Considered by many to be the definining text of the existential movement, Jean-Paul Sartre’s Existentialism Is A Humanism was originally delivered as a lecture, defending his theory against misguided criticisms. To this extent, it is a short but powerful book that can be read in an hour, but take a lifetime to fully understand. I don’t think I would be exaggerating if I said it changed my life; after reading it, I went on to do an degree in Philosophy that has shaped my life – how much more life-changing do books come?

Having been so influenced by this book, I thought it only fair to share the fundamental theme of the text with the Ash Books community, in the hope that some of you will read it for yourselves. Whether you love it or hate it, it will almost certainly raise questions in your mind you would otherwise never experience. So, here is perhaps the key idea behind the concept of existentialism:

For human beings, our existence preceeds our essence. Unlike created objects, which are made to serve a certain purpose, we human beings are free to define ourselves however we want; I could be a policeman, an actor, a writer or a mountain climber. We exist first, then we define ourselves afterwards, However, is is this very freedom to choose that causes so many problems for us – many of which Sartre covers in this book.

As the first book of Robert Jordan’s massive and bestselling fantasy epic The Wheel of Time, the Eye of the World sets the precedent for the entire series. However, whether or not this is a good thing is definitely more debatable than the sales may have you think.

As much as I enjoyed the book, I cannot deny the Eye of the World is nothing spectacular. In fact, I would say I probably enjoyed it because of the feeling of familiarity it gives as a run-of-the -mill fantasy tale, rather than because it introduced anything new to the genre. The plot is typical, the characters fill standard roles and the ‘twists’ are evident far in advance – nothing is fresh or surprising. In fact, at points the story becomes tedious in its monotony; good guys run, bad guys catch up, there’s a near escape and it’s back to the running away again. This isn’t done in a novel way either; Jordon essentially takes Tolkien and renames the characters! Frodo’s character is diluted to become the dreary Rand al’Thor who, along with his country-bumpkin friends, is chased across the world by ‘The Dark One’ (urg) and his army of bestial warriors, led by riders dressed in black cloaks, riding black steeds…sound familiar?

I can’t deny I enjoyed reading the Eye of the World; the number of times I missed my stop on the train because I was engrossed would have cost me a fortune if it weren’t for my Oyster card! However, there is almost certainly nothing in this book that hasn’t been done before and been done better. Jordon has written a great book and a wonderful series, but he certainly does not come to dominate the world Tolkien created, as the reviewers claim.

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AshBooks Review for Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri:

This stunning debut by Lahiri confirmed her place as a master storyteller of Indians in the subcontinent and the immigrant Indian community in America. Herself an Indian American, Lahiri manages to jump from the heartbreaking story of When Mr. Pirzada Came To Dine to A Real Durwan. These contrasting stories gives us a unique prespective into the lives of expatriate Indians and to a certain extent also gives social commentary of the lives of the lower caste’s of Indian society.

When Mr. Pirzada Came To Dine tells the story of Mr.Pirzada, a Pakistani who comes to dine daily in the house of Lilia and her parents. In her household, both parties watch the horrors of the partition of India and Bangladesh’s (then East Pakistan) struggle for independence from afar in 1971. Lilia, now a second generation Indian in America provides a comparison with Mr. Pirzada’s own six daughters still in Pakistan. As she continues to learn American history she worries for his family without fully understanding the atrocities happening in India and Pakistan at the time.

This beautiful collection comes to an end with The Third and Final Continent, a story that tells the story of a first generation Bengali who first rents a room at the eccentric 103 year old Mrs. Croft’s. He develops a soft spot for Mrs Croft and eventually brings his wife, who he claims to have no feelings for, to meet her. The story has undertones of social acceptance and the intermingling of cultures as the story ends as the narrator reminisces to his son as they drive past the late Mrs. Croft’s house. Interpreter of Maladies won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and is an excellent place to start for any reader interested in appreciating the complexities of the eclectic Indian culture.

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AshBooks Review for Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves:

The tagline “Crazy never looked so beautiful” summarises Hanna’s personality completely. A recluse with a list of emotional disorders long enough to scare anyone, Hanna eventually runs away to find the mother she never knew. On arrival in Portero, where her mother is living, her challenge is to fit in in the town, or leave after two weeks. Thus begins Hanna’s journey into the paranormal and mysterious world of Portero.

User Submitted Reviews:

This whole book was funny. Though parts of it were strange and morbid, a lot of it was moderately confusing in an understandable way … I laughed almost the whole way through. It’s light and heavy, witty and serious, all mixed with the color purple.

Bleeding Violet has a good mix of reality and paranormal. It’s mixed well enough that you can relate to it and it feels like our present day, age, and atmosphere, but the paranormal aspects are still strong and don’t feel out of place.

Reviewed by Haley

Support the author: buy Dia Reeves‘ books.

AshBooks Review for Cheating Death by Sanjay Gupta :

Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon and medical correnspondent for CNN relates his stories of patients who have survived through almost “miraculous” circumstances. Gupta’s stories tie in with the fact that medical science has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years. Stories of the recovery of comatose patients and vulnerable heart failure in a baby present a case to make us rethink the blurring lines between life and death.

User Submitted Reviews:

It was interesting, fast-paced, informative, but also held a certain amount of adventure and suspense as Gupta tells stories … with people who have had amazing experiences with life and death—and in-between. Prepare to have your mind boggled with modern day science written in easy-to-understand and easy-to-follow prose.

~Reviewed by Haley

Support the author; buy Sanjay Gupta’s books.

AshBooks Review for The Suicide Run by William Styron:

Most will associate William Styron with his novel about an Auschwitz survivor, Sophie’s Choice, or perhaps his memoir of depression, Darkness Visible. It should be no surprise then that recently published The Suicide Run; Five Tales of the Marine Corps, doesn’t make for cheery reading. However, where The Suicide Run differs from other military-themed books is in the incredible absence of battle – something I can’t imagine Andy McNab will take inspiration from!

Styron himself served in both World War II and the Korean War, though he never actually saw battle. In The Suicide Run collection of stories, he uses his experiences to create pressure and suspense based on the fear of battle, without ever actually stooping to create an imagined encounter. What is also marvelous about the collection is the way he manages to blend this terror with a sense of glory felt by a young man at life in the military, yet also contrast it with the guilt-ridden thoughts of a war survivor. Clearly drawing on skills he so wonderfully displayed in both Sophie’s Choice and Darkness Visible, Styron transports the reader into a mindset he knows very well already; creating a fascinating psychological insight from the same conflicts many modern writers use to simply excite their readers into turning pages. That said, the fact this is a collection of five smaller stories will put off readers looking for a proper novel.

If I was to hazard a guess at the origin of the name The Suicide Run, I would suggest it is the implication that, by going to war, you are essentially commiting suicide; even if you survive, the guilt-ridden depression that besets you is as good as death.

If you like William Styron’s other books, you might just love this one too.

AshBooks Review for Terror by Night by Terry Caffey with James H. Pence:

Terror by Night is a true story that begins with Terry losing all that is dear to him. He survives a brutal attack designed to murder his entire family and spends the rest of the novel attempting to come to terms with his fate. The reader follows his journey from how he overcomes his depression to putting his unconditional trust back in God and rebuilding his life piece by piece.

User Submitted Reviews:

Terror by Night was an absolutely stunning book in every sense of the word. The awful things that happened to Terry, and how God restored him, are amazing… A powerful message, an amazing testimony, a picture of forgiveness, uplifting, encouraging, and brutally beautiful, Terror by Night will stay with you for the rest of your life.

– Reviewed by Hayley

Support the author: buy Terry Caffery’s books.

AshBooks Review for Life’s Captivity by Sharon Gricol:

Sharon Gricol’s novel illustrates the strengths and flaws in the human character. Infallible yet searching for the truth, the story charts the character’s search for happiness, salvation and love. The narrative follows four characters all from different walks of life – a supermodel, bank robber, mechanic and priest. Yet their lives are connected through their common search for the answers to the essential questions in life.

User Submitted Reviews:

“Life’s Captivity is inspirational and encouraging. The writing is lyric and rhythmic, and the pacing is relaxed enough to be calm, but fast enough to keep you interested.”

– Review by Hayley

Support the author: buy Sharon A.Gricol books.

AshBooks Review for Blind Sight by James H. Pence:

Blind Sight is about a man who finds his way back to God after being dragged out of hermitic life. He lived in blame for the death of his family until mysterious communications regarding two young children finds him as the caretaker of Michelle and Micah. As the story unravels, we find that Thomas’ purpose in looking after these children has to do with a cult that their mother has rejected and gone into hiding. Readable and compelling, Blind Sight follows the journey of a man who eventually comes to accept God again.

User Submitted Reviews:

The ending was peculiar. Most books leave you with a satisfied smile on your face. This one, not so much…You know what will happen in the future, and because of that he doesn’t have to spell it out for you. Once I sat back and thought about what God had in store for these characters and watched it play out in my head, I grinned. It’s wonderful!

– Review by Haley

Support the author and buy James H. Pence books.