Roger Morris

Marred by the mispronunciation of "Existentialism"

Reviewed: 08-13-20

This accessible summary is marred by the narrator's complete inability to correctly pronounce the word "Existentialism".

Exist. Existence. Existential. Existentialist. Existentialism.

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Interesting book, Woeful narration

Reviewed: 07-01-20

An interesting book almost completely overshadowed by a woeful, lifeless and robotic narration. I almost didn't finish the book because of the awful reading of it by the narrator. I only finished the book out of respect for the author. I think I could have narrated this book better.

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5 people found this helpful

Some useful anecdotes

Reviewed: 08-04-19

Some useful anecdotes and interesting stories. The author was at times excessively self-congratulatory and the book frequently drifted into American kitsch.

It reminds me that societies can at times be overly trusting of military leaders and can assume incorrectly that leadership advice from military brass automatically translates to civilian life.

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What a cracker of a yarn!

Reviewed: 02-15-19

Brilliant storytelling. Superbly read by Jonathan Keeble. Can’t wait to listen to the final installment.

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Extravagant Self-Pleasuring by the Author

Reviewed: 12-17-18

I really wanted to like this story. I really enjoyed Books 1 and 2, and looked forward to listening to a backstory of this intriguing character. To be honest, I didn't find the character of Ari charming and mysterious. I found her just plain annoying. I lost my patience with this story about half way through. I felt like I was patiently waiting for the story to go somewhere, for something to happen. It never did and I couldn't go on.

The word that came to mind while listening to this story was "self-indulgent". The other thing that came to mind was "extravagant self-pleasuring" by the author while we are the reader/listener were forced to look on. It's almost as if the author had a big thesaurus open next to him as he wrote, desperately trying to put as many impressively unusual words into the narrative as he could. I didn't work for me. This story is certainly one that should have remained in the trunk.

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1 person found this helpful

A Masterpiece

Reviewed: 10-06-17

A simply brilliant piece of literature - witty, entertaining and eminently quotable from start to finish.

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Brilliant! Must read!

Reviewed: 08-22-17

This is possibly one of the most critically important books for European and Western culture at this point in history - and I don't think that is an overstatement.

Murray coherently and articulately revisits the immigration policies of post-WW2 Western Europe and describes how the extreme political Left - the Regressive Left - have deliberately eroded national identity and national pride as bourgeois echoes of western imperialism and colonialism, and have instead insisted the Western Europeans wallow in an eternal mud pool of self-doubt, self-loathing, self-mistrust and perpetual shame about its historical, geopolitical and cultural sins. Murray demonstrates how this attack from the anti-nationalist Left has led gradually to a 'cultural malaise' and 'existential fatigue' in Western European societies, where many in Europe can no longer identify or ascribe value to 'European culture and values', nor raise enough existential energy to defend or commend the benefits and positive aspects of that culture to the millions of migrants from outside Europe.

Enter the political and social Left - led by European leaders like Angela Merkel - as self-appointed judges, jury, and executioners of the perpetual social and cultural guilt of Europe and who seem compelled to sentence Europe to worldwide community service for its litany of past sins. These sins can only be atoned for - in the minds of the Left - by taking in any and every migrant from the Third World who claims political or economic asylum, even if these migrants are making claims that cannot be verified. This has led to the gates of Europe being thrown open to anyone from around the world to essentially walk in and walk around to settle wherever and whenever they please. This migration tsunami, of course, peaked with the 2015 migration crisis and continues to this day. Murray discusses the crazy and willful mismanagement of immigration by multiple and successive European governments, epitomized by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Of course, the greatest influx of migrants into Europe over the last decade have been from Islamic countries of the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern/Sub-Saharan Africa. These groups have brought with them outdated views on freedom of speech, freedom of religion, gender equality and the rights of sexual minorities, not to mention a general mistrust, or even open loathing of, the values and virtues of Western, secular liberal democracies - the very nations and cultures that welcome these migrants with open, accepting arms.

Thus in Europe, we have the frightening perfect storm of the mass, uncontrolled migration of peoples who have a very strong sense of their identity, the value of their religious convictions and the value of their native culture and beliefs, into a Europe that is stuck in a cultural malaise of self-doubt, self-loathing, self-mistrust, and shame, not at all convinced or confident that European culture and society has anything to offer of perpetual value these migrants. This - quite obviously - is a recipe for the collapse of weakened, apologetic and self-doubting European society under the sustained pressure from an over-confident and self-assured culture of newcomers.

Murray discusses many other related issues, including the anti-European bias in the political Left which leads to automatic charges of Western imperialism, colonialism, and racism if concerned citizens and politicians speak up and express concerns about unfettered immigration into Western Europe. Murray also tells about outrageous and ludicrous episodes of the failure of police and other authorities to properly deal with, or even act on, criminal activities by migrants such as rape and sexual assault, due to an irrational fear of being accused by the Left of racial profiling and racism.

And in a fascinating and insightful chapter, Murray theorizes about how the loss of identity, drive, and self-confidence may be intricately linked with Western Europe's secularization and the unmooring of itself from its foundational myths and stories (overridingly based in Christianity). Again, when faced with the immigration of those from cultures that still cling strongly and (over) confidently with their own foundational stories and myths, this puts Western Europe at a distinct disadvantage.

Overall, this book is at times disturbing, and at times provokes the reader to anger and outrage. But Murray's book is a clarion call to Europe and the West to wake up to the signs of the times, recognize the bad ideas, cultural masochism and historical revisionism perpetrated by the Regressive Left, who would have us believe that there is nothing good and commendable in Western civilisation and its history, and who would have all national borders, national identity and national pride condemned as evil imperialism and colonialism.

The time is now to take steps in Europe and the West to ensure that Murray's book does not prove to be prophetic.

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15 people found this helpful

Amazing reading of a fantastic story

Reviewed: 10-15-16

This might be the best-written story I've ever encountered. Nabokov is a literary genius and his mastery of the written word is even more remarkable with the realisation that English was not his native tongue. The word-pictures he creates throughout the story are just amazing.

Yes, Humbert Humbert - the anti-hero protagonist and narrator of this tragic tale - is a hebephile (as opposed to a paedophile) and a sexual pervert. The way he takes advantage of Lolita and the manner in which his selfish decisions and actions set the lives of Lolita, her mother Charlotte and indeed Humbert himself on a certain tragic track is undoubtedly deplorable. And yet Nabokov develops Humbert into an authentic, complex and ultimately pathetic character. The author cleverly gives the reader insight into Humbert's mental processing and attempted justification of his actions and his genuine, if not inappropriate, romantic obsession with the young girl. Humbert understands by the end of the story how he has confused genuine caring and the desire to nurture and protect Lolita, with his own selfish and perverted sexual desires for the girl. The loathing for Humbert that the reader invariably develops is ironically eclipsed by Humbert's own self-loathing and self-reproach for his selfish obsessions.

I listened to the 2005 Random House Audio audiobook version of the book, masterfully narrated by Jeremy Irons, who incidentally played Humbert Humbert in the 1997 film remake of the book alongside Melanie Griffith and Dominique Swain. Irons is brilliant and brings out the very best in the story through his narration.

Because of its confronting and taboo themes this book, understandably, provokes strong reactions from readers (even those who have never actually read the book). This is understandable, but to avoid reading this book because of that taboo is a great shame because being confronted - even repulsed - never hurt anyone. And this story is a superlatively masterful piece of literature.

Reading a war novel does not mean the one condones war. Reading a murder mystery does not mean one condones killing. In the same way, reading Lolita does not mean you condone hebephilia or paedophilia. It will undoubtedly challenge the reader and provoke strong emotional reactions. But this ability to provoke a genuine response in the reader, I think, is the sign of fantastic author and a compelling story.

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1 person found this helpful

Beautiful Prose

Reviewed: 10-15-16

Beautiful prose, even in it's English translation from the original German. I lost the thread of the story a little through the middle, but still found it highly entertaining. A story is still a good story,even when written more than two centuries ago.

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1 person found this helpful

Secular Humanism's Petulant Adolescence in America

Reviewed: 03-13-16

This book was a mixed bag. At times Barker shows his obvious articulate intellect and his arguments are penetrating, challenging, well-researched and well-delivered. At other times his tone is gratingly immature, kitsch, overly-confrontational and adolescent in it's attempt to shock the religious establishment in his home country. It is an obvious sign of immaturity in a cultural movement when it feels the need to say shocking, controversial things all the time with one eye on the establishment to see how they are reacting. Much like a three year old or a teenager being deliberately controversial just to get a rise out their parents.

Another sign that the cultural movement of secular humanism is growing up out of its adolescence in America will be when prominent figures in the movement, like Barker, cease calling themselves "Atheists", a one-dimensional and purely reactionary label, and start calling themselves something that better encompasses the nuanced movement of secular humanism. One can't help but expect that proudly calling defining oneself as an "Atheist" is an adolescent transitional phase aimed mainly to shock and be jarring against the perceived "parental" religious establishment.

Barker's book shows the movement of secular humanism in America to still be stuck in its reactionary, "shock-jock" adolescence. Perhaps that fact reveals the greater problem that in the 21st century, American culture is still stuck in a childish neoteny of religious belief. Secular humanism in America will have shown itself to have grown up once it drops the desire to stick with one dimensional, reactionary labels such as "Atheist" and also moves on from the childish, kitsch and mocking tone of the ex-religious apostate into a calmer, more mature and self-assured secular humanist.

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6 people found this helpful