Episodes
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
The Collapse of Complex Societies (Joseph A. Tainter)
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
A book with some interesting points, but extremely narrow and deliberately self-blinkered. (The written version of this review was first published January 24, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Tuesday Feb 25, 2020
Tuesday Feb 25, 2020
This 2010 book outlines much of today's even-more-pressing debates about whether America should implement an industrial policy. (The written version of this review was first published January 17, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Saturday Feb 22, 2020
Saturday Feb 22, 2020
Christopher Caldwell's 2009 book on immigration to Europe is not bad, but it's been overtaken by events, and its analysis isn't subtle enough. (The written version of this review was first published January 15, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Thursday Feb 13, 2020
Age of Fracture (Daniel T. Rodgers)
Thursday Feb 13, 2020
Thursday Feb 13, 2020
This book, winner of the 2012 Bancroft Prize, offers some interesting ideas about ideas, but is primarily interesting for what it misses. (The written version of this review was first published January 12, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
An exploration of the supposed Grand Master's mostly banal thoughts. Also of multiculturalism, wine aunts, and our own future. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Friday Feb 07, 2020
The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics (Mark Lilla)
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Mark Lilla's polished examination of philotyrannical intellectuals of the twentieth century. (The written version of this review was first published January 14, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
Stasiland: Stories from behind the Berlin Wall (Anna Funder)
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
Of why those who opposed Communism when it ruled are forgotten or dishonored, while those who supported it paid no price (yet). (The written version of this review was first published January 13, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World (Laura Spinney)
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
A year ago, I offered thoughts on the next pandemic, in particular its possible effects on society and the reaction of the government. This review seems timely now. (The written version of this review was first published November 15, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
An exploration of twentieth-century government's role in African American segregation and its subsequent ill effects. (The written version of this review was first published August 15, 2017. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Monday Jan 27, 2020
Monday Jan 27, 2020
Of bees, and today's agriculture, and atrazine, and cheap food. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)