A Critical Review of Humankind
Rutger Bregman’s book Humankind is one of the books that questions negative ideas about human nature and makes readers think. For many years, many people believed that humans are naturally selfish, bad, and only care about themselves. However, Bregman does not agree with this idea. According to him, human nature is not as dark as people think. Instead, people are more willing to help each other, understand others’ feelings, and do good things. In the book, the author supports these ideas with many examples from wars, psychology experiments, history, and biology. One of the best parts of the book is that it gives hope about humanity. Still, when I finished the book, I did not only feel admiration. On one side, I was happy to read it because it made me think differently. On the other side, some of the author’s ideas felt too optimistic to me. Because of this, the book was both interesting and questionable for me.
One of the strongest parts of the book is that it makes people question ideas about human nature that many accept without thinking. Today, we often see violence, murder, wars, and fights on television, social media, and in the news. After some time, people start to believe that the world is full of bad people. At this point, Bregman asks an important question: If humans were really bad by nature, how could societies survive for so many years? A big part of human history was shaped by helping each other, working together, and surviving together. From this side, the writer’s ideas are important and meaningful.
His ideas against the belief that humans are naturally wild are especially interesting. Today, when someone behaves badly, people sometimes say, “Did you grow up in a cave?” However, Bregman says that hunter-gatherer societies were not as violent as many
Haunted by the Echoes of Yesterday…
Some wounds never form a scab; they simply grow silent with time. David Richo’s When the Past Is Present speaks of these quiet wounds and how they find their voice in the unfolding moments of our lives. It shows us how a cry unheard in childhood continues to echo in adulthood, whispering our deep longing to be seen and understood.
Throughout the book, we come to realize that the past never truly leaves—it lingers, peeking through the cracks of the doors we never quite closed. In love, in anger, in loneliness, in the fear of being abandoned… we discover that so many of the emotions we claim as our own are, in truth, echoes from long ago. We begin to understand why we lash out at those closest to us, why we gravitate toward the same kinds of people, and why certain pains always begin in the same place.
Richo offers a path—not to deny the past, but to live fully in the present without letting yesterday cast its shadow over today. He gently whispers that only through awareness can we truly love, connect, and heal.
This book is a mirror: when you gaze into it, you don’t just see the face you wear today—you glimpse the eyes of the child you once were, still hidden beneath. And through those eyes, you learn to choose the present all over again. 
David Richo
David Richo
“Kötü bir anıyı unutmanın en iyi yolu güzel bir tanesiyle değişmektir.”
I read Empire of Flame and Thorns in English, so it felt only natural to share my thoughts in the same language. Writing this review in English just feels more honest and connected to the reading experience. ( Spoiler Alert!)
So ,fantasy has always been a genre that captures my interest especially when it includes an “enemies to lovers” dynamic. I can never pass up a story like that. Empire of Flame and Thorns caught my attention for that very reason. But as I turned the pages, I realized this book was not just about romance or the usual magic tropes it was much more than that.
The main character, Selena, doesn’t fit the typical “most powerful female lead” mold. She does have powers, but they’re limited. Especially in the earlier chapters, she sometimes fades into the background compared to the other characters. And that actually makes her feel more realistic and relatable. One thing that stood out to me from the beginning was that she never tried to use her power to manipulate others she just wants people to love her. That alone set her apart from many other “perfect” heroines. Selena feels more sincere, more human and that’s exactly why I found her so compelling.
Selena is forced to take part in a deadly competition filled with incredibly powerful opponents. At this point, the strongest Dragon Shifter, Darven, tries to stop her from joining the contest. At first, I thought he was doing it either because he was authoritarian or still holding a grudge over the drink incident. But as the story progressed, a different reason slowly became clear: Darven was afraid something terrible would happen to Selena. As the competition went on, the gray areas between the characters became increasingly obvious. For example, Alistair, who first appeared harsh and threatening, clearly
I don't remember crying this much while reading a book. Tillie Cole ripped my heart; threw it on the floor, jumped on it several times and shattered it in pieces, and I'm not complaining, I desperately needed a good cry.
"It sounds good, don't you think? 'Poppy and Rune, best friends for infinity!' "
*The plot:
When her mamaw is on her deathbed, she gives Poppy a jar with one thousand blank pink hearts in it. She asks Poppy to go on an adventure, which consists of collecting "a thousand boy kisses" from a boy that she genuinely loves. When Rune; her Norwegian neighbour kisses Poppy under her favourite blossom tree in the grove at the age of eight, he promises her to help collect the thousand kisses as her friend. As they grow up, they realise that they have bonded. However, when Rune moves back to Norway and Poppy cuts him off, the thousand boy kisses come to an abrupt halt. Is their love as strong and "as special as special can be" to collect the remaining thousand kisses? Only time would show...
*The characters:
They were all amazing characters, I adored and envied Poppy's relationship with her parents and her sisters, they were truly a great family. I also loved how close they were with their new neighbours, the Kristiansen's.
"You're mine. I'm yours. To hell with anything else."
Poppy was perhaps the most amazing, happiest and strongest main character I've read about. She felt everything with such astonishing passion that she inspired me to focus more on playing my guitar like she did with her cello. I feel like this book and Poppy, thought me a lot, changed my outlook on life.
"Even through all the hurt, pain and anger, I would have been drawn back, like a moth to a flame."
Rune was also one of my favourite characters. I loved how loyal and selfless he
Aşk ve gurur ile Uğultulu Tepeleri Karşılaştırdım, keyifli okumalar :)
Comparison Between Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights
There are many authors who show us 18th century British society. While some of the authors glorify the community life in the 18th century, some of them criticize the century by their strict rules about the women and social discriminations. Undoubtedly, Emily Bronte and Jane Austen are known as for social criticism or acute perception of gender roles in their society. The works of these two important authors are not about the French Revolution or the wars. They prefer generally to focus on ordinary people, daily life and love. Our writers, who lived in a time when marriages dictated the status of women in society, expressed themselves in a way and produced excellent works . Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte are books that have similarities and differences for readers. This paper will analyse British society by the 18th century and make a comparison between Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights.
To achieve this, I have organized my paper into three sections.In the first section, I will talk about the 18th century Britain,also known as the Victorian age and the value of women in society in those times. Secondly, I am going to give some information about the author’s life and their writing styles. In the end, I will do some analysis about the differences and similarities of Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights in aspects of main characters.
According to many historians, the reform movement in 1832 is the original beginning of the Victorian era, also the Victorian age is called the Romantic era. Courtship is considered a tradition in those days and has been very popular. Queen Victoria and her family are the Victorian society’s heroes. Society finds