Book Review: The Boy Kings. A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network by Katherine Losse

Here is a story, or I think the author would like this more to be of an expose of facebook from her angle as an employee and a facebook user. 

Through this book, Katherine shared her journey from the beginnings of facebook until the rise of her corporate status working closely with Mark (which does not even cover 20% of the book by the way), and her inner thoughts and reflections of facebook worsening the humaness in all of us. 

What I think of this book - I find her writing infuriating. I do appreciate her honesty and profound insights from her experience of "outside looking in" and afterwards becoming them, and eventually not becoming them. But really, her flow of writing, and the way she described details or that memories of what she knew of facebook - I wish she could write better. 

Most times, I find myself skipping paragraphs, and in the end, I find it hard to appreciate her book except for a few anecdotes from the book. Other than that, I felt it could do more, but it just doesn't do it. All I can say is that, its a frustrating read. 

Also, I find Katherine quite contradicting in her relationship with Facebook. In the first 100 pages of so, she went on about how unhealthy Facebook is and how the culture of Facebook is just as bad. But later on, after she was promoted, she went to write this:

"Getting Facebook translated into languages other than English was an obvious move, and the need to extend the network to the world was something I always believed in."

Really? She has always believed in advocating Facebook worldwide despite her own reflections of how Facebook is lacking real intimate relationships? I told you, reading this book, I felt frustrated. 

The only thing I like her vulnerability in her views of the online world. I like to share some paragraphs from the book:

page 93: Facebook doesn't hurt people. People hurt people. This is true. But just as more cheaply, it makes it possible to hurt people faster, more efficiently, with less cost to themselves. It removes any sense of direct responsibility for our behaviour, for how what we do makes others feel. 

page 183: Facebook culture, by another name, then, might be a fear of adulthood, a desire to put off commitment, responsibility, and the difficult work of relating in real life and in real terms, forever. 

page 198: Facebook tells us to share "What's on your mind?" so it should have been easy, shouldn't it, to just say what I feel? But the prompt, and the system of liking and ranking that it feeds, always gave me pause. I was not sure whether the idea of sharing was that easy. 

All in all, its not a popular read, I kept procrastinating in finishing reading the book even though it wasn't that thick. It was slightly a put off, and I am just glad I can return this one back to the library and not feel bad for leaving it unread halfway. 

Book Review: In the Midst of Life by Jennifer Worth

The perfect title to a perfect book by an inspiring author. Before I continue with sharing my reflections, I would like to pass my condolences to the family of late Jennifer Worth. I do hope her passing on was a peaceful one (passed away due to cancer in 2011), surrounded by family, friends, or/and former colleagues. To those who have shared their lives with her, all of you must be very lucky. With the stories and experiences she had shared in this book, she had led the most fulfilling and intellectual life amongst all of us. 

Let me share my favourite passage from the book, which I believe, sums up Jennifer's whole motivation of having this book written and published. 

"Facing death induces us to see life through new eyes; our perspective is altered, sometimes profoundly. Most of us live a headlong existence, so we are too busy to question the meaning of life. Suddenly all is changed, all our values are open to question and doubt. Even those who are non-believers begin to search for answers to questions like 'What is the meaning of life?' ' Why are we here?' 'What is life?' 'What is death?' Bereavement leads some of us to think that there must be more to life than that which is concrete and visible, and we find there is a larger, deeper purpose than we had ever suspected. For some, asking these questions, even though there can be no positive answers, can transform their whole way of living."

Before anyone starts assuming that discussing and embracing the subject of death is of a morbid one, I say, reset your thinking and start to form new respect and humility towards it. Jennifer Worth does exactly that in this book - it's humbling, touching, and converted me to have the highest regard and respect to the process of passing on with dignity and courage. 

Jennifer shared her personal insights on her friends and patients' views before their final depart. There were a couple of short stories and each one of them, they were not just inspiring, but it also felt as personal to me. One story which I would bear close to my heart would be "The Bedroom Cupboard". I won't let this be a spoiler. Though I do want to share of Mr Anderson's strength, perseverance and positivity towards his battle against life's adversities - I can't help feel an immense respect and high admiration for him. The ending to his fate was of an irony though, but I think it would be something that Mr Anderson would have preferred. Maybe...

Another critical insight shared by Jennifer was the relationship between doctors, advanced medicine, and the sufferings of patients. It's widely believed that advanced knowledge in medicine, and its techniques is meant to help prolong the lives of patients, though this, most of the time, does not necessarily mean, helps in easing the pain and making life better for them. In the past, or maybe, still today, patients are not viewed as individuals with feelings and opinions. They are merely patients or subjects to put into practice from the theories and research of medicine. 

This book has helped me to see that death should be of a honourable act of passing on with peace and dignity. The argument of whether or not to stop the life machine plugged onto a loved one is of a controversial issue, but it is simple. Would you rather let the loved one go in peace and honourably, rather than to prolong a life, a life that is not lived by us, by that person having to suffer pain and most importantly humiliation from the suffering. 

I am thankful to Jennifer Worth for writing this book and so graciously shared her thoughts, and experiences for the subject of dying and death, It makes living life even more precious. It makes the process towards death even more accepting. 

Thank you Jennifer, and may you rest in peace. 

Good night all.