Curtis White On Countercultures

The Art of How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World - A Review

The Art of How to Train Your Dragon - Hidden World showcases the artistic inspirations, the deliberations, and the work that went into creating the latest instalment of the series.

WHY I LOVE THE BOOK
Every artbook is beautiful in its way but discovering the reasons behind some of the artistic decisions, (for example, what went into the design of some of the characters) is what makes this book delightful.

DISLIKES
None.

WHO IS IT FOR
Fans of the series would love the peek behind the scenes and the mindset behind the creations. Artists might take inspiration from some of the gorgeous artwork.

Many thanks to Dark Horse Comics for a review copy.

Rana Foroohar on Tech Companies

The Passion Economy by Adam Davidson - A Review

"Do not be a commodity. Do not be easily comparable to other people who have, roughly, the same set of skills and the same background. The rule may be simple, but its history and implications are incredibly rich...
"In the workplace, you can become a commodity by, say, working long hours without adding extra value to the job you are performing. Once you stop asking how you can set your business or products or even yourself apart from the commodity version, you have dropped out of the Passion Economy."

The Passion Economy is a clichéd title for a book. However, there is nothing clichéd in its contents. This is a book that points out a shift in thinking with regards to how we work and conduct business in today's technological age. It explains how this shift can benefit anyone trying to make a living.

The Passion Economy documents the successes of multiple entrepreneurs who stopped thinking about their product as a commodity but instead, narrowed their focus and created a service for a few customers instead of the masses.

WHY I LOVE THE BOOK
There are multiple examples of businessmen and women who stopped behaving like a big company and decided to produced an item or create a service that showcases what they are good at. Such stopped creating products for everyone and chose a narrower niche rival firms are unwilling to invest in due to complications and size.

The author tries to convince us that unlike people who set prices in line with their competitors or the prices of raw materials and similar expenditures, we should put our prices at the same levels as the value we are delivering to our customers. He believes though this may cut down the number of customers we serve, it will eventually leave us with those who value our services and are willing to pay for what they are getting.

DISLIKES
The author did not show us examples of those who failed in this path.

WHO IS IT FOR
Anyone over 15-year-old looking to understand what it takes to make a business work or how to stand out as an employee. Anyone stuck in a rut and wanting to know what others did to become an indispensable staff might find this book illuminating.

Many thanks to Knopf for a review copy.

Self-Confidence: A Philosophy by Charles Pepin - A Review

"When we change our minds endlessly and can’t bring ourselves to make a decision, we tend to blame it on a lack of information, data, or knowledge. But we are speaking in bad faith; most often, what we lack is confidence. As we have just seen with aesthetic experience, when we decide that a particular landscape is 'beautiful,' it isn’t because we have a store of irrefutable arguments to support us, but because we dare to listen to and trust ourselves."

Charles Pepin's Self-Confidence: A Philosophy teaches that understanding and trusting ourselves is more crucial to living a good life than collecting data about the world. The journey of self-discovery is a never-ending lifelong exercise and the author lifts philosophy as one of the lights we can bring with us as we navigate our inner landscape while looking for clues about who we are.

The philosophical spine of this book lies in this - that true self-confidence doesn't necessarily come from a conviction of what the outcome of our actions is going to be. The author believes the virtue of the action itself, as well as the joy we feel when performing the action, are a clue to what true self-confidence is all about. This might be the reason why people who are curious about life are naturally self-confident people. On the other hand, I have noticed that people who gain competence by rote (without a shred of interest in their work) do lack that radiant energy.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE BOOK
What I love about this book is that it dispenses with the popular notion that charisma, money, competence, or good looks equal self-confidence. The author does a good job of peeling away the superficiality of insecurity or arrogance masking as confidence, stating that self-confidence is confidence in life, in something bigger than we are. And that people who would drink of this brand of confidence have to be those who would seek self-knowledge by being curious about themselves as well as observing life and embracing all that it has to offer with unwavering faith.

DISLIKES?
None

WHO IS IT FOR?
Those who suffer from crippling self-doubt might learn a lot from this. There is also a chance that those that have trouble making up their minds about what to do with their lives might benefit.

Many thanks to Random House (Other Press) for a review copy.

Charles Pepin On The Beauty Of Philosophy

 

Excellence: Kill the Past (Volume 1) by Thomas, Randolph, & Lopez - A Review

Excellence is a story about political and cultural manipulations in a fictional magical society. It focuses on a family embroiled in keeping their "great" legacy and the lengths the patriarch goes to in making that happen, even at the risk of alienating his only son.

WHY I LOVE THE BOOK
The colour scheme of the art is attractive. The worldbuilding is solid and makes you want to know about its world. The fact that the writers and artists are from minority ethnic groups is personally a plus and I am happy to see their talent on display. I cannot wait to see how the story progresses.

DISLIKES
Excellence has all the makings of a classic graphic novel classic - great art, intriguing plot, believable protagonist, etc. However, it falls short (in my view) due to one thing - dialogue. The dialogue does not measure up to the high standards set by other parts of the work. Some sections of the protagonist's internal monologue do not make sense. There are also a few typos.

WHO IS IT FOR
Fantasy fans would like this series. The dynamics and motivations of each character (especially between the protagonist and his father) is a highlight of the story - this would please those who love complex personal relationships in their fantasy tales.

Many thanks to Diamond Books for a review copy.