Manipulated Archives - DaneCobain.com

Philip K. Dick – Time Out of Joint | Review

Title: Time Out of Joint

Author: Philip K. Dick

Type: Fiction

Page Count: 192

Rating: 3.5/5

This book presents itself as one thing but is something very different. What we actually have is something a little bit like The Truman Show in which the protagonist slowly starts to realise that there’s something shady going on behind the scenes and his reality is being manipulated.

For me, I found that it the reading experience was a little jarring, because it kept feeling as though reality was fine and then suddenly it was nuts and then it was back to all just fine again. Maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention, but if that’s the case then it’s arguably the book’s fault anyway.

I just think that some of Dick’s other work was more engaging, and this just sort of felt as though he was rehashing old territory. Part of that might be because Dick has influenced a ton of people, and it’s not really his fault if this felt familiar because it’s been copied a bunch of times. It was still pretty good and worth reading, though.

Learn more about Time Out of Joint.

If you liked this, you might also like:

J. G. Ballard – Empires of the Sun [REVIEW]

Agatha Christie – Problem at Pollensa Bay | Review

Daphne du Maurier – Rebecca | Review

Angela Saini – Inferior | Review

Title: Inferior

Author: Angela Saini

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 280

Rating: 4*/5

Angela Saini – Inferior

Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.

Inferior is an interesting book, because it uses scientific studies, statistics and data to question the way that women have been portrayed throughout the years by scientific literature. Now, I’m not a woman, but I do believe in science, and Saini’s book opens your eyes to the fact that science isn’t always impartial.

It’s a feminist book, then, but one that can be enjoyed whatever you call yourself. And it’s also non-fiction, which means that it’ll help to broaden your mind, in this case by challenging established wisdom by attacking the flawed science that much of it is based on. But it doesn’t come across as preachy, or even as boring – it’s a thoroughly engaging look at how science has been manipulated, without our knowledge, and it raises and then answers a whole host of questions that follow.

And that’s how science should be – the entire field relies upon enquiring minds asking questions, and Saini doesn’t shy away from them. Some people claim that science can’t be sexist because it just presents the facts, but facts can be interpreted in different ways, such as when we try to explain why the menopause happens.

For me, as a reader, it was a challenge – not because it was difficult to read, but because it invited my active participation and got me wondering, “What if?” And it’s as convincing on the matter of gender as The God Delusion is on religion – a much-needed triumph of free thinking. Read it!