Here’s the latest from my bookshelf for readers to peruse and suggest additions to.
Upcoming book:
At the top of my massive to-read pile at the moment is God and Gold by Walter Russel Mead.
Was turned on to this by a 2 hour radio interview the author gave on the Hugh Hewitt show. It dives into the history of the open society and free trade beginning with the Dutch empire and following through the British and the United States. Worth reading the summary at amazon.
Currently Reading:
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright.Wright weaves a fantastic narrative history of Islamic radicalism and Al Qaeda which is thorough in detail yet entertaining and engulfing like a novel. I’m only 100 pages or so into it so far but already recommend it to readers. Especially noteworthy is his presentation of Bin Laden and other Islamists’ perspective on world events and recent history versus our understanding of events, and often the truth of the matter. While much ink continues to be spilled about motives, the development and perspective of these radical Islamists is far more important and illuminating I find.
Last book read:
Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts by Robert Kaplan
Long waited since his first book hit the shelves, Hog Pilots was no disappointment. As with the first book, Imperial Grunts, Kaplan takes you into the largely unknown world of the US military and more importantly, our many mini-deployments abroad. My only criticisms are the choppy feel at times as he’s in Mali one minute and underwater in the Pacific the next. In addition, though he does go off on his usual analytic interludes, the reader has the feeling that this book is far more plain reporting than journalism at times. However, in all fairness, it is the nature of the book and perhaps not entirely fair criticism. Overall, a fantastic read!
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COMMENTS / 5 COMMENTS
ElamBend added these pithy words on 14 Nov 07 at 6:20 pmI saw Wright speak recently at a Chicago Council on Global Affairs event. He was good, though most of what he said I had heard in interview. The highlight of the event was the intelligence of the questions from the audience (They were real questions, as opposed to the Statement+ Do you agree, format that is common at such things).
The Council is also hosting Mead in a couple of weeks and I plan on attending. I look forward to it.
Lexington Green added these pithy words on 14 Nov 07 at 8:25 pmHog Pilots is indeed excellent.
God and Gold is brilliant. First third is the best part, it falls off after that. But Mead is always solid. Probably the best book on the reality of the Anglosphere since Bennett’s book, The Anglosphere Challenge.
I will have to read Looming Tower.
strategist added these pithy words on 14 Nov 07 at 11:46 pmI’ve also read ‘The Looming Tower’ and thought that it was excellent. His discussion of the ideological and theological roots of al-Qaeda provided great depth and understanding to the story of al-Qaeda’s rise.
ElamBend added these pithy words on 16 Nov 07 at 12:39 pmJust finished Black Swan. Next up for me is House to House and Hog Pilots.
Fat Man added these pithy words on 18 Nov 07 at 7:46 pmI was disappointed by Looming Tower. I thought that Wright was insufficiently skeptical about the veracity and bias of his sources. I also thought he was not tough enough on the CIA nor the FBI, nor on the Clinton Administration Justice Department and the “wall” it erected between the agencies.
I also thought he did not explain what happened between the early days of Al-Qaeda and the late 90s that transformed them from the gang that couldn’t shot straight into the deadly outfit that pulled off the East Africa embassy bombings, the Cole attack, and the 9/11 attacks.
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