Saturday, September 26, 2009

All aboard...

The Wordy Shipmates The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As an amateur history buff, I can usually get drawn into a well told story of a riveting episode from our past. I must admit that reading about the Puritans has never made it to the top of my list. They always struck me as a stuffy, humorless people hellbent on suffering.

Sarah Vowell's book, The Wordy Shipmates, changed all that. First of all, for those of you unfamiliar with Vowell, she writes about the past with an engaging mix of expansive intelligence and wit. Who knew one could laugh out loud while reading about the exploits of this motley crew of Bible thumping religious zealots?

While Vowell does provide keen analysis and much humor, her greatest achievement is in making the Puritans' story relevant to us today. A long line of American Presidents (such as JFK, Reagan, etc.) and politicians have made use of John Winthrop's "City on the Hill" metaphor. This idea has been twisted into a call for American Exceptionalism that has caused us to turn to a blind eye toward our flaws and overemphasize our superiority over other nations (and led us into numerous wars to prove it).

Those who have narrowly focused on this aspect of Winthrop's thinking fail to acknowledge that deeply embedded within the "City on the Hill" is a profoundly "communitarian ethos" -- the well-being of the least among us is inextricably bound up with our own. It is ironic that in this Christian land, there are some who troll through the past, selectively choosing tidbits to support their claims of greatness while missing this important point entirely.

Highly recommend for those in search of a good laugh while at the same time gaining a deeper understanding of the roots of our current political discourse and conflicts. Enjoy!

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Fool's Gold

Fool's Gold: How the Bold Dream of a Small Tribe at J.P. Morgan Was Corrupted by Wall Street Greed and Unleashed a Catastrophe Fool's Gold: How the Bold Dream of a Small Tribe at J.P. Morgan Was Corrupted by Wall Street Greed and Unleashed a Catastrophe by Gillian Tett


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you're like me, making sense of the economic implosion has been difficult. I am lucky if I can balance my checking account. So, the whole world of "derivatives" and "complex investment vehicles" generally soars right above my head.

That is, until I stumbled upon Gillian Tett's book, Fool's Gold. Now, I am still no economic expert, but I feel like Tett has provided me with a primer to sort through the mess brought about by a small band of investment bankers who left a devastating trail of destruction through the livelihoods of many.

Fool's Gold tells the story of how a small group of investment bankers cooked up a scheme that ultimately led to the crash of 2008. It is not a pretty story. It is one filled with greed, arrogance and blind faith in the so-called "free market." Although the narrative sometimes gets bogged down in acronyms, it is worth the effort. Highly recommend for those of us who don't hang out on Wall Street.


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Load up the gun rack...it's time to go Deer Hunting with Jesus

Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War by Joe Bageant


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Bageant writes with compassion and searing insight into working class life in America. He mixes storytelling with his own analysis of the free fall of "the great beery, NASCAR-loving, church-going, gun-owning America that has never set foot in a Starbucks." He also casts a bright light on what he calls "the American hologram" -- the mix of "televised, corporatized virtual reality that distracts us from the insidious realities of American life." The stupor of entertainment and media spectacle has successfully turn the attention of ordinary Americans from matters of the health and well-being of our democracy.

For those seeking to gain a better understanding of the turn our political discussion has taken toward the vitriolic and violent, Bageant's book offers insights to better understand the deep divides that separate us.

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