Longform Reads #3

This week, I focused on Ray Bradbury and when I finished, some other articles. If you didn't know, Ray Bradbury passed away recently, and after I saw the "spotlight" on him by Byliner, I decided to read as many longform essays by/about him as possible. So here they are:

The Machine Tooled Happyland by Ray Bradbury - here, Ray Bradbury talks about the importance of Disneyland. To put it simply, Disneyland is what happens when technology is used correctly. It inspires the mind. I kinda had a reflex at a slight mention about evolution, but it's not like the whole article was about it. Makes me want to go to Tokyo Disneyland soon (thereby visiting every single Disneyland park :D)

Take Me Home by Ray Bradbury - Ray Bradbury on his childhood, and here, I got to see what inspired him so much. It's not very long, but it's good way to see the source of his inspiration (and especially The Fire Balloons). Plus, the writing style is really fabulous.

Ray Bradbury, Pulp God by Bryan Curtis - Here, Bryan Curtis argues that Ray Bradbury has been taken over by the literary establishment, something that should be reversed if possible. He makes an interesting case about why Ray Bradbury doesn't write literary fiction, although I don't understand why Science Fiction cannot be Literary Fiction at the same time. If anything, doesn't Fahrenheit 451 fit those two molds?

A Man Who Won't Forget Ray Bradbury by Neil Gaiman - One of my favourite writers talking about another one of my favourite writers. It's a touching tribute and it should convince you to read both writers (more so if you've read and like one of them). The article isn't very long, but you get to see Neil Gaiman's writing style, as well as get an introduction to Ray Bradbury (^_^)v

Ray Bradbury, The Art of Fiction No. 203 Interviewed by Sam Weller - This is the longest article about Ray Bradbury I read, mostly because it's an interview. You can to hear (from the horse's mouth no less), the inspiration behind the books as well as various other things about Ray Bradbury.

And now, on to the non-Ray Bradbury related articles, and oddly, two out of three of them are related to crime:

Bath Salts: Deep in the Heart of America's New Drug Nightmare by Natasha Vargas-Cooper - Before I read this article, I heard a few things about Bath Salts, but I always assumed they were talking about the normal type that you put in the bath. Now, I know better and this sounds like a scary drug (especially if it's possible that it induced a man to cannibalism)

Prep-School Predators by Amos Kamil - Showing that even elite schools are full of paedophiles, and how they groom these children to become victims. I'm thankful to say that none of my schools have this problem, and I wonder just how wide-spread it really was/is. It made me really scared with regard to the education system in America if it allows such abuses.

My Father's Fashion Tips by Tom Junod - I'm not sure why I picked up this to read, but it was quite interesting if completely irrelevant to me. It reads more like a tribute to the dad, something very appropriate considering Father's Day was just over. But, there were (completely unnecessary) swearwords in the article so if you're sensitive to these kind of things, you were warned.

So, what have you read this week?