Joel Levy

Having just read the companion book about samurais, I knew what to expect with this little book on ninjas: a light but comprehensive overview about the history and and activities of the ninja figure in Japanese history accompanied by various illustrations. I certainly got that, but to be honest, I'm not sure exactly why I don't like this book as much as the samurai book. I think it's because ninja history is so scarce (because the best ninja is the one no one knows about) that any "history book" ends up being a compilation of facts and myths by necessity. In fact, the final chapter is all about controversies caused by the myths surrounding ninjas, including the school of thought that ninjas never even existed in the first place. The end result ends up feeling a little clunky while readers are left skeptical. Is what I just read true or not? It's anyone's guess.

My favorite part of the book is the historical overview of the rise and fall of the ninja, at least to our best guess. Personally, I feel like this grounds the ninja figure because it shows how those in this role operated in the larger socio-political climate of the time, as well as how they would have had to adapt in order to survive (allegedly, of course).

The sections about the training and habits of the ninja were certainly fascinating, and they go a long way from dispelling the mystique that the ninja is a glamorous, super human assassin. Their job is grueling, dangerous, and probably the least glamorous profession in Sengoku-era Japan, especially when compared to their counterparts, the samurai. Honestly, I would have loved a little more in-depth comparison between the two classes because they're set up in opposition to the other, and that dichotomy is just fascinating to me.

This book is not nearly as gory as the samurai book (and it's not that the samurai book was gory so much as it shed light on the gory details of the job). It's approachable, light, and an easy read to pass the weekend or after a long day of work. I recommend this book for anyone who's looking to learn a little more substance about ninjas that's not from a tv show capitalizing on their notoriety.… (meer)

Fun book. All sorts of "unsolved mysteries" from places, such as Atlantis and Area 51, to people, such as Amelia Earhart and D.B. Cooper, to things such as the Loch Ness monster! Each mystery has three or so pages stating the known facts and then a page on the far-out theories about these things from those silly people who believe in conspiracies, UFOs, Trump, etc. I found it a lot more informative than I expected and did learn a few things. And its always interesting to see what crazy ideas and beliefs are held by some.… (meer)

Ensayo Cientifico
Rivalidades Cientificas. De Galileo Al Proyecto Genoma Humano / Pd.
Levy, Joel
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La ciencia suele presentarse como una marcha triunfal a L través del tiempo, donde los grandes pensadores y sus revolucionarias ideas y descubrimientos se siguen unos a otros en una progresión ordenada. La verdadera historia, confusa, contradictoria y conflictiva, es un tanto diferente. Desde los argumentos sobre a quién debe atribuirse el mérito de un nuevo descubrimiento a las batallas entre teorías rivales, las disputas expuestas en este libro han afectado de forma importante al curso de la historia científica, estimulando a algunos científicos hacia grandes logros y condenando a otros a la ruina y el olvido. Rivalidades científicas presenta episodios tan notables como el enfrentamiento entre Rosalind Franklin y Maurice Wilkins en la carrera por desentrañar los secretos del ADN, el proceso a Galileo por la Iglesia Católica por haber adoptado la doctrina herética de que la Tierra gira alrededor del Sol y la "guerra de las corrientes" entre Thomas Edison y Nikola Tesla, que incitaron a los partidarios de Edison a electrocutar perros, caballos, asesinos convictos e incluso un elefante en el vano intento por desacreditar el sistema competidor de Tesla de la corriente eléctrica alterna. Desde conflictos épicos a pendencias secundarias, Rivalidades científicas desenmascara la auténtica naturaleza del progreso científico, al demostrar que en su búsqueda por ampliar las fronteras del conocimiento, con mucha frecuencia, los científicos se han creado enemigos. Al descender al lado humano de las historias que se esconden detrás de las ideas, el mundo de la ciencia se muestra pródigo en drama y emoción.… (meer)