Stupid Overdrive expired this while I was reading it. I was about half-way through, and up to that point I'd give it 3 stars. Pretty well written &...moreStupid Overdrive expired this while I was reading it. I was about half-way through, and up to that point I'd give it 3 stars. Pretty well written & energetic; not much new to me. Was very curious about what recommendations were in part three.(less)
Fascinating book on a topic I knew nothing about. (I vaguely remembered that Garfield was shot by an office seeker, but not much more than that.) The...moreFascinating book on a topic I knew nothing about. (I vaguely remembered that Garfield was shot by an office seeker, but not much more than that.) The switching back and forth between the life of President Garfield and his (crazypants!) assassin was very well done. And I'm a little sad I hadn't known anything about Garfield before this; he comes off as a really wonderful human being.
Also: holy premodern medicine, Batman! It's clear early on that he may have been shot by Guiteau, but he was killed by appalling medical practices. If he'd been left the hell alone, he probably would have lived; if he'd been shot two decades later, they would have gotten out the bullet AND he would have lived. (There's an interesting sidetrack into Alexander Graham Bell's development of a metal detector in hopes of finding the bullet.) But in 1881, getting the best possible medical care basically finished him off.
Now I'm curious why American docs in particular were so slow to take up Lister's antiseptic methods and the germ theory. I got pretty well grossed out by the descriptions of doctors basically rooting around in his back with their bare hands looking for the bullet...which happened to have ended up on the opposite side from where they thought it was...and pus, and fevers, and blood poisoning. Ewwww.
A interesting story very well told. Highly recommended.(less)
I don't remember exactly what bugged me about this book (since I read it several months ago), but what I do remember is (a) author had some sort of ho...moreI don't remember exactly what bugged me about this book (since I read it several months ago), but what I do remember is (a) author had some sort of hobby-horse (abortion, I think?) and (b) I found myself reading the book about the history of Superman instead. And I'm not really into Superman.(less)
The subtitle is lame, but the book is excellent. Good overview of the history of crisis in capitalism, something that was incredibly frequent prior to...moreThe subtitle is lame, but the book is excellent. Good overview of the history of crisis in capitalism, something that was incredibly frequent prior to the reforms instituted during the Great Depression. Then a clear look at what got us into this particular crisis - and what didn't - followed by an analysis of options for long-term improvements to the financial system. Definitely recommended.(less)
"To summarize: the fundamental problem is that Americans no longer have the purchasing power to buy what the US economy is capable of producing. The r...more"To summarize: the fundamental problem is that Americans no longer have the purchasing power to buy what the US economy is capable of producing. The reason is that a larger and larger portion of total income has been going to the top. What's broken is the basic bargain linking pay to production. The solution is to remake the bargain." (Ch 11)
That's the whole book in a single paragraph. The first part is all about how the hell we got here, from before the Great Depression to the current day. The second gives some speculation about how people might freak out (basically) and give in to bad impulses. And the third part is a brief and fairly specific set of policy proposals for avoiding that.
Nothing here, outside of the specific proposals, that was completely new to me, but it was very clearly written and engaging. One aspect that was particularly good was starting with Marriner Eccles, chair of the Federal Reserve Board from 1934 to 1948. (No, I hadn't heard of him either.) The process by which he came to proto-Keynesian ideas forms the first chapter, and coming from a Scottish-American Mormon banker, it's fascinating:
"It became apparent to me, as a capitalist, that if I lent myself to this sort of action and resisted any change designed to benefit all the people, I could be consumed by the poisons of social lag I had helped created."
Definitely recommended. (Now, what to do about it?!)(less)
Utterly fascinating/horrifying story of ordinary people living in North Korea. Wish I'd written this review earlier when the details were still vivid,...moreUtterly fascinating/horrifying story of ordinary people living in North Korea. Wish I'd written this review earlier when the details were still vivid, but I can say that I found it almost impossible to put down. Finished it off very late at night, reading on my phone in bed.(less)
"the core function of finance is financial intermediation -- moving money from a place where it is current...moreSome things that I bookmarked while reading:
"the core function of finance is financial intermediation -- moving money from a place where it is currently not needed to a place where it is needed. The key questions for for any financial innovation are whether it increases financial intermediation and whether that is a good thing." (continues to talk about "innovations" in credit cards mostly being ways of making pricing more complex)
"much of the positive effect of homeownership is due not to ownership itself, but to other factors that differentiate owners and renters" (mostly looks like income and length of time in the home/apt)
"the founder of Daewood [...] also placed a big bet on cars" (in talking about the chaebol of Korea overextending. we briefly owned a Daewoo.)
Oh, so depressing, and yet, so useful in understanding how we got to this damn place over the last 30 years. In particular, what seems like a long digression about oligarchs & financial crises in Russia, Indonesia, South Korea, etc. turns out to be provide plenty of a-ha moments later, seeing some of those very things -- somewhat disguised -- in our own economics & politics over the last couple of years.
There's a LOTR quote (not sure if it's in the original books or just the movie) in which Galadriel says something to the effect of the quest being on the edge of a knife; stray but a little, and you shall fail (or fall, I can't remember which) and the end of this book feels that way to me. There's this moment that we're in -- and honestly, may have already passed through -- where the status quo of the 1990s & 2000s could have been overturned. It won't last forever, and maybe it's already gone.(less)
One of the few nonfiction ebooks at the library that sounded interesting and was also available for checkout. I'm a little torn: some of it was LOLTEA...moreOne of the few nonfiction ebooks at the library that sounded interesting and was also available for checkout. I'm a little torn: some of it was LOLTEAPARTY, but then the last chapter argued that mocking them was a bad idea. And personally, quite a bit was familiar from the last year or two. I will admit that I find it utterly horrifying that Glenn Beck has a book called The Overton Window. (I find him horrifying in general, though.) The second-person POV ("you") was sometimes cloying, but done reasonably well.(less)
As with Nothing to Envy, I should have written this review right after reading the book. It was fantastic, and I'd like to read it again. Great histor...moreAs with Nothing to Envy, I should have written this review right after reading the book. It was fantastic, and I'd like to read it again. Great history of the "Information Empires" of the 20th and early 21st century, the continuing tension between openness and control. The history of television seemed particularly instructive: there was no early era of openness; instead Sarnoff (RCA/NBC) manipulated everything he could to make sure that it came out under the exact same control as radio at the time. Found myself kinda wishing for some discussion of Facebook in the closing chapters, in which there was a lot of focus on Apple & Google. It seemed to me that Facebook (or its moral equivalents) are the elephant in the room in that discussion. Very highly recommended.(less)
It hit a raw nerve for me about where I am in life and society, and I'm still trying to figure out how to describe that experience. I'd like to read i...moreIt hit a raw nerve for me about where I am in life and society, and I'm still trying to figure out how to describe that experience. I'd like to read it again and maybe make some notes as I go. Left with a vague sense of wanting to do something, but not enough of a strong direction of what exactly that ought to be. (That may just be about me.) Recommended with that reservation.(less)
She closely reviews the literature around accountability testing and school choice, after describing how she came to be an advocate for those things....moreShe closely reviews the literature around accountability testing and school choice, after describing how she came to be an advocate for those things. Curiously enough, she wrote the history curriculum for CA in the late 80s that I went to high school under. And the data doesn't follow what she had hoped for, in fact in many cases it's entirely counter-productive. If you've followed this stuff at all, then there's nothing massively surprising, but lots of interesting food for thought. (A friend of mine is a high school English teacher in Texas; I've listened to a few rants.) A good reminder that there are no simple options for improving education, altho there are lots of simple obvious ones...that happen to be wrong.
What I find curious, personally, is that she was an advocate of these ideas at all. Her background is in looking at the simplistic education fads of the past, so choice and testing ought to have sounded warning bells. A testimony to the power of peer pressure, I suppose.(less)
Thoughtful & passionate look at the condition of women throughout the "third world", seen through the lens of a few specific issues, ending with t...moreThoughtful & passionate look at the condition of women throughout the "third world", seen through the lens of a few specific issues, ending with the rallying cry that the liberation of women is necessary for development & social growth. Some really horrifying/scary stuff here, but also inspiring stories.
(BTW, my first ebook read on my new phone, checked out from the library. A pretty decent reading experience, although a few lines at the bottom of the screen were occasionally cut off.)(less)
Amazing, if discouraging. A tour of fishing around the world, with each chapter focusing on a specific food and location. So: sardines in the Mediterr...moreAmazing, if discouraging. A tour of fishing around the world, with each chapter focusing on a specific food and location. So: sardines in the Mediterranean, shrimp in India, salmon in BC, bluefin tuna in Japan, etc. He treats his subjects, both fish and human, with sensitivity. Great descriptive language of both the horrible and the sublime.
There's a useful appendix about fishing methods (good, bad, ugly), and specific fish (never, sometimes, always) -- shrimp and tuna in particular come off very poorly.
Utterly fascinating narrative about how our financial system got f'd. He actually explains the finance bits well enough that I think I maybe finally u...moreUtterly fascinating narrative about how our financial system got f'd. He actually explains the finance bits well enough that I think I maybe finally understand WTF credit default swaps are...although don't test me on that. But he also embeds it into the story of a set of individuals who saw things getting ready to implode. Alas, they were all enough of the system that they all seem to have made serious money off of it, as the damn thing turned into a snake eating its own tail. Lewis tells a great story, even if it's a horror story. Highly, highly recommended.(less)
Wow. Depressing and astonishing. The stories of individual mercenary disasters are actually pretty heartbreaking, even if you think the guys are jerks...moreWow. Depressing and astonishing. The stories of individual mercenary disasters are actually pretty heartbreaking, even if you think the guys are jerks for getting into it. Prince, on the other hand -- the founder of Blackwater -- gives me the heebie-jeebies. And the guys in DC who were all gung-ho to outsource the military: I got nothing good to say, at all.(less)
I'm still working on what I think about this. Oddly enough, it's become bound up in my head with my thoughts about Facebook. (In short, just because i...moreI'm still working on what I think about this. Oddly enough, it's become bound up in my head with my thoughts about Facebook. (In short, just because it's legal doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.) I had a instant distrust of Rich, and I think the brief reference to Ayn Rand has something to do with it. Then "realpolitik", and one thinks of Kissinger, and I think there's a connection amongst people who have fled dictatorships, and one reaction being the development of an amoral outlook, at least in some aspects of life, and of individuality above all else. I still can't quite articulate exactly what bothered me, which also bothers me.
It's a well-written book, though, definitely something to make a person think about money and business and politics. A few oddities in turns of phrase that I suspect come from the author not being a native English speaker. A sympathetic portrayal, is my take, in what seems like a very Swiss (neutral turned up to 11) way.
I think I recommend it. (C was definitely into it, and recommended it to me.)(less)
Incredibly overwhelming for such a short book. He covers the emergence of the "National Security State" in the late 40s/early 50s, starting with the m...moreIncredibly overwhelming for such a short book. He covers the emergence of the "National Security State" in the late 40s/early 50s, starting with the massive secrecy and command-and-control nature of the Manhattan Project, then tackles particular dangers and pitfalls since then. Starting with the bomb, our politics have gone into a unconstitutional twilight zone, to the point where it's really hard to recognize it that way anymore.
This quote from Madison (his italics) stood out for me, in re the proper roles of the legislative vs the executive:
Those who are to conduct a war cannot be in the nature of things be proper or safe judges whether a war ought to be commenced, continued, or concluded.
You tell me how far away that is from the world we live in now.
I got to the end, and I kept hoping for some glimmer of, well, hope. But his (necessarily brief) treatment of the Obama administration so far only shows how easy it is for even well-meaning people to be captured by the f'ed-up logic of the National Security State. Alas. (No president comes off well in this, although Truman, Nixon, & Bush II give the worst impressions IMHO.)
Read it, definitely; he's a great writer who covers a lot of ground quickly and with a crisp readable style. But be prepared to be depressed and/or furious.(less)
If you read Krugman's columns or blog, a lot of this will feel familiar. But the level of detail is very helpful in understanding our current economic...moreIf you read Krugman's columns or blog, a lot of this will feel familiar. But the level of detail is very helpful in understanding our current economic situation. In particular, I appreciated the review of the crises of the 90s; I was around for them, but honestly not paying that much attention. Plus he ties them very neatly together with the current situation: as harbingers, clues, and analogies.
"Depression Economics," by the way, refers to situations in which crisis is caused by the collapse of demand. It's a weird counterintuitive state of affairs.
I would love to read a postscript to this, something that covers up to the present day. I imagine I'll be on the lookout for a new edition in another 4 or 5 years.(less)
I first starting watching Steves's show when I was in college, and though we often made fun of his extreme dorkiness, I've always appreciated his enth...moreI first starting watching Steves's show when I was in college, and though we often made fun of his extreme dorkiness, I've always appreciated his enthusiasm for travel and for other cultures.
In this book, he writes about how his travels have given him new perspectives on the political and social challenges of our time. In particular, his way of traveling, which is to get away from the tours and tourist traps, and out into the everyday world.
Each chapter focuses on a different topic, explored through his experiences in a particular region. Mostly Europe, but there is a chapter on El Salvador and another on Iran. What I find is that he has a very optimistic but nuanced view of the world. It also becomes clear that there's a religious influence to his views, but IMHO it's the best kind of Christian: infused with love and charity.
I found it fascinating and engaging; it made me think about my own views and to daydream about travel, which I suppose was the point.
Bonus points for gorgeous full-color photography. It's rare to find a thoughtful (not natural science) non-fiction book that also has such great imagery!(less)
Not to be totally corny, but if you only read one book this year, this would be a damn good choice. Former head of the FDA, a guy who's also had his o...moreNot to be totally corny, but if you only read one book this year, this would be a damn good choice. Former head of the FDA, a guy who's also had his own struggles with food and weight, examines the psychology of eating in our current food landscape.
"Conditioned hypereating" is how he describes it, encompassing both overweight and not: the obsession with food, the difficulties in resisting hyperpalatable modern foods.
The science stuff is fascinating, the section on food company research is terrifying, and there's some excellent concrete advice in the last section. I really needed to read this after putting back on some (not a lot) of the weight I lost a couple of years ago.(less)
Couldn't get into this one enough to finish it. Very good and important information, but dry. HIDEOUS charts, too. There's a great popular book hiding...moreCouldn't get into this one enough to finish it. Very good and important information, but dry. HIDEOUS charts, too. There's a great popular book hiding in all the data, but this isn't it.(less)
Excellent book -- uses the far east trip of (at the time Secretary of War) Taft and Teddy Roosevelt's daughter Alice as a structure to talk about Amer...moreExcellent book -- uses the far east trip of (at the time Secretary of War) Taft and Teddy Roosevelt's daughter Alice as a structure to talk about American involvements in Asia in the late 19th & early 20th century. It's not pretty. Amazing use of primary sources to show the specific elements of racism and imperialism at work.
The author got interested in the subject after writing a book about his father's experiences in WWII, and so a large portion is devoted to the Americans' encouragement (development?) of imperial ambitions in Japan, and when push came to shove and the Japanese fought the Russians, how the Americans were quick to go back on whatever they'd said to the Japanese. He also makes the explicit connection -- as the Japanese did -- between the Monroe Doctrine in the Americas and the Japanese's view of their dominance in Asia.
This was not the book I was hoping for -- I think I was looking for more of an overview of Haitian history, and this was almost exclusively about the...moreThis was not the book I was hoping for -- I think I was looking for more of an overview of Haitian history, and this was almost exclusively about the 2006 coup against Aristide. And unfortunately, I couldn't even get into that aspect. The narrative style is roundabout and discursive, cutting back and forth over time, which made it hard to get a good sense of what was happening when.
Additionally, there's only so much "Americans are racist thugs" that I can handle being lectured about. Not that he was wrong in the particulars, of course, but the repetitiveness started to get on my nerves.
Between the lecturing and the confusing narrative, I couldn't finish it. There are a few bits and pieces that were intriguing, but mostly that makes me want to seek out another book on Haitian history.(less)
Excellent overview of the state of passenger rail in the US. Illuminated lots of things about how the system works: the relationship between Amtrak &...moreExcellent overview of the state of passenger rail in the US. Illuminated lots of things about how the system works: the relationship between Amtrak & the freight companies, the role of state departments of transportation, how the heck Amtrak even came to be. Yes, we have a pathetic system (if you can call it that), but there are some signs of hope.
Also, and I did not know this: in most cases ownership and use rights of Rail-to-Trail trails remains with the freight railroads that once used them, or to the companies that bought them up. In theory, a company could simply decide to rebuild and start running trains in those places without even needing permits or hearings! Crazy, if unlikely to happen.(less)
I'm vacillating whether to go with 2 or 3 stars -- parts of this book were fantastic, great narrative, crazy crazy characters in a vast story. Maybe t...moreI'm vacillating whether to go with 2 or 3 stars -- parts of this book were fantastic, great narrative, crazy crazy characters in a vast story. Maybe that's the problem: the story was a little TOO vast, so there was no single theme that seemed to hold it together, just a chronicle of one thing after another.
I will single out the maps as a particular irritation: the book has lots and lots of locations which are likely to be unfamiliar to the general reader, and the maps were just not good enough to keep track of where all the players were going; neither the inside cover map nor the smaller maps in the text had enough place names. There was much gnashing of teeth every time a place was mentioned, and I flipped to a map, and: nope, not there.
On the other hand, it was interesting to get a slightly different angle on the events in The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia, and to go a little farther forward in time. The combination of the two books gave me a much better understanding of the backstory of Great Game era empire messing around with Afghanistan (et al), which these days is a damn good thing to know.(less)
One of the books recommended by the folks of Ask Metafilter, when I asked for books about the British in Afghanistan. Stupendous huge book chronicling...moreOne of the books recommended by the folks of Ask Metafilter, when I asked for books about the British in Afghanistan. Stupendous huge book chronicling about 100 years of conflict between the British and the Russians in Central Asia. A little overwhelming in the sheer mass of data, but fascinating nonetheless. Could have stood for more (or more readable) maps, or possibly a cast of characters section. Don't think I could pass a quiz on most of the details, but I have a pretty good sense of the broad movement of the history of that region in that time.
Both of the non-fiction books I'm reading/have read from those recommendations are pre-9/11. This one is from 1991, and so the preface is all about the collapse of the Soviet Union. Gives an odd sense of presentiment to say the least.
(Update 1/19/2010: the maps in this book were much better than the ones in Tournament of Shadows, IMHO.)(less)
Alas, I can't remember a whole lot, since I read it back before the hell-cold, but I do know that it was a good compliment to The Healing of America,...moreAlas, I can't remember a whole lot, since I read it back before the hell-cold, but I do know that it was a good compliment to The Healing of America, with lots of detail about our current system.(less)
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