"All the Shah's Men", 2

I won't attempt a full-blown synopsis of Kinzer's All the Shah's Men, but instead offer, under the cut, a few comments general and specific.

( All the Shah's Men )

Some reviewers have blasted Kinzer's book as biased, and he certainly does approve of Mossadegh rather more than the British or Mossadegh's internal enemies. Kinzer does, however, attribute a substantial part of the blame for the crisis to Mossadegh (though not as much as to the British). Biased or not, the book is fascinating and more than a little disheartening. It is certainly worth reading.

Octavia Butler

Via cynthia1960: Octavia Butler has died.

She was never among my favorite authors - I've never been sure that I liked her work - but she was among my most-valued authors, if that distinction makes any sense. Her works were challenging, packed with ideas, and - often - extremely disturbing. I never read the "Parable" books and feel no great desire to, but the books I did read - Clay's Ark, Wild Seed, Mind of My Mind, Patternmaster, the "Xenogenesis" trilogy - keep drawing me back.

Ave atque vale, Ms. Butler.