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| The Reading List | Has the internet really become that boring for you? Well, if you're looking for unsolicited book reviews which might tempt you to put the old PC on standby mode, you've come to the right place! Granted there are few reviews as of yet, since I rarely have time to read for more than an hour, but I expect the archive to grow steadily over time. Perhaps if you've read the same book, or are interested in the subject, you might want to post in the Forum. There isn't exactly an appropriate place for book discussions over there, as the likelihood of this sort of academic exercise occurring is too slim for me to bother preparing for it, but please don't let that stop you if you feel so moved. Just start a new thread in the projects forum, and if it takes off we'll just have to create a book club forum down the road. Book Title
| Short Review
| Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar | by Simon Sebag Montefiore Phoenix (2004) Not a happy read, but the inner workings of the Bolshevik Politburo from the 1920s to the 1950s is nothing if not intriguing. Paranoia, conspiracy, deception, murder, songs and dance, mass murder -it's all here. Most memorable is Stalin's personal correspondance from the early years and an episode in the late 20s when he hides in the bathroom from his scolding wife. If you ever wondered why communism -or specifically Bolshevikism didn't work out -the answer is in this book.
| Stolen Continents: The "New" World Through Indian Eyes | by Ronald Wright Mariner Books (1993) A concise and well-written description of five native civilizations in the Americas before European contact, through the age of imperialism and into the present day. The Aztecs, Maya, Inca, Cherokee and Iroquois stories are heart-wrenching: the injustice that has been done to these people is truly appalling. If you want a basic understanding of what was taken from North American natives and how, this book is for you. I've had the pleasure of reading other works by Ronald Wright ("A Short History of Progress") and would recommend him as an eloquent and to-the-point author..
| An Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power | by John Steele Harper Collins (2004) Well, I probably wouldn't have read this book if not for the markdown from $37.95 to $7.95, but as the price was right and my interests sparked by the previous book I read I decided to give it a shot. My overall assessment: it was a pretty good book! They must have printed way to many of them according to the laws of supply and demand.... yet I digress. The book is a good summary of economic history in the United States from 1750-1950, spanning the colonial and industrial periods. I particulary liked the individual stories of the early entrepreneurs. It was refreshing, after reading about all the corruption in 1860s railroading, to read about the genius and hard work of successful businessmen shaping the country.
| Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad | by David Haward Bain Penguin Books (1999) From the boardrooms to the embankments of the line itself, the story is shocking in its revelations about the inner-workings of 19th century American bandit capitalism: stock-fraud, government corruption, indian dispossession, worker exploitation and "hell-on-wheels" towns that followed the work gangs, where the "ne'er-do-wells" would shoot each other just to get the cemetery started. There are few likeable characters, but it's a very colorful portrait of the time.
| Post War: A History of Europe Since 1945 | by Tony Judt Penguin Books (2005) How did the European continent evolve from an apocalypse in the making into "The Social Model" of civilization? This book takes you from the rubble strewn cities of 1945 to (briefly) the post-communist era, delving into the vast changes in politics, economy and culture along the way. At 830 pages of text it's almost too thorough, and it would be quite dry if not for the poetic style and wit of the author. Definitely worth the read if you're interested in the topic.
| The Wal-Mart Effect | by Charles Fishman Penguin Books (2006) A fair and evenhanded look at the true costs -and benefits- of Wal-Mart. Most interesting is how the great virtues of Wal-Mart when it was a small company (frugality, obsession with efficiencies, unyielding competitiveness) turn out to be the root of why so many people hate it as the world's biggest corporation. There's too much data for it to be a good read, but an essential read if you want to have an informed opinion about Wal-Mart's effect on society.
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