Kai

3.5
This one started off strong explaining cut throat business wars in China but it eventually fizzled into a memoir (albiet moving) with lots of tips on technology design based off his life experience. An interesting read in retrospect with AI being a commercial product today, one wonders how this book wasn't at the fore when it was released.

My favourite piece of writing by Bukowski so far. He probably wrote Ham on Rye when he reached and age that removed him from his bitter rage that pervades his other novels. It's filled with cynical wit and a perspective of how Bukowski was an outsider since early childhood. My first bildungsroman that I actually enjoyed, it was a good time.

Full of great anecdotes that introduce ideas in neuroscience. It's a book that's good for a beginner with an interest in neuroplasticity. It's over a decade old so the information may be outdated, but overall the content was fascinating. It insipires hope when one learns about people missing half of their brain and continuing to live successful and fulfilling lives.

Factotum chronologically follows Ham on Rye. As we witness a Chinaski in his early 20s he bums around the states working one shit job after another. As usual it's full of rage and resentment with brief comic relief, it's fun to see the eyes of the world through Bukowski, if anyone's ever worked a string of dead end jobs then you'll find a kindred spirit in this book. The misery, boozing and self destruction is unrelenting and it feels a bit repetitive after a while. It was a fun read with good writing but that was about it.