William Egginton

Not quite sure what the topic of this book was; maybe the state of education in the US, especially higher-ed? Or maybe more generally the state of the country itself? In any event I mostly liked the book, even though it kind of wandered around. Some parts were great in fact, but other parts I thought were weak. He quoted a lot of other writers I like, but I think he’s basically a bit to the left of where I am. I dunno. Also not sure about the stars, 3.5 I guess,but I’m rounding up because I found the book readable and blessedly short.… (altro)

In this book William Egginton argues his point pretty well. Of course there were other works that predate Don Quixote that were fiction, but Cervantes took the genre to a new level by adding elements that would become part and parcel of fiction.

Back in my high school Spanish course I had heard some things about Cervantes, and I got to see The Man of La Mancha, but I didn't really retain as much as I should have. This covers a good deal of the life of Miguel Cervantes and talks about how his life experiences contributed to his creative genius.

It was pretty well done, but there isn't much to say that wasn't put in the blurb, so I give it 4 out of 5.… (altro)