Kyrin Down & Juan Granados

Mere Mortals Book Reviews

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Hey we are the Mere Mortals and we review books of all genres/styles but with an emphasis on those that have stood the test of time (the 'classics' if you will). Join us on Weekly live episode on Thurs 11am AEST (Thurs 1am UTC+0) plus bonus episodes from my cohost Juan.

Author

Kyrin Down & Juan Granados

Episodes

The Hero With A Thousand Faces (Joseph Campbell) & Black Rednecks And White Liberals (Thomas Sowell) - Book Reviews 13.02.2021 19:43

Two books for the price of one! This episode of the Mere Mortals Book Reviews looks at 'The Hero With A Thousand Faces' by Joseph Campbell and 'Black Rednecks And White Liberals' by Thomas Sowell. Campbell explores the landscape of myth and story, following the archetypal journey of the hero throughout it's many phases. This book is somewhat known as a classic and its influence can still be seen t...

The Day Of The Triffids (J. Wyndham) & A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man (J. Joyce) - Book Reviews 13.02.2021 18:20

In this book review Kyrin goes over the books 'The Day Of The Triffids' by John Wyndham & 'A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man' by James Joyce. The first is a story of an apocalyptic world populated with dangerous plants and the second is of a young Irish boy growing into a young man. Neither books were spectacular in his opinion but did raise some questions of ethics being context depende...

Ordinary Men (Christopher R Browning) - Book Review 13.02.2021 24:40

'Ordinary Men' by Christopher R. Browning details the experiences of Reserve Police Battalion 101 during the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany. It examines the role played by the battalion in the murder/exportation of the Jewish people in this era. Browning shares his thoughts on some of the psychological and ethical issues raised by the circumstances. I summarised the book as follows. "This wa...

Island (Aldous Huxley) - Book Review 13.02.2021 27:40

Welcome to the Mere Mortals Book Review channel! 'Island' by Aldous Huxley is a utopian world set on the island of Pala. Will Farnaby is an embittered journalist who arrives to convince the ruler to sell the oil rights to his boss. As he stays longer he learns about the social setup and interconnected community of the inhabitants. The main themes focus on the interweaving of religion/meditation/ps...