book, over 700 pages long if you count the notes and index.  But in spite of its’ size, it’s readable.  And that’s a good thing, because I think this is a book that people should read.

At the end of the nineteenth century, many European powers laid claim to various parts of Africa, and cut it up in various countries without much thought to tribal placement.  For example, boundaries between two countries might be based on something arbitrary such as lines of latitude and longitude– even though doing so would split apart African cultural groups.  So you might say colonialism was the beginnings of doom for Africa.

Fifty or so years ago, after years of colonial rule, many of the African countries were given independence (of course, this book goes into detail about this) – mostly at a cost of native lives.  For instance, Belgian Congo became the Democratic Republic of Congo, and French West Africa was divided up into smaller countries that included Mauritania and Niger.  Unfortunately, after an initial honeymoon period when many of these countries under independent rule seemed to show promise, things continued to go downhill.  The reasons are varied — and Meredith details them very well; and it’s difficult for me to attempt to summarize.  One thing I hadn’t realized is that during the Cold War, even when a country’s rule was known to be blatantly corrupt,  in spite of that, it would be propped up by the West (or the Soviet Union, whichever the case might be) in hopes to keep it from going to the other side.

Billions of dollars have been poured in these African countries over the years, with very little to show for it.  It is shocking to realize the sheer numbers — millions — of Africans who have died because of starvation, of AIDS and other illnesses, of civil wars,  of genocides, and so forth.  It is depressing to realize that most of this world has now pretty much given up on Africa.

Meredith documents all of this in great detail, from discussing leaders of countries such as Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta (he was a Moscow-trained revolutionary) and King Leopold (who helped ruin The Congo) and Nelson Mandela in South Africa — to the economies of Africa (i.e. all the money that ended up into corrupt hands).   Religious issues are also covered, such as radical Islam in the northern African countries such as Sudan.  Also, many genocides were and are based on religious differences in Africa. 

After a while, I felt I was reading the same thing over and over because it seemed like history kept repeating itself.  Meredith does not provide any real answers on how to solve Africa’s problems, but that is probably because they just can’t be solved overnight.  As he concludes:

“Time and again, its [Africa's] potential has been disrupted by the predatory politics of ruling elites seeking personal gain, often precipitating violence for their own ends.”

and:

“After decades of mismanagement and corruption, most African states have become hollowed out.  they are no longer instruments capable of serving the public good.  Indeed, far from being able to provide aid and protection to their citizens, African governments and the vampire-like politicians who run them are regarded by the populations they rule as yet another burden they have to bear in the struggle for survival”.

Again, I recommend reading this book because I think it’s important for us to know more about how Africa got to where it is today.  I definitely wish there were some easy solutions for the people’s very real problems.

This book qualifies for the “History” category of  The World Citizen Challenge.  I now have one book left to read, by the end of the year, to qualify for the PhD level in this challenge.

Other books I’ve already read for The World Citizen Challenge (reviews):

Culture/Anthropology/Sociology: “We Look Like the Enemy” by Rachel Shabi

Politics: “Dreams and Shadows” by Robin Wright

Memoirs/Autobiographies: “Honeymoon in Tehran” by Azadeh Moaveni

Worldwide Issues: “Day of Empire” by Amy Chua

Economics: “Spin-Free Economics” by Nariman Behravesh

 I still have several summer-time reads I still want to talk about on this blog,  but  I borrowed We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel’s Jews from Arab Lands by Rachel Shabi  from the library, and it needs to be returned soon– so I’m blogging about this book tonight.  When I saw this book, I felt it would fit the Culture/Anthropology/Sociology category for A Striped Armchair’s  World Citizen Challenge  that I’m participating in.

The author of this book, Rachel Shabi, is an Iraqi Jew.  Her parents had emigrated from Iraq to Israel, where she was born.  The family eventually relocated to England, where she grew up.  Even though she is Jewish, she has very strong Arabic roots.  She currently lives in Tel Aviv, reporting on Middle Eastern issues.  As she repeatedly reminds the reader, Israel is in the Middle East; that it is a country attempting to be Western in the Middle East. 

Shabi is a journalist, and wrote this book to show, from her point of view, what it means to be an Jew of Arabic background living in Israel.  She clearly identifies herself as an Arabian, but brings up the question of whether Arabic Jews living in Israel should identify themselves as Arabic first, or Jewish first?

As most of us know, there is a very complicated history of how Palestine was formed into Israel and the recurring conflicts that have occurred since then.  It is probably impossible to find a truly impartial account of this history.  However, most of us think of this conflict as being simply Jew versus Arab.

Shabi, however, has written a book in which she wants us to understand that this conflict is not that simple (nothing in life is ever that simple, actually).   Not only is it Jew versus Arab; but it is also settlers of Jews from Europe, also known as Ashkenazi Jews (Ashkenazi is the old Hebrew word for “German”), versus the Jews of Arabic origins– from countries such as Morocco, Iraq, Yemen and Egypt–  dubbed as  “Mizrahi Jews”, Middle Eastern Jews.

Before Israel was formed out of Palestine, there were already many Palestinian Jews living there.  Post World War II, many Jews from European countries eventually immigrated to the new country of Israel.  Since then, Mizrahi Jews from Arabic countries have also emigrated, adding to those who were already living in Palestine. 

Shabi states that globally, Mizrahi Jews who come from Arabic countries (including Palestine itself) are actually a minority; most of the Jewish population outside of Israel are Ashkenazi– German, Polish, Hungarian, Russian, or Eastern European.    There are also Jews called Sephardic Jews, which are those originating from Spain and the surrounding areas.  However, the focus of the Jews in this book are Ashkenazi Jews and Mizrahi Jews in Israel.

Shabi states that there is a lot of discrimation in Israel, by the Ashkenazi Jews, towards the Mizrahi Jews; and devotes this book in proving this.  Because she herself is a Mizrahi Jew, I can’t say that this is an entirely partisan account; but after all, there has always been discrimination within other races and religions.  For instance– within different races, lighter skin often has been considered more desireable than darker skin.

Shafi states that Mizrahi Jews within Israel are often considered simply Arabic, in spite of their Jewishness; and therefore are more likely to be marginalized than the Ashkenazi Jews. 

Some examples of this marginalization that she gives are: the settlements that Mizrahi Jews live in–they are often slums compared to the other areas of Israel.  Education for Mizrahi Jews is substandard compared to Ashkenazi Jews; Mizrahi Jews are stereotyped as being of a lower class, even on TV and in books– Shabi cites several examples of these.

Shabi also states that linguistically, the Hebrew language is much closer to Arabic in origin but pronouncinations and idioms have changed to sound tonally more like “Israeli Hebrew”, as she calls it.  She discusses TV and movie personalities who have, or have had Mizrahi Hebrew accents, but were encouraged to speak in a more Ashkenazi-typical Hebrew accent.  Some have refused to do so.  There are also people who have more Arabic-sounding names that change their names to Ashkenazi-sounding names in hopes of better acceptance.

Shabi talks to, and quotes from, people who are Mizrahi Jews but have been mistaken for non-Jewish Palestinians and have been discriminated for that– “Driving while Palestinian”, so to speak.  For example:

“One young woman…recalls driving one night…with her boyfriend and a Yemeni friend who ‘looks Bedouin’.  She wasn’t the only one to have that thought: ‘A police detective stopped us, shone a torch in his face, got us out of the car, and turned everything inside it upside down.’  In this sort of environment, donning conspicious symbols of Judaism– a Star of David or Chai necklace, a skullcap on the head– might not always be an act of faith so much as an act of proving membership to it”.

Shabi devotes her book to citing all these issues– with extensive quotations and references– but no real suggestions or solutions to what can be done to solve this problem.  Of course, there is never any simple solution to ending prejudice anywhere; I think her main goal in writing this book was her desire in exposing the conflicts and differences between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews in Israel. 

There is some historical context in this book that is useful knowledge; how Zionism established Israel; and the immigration of Jews from different countries–not just Europe, but Arabic countries.  Her discussion of the linguistics of the Hebrew language was interesting also.

I am sure that there would be some controversy concerning this book, but still I considered it  an interesting read.

Other books read for World Citizen Challenge:

Politics: “Dreams and Shadows” by Robin Wright

Memoirs/Autobiographies: “Honeymoon in Tehran” by Azadeh Moaveni

Worldwide Issues: “Day of Empire” by Amy Chua

Economics:  “Spin-Free Economics” by Nariman Behravesh

Two more books to go before I finish the “post-doc” level of this challenge. Next reading, for the History category, is: “The Fate of Africa” by Martin Meredith.

When I saw SPIN-FREE ECONOMICS by Nariman Behravesh at the library, I felt that it would be a good fit for the Economics category for the World Citizen Challenge I’m currently participating in. 

The book’s subtitle is: “A No-Nonsense, Nonpartisan Guide to Today’s Global Economic Debate”.

I really don’t know too much about economics (other than that of our own household) and what the media covers.  I had hoped that this book would educate me further, and I felt that it did. 

Behravesh feels that :  “First, most people are more “centrist” on economic issues than the current political debate and media coverage suggest.  Second, there are a number of enduring myths on both sides of the political spectrum that create a lot of unnecessary polarization and confusion.”

Although I don’t think that the author is completely nonpartisan in some of his opinions, Behravesh does seem to provide an even-handed approach to presenting current economic issues, many of which are world-wide.  Not only that, having been published this year, this book also covers recent issues which include the financial meltdown and bailouts of 2008.

 While this book looks at world-wide issues, it is definitely American-centric.  I think it still counts for the World Citizen Challenge in spite of that.

Since this book covers a very wide range of economic topics, it would be difficult for me to summarize all of the topics and keep this post shorter than it is already.   Therefore, I will just include some points  Behravesh made that I thought were interesting.

• On command-and-control economic systems versus free market economies, Behravesh is very pro-free market.  He mentions that between 1950 and 1989 almost half of the world’s population (mostly in China) were living in command-and-control economies.  The fall of communism  in many countries, among other things, has changed that.
• Behravesh mentions a joke, that Americans “live to work” while Europeans “work to live”.  He suggests that the real truth is that Americans and Japanese (for example) work more hours per week and retire late in life, because they are taxed relatively lightly and not heavily penalized for working past retirement age.  On the other hand, Europeans get to keep less of what they earn and also are basically forced to retire early.  With high tax rates, workers such as those in Europe will typically respond by engaging in nontaxable work or participating in the underground (cash-only) economy.  Non taxable work is defined here as –for example– someone deciding to work less hours and doing more around the house; rather than working many hours and also having to pay for a maid or paying someone to paint their house.
• The “resource curse”, as Behravesh puts it, is a big problem for many emerging markets.  Studies have shown that economies of resource-poor countries (such as Hong Kong) often outperform those of resource-rich countries such as Nigeria.  The standard of living in Nigeria has stayed the same since 1965 instead of improving.  Yet during that time, $350 billion in oil revenues have gone to Nigeria  but its people have not benefited.  Countries such as Nigeria tend to have corrupt politicians, and/or spend money on unproductive projects rather than on education and health care. 
• The “resource curse” may also cause political instability, and some of the more recent conflicts have been over oil and other commodities–this was one factor (but not the only one) in the Iran-Iraq war.  The author states that some people wonder why so much of the world’s oil is in unstable regions–but actually, the roots of instability is partly due to money pouring through because of oil.  He notes, however, that Norway and Alaska are exceptions and have done a better job of managing their oil.
• This book suggests we should not worry about the rise of China, India, and other emerging markets.  Emerging markets do not necessarily compete directly with the United States and other rich countries.  Countries such as China and India produce goods that require low-skilled work, and those in rich countries have the advantage of industries such as software and pharmaceuticals.  Therefore, trade between rich and poor countries should be considered to be complementary, rather than competitive. 
• Speaking of China and India, many also worry that low wages in these countries will drive down wages in rich economies.  The author argues that if it is true that low wages are the basis of economic strength and competitiveness, then why isn’t Africa economically strong?  The reason is that wages is only one factor– productivity is another.  China has figured out how to have strong productivity growth.
• The relationship between poverty and financial inequality is examined.  They are not really the same.  The United States has had reductions in the poverty rate but an increase in income inequality.  On the other hand, Cuba (a communist economy) has seen both an increase in poverty and a more equal distribution of income. 

The above points are just a few addressed and discussed in this book.  There are (but not to the point of over-kill)  visual aids, such as tables, throughout the book that are used to back up the information provided.   

I think this book is a good place to start if you want to learn more about basic economic theories  that use current world issues.  As Behravesh says, “Whether you are on the left or right of the political spectrum, I expect you will find some points of view in this book to your liking and others not.  My hope is that you will read both”. 

Reviews of other books I’ve read for the World Citizen Challenge:

Politics: “Dreams and Shadows” by Robin Wright

Memoirs/Autobiographies: “Honeymoon in Tehran” by Azadeh Moaveni

Worldwide Issues: “Day of Empire” by Amy Chua

Last week, I provided a couple teaser sentences from the book Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance–and Why They Fall by Amy Chua.

Now that I’m done with this very interesting book, I’m going to review it as part of Eva’s World Citizen Challenge. 

When I saw this book at the bookstore, I thought, “what a great book for the Economics cagetory of the World Citizen Challenge!”   However, once I started reading it, I quickly realized it wasn’t about economics, except occassionally in passing mention.  No matter.  I would have kept reading anyway.  It could probably fit in the “history” cagetory, but I think I’ll assign this book to the “Worldwide Issues” cagetory, because this book also addresses present-day issues, not just past ones.

The subtitle of this book is “How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance–and Why They Fall”.  First of all, what is a “hyperpower”?  The author defines a “hyperpower” (a word first used regarding America by a French foreign minister) as being analogous to “world-dominant power”.   Very few societies, or countries, in history have accomplished “hyperpower” status.

What are some examples of past and present hyperpowers?  How did they start? And why did past hyperpowers eventually decline or fail?

The author, Chua, opines that the growth of hyperpowers have had something in common:  tolerance.  Tolerance, of course, is a relative term–more of that in a moment.  Simply being tolerant doesn’t guarantee hyperpower status (for one thing, some countries are simply too small to be a hyperpower), but it seems to be one critical ingredient.

The reasons for the decline of an empire always has complex and varied reasons.   However, Chua shows that– perhaps  not coincidentally– when a hyperpower becomes xenophobic, or intolerant, it is part of the beginning of the end of that empire. 

From this viewpoint, Chua analyzes the history of several past hyperpowers.  She also discusses America’s current status as a hyperpower and questions whether it can continue to be one.  Let’s look at some examples from the book, but before we do that, let’s look again at the meaning of “tolerance” as used in the book.

Chua acknowledges that tolerance was and is a relative term and doesn’t necessarily mean total respect for different cultures.  As she says:

“…..I’m not talking about tolerance in the modern, human-rights sense.  By tolerance, I don’t mean political or cultural equality.  Rather, as I will use the term, tolerance simply means letting very different kinds of people live, work, and prosper in your society–even if only for instrumental or strategic reasons.  To define the term a little more formally, tolerance in this book will refer to the degree of freedom with which individuals or groups of different ethnic, religious, racial, linguistic, or other backgrounds are permitted to coexist, participate, and rise in society.”

Chua adds that “ no society based on racial purity, religious zealotry, or ethnic cleansing has ever become a world-dominant power”.  She cites Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan as examples, devoting a chapter later in the book to these two temporary powers.

The examples in the book are basically chronological.  It starts with the Persian Empire, which was founded by Cyrus the Great, and its’ rapid decline after Alexander the Great’s death.   Next, it covers ancient Rome. 

During Rome’s Golden Age, religious diversity was generally acceptable, as it was during the Persian’s Empire’s ruling days.  However, Romans did have some limits to what was considered acceptable–they banned the Druid practice of human sacrifice, for example.  Also, after Augustus conquered Egypt, he banned the worship of the dieties associated with Antony and Cleopatra.

With the emergence of Judaism and Christianity, religious acceptance in the Roman empire changed.  Later Roman emperors became less accomodating towards these two religions–Hadrian banned circumcision and the teachings of Jewish Law, and Caligula forced some Jews to eat pork.   Many Christians were persecuted, until Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity.  Then the tables were turned, and almost everyone except Christians were persecuted.  During this time, ethnic conflicts started to rise, especially towards Germanic tribes (including the Goths, Franks and Saxons) immigrating into the Roman terroritories.  These conflicts marked the beginning of the end of the Roman empire, although of course there were also many other factors (theories include lead poisoning and the like) that led to its’ decline.

Ancient China is also examined in this book.  The Great Mongol Nation as ruled under Genghis Khan allowed absolute freedom of worship for everyone.  During his rule,  Genghis Khan continued to annex different tribes and ethnicies into his nation.  To prevent ethnic divisions, he would arrange marriages between his own children and tribal leaders who joined his nation.   After Genghis Khan’s death, the Mongol Nation eventually fragmented, due to many reasons, including the Bubonic Plague.  However, during its’ decline (which occurred over a few hundred years), religious intolerance became an issue as it did during the end of the Roman Empire.  In addition, non-Chinese customs, religions, and ideas were cracked down upon and the use of foreign languages were banned.

Part Two of the book includes further examples of the rise and decline of powerful nations.   Sixteenth-century Spain started to decline after the Spanish Inquisition which targeted Jews and Muslims, killing or driving most of them out of the country.   Another example includes how Great Britain lost Ireland from its’ empire, because of too little religious tolerance towards the Irish (Ireland was predominantly Catholic while the Scots, Welsh, and English were mostly Protestant).

Part Three is titled “The Future of World Dominance”, covering America and other current governments such as modern-day China and India — and the European Union.  Chua points out that a country joining the European Union must show that it observe human rights and fundamental freedoms (tolerance), in addition to meeting certain economic and political criteria.

In discussing America, Chua begins by analyzing the rise of America’s super power status.   When America became independent, its’  new government was partly based on the principle of separation between church and state.   Although the American government –in general– has been relatively tolerant concerning freedom of worship, it wasn’t always racially tolerant.  Slavery and treatment of the Native Americans are examples.  On the other hand, in spite of this, immigration to America was generally unrestricted and allowed America to grow into the diverse country that it is now.  

Finally, will America be able to continue to be a hyperpower, and should it continue to be one?  Chua discusses this at the end of the book, which is difficult to summarize here.  But, basically, Chua feels that America is more likely to maintain its’ hyperpower status if it provides opportunity and good will towards others, rather than one of xenophobia and military force.  Chua also encourages the American government to re-think its’ current immigration policy.   While it cannot be unlimited and let just anyone come in, a relatively open immigration policy is a good way to create close ties between Americans and non-Americans.  Even programs that bring young foreigners temporarily here (such as allowing them to study college here) can be helpful, because they then learn American values which they can then bring back to their homes. 

I think this book was good reading– both for its’ historical context and for its’ look at some of the current situations today.  This book does not attempt to oversimplify the causes of the rise and fall of powerful nations, but to show that tolerance is key to any government’s success. 

I encourage you to read this book  for an in-depth analysis, because there is more than what I’ve covered here.

Reviews of other books I’ve read for the World Citizen Challenge:

Politics: “Dreams and Shadows” by Robin Wright

Memoirs/Autobiographies: “Honeymoon in Tehran” by Azadeh Moaveni

“Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East”  by Robin Wright is the second book I’ve read for the World Citizen Challenge.  I chose to read seven books (each in a different category) for 2009′s challenge.  I think this book best fits in the “Politics” category.  I actually finished it early last month, and am now attempting to discuss and summarize this book.

Ms. Wright, according to the back cover of the book, is “an award-winning journalist and Middle East expert”.  She has spent several years working in the Middle East, which enables her to provide much background to the current events in the countries she covers in this book.

In the introduction to this book, she discusses the Middle East in general; that it is a couple dozen countries that is spread from northern Africa to western Asia; and these countries are all very diverse, even within the countries themselves.  Economically, the diversity range from oil-rich Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to poverty-stricken Yemen whose per-capita income is only $500 per year.  The people are also diverse; they are not all “Arabians” (they include Persians, etc).  Politically, too, these countries are diverse.  Some have monarchial rulers such as Jordan.

Ms. Wright does not attempt to go into detail for each Middle Eastern country, but instead her goal is to “…probe deep inside societies of the Middle East for the emerging ideas and players that are changing the political environment in ways that will unfold for decades to come”. 

Her chapter on the Palestinians provides understanding of the current political issues in that region, including how Hamas got to its position among the Palestinians, particularily the Gazans.  This chapter was informative, in light of the recent invasion by Israel in the Gaza Strip. 

Next, Ms. Wright covers circumstances in Egypt and visits and interviews representatives of each of the three “crats” in Egypt:  theocrats (the Muslim Brotherhood), democrats (people involved in the democracy movement), and autocrats (Muburak).  

Lebanon is then discussed.  Lebanon was under Syrian control until recently, so one chapter on Lebanon covers this.  The second chapter on Lebanon focuses on the development of Hezbollah and its’  leader Nasrallah.

Ms. Wright also covers the countries of Syria and Morocco, devoting one chapter each (for almost all the others, two chapters are given).

For Iran, one chapter covers the Islamic revolution and the second covers the reactionaries and also the succession of Iranian presidents up to the current one, Ahmadinejad.

Finally, the last two chapters of this book discusses Iraq.  Ms. Wright shows us the plight of the Kurds of Kurdistan, which is the northern region of Iraq and about the size of New Jersey.  Kirkuk is in Kurdistan.  The Kurds never wanted to be part of Iraq; they are closer to Persians ethnically and they endured  ”ethnic cleansing”  under Saddam.  Several thousands were killed and many more expelled. 

The liberation of Kuwait from Iraq (Operation Desert Storm) and the invasion of Baghdad (Operation Iraqi Freedom) is also covered.  Ms. Wright also discusses the current attempt of the United States to establish democracy in Iraq.

I found this book very readable, and provided me with much background that either needed to be filled in, or to refresh my memory on certain incidents.  I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of what is happening in  parts of the Middle East and even the Arab world in general, even though Ms. Wright does not discuss every single country in the region.  It was published last year, and the paperback edition recently came out about a month ago, so it is current enough to be relevant and provide understanding to today’s political issues in the Middle East.

(photo from National Geographic website)

While I was growing up, for as long as I can remember, National Geographic magazine would arrive at our house every month. My dad’s mom would give him a gift subscription every single year. I remember often leafing through the issues, looking at the pictures, and when I got older, I would also occasionally read the articles, too.

Now, I am in the process of rediscovering what a great magazine this is. A while back, when I joined the World Citizen Challenge (so far I have completed one book for this challenge, need to pick the next book!), one of the participants mentioned she was considering subscribing to National Geographic magazine as well, to round things out. I thought this was a great idea and went ahead and subscribed myself. Note: if any of you also think subscribing is a great idea, for whatever reason–be sure to do it through the magazine’s website–it is by far cheaper than any other offers you might find online. At least for the first year.

I think the main difference between today’s National Geographic, compared to the old days, is that it now arrives in the mailbox in an enclosed plastic sleeve, as opposed to a brown paper-bag sleeve. Otherwise, I don’t think it has changed too much from my childhood memory.

The photography is still amazing even though I’m sure much of it is digital now. The articles are interesting and thought-provoking. Of course, some articles I find more interesting than others–it is all dependent on individual taste.

I follow several book blogs (along with blogs on several