Review of Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In
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Grace-Essien
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Review of Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In
[Following is a volunteer review of "Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In" by Harold Toliver.]
Imagine being made to believe as a child, that anytime your milk tooth fell, you must either throw it on the rooftop if it was the upper tooth, or bury it in the ground if it was the lower tooth, else such tooth will not grow back. Ridiculous, right? How about being told that when rain and sunlight collide, it means that a lion is giving birth in the forest? Growing up as a child in an African home, I got to hear some mythical statements which were believed to be true by my people, and had been passed from generation to generation. Although I may not be able to authoritatively say that all those statements are completely false, but exposure to science and worldly wisdom, after all, give rise to the realization that they may not be so true or powerful. When I first came across Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In by Harold Toliver, I found it very interesting to discover that someone had taken out time to dissect the concept of mythology and criticize some myths that have existed for far too long.
In Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In, Harold Toliver used proofs from very detailed research on sciences, literature, and philosophies to make arguments and criticize some beliefs and myths that have been held in esteem since time immemorial. The book starts with an epigraph of famous quotes that tells man to reconsider giving into the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought as regards myths. In the first part of the book, what is definitely true, what could be true, and what is false is presented. The author goes on to bring some fallacious myths to light, with backings as to why they should be discarded by humans in the present world.
I found the approach of this book to be very argumentative and a little bit aggressive. Harold dished out his views without mercy. A few of his views met my disagreement, most met my applause and thumbs up. One part I did not agree with was his views on religious matters, especially where he presented some Biblical stories as myths and fallacies. I think that some things cannot just be explained by science or mere human reasoning and I believe this holds for everything said by the Bible.
Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In is an enlightening book. I appreciate that the author made a good deal of research and cited many published works to validate his points. He gave very clear and detailed reasons to help his readers understand his views. Harold took me down the lanes of history to revisit the origin of some present ideas and this is what I loved most about the book.
What I do not like about the book is the complexity of the language used. I think there was an over-usage of big words and ideas that made the book difficult to comprehend. I also think the book has a boring tone which makes reading it feel like a difficult chore. The only thing that strengthened me to keep reading this book was my curiosity. I believe that the ideas in this book can be presented in a simpler and less complex way that anybody can comfortably flow in.
I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars because it is properly structured, well researched, very enlightening, and perfectly well edited. I withhold one star because of the boring and complex nature of the book. I recommend this book to any college graduate with a curious mind. High schoolers may not enjoy the book because of the complexity of language and ideas.
******
Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In
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Imagine being made to believe as a child, that anytime your milk tooth fell, you must either throw it on the rooftop if it was the upper tooth, or bury it in the ground if it was the lower tooth, else such tooth will not grow back. Ridiculous, right? How about being told that when rain and sunlight collide, it means that a lion is giving birth in the forest? Growing up as a child in an African home, I got to hear some mythical statements which were believed to be true by my people, and had been passed from generation to generation. Although I may not be able to authoritatively say that all those statements are completely false, but exposure to science and worldly wisdom, after all, give rise to the realization that they may not be so true or powerful. When I first came across Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In by Harold Toliver, I found it very interesting to discover that someone had taken out time to dissect the concept of mythology and criticize some myths that have existed for far too long.
In Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In, Harold Toliver used proofs from very detailed research on sciences, literature, and philosophies to make arguments and criticize some beliefs and myths that have been held in esteem since time immemorial. The book starts with an epigraph of famous quotes that tells man to reconsider giving into the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought as regards myths. In the first part of the book, what is definitely true, what could be true, and what is false is presented. The author goes on to bring some fallacious myths to light, with backings as to why they should be discarded by humans in the present world.
I found the approach of this book to be very argumentative and a little bit aggressive. Harold dished out his views without mercy. A few of his views met my disagreement, most met my applause and thumbs up. One part I did not agree with was his views on religious matters, especially where he presented some Biblical stories as myths and fallacies. I think that some things cannot just be explained by science or mere human reasoning and I believe this holds for everything said by the Bible.
Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In is an enlightening book. I appreciate that the author made a good deal of research and cited many published works to validate his points. He gave very clear and detailed reasons to help his readers understand his views. Harold took me down the lanes of history to revisit the origin of some present ideas and this is what I loved most about the book.
What I do not like about the book is the complexity of the language used. I think there was an over-usage of big words and ideas that made the book difficult to comprehend. I also think the book has a boring tone which makes reading it feel like a difficult chore. The only thing that strengthened me to keep reading this book was my curiosity. I believe that the ideas in this book can be presented in a simpler and less complex way that anybody can comfortably flow in.
I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars because it is properly structured, well researched, very enlightening, and perfectly well edited. I withhold one star because of the boring and complex nature of the book. I recommend this book to any college graduate with a curious mind. High schoolers may not enjoy the book because of the complexity of language and ideas.
******
Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Rulers of the Galaxy by Tayma Tameem
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Bigwig1973
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I read this and I also found it to be difficult! I think if the author had provided a glossary, it might have made the book easier to read. But I don't know if it was intended for people without enough background. I also think that how the author expresses things made it difficult, I'm not sure why, but I found that reading it once and then reading it again later made it easier to understand. It's interesting to hear about things you did, with the teeth! I'm curious to know where and how and why all that started!
"...I'd discuss the holy books with the learned man...and that would be the sweetest thing of all...would it foil some vast, eternal plan..." Hamick Fiddler on the Roof
La Belle Dame Sans Mercy, Merci, Maria - Chartier, Keats, Hamik?
La Belle Dame Sans Mercy, Merci, Maria - Chartier, Keats, Hamik?
Latest Review: You, This Is Me...OVER?! by Clinton Beaudel Dooley
