Phil’s Profile

248 ratings (4.19 avg)
222 reviews

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Phil’s favorite books

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

The Mantle of the Prophet by Roy Mottahedeh

Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran

Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph E. Stiglitz

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Phil’s Bookshelves

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Phil rated a book 4 of 5 stars Scoop by Evelyn Waugh	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Hitchens loved this book because it is a hilarious send-up of the media. It looks great for a 75-year old work. Pathetically lazy Western press coverage in an interchangeable Muslim country continues today. Like Joseph Heller, Waugh advocates for san...more
May 16, 2013 09:19pm · see review
Phil recommended Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty to Paige Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoğlu	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 15, 2013 11:20am · like
Phil rated a book 5 of 5 stars Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoğlu	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This excellent book explains the most recent 500 years that “Guns, Germs, and Steel” glosssed over. As a student of Timur Kuran, I believe that institutions and incentives are underused analytical tools. Acemoglu and Robinson brilliantly apply an eas...more
May 15, 2013 11:20am · see review
Phil rated a book 2 of 5 stars The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The fact that Pearl Buck won a Nobel Prize and F. Scott Fitzgerald did not is an early example of the incompetence of that selection committee. Pre-revolutionary Chinese peasant life is boring and it follows that this book is dull. Land mattered to t...more
May 11, 2013 02:12pm · see review
Phil rated a book 5 of 5 stars The Thistle and the Drone: How America's War on Terror Became a Global War on Tribal Islam by Akbar S. Ahmed	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The title (which uses Tolstoy to mock Tom Friedman) is great. The analysis of peripheral Muslim tribes (such as the Pashtos, Berbers, Sinai Bedu, and Yemeni tribes of Asir) is better. The author is a rare combination of scholar and administrator, and...more
May 05, 2013 04:11pm · see review
Phil rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Graduate by Charles Webb	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Graduate is my favorite movie, so I prefer the movie. The book has many hilarious scenes, including one about higher education that didn’t make the movie. It still holds up as the story of being young, gifted, and useless.
May 04, 2013 06:15am · see review
Phil rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Deservedly influential takedown of arrogant, destructive centralized planning that holds up over 50 years later. Her discussion of projects, organized chaos, and what makes neighborhoods desirable is incredible. Worth reading for anyone interested in...more
Apr 27, 2013 05:45pm · see review
Phil rated a book 4 of 5 stars Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals by John Gray	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I wish that I read this before "The Immortalization Commission," because the latter book is an expansion of the most provocative idea from this book. This is a wide-ranging and highly original display of critical thinking and erudition.
Apr 12, 2013 07:05pm · see review