Statement of Intent
Aug. 8th, 2008 07:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbr posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
50books_pocHello! I heard about this community last year but wasn't really in a reading books frame of mind at the time. I was reminded by being linked to sanguinity's post and right now I am in a reading-lots-of-books state of mind, especially challenging ones, so here I go. Normally I'd lurk for a while in a new comm before posting, but this way I feel like I've committed myself and am more likely to stick with it :)
And as it happens, I read a book by a POC today! Just because it looked interesting! *gives self a cookie*
1: Buddha: Book One by Osamu Tezuka
I read book three a while ago when I came accross it in my local library and quite enjoyed it, but this is, unsurprisingly, a better place to start.
It's a somewhat fictionalised account of the life and death of Gautama Buddha. If you're familiar with Astro Boy (Or "Kimba the white lion" etc) you'll know Osama Tezuka's style of writing and art, but as well here there is that rare mix of sincere reverence and entertaining story-telling that makes for the best religious stories (at least to this atheist reader :))
I don't know that much about buddhism or Buddha beyond what I've picked up from the non-fiction buddhist texts my buddhist-leaning family members have lent me and the tv show "Monkey". So I can't say how faithful it is to the original stories and religion, but I can say it's definitely more along the lines of the latter than the former :) (And it's worth noting that both were made by japanese buddhists about non-japanese buddhist figures and then translated into english with possibly more emphasis on entertainment than accuracy)
Anyway, I really enjoyed it, overall. Like "Astro Boy" it has a very simple almost childish style and a lot of silly humour (including a cameo by the author) but underneath that are strong characterisation, engaging stories and surprising emotional complexity. It made me cry twice! There's a lot of un-selfconscious nudity (male and female), which didn't feel too gratuitous to me but was a bit disconcerting.
Hope I've done the tags right!
And as it happens, I read a book by a POC today! Just because it looked interesting! *gives self a cookie*
1: Buddha: Book One by Osamu Tezuka
I read book three a while ago when I came accross it in my local library and quite enjoyed it, but this is, unsurprisingly, a better place to start.
It's a somewhat fictionalised account of the life and death of Gautama Buddha. If you're familiar with Astro Boy (Or "Kimba the white lion" etc) you'll know Osama Tezuka's style of writing and art, but as well here there is that rare mix of sincere reverence and entertaining story-telling that makes for the best religious stories (at least to this atheist reader :))
I don't know that much about buddhism or Buddha beyond what I've picked up from the non-fiction buddhist texts my buddhist-leaning family members have lent me and the tv show "Monkey". So I can't say how faithful it is to the original stories and religion, but I can say it's definitely more along the lines of the latter than the former :) (And it's worth noting that both were made by japanese buddhists about non-japanese buddhist figures and then translated into english with possibly more emphasis on entertainment than accuracy)
Anyway, I really enjoyed it, overall. Like "Astro Boy" it has a very simple almost childish style and a lot of silly humour (including a cameo by the author) but underneath that are strong characterisation, engaging stories and surprising emotional complexity. It made me cry twice! There's a lot of un-selfconscious nudity (male and female), which didn't feel too gratuitous to me but was a bit disconcerting.
Hope I've done the tags right!
