Author Archives: Harry Katz
The Trial
Franz Kafka’s novel The Trial tells the story of a man named Josef K who is arrested but never told why, and struggles against a monstrous, unjust bureaucracy which he can neither escape nor overcome. It’s as relevant today as it was when first published in 1925. Continue reading
Dirtbag Billionaire
Can you run a successful global corporation without harming the planet? Few have tried harder than Yvon Chouinard, founder of the outdoor clothing company Patagonia. Dirtbag Billionaire by David Gelles tells the story of Chouinard’s life and the company he built. Continue reading
Climate Surprises
There’s an interesting opinion piece in today’s New York Times summarizing the current state of climate change forecasting. The picture is … cloudy. Continue reading
Why Carbon Taxes Failed
Economists say the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to tax carbon pollution. But carbon taxes are not working well enough or fast enough. Why Carbon Taxes Failed by Daniel Driscoll explains why they haven’t delivered and how to make them more effective for fighting climate change. Continue reading
The U.S. Constitution
Americans love to argue and litigate about the Constitution. What it says and what it means can be very different things. The U.S. Constitution by Melissa Murray, NYU Professor and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, will help you better understand the Constitution, its history and how it’s been interpreted. Continue reading
The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything
Carbon dioxide has been called the “master control knob” for Earth’s temperature. It’s also the source of carbon for all living things. Peter Brannen explores CO2’s outsized role on our planet and in our lives in his latest book The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything. Continue reading
Separation of Church and Hate
I really wanted to like Separation of Church and Hate by John Fugelsang. It’s much-needed takedown of Bible-thumping fundamentalists and Christian nationalists. Unfortunately, the book gets hopelessly tangled up in its own contradictions. I read only the first three chapters and set it aside. Let me tell you why. Continue reading
The Water Remembers
The Water Remembers by Amy Bowers Cordalis tells the story of her Indigenous family’s fight against the US and California governments and powerful corporations to save the Klamath River, its salmon runs, and themselves. It’s an inspiring multigenerational memoir of perseverance in the face of injustice, betrayal, violence and genocide. Continue reading
Undammed
Most books about the environment or climate change catalog the disastrous state of our world but dangle a morsel of hope at the end. Undammed, a book about dam removal in the United States, describes real progress, genuine restoration, and actual healing of the land and its people. Continue reading
There Are Rivers in the Sky
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak tells the story of three people connected by two rivers and one raindrop. Arthur Smyth, born into squalor on the banks of the polluted Thames River in Victorian England, discovers the … Continue reading
