This is a remarkable and well-documented book that leads you down the path of history from Reagan to Obama. America has drifted from supporting the ci...moreThis is a remarkable and well-documented book that leads you down the path of history from Reagan to Obama. America has drifted from supporting the citizen-soldiers that we all knew who went to war temporarily to protect all of us and then returned home, to the current era where we hire professional soldiers and mercenaries and war is the norm. We have drifted from scrimping and saving to support a war (remember rationing and victory gardens?) to a military budget that is enormous and is not apt to be altered significantly by either party. We have drifted from having a representative congress that was actively involved in deciding when to go to war, to having secret covert operations and "secret" wars waged with only the knowledge of the executive branch and the military. This has been a bi-partisan drift. Can we and should we drift back to where ..."Going to war, being at war should be painful for the entire country."?
A scholarly look at war in America. I would recommend this book to all thoughtful Americans.(less)
This book explores the many varieties of living alone, something most of us do these days during part of our lives by choice or chance. As with living...moreThis book explores the many varieties of living alone, something most of us do these days during part of our lives by choice or chance. As with living with others, there are advantages and disadvantages to going solo. This is an exploration of both. By examining this increasingly common way-of-life with candor, Klinenberg explores the dynamic of living solo, as well as with others. Recognizing this as a viable option helps us open the door to new opportunities, helps us explore new options, and gives us choices that have not always been available.(less)
This is a book about people. But there is also a fair dose of history, geography and, yes, politics. With fifty states, all with unique histories, onl...moreThis is a book about people. But there is also a fair dose of history, geography and, yes, politics. With fifty states, all with unique histories, only a brief chapter can be devoted to each. I kept wanting to know more. The fascinating characters who shaped the country are as diverse and provocative as our current countrymen.
The stories continue to this day. Will this country always have fifty states? (It only had 48 in my youth.) Are there still citizens that have taxation without representation? Can state boundaries change? Is the political climate today different from what it has been in the past? This is an ongoing tale. History really does come alive in these brief bedtime stories.
A scholarly look at Indian life in America today. I learned a lot. This book addresses the challenges faced by Indians, and part-Indians, in the USA t...more A scholarly look at Indian life in America today. I learned a lot. This book addresses the challenges faced by Indians, and part-Indians, in the USA today. Some have chosen the traditional way of life on the reservations as sovereign people; others have entered the mainstream and are overcoming barriers to traditional views of Indians. Neither path is without obstacles. This book is not as much about personal stories as it is about personal identity, a universal challenge we all face.(less)
A great read that explores with clarity human relationships with "wild" animals and the impact that our increased numbers are having on what "wild" me...moreA great read that explores with clarity human relationships with "wild" animals and the impact that our increased numbers are having on what "wild" means, both for us and for other animals. A balanced and illuminating account of a complex subject that offers no solutions but evokes important questions. The focus is on one zoo in particular but uses it to convey the multiple emotions and meanings that the concept "zoo" conjures in various ways to humans. This account makes it clear that the world is changing--and also that there is good reason that Thomas French has received a Pulitzer Prize for writing.(less)
I do not seem to be able to get into this book. The topic interests me but it seems to be more about the controversies of the scientists than about th...moreI do not seem to be able to get into this book. The topic interests me but it seems to be more about the controversies of the scientists than about the fossils. I know that these play an important role in discoveries and delighted in the way they were chronicled by Elizabeth Royte in The Tapir's Morning Bath.
I think I am abandoning this book after having read only a quarter of it. (less)
This book is a trip both from and to Afghanistan with a woman who was born there, became a successful US citizen and ultimately returned time and time...moreThis book is a trip both from and to Afghanistan with a woman who was born there, became a successful US citizen and ultimately returned time and time again to help the ordinary Afghanis who had been caught up in a war not of their own making. How easy it is to forget that ordinary people, like most of us, can get caught up in a political power struggle that dominates and controls our lives. How easy it is to think of “them”, whoever they may be, as being part of the problem, when they, like us, would like to live a simple life free from political strife.
Suraya Sadeed is unique in being able to understand two worlds and live within either. She is a hero. She brings help to those who would otherwise have none. She is a bridge between two worlds and helps us see the conflict for what it is—an ideological power struggle that preys on ordinary people who yearn for peace and harmony in their lives.
The telling of this story is not a page turner, but the story is powerful enough to keep you wanting to learn more. (less)
All companies start small with the expectation of finding a sustainable market niche. A few find this sweet spot. They may be companies that have an e...moreAll companies start small with the expectation of finding a sustainable market niche. A few find this sweet spot. They may be companies that have an entrepreneur that has a passion. Howard Schultz comes across as this kind of business man. His passions seem to be for both coffee and success. From a single store in Seattle to a global enterprise, Starbucks has traversed the marketing landscape by following, then losing and rediscovering, its vision. The book, Onward, is a fascinating look into the mind of its founder. Part global visionary, part shrewd marketer, Schultz has respect for both supporting global good and for employees and customers. At the same time there is a need to lay off loyal staff and compete with local small coffee shops who often get lost in the dust. The dilemma of making hard choices for the greater good provides no easy solutions.
Starbucks now enjoys economies of scale. A large company can afford to buy fair trade coffee, have an impact on quality coffee production in emerging nations, provide employees with respect, trust, and benefits, perfect a menu, luxuries that are not as readily available to small businesses. But there is also a need to provide investors with as large a return on their investment as possible. It is a book worth pondering over and leaves me realizing that I make a conscious choice every time I decide to buy local or support a company that is seriously involved in making a global difference--and as much money as possible. We all have a foot in both worlds. (less)
What do I know about medicine? I’ve been well most of my life and not had to wend my way through a morass of doctors, medications, hospitals, insuranc...moreWhat do I know about medicine? I’ve been well most of my life and not had to wend my way through a morass of doctors, medications, hospitals, insurance, and decision making. I’ve had a primary care doctor most of the time and insurance coverage all of the time, but it is time for a reality check. This book sends me down the path of our collective struggle to reach that illusive Holy Grail of access to quality, affordable medical care for all.
William Hanson, an articulate doctor who is the son of a doctor, vividly outlines the amazing changes in medicine in our lifetime. We marvel at what can be done—and what can’t. We cringe at the cost. Doctors once had mystical all-encompassing knowledge about our well-being. Now they are specialists whose knowledge of other specialties may be sparse. They work as teams as we bounce from one office to another. Nurse practitioners are often assuming the traditional role of family doctor, or medical home as it is called in the book. Smart phones can have an app that makes them serve as a stethoscopes; simple tests at home are sometimes replacing the need to go to a lab; databases are being developed that can instantly access our complete medical history and even offer best-possible procedures for common or routine conditions, and at considerable cost savings.
The road ahead is not clearly marked, but it is time for me to start paying attention to the journey. This book introduced me to the road signs. Written clearly and in a way that sends a light down the path, I found it to be a fascinating and illuminating introduction to a subject that is easy to ignore until you find yourself lost on the road. (less)
An appealing local history. A well researched and documented book of my turf. A look back to the time the Ohlone inhabited the beautiful valley at the...moreAn appealing local history. A well researched and documented book of my turf. A look back to the time the Ohlone inhabited the beautiful valley at the south end of San Francisco Bay. The padres came, the rancheros came, the Santa Clara Valley became the Valley of Hearts Delight, and my home about the time it began its transformation to the now-famous Silicon Valley. I know these people and places, literally! I saw these exact orchards and watched them morph into posh suburbs. I worked with some of these people. I still drive these roads and see the remnants of the past.
Maybe not a book that everyone could connect to so personally, but there are such books everywhere. They are worth finding. I am delighted to still live here (on a mountain that combines the best of the past and the present) and grateful to have the transformation captured so richly. (less)
An excursion in time. BIG time! Who were we? How did we get here? This journey starts 7 or 8 million years ago and traces our origins, thanks to the i...moreAn excursion in time. BIG time! Who were we? How did we get here? This journey starts 7 or 8 million years ago and traces our origins, thanks to the incredibly patient work of palaeoanthropologists who spend their lives looking for and at bones that are found only occasionally and often by accident.
When did we start walking upright, and why? When did our brains increase to their present size? How can we tell? When did tools, fire, language become part of our lives? How do we know? These are the puzzles being pieced together in this fascinating glimpse into the distant past.
Contrast with this the here-and-now squabbles among the scientists who spend their lives working on solving these riddles. We hominids come out looking like what we are--complex, complicated beings. Our past remains shrouded; our future equally uncertain. We live in the tumult of the present Are other creatures different?
A scholarly and highly accessible trip into vast uncharted territories by an author who knows his stuff. (less)
A reread of The Tapir's Morning Bath, after ten years on the shelf and numerous loans to others, has not disappointed me. A field study of Barro Color...moreA reread of The Tapir's Morning Bath, after ten years on the shelf and numerous loans to others, has not disappointed me. A field study of Barro Colorado Island, a Smithsonian Research Institute Center in Panama, provides a look at not only the leaf cutter ants, spider monkeys, lianas, and assorted flora and fauna of this tropical rain forest, but is study of the scientists who study them. Elizabeth Royte, a formidable writer and scientist herself, shows them as real people with all of their ideals and idiosyncracies, questions and doubts. She does not presume to answer the questions of what, where and why this research is important but she sets the stage for us to form our own answers by involving us in the life of the Island.
This book may not be for everyone, but for closet naturalists like me and anyone interested in the magic way the world works, it is engaging and even exciting. (I have spent an hour watching an earthworm to see if it knows which way is up. It does.) Having a glimpse into the lives of researchers at Barro Colorado Island shows me I am not alone. (less)
A nice affirmation of my view that less is more. After a year of not venturing outside of a radius of 100 miles from home, the author finds much that...moreA nice affirmation of my view that less is more. After a year of not venturing outside of a radius of 100 miles from home, the author finds much that is overlooked when he stops long enough to take a close look. Also a good close up look at a part of the world (Pacific Northwest) that I have visited, but never long enough to know well. At last someone gets it that I can spend an hour trying to decide if an earthworm knows up from down! (My conclusion: they do!)(less)
An illuminating read. Not a page turner, but a book to read slowly and ponder the amazing differences between my life and the lives of those who lived...moreAn illuminating read. Not a page turner, but a book to read slowly and ponder the amazing differences between my life and the lives of those who lived only a scant one or two hundred years ago. I will never again flip on a switch cavalierly. And I will be careful to switch it off again with the hope that someday we can all see the stars that once were.
2/23/12 Interesting article on sleep that sheds light on our sleep patterns and the effect nighttime lighting has made on our lives. "The myth of the eight-hour sleep" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16... (less)
This book was a gift in more than one way. I was gradually taken into a space where I had not ventured for a time--a lacuna. I have not read fiction f...moreThis book was a gift in more than one way. I was gradually taken into a space where I had not ventured for a time--a lacuna. I have not read fiction for a while; I have only briefly flirted with Mexican culture; my historical knowledge of the rise of the Soviet state is sketchy; and I was pleased with the choice of the giver who seems to have sensed what I might like.
The book gradually immersed me, night after night as I read a few pages, in a life that is rich in unusual circumstances. And whose life is not? And did what only a few can do with words, helped me see the world through the eyes of another. The Lacuna(less)
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