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Leopoldo Duran – Graham Greene: Friend and Brother | Review

Title: Graham Greene: Friend and Brother

Author: Leopoldo Duran

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 354

Rating: 4*/5

Leopoldo Duran – Graham Greene: Friend and Brother

I put off starting this book for a long time, but I’m not sure why. As soon as I started reading it I was hooked, and I read it in the space of three or four days. I guess I should start with the background information.

The book is basically a non-fiction piece about Graham Greene, who just happens to be one of my favourite writers of all time. Duran is a priest who was friends with Greene for many years. The two of them went travelling together many times – always with a “Third Man” – and Duran was present at his deathbed when the author died.

But this isn’t a biography, which is a good thing – Greene wouldn’t have liked that. Instead, it’s a collection of reminiscences interspersed with diary entries from Duran and letters that Greene sent him, as well as quotes from his books that put everything into context. The result is a beautiful tribute to Graham Greene and his body of work, and it’s fascinating to see how different things came about.

Graham Greene

I was particularly impressed by how Duran managed to stay somewhat impartial throughout – at least, as much as that is possible in a book like this. But while he does mention his own history as a priest and the books that he’d written himself about Greene and his work, they’re only brought in to back up the point that he’s making or to provide some additional context to the reader.

It might not follow a narrative as such, but that doesn’t matter. If anything, it works best how Duran has laid it out, with different chapters and different sections that are dedicated to different topics, from Greene’s battles with the mafia to his thoughts on his own work and his relationships with friends and family members. It’s not a book that just anyone can enjoy, but if you’re a fan of Graham Greene and his literary work then I’m sure you’ll have some fun.

Graham Greene – Ways of Escape

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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!