On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder

On Tyranny:  Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder is a book about the potential modern day tyranny brought with the election of Trump.  Timothy Snyder is a professor of history at Yale.

Started:  12/14/1017

Completed:  12/14/2017

Recommendation:  Excellent Read and very quick

Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:

This is a quick book that helps identify the hallmarks of tyranny and offers a series of simple steps that can be taken to combat them.  Simple steps include things like, "Believe in the Truth," which is the answer to things like "alternate facts."  We can do it.

The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander

The New Jim Crow:  Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander is a book that I picked up because of the uprising in Baltimore around Freddy Gray and a desire to understand the circumstances in Baltimore that would give rise to that riot.  I am listening to the audio version narrated by Karen Chilton.

Started: 10/23/2017

Completed: 11/15/2017

Recommended By:  Nobody

Recommendation: Highly recommended

Review:

What a great book.  The statistics are simply shocking.  There is no excuse and Ms. Alexander makes a really compelling case.  All Americans have to read this book.  White Americans should be ashamed.  Black Americans are likely to simply feel validated.

Post-PostModernism, Jeffrey T. Nealon

Post-PostModernism Or, The Cultural Logic of Just-In-Time Capitalism by Jeffrey T. Nealon is a book I picked up because the Hedgehog Review had a whole issue devoted to Post-PostModernism and I needed some sort of background before the magazine arrived.

Started:  5/21/2017

Completed: 11/5/2017 (stopped reading)

Recommendation: Not recommended--run away.

Recommended By:  Google web search on the topic, this seems to be the current survey text

Words and phrases for which I sought help:

chiasmus -- an inverted relationship between the syntactic elements of parallel phrases

infelicitous -- inappropriate or awkward; not well said

Review:

Simply unending double speak.  6 months wasted on this book.  Here is the sentence that ended it:  "However incredibly productive and oppositional this deconstructive insight has proven to be over the years, Negri points out that our contemporary masters (corporations, media conglomerates, spin doctors, finance capitalists, port-Fordist outsourcers of all kinds) no longer dream of a kind of exclusionary, binary totalization and don't achieve their hegemonic effects primarily through a normatively repressive logocentrism."  If you can make sense of that, then you should read this book.  Otherwise, run away.

The Fiery Trial, Eric Foner

The Fiery Trial:  Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner caught my eye when it was nominated for the Pulitzer prize.

Started:  8/14/2017

Completed: 10/23/2017

Recommended By:  I thought I read a review in The Nation, but I cannot find that review on-line, so it seems like I must not have.  There were numerous reviews in the Washington Post, New York Times and National Public Radio, but they all seem to be around the time it was published (2010) and not after the Pulitzer.  I remember that the Pulitzer really caught my eye (I've read a fair amount about Lincoln), so it must have been a review after the Prize was awarded in 2011.  Maybe it was mentioned in passing or something like that.  The upshot, however, is that I cannot remember exactly what the recommendation was, but it may have just been a summer reading review or best 100 books review or something along those lines.

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Words for which I sought help:

clevis -- a "U" shaped or forked metal connector within which another part can be fastened by means of a bolt or pin passing through the ends of the connector.

pertinacious -- holding firmly to an opinion or course of action.

Review:

This book is a really interesting walk through Lincoln's relationship with Slavery.  I have listened to courses from the "The Great Courses" on the Lincoln-Douglas debates and I had read several of the speeches of both Lincoln and Douglas.  I was, thus, aware of Lincoln's position in favor of relocating the slaves and his stated belief that white and black people could not live together.  I understood that the Emancipation Proclamation was as much an effort to bolster the Union's troop strength as it was a condemnation of that "peculiar institution."  I did not realize, however, that Lincoln's personal view of black people and the institution of slavery in general underwent a series of dramatic changes which led him to being an abolitionist and a supporter of suffrage for all regardless of race.  I had never had occasion to read Lincoln's second inaugural address although I quickly recognized, "With malice toward none..."  It really lays out the sense he had of the role of the civil war as a means to emancipation; his sense of the war's start as an effort to preserve the Union; and his desire to bring the war to a swift conclusion and lasting peace.  The research done to bring to the present the details of Lincoln's thinking, the opposition and support he found, as well as the times in which he made his decision was excellent.

Sapiens, Yuval Harari

Sapiens:  A brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is a book that was on President Obama's reading list and looked interesting to me.

Started:  8/2/2017

Completed: 8/24/2017

Recommended By:  President Obama

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Review:

The first half of the book was a bit of drudgery for me.  It was largely a rehash of things I already knew well and I was getting worried that the whole book would be that way.  The second half, however, was excellent and it built cleanly on the first half (so, I would not skip the first half).  The very end was mostly speculation about when/how "humans" might graduate from being "Sapiens" to some other form of existence.  I found this later part also a rehash of speculation with which I have long been familiar.

The focus on Capitalism as a "religion" and the concept of happiness as a measure of the success of changes that have been made were both novel to me.  I really enjoyed the insights that both pieces brought and I was, once again, reminded that I should be spending more time meditating and making that part of my normal existence.  It seems that almost everything I encounter encourages me to spend more time meditating.  I think that this is because more and more learned people are experiencing the value and wanting to share it with others.  Either that or there is a divine force pushing me to meditate :).

I highly recommend this book as long as you will not be offended by the broad definition of "religion."

Patient H. M., Luke Dittrich

Patient H.M.: a story of memory, madness, and family secrets by Luke Dittrich.  This book focuses on the history of one of the most studied patients in neurology and related brain studies.  I read a paper on this patient about 10 years ago and his story was repeated again in Moonwalking with Einstein.  I haven't been able to get him out of my mind, so when I saw this book, I thought it would be worthwhile reading about the details of the individual now that he has died and his identity no longer requires protection.

Started: 7/11/2017

Completed: 8/2/2017

Recommended By: Nobody

Recommendation: Not Recommended

Review:

It is frustrating to not like the author of a book.  I found Dittrich's character questionable as described by himself early in the book.  He correlated his own character with that of his grandfather who performed the surgery on Patient H. M.  At various points in the book Dittrich gets lost in his own efforts to write this book which is, perversely, effectively a biography of another person.  It is also uncomfortable that this book is told in the first person.

It also seems odd to add a ton of personal family history to a book about a patient of one's grandfather.  While there is some insight to be had based on the author's maternal grandmother's experiences in mental hospitals.  It is difficult to understand how these insights are anything less than background material fleshing out a story that is not better for this material.

Later in the book we hear about how both the author and his grandfather tried their hand at bull fighting.  I find it harder and harder to get anything from this book.  As the book concludes we hear about the grandfather's penchant for fast cars and an unsubstantiated suggestion that he had performed a lobotomy on his wife.  This is a pretty gross man.  The author shows a little bit better set of ethics then his grandfather, but it is a small improvement and his outrage is focused at his mother's best friend in childhood.  His outrage is appropriate given the situation he has described (shredding the test results of almost 50 years of testing on Patient H. M.).  It appears that no records were actually shredded.

So, what I could take away:

• MIT strongly protected Patient H. M., but treated him like a possession rather than a person.
• It is possible that Patient H. M. may have had memory deficits prior to his surgery which might taint or otherwise inform all the studies done on him.
• MIT and Professor Corkin in particular, did their best to treat Patient H. M. well in terms of his role as a subject for study.
• The distinction between episodic and semantic memory is not something I have previously seen and it was nicely and well described.
• Dittrich and his family seem to have questionable morals.

Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman is a dream come true.  I could not have imagined that such a book would ever exist and was thrilled when I found it.

Started:  5/11/2017

Completed: 7/8/2017

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Recommended by: Nobody

Review:

Great set of stories!  Such an easy listen (I got the audio book from the library--read by Neil Gaiman).  I remember reading the Mobingion as a kid and some of the stories were very hard to follow in the translated poetry.  This set of stories skips trying to make the stories poetry and drives to the heart of making the stories understandable even to a modern audience.  Loki has always been my favorite of the Norse gods, now, however, I better understand the treatment given to his namesake in the History channel's Vikings.  Go get it, read it, enjoy.

The Mandibles, Lionel Shriver

The Mandibles:  A family, 2029-2047 by Lionel Shriver is a book about imminent financial distress for an entire American family.

Started:  5/2/2017

Completed: 6/16/1017

Recomendation: Not recommended

Recommended By:  NPR

Review:

It cracked me up to hear Noah's Mill bourbon mentioned in this book of the future.  It is a good bourbon and inexpensive.  Alas, I thought it was not well known.

I did enjoy this book.  I'm just not sure that there is much to recommend about it.  It is a modern day near-future cautionary tale about the risk of currency devaluation in the United States.  The caution is simply that it could happen and that there is not much that can be done once it does happen.  The enormous consequences of such a crash are hashed out in their expected detail.

The end of the book feels rushed.  It feels like the author suddenly had a much bigger novel than originally anticipated, but a sense that it was going to be pretty boring and fairly repetitive to hash it out in detail.  One can almost feel the editor chopping at the book while it is being read as entire sections are removed or reorganized as flash-backs and the transitions feel abrupt.  As a result, the read is not as enjoyable as it could be.

There is some decent economic theory and some study of the law behind this book and it helps with the realism.  It seems like the editor wanted to leave some room for a sequel (which I will not read) but the book does stand on its own.

To Make Men Free, Heather Cox Richardson

To Make Men Free:  A History of the Republican Party by Heather Cox Richardson is a book I picked up in response to an article by the author.  This is part of my effort to understand how Trump was elected and, so, once more into the breech.

Started:  2/24/2017

Completed: 5/21/2017

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Recommended By: Nobody

Words for which I sought help:

primogeniture -- the right of succession being given to the first born child and inheritance especially in the form of real estate being provided entire.

Review:

It is hard not to agree with the Pulitzer Prize Winners who comment on the back of the dust cover about what a great book this is.  It is remarkably well written and tries hard to understand the threads of continuity in the Republican Party in light of the current manifestation.  The central argument is that Lincoln's party was perverted from a position that all men should be able to rise, to a position that the financial aristocracy should be protected (embodied by the slogan, "Greed is Good").

I liked this book because it tied together the dramatic influence of Roger Ailes in the current Republican party in ways that are probably clear to any historian, but were stunning to me.  It is truly a small group of people who have controlled the Republican party and the return of those same individuals to power under Trump is rather scary.

These leaders of the Republican party--Ailes, Chaney, Gingrich, and, peripherally, Limbaugh--are all pushing a strong pro-business agenda based on image rather than facts.  They truly believe that their approach will work in the absence of evidence that it will and with plenty of evidence that it simply does not work.  They believe this because they live in an alternate world of their own making (hence the reference to things like "alternate facts").  In this world of simplicity (good vs. evil--Reagan wore a white hat) there is no room for the nuances of reality.  This simplified world has simplified "facts" that have no necessity to agree with reality (reference Trump's claims that attendance at his inauguration was a record despite clear photographic evidence that it was much smaller than President Obama's).  Working on the basis of this simplified world (an ideology), Republicans have pursued their agenda and their appeal to voters is based on emotion, not reality.

The Other Wes Moore, Wes Moore

The Other Wes Moore:  One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore is a story written by a man about someone else who shared his name.  Their lives diverged and this is an accounting trying to understand the difference.

Started:  4/5/2017

Completed: 5/2/2017

Recommendation: Recommended

Recommended By:  My wife

Review:

There are interesting parallels between Wes Moore the Rhodes Scholar and Wes Moore the murderer.  They had a large number of parallels in the early part of their lives.  In the end, however, it looks like the Rhodes Scholar had extended family who were willing to sacrifice darn near everything to help Wes.  This does not minimize the effort made by the murderer's family, who also made great sacrifices.  First, raising a child in poverty is really, really hard.  Second, raising a child in a drug-ridden environment is really, really hard.  The Rhodes Scholar got out of the environment and that was certainly helpful--the murderer had some time out as well, but he was solidly into a life of crime before and after his brief move.  Third, raising a child without positive role models is really, really hard.  Children emulate those whom they admire.  What happens if you admire a scofflaw?

In the end, I am not convinced that one Wes Moore was necessarily smarter than the other (although society could easily make that assessment.  The author does a good job of making it clear that he feels either could have been in the other's shoes.  In the end, this is a sad story.  It is not a hopeful story.  It declares, describes, and contrasts the simple line that defines those who can leave poverty behind and those who cannot.  It marks the remarkably short lives of the poor.

I am sad to have lost Wes Moore, the murderer.  Who knows what positive contribution he could have made and his progeny represent another generation with a father behind bars.  I do not mean to suggest that the murderer should not be behind bars, I have no reason to believe that the prosecution was anything less than fair.  I am saying, however, that all of the people who die, end up in jail, or become involved in illegal activities are lost to society and those people are important to us all.

Sutton, J.R. Moehringer

Sutton by J. R. Moehringer is a story (not exactly a biography, sort of a first person novel with lots of facts mixed into it) of a bank robber, Willy "The Actor" Sutton.  I cannot remember why or how I came to choose this book.  It is a complete blank to me.  I've got a few books about bank robbers in the pile (Billy the Kid, Jesse James, etc).  Maybe there was a period when I just had an interest in bank robbers.  I don't know.

Started:  3/8/3017

Completed: 4/5/2017

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

This is definitely a novel.  It is so largely on the basis of the difficulty of having any real knowledge of exactly who Willy Sutton was.  His own memoirs were conflicting and the police, FBI, and newspapers had trouble agreeing.  The author has taken some license and attempted to pull all of these things together into something that resembles a coherent narrative.  This is definitely a sympathetic and romanticized narrative.

Being a criminal is simply not romantic.  Prison is harsh and the times were such that being beaten for a confession was not all that unusual.  Jail was simply awful.  Romanticizing the protagonist is honestly the only way to get through it all.  Sutton's early life was appalling.  His choices in friends were awful.  His need to "be somebody" and look "sharp" likely led to his lifestyle.  In this book, it is largely about one woman.  In the end, it is a compelling story--a good novel.  Like most stories based on real criminals, it is hard to believe that this is an accurate account.

All of that said, the book was a good read.  It was enjoyable to hear about the life of this man...even the horrible, awful, bad stuff.  It was interesting to hear how Sutton justified his own actions.  It was interesting to hear about the underbelly of New York at the turn of the last century.  The book was...interesting.

Good Omens, Gaiman and Pratchett

Good Omens:  The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett is a book with a friendly review from a friend.

Started:  2/20/2017
Completed: 3/9/2017
Review: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Early

Review:

This was a fun romp about the end of the world.  The dialog is clever, the angel/demon interactions are clever, and the whole take on Armageddon is wonderful.  I found myself laughing throughout and really enjoyed the book.

Strangers in Their Own Land, Arlie Russell Hochschild

Strangers in Their Own Land:  Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russel Hochschild.  This is a book by a Berkeley sociologist that was a finalist for the National Book Award.  Hoping to understand the undercurrent that brought Trump into office.

Started:  2/8/2017

Completed: 2/23/2017

Recommendation: Not recommended

Recommended By:  Nearly everyone

Review:

I found this book depressing.  It is exceedingly well written by a very good sociologist who is desperately trying to understand the forces that eventually brought Trump into office.  Ms. Hochschild does the difficult of work of trying to understand the very people she is trying to help as a liberal.  Her base understanding (and it is more complex than this) is that these people feel like they are standing in line for the American Dream, but minorities, illegal aliens, and, now, refugees are jumping the line and jumping in front of them.  This means that these people view the American Dream as a zero sum game--In order for someone to move forward, someone else must move back.  That is very depressing.

There is a phrase from the New England Council Chamber of Commerce that says, "A rising tide lifts all the boats."  While many Tea Party members would argue that the arguably rising American Economy has not budged their boat at all, the phrase points out that the American Dream is not a zero sum game.  It is possible for us all to improve with nobody else losing.  In fact, this is something that is true of the World economy as well.  President Kennedy understood this and he often borrowed the phrase.

Instead, the Tea Party members have found themselves on the receiving end of ill-advised government interaction with big business.  Somehow, it has become everyman who must support big business and when big business decides to defecate all over everyman--well, that is just the pain that must be endured.  Somehow, the Tea Party bought into the big business zero sum game which says that if big business is going to succeed, it will take it out of the hide of the working man.  Whether this comes from failed labor policies, dubious government handouts, poor regulation, or just the brass balls of the companies does not seem to matter.

Now, this snowflake sheds a tear for the everyman who feels that business cannot be forced to be part of the solution instead of just taking.  Having done that, I closed the book, put it aside, and realized that the Tea Party is pretty darn unreachable.  It is clear that no matter how I engage with them, they will perceive it as a zero sum game in which one of us must lose and the other win.  "Winning," harangues Trump.

The truly sad part is that these people have so much to contribute to society that could be positive.  Their perspective, their suffering, and their intuitions have high value and are needed in our society.  It is, however, anathema for them to cooperate.  They are so very tired of losing.  They want--they need--a win so badly that they will sell the farm to get it.  The same actions that led them into such a self-destructive relationship with big business guides their politics.  How is it possible to work with someone who feels getting dumped upon is just something with which one must deal?  In the end, I cannot value someone more than that person values themselves.

It is very depressing.

Tribe, Sebastian Junger

Tribe:  On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger is a book I saw reviewed in The Washington Post.  Sebastian Junger is probably best known for The Perfect Storm.

Started:  2/16/2017

Completed: 2/20/2017

Recommendation: Mild Recommendation

Recommended By:  The Washington Post

Review:

This book is small and it would appear from the introduction that it is almost instantly confrontational.  It is worth noting that the author finds some serious fault with current society (and offers a potential remedy) while acknowledging how cool things are in our society.  It is my feeling that discussions of war, soldiers, and PTSD are a foil for the larger issue of some of the benefits of tribal society.  Do we really care for each other?  Do we help each other?  Sometimes it seems like we do not and we certainly don't show the cohesiveness of a war band.  Do soldiers have a place in society?  Sometimes it appears that we do not and hollow thank-yous are an inadequate substitute for an actual job.

In the end, are we willing to band together and support one another?  This is a tribal quality that is missing in our large, complex, luxurious, and very modern society.  Whether this quality can be included in our society or not is a serious question and whether we, culturally, are actually willing to welcome such a thing is something else as well.

This book is long on questions and short on answers (which is just fine).  It is worth noting that many of the issues this book addresses are things that we all need to be able to handle as a society.  Not knowing of any reasonable answer is a little disconcerting, but the author does give us one suggestion that we can all pursue--hold a veterans day where veterans can come in and just speak their minds with other people listening.  This is a way to truly thank veterans for their service.  How many other professions/tasks are going unrecognized and leading to difficult situations?

The Moral Landscape, Sam Harris

The Moral Landscape:  How Science Can Determine Human Values by Sam Harris is a look into how science can play a role in Moral Philosophy.

Started:  2/4/2017

Completed: 2/15/2017

Recommendation: Highly Recommended to those who can tolerate a strong atheist

Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:

The idea that science has nothing to say about morality seems counter intuitive, particularly in the time of scientific studies of happiness.  Mr. Harris spends the vast amount of the book talking about why science should talk about Morality and saying far less about how science can talk about Morality.  At this point in the process, it would seem that "why" is far more important than "how" given that scientists have their credibility questioned the instant they start talking about morality.  To my mind, it makes perfect sense that science should wade into these waters.  If in no other way than by explaining how one could "treat others as one would like to be treated."  Even if you disagree whether that is a particularly moral goal, few would argue that science should have nothing to say about how to implement it.

I think some sort of study that helps people evaluate how they would like to be treated, for example, would be time well spent.  I say that because there seems to be a chasm between how people claim they would like to be treated and how they react when actually treated that way.  Of course, that leaves open the debate about whether treating people that way is even a morally good thing (and that is at the hear of Mr. Harris' efforts).

In a broad sense, Mr. Harris accepts that morality likely does not have a knife edge along which one must daintily and carefully walk.  He suggests that the landscape of morality may well have multiple local optimizations and numerous optimizations in general (although, I think, if really pushed...Mr. Harris would, himself, argue that there is probably only one true optimization, but that it might be hard to define).  It is interesting to me, as well, that Mr. Harris completely skirts the question of whether anyone would be inclined to follow a truly moral path even if it was presented all nicely packaged.  All of that is well and good--one man cannot cover everything--and I see no reason why this should tend to take away from the quality of his work.  It just seems like a big enough issue that it would be worth a tiny fraction of the space that was used to justify scientific interest in this field at all.

It is my feeling that there are many issues that we have felt have been "decided" (the Earth is flat and the Sun goes around it come to mind) which have found themselves subject to analysis from science that few anticipated when that analysis started.  Having seen science attempt to move into and (in my opinion flounder) in both psychology and sociology, there is no reason to stop the analysis.  There have been many good pieces of evidence and tools developed to both deal with and help understand these very difficult topics which is quite surprising.  Who knows whether more analysis will help or not?  I'm fairly certain it will, but it is unlikely that more analysis will hurt.  I think that there is room for science to play in the morality pool and I look forward to what can be discovered.

It is worth noting, however, that Mr. Harris takes a huge swipe at religion while talking about morality.  Personally, I think his position would be stronger if he simply pointed out the areas where science can and does help, but perhaps we aren't that far along just yet.  If Mr. Harris honestly believes that people who accept religion are simply glassy-eyed fanatics, then his arguments will literally fall on deaf ears.  By suggesting that science cannot play in a pool with religion (whether it truly can or not is irrelevant), Mr. Harris unnecessarily alienates much of his audience.  He would say that to do otherwise is to pander to a sham.

I think that part of the study of morality is to understand how to share the discoveries of what will lead to a truly moral life with others.  Hurling insults (whether justified or not) doesn't help.  My personal opinion is that if he simply stays silent on religion (except when asked about his personal religion) his research will have much greater impact.  It may well lead many away from religion (as seems to be his desire) simply by offering a moral option that has more "going for it."  To the extent that happens, Mr. Harris would have met his own personal goal of proselytizing for atheism.  I'm not saying, however, that he should defer to religion or even find a way to include religion (if he feels it has no role, then he should simply ignore it as, it has no role).

Having said all of that, his arguments against religion in general are persuasive and compelling.  I just would prefer he write an anti-religious text and put those there.  Then he can explain his thinking on morals with a cleaner slate.  Copernicus didn't prove the motion of the heavenly bodies while taking a huge swipe at religion (doing so would surely have been fatal), but his position is now broadly adopted the world over.  Truth and simplicity have a way of winning the battle even over religion (assuming such a battle needs to be fought, let religion fight it).

Hillbilly Elegy, JD Vance

Hillbilly Elegy:  A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance was recommended to me by my cousin Michelle and my brother.  Reading this book is an attempt to understand the forces that put Trump in office.

Started: 1/24/2017

Completed: 2/8/2017

Recommendation: well written, good read

Recommended By: cousin Michelle and my brother.

Review:

I feel like I intellectually understand one hillbilly family.  I am unclear exactly how "typical" this family is and I do not feel like I understand what encouraged them to put a billionaire in office.  There is oddly a strong rejection of both the "elites" and the "rich."  There is no doubt that Trump's "rough language," comfort with chaos, and projection of loyalty would appeal to this family.  There is equally no doubt that the family feels abandoned by the working man's party.  As with many proud and strong Americans it also seems clear that this family has no interest in handouts as long as they can be avoided and strongly values both privacy and personal property.  Having established all of this, it isn't clear that any of them voted and, if they did, for whom they voted (although I suspect Trump or the acclaim associated with the book would be very misplaced).

I think it is unfair to ask a single book to explain the last election cycle and so do not expect that of this book.  I think it is fair to add this book to the ungainly tower of analysis that will attempt to understand what happened in terms that will result in a "pivot" or collection of actions that will somehow assuage the pent-up anger that clearly runs through the community described in the book.  The author took a shot at that at the end of the book and he did not seem thrilled with his own ideas.

One thing this book gives:  an appreciation for how deep seated the problems are and how the existing problems are "doubling down" and creating more monstrous problems of their own.  There is no "quick fix" even if it would be well received for this family or its community and it is clear that Trump doesn't have a snowflake's chance of solving it.  It took generations for this community to sour and we haven't even begun to try and help them recover.  It will be generations more before they will be ready to offer any kind of coherent support for any political party.

Like an addict cloying at anything that looks like a fix, this family will surely grasp at anything that looks good without giving anything the kind of consideration that such choices require.  They simply do not have the luxury of time in the midst of their fight for identity and survival.

Knowledge is Power, John Henry

Knowledge is Power: how magic, the government, and an apocalyptic vision inspired Francis Bacon to create modern science by John Henry.  I picked this up at a book sale when I was reading a book about the creation of the term "scientist."  I have read Bacon's New Atlantis, so I was aware that he had a Utopian concept of how the world should operate in the pursuit of science and I was also aware that Bacon is credited with the creation of the Scientific Method.

Started:  1/14/2017
Completed: 1/23/2017
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:

The view of magic held at the time of Francis Bacon is not at all what I expected and is the single largest thing that I take away from this book.  I have found overlap between the concept of magic at this time and the concepts behind current homeopathy and it is interesting to me that magicians were far more into experimentation than natural philosophers.  It makes sense, given the chemical manipulations behind alchemy, but I just never looked at magic that way.  Bacon himself (independent of his ideas) has held little interest for me, but I'm glad to understand him better and to realize that he was not necessarily a man of good character himself.

It was no surprise to me that Bacon saw his pursuit of science as part of his understanding of God and that perspective just makes so much more sense for a man of his time than a secret atheist.

The text is quite dry and the presentation of material lacks the value of a compelling narrative.  Having said that, it feels like a series of lectures from a very good professor.  So, while it may take some struggle to fight through the book, the time is well spent as the material itself is so interesting.

The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Point:  How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell is a book I picked up when I saw the trailer from Fortune magazine "A fascinating book that makes you see the world in a different way."

Started:  1/9/2017

Completed:  1/10/2017

Recommendation: Not a strong recommendation

Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

I was anticipating something like Freakonomics (see my post http://reademall.blogspot.com/2014/09/super-freakonomics-levitt-and-dubner.html), but got something much more subtle and dated.  It looks like this book which was written in 2000 was far more subject to more current research than one might thing.  The "law of 7" and the "rule of 150" are both rather well established and it is mildly interesting to see how they play a role in the idea of something suddenly becoming popular or being wildly successful.  The references to the broken window theory and its association with crime have been pretty solidly disproven.

In addition, the whole concept of Paul Revere's ride upon which several examples in the book hinge have also been disproven.  Gladwell suggests that Revere was more successful than Dawes, but this assertion is only in the Longfellow poem.  Moreover, there was likely a third rider involved as well.  Beyond that, there were a slew of messages to get everyone ready for the British...so many, in fact, that Revere's contributions were likely just a drop in the bucket (still heroic and immortalized by Longfellow).  This seriously dilutes the example.

These are just the examples for which I know the back story.

Having said that, the concepts presented in the book are interesting and worth the read, it's just that the examples are not compelling.

In The Heart of The Sea, Nathaniel Philbrick

In the Heart of the Sea:  The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick received the National Book Award in 2000 and was subsequently made into an unsuccessful moving by Ron Howard.  I listened to the unabridged audio version which tells the true story behind Moby Dick.

Started: 12/9/2016
Completed: 1/9/2017
Recommendation: Recommended, but you need a strong stomach
Recommended By: Nobody

Words for which I sought help:

consanguinity -- kinship; close relationship or close connection

Review:

The book starts at the end with the survivors being found by another whaleship.  That is as good a place as any.  There is a fair amount of time spent talking in graphic detail about the process of killing and recovering the oil from a whale.  It is nauseating.  This is a recurring theme, however, throughout the book and seems to pop up again just when you might have thought you'd been through it enough.  One would think it would pale in comparison to the cannibalism, but it does not.

This is a well written book that is difficult to assimilate.  The story is gripping and the characters are relatively interesting.  There are tons of interesting facts about whaling I never considered (like a boat only had around 20 people on it) and the implications of the hunting on the family (whale hunting took about 3 years per voyage).  The chronicling of bad judgement and bad mistakes (as well as bad luck) is enough to make you think that the survivors must have used up their bad luck in this one event.  Of course, they didn't and the whole story is more interesting for it.

Are we Rome?, Cullen Murphy

Are we Rome?: the fall of an Empire and the fate of America by Cullen Murphy is a book that went from shelf to basket the instant I saw it.  It is a thesis I have long held and I bought it with a friend during lunch at work.  It has sat on my "to read" pile for over 5 years.

Started: 12/8/2016

Completed: 1/14/2017

Recommendation: Recommended

Recommended By:  Nobody

Words for which I sought help:

abstemious -- not eating or drinking too much

languid arrogance -- a slow, calm, almost relaxed disdain for others; a torpid condescension as though the very effort of looking down upon others was hardly worth the effort, so little was exerted.  The phrase is usually associated with royalty glancing down at the clanging mob from a throne.  I kind of imagined this phrase being associated with Marie Antionette or, perhaps, William Blackstone.

limpet -- a marine mollusk with a shallow conical shell and a broad muscular foot, noted for the way it clings tightly to rocks

parlous -- full of danger or risk

precocity--characterized by early development

solipsism -- a philosophical belief that your own existence is all that is real or can be known

sybaritic -- voluptuous or sensualist

Review:

The author is neither an apologist for America nor Rome.  His thesis is that while there are neither sure linkages there are sufficient similarities and differences to give us pause.  The author takes a brave shot at suggesting a path forward at the end of the book and it has merit.  His overall conclusion, however, is that Americans should be able to overcome our own obstacles by doing what we do best--be American.  It is clear, however, that this advice is given without the election of Trump in mind.

Knight Life, Peter David

Knight Life by Peter David is the classic tale of Arthur, King of the Britons.  This was Peter David's first book and predated all his work in comics.  I have a very hard time passing up a book on Arthur.

Started: 12/12/2016

Completed: 1/1/2017

Recommendation: Mild Recommendation

Recommended By:  Nobody

Words for which I sought help:

avuncular -- suggestive of an uncle especially of kindliness and geniality

sartorial -- of or related to clothing

tonsorial -- of or related to a barber

Review:

It was a bit hard to read this story of a business man out of no where winning an election.  That it was the good King Arthur who "spoke without a script" was only mildly helpful.  Certainly, Mr. David never intended that his satire on the story of King Arthur would ever be manifested.  That this, his first novel, became a series is not shocking, but it is rather difficult for me to imagine reading another.  This one was funny, but a lot of the humor came from the juxtaposition of King Arthur in modern New York.  The next book in the series would have a hard time, in my opinion, maintaining this charm, so I don't plan to read another in the series.  For those who would like a new take on the classic tale, this is that.