Category Archives: Books
Book Review: Winner Take All
Winner Take All: China’s Race for Resources and What It Means for the WorldBy Dambisa MoyoBasic Books, New York, 2012 Dambisa Moyo’s latest book, Winner Take All: China’s Race for Resources and What It Means for the World, is supposed … Continue reading
Book Review: The Presidents Club
The Presidents Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive FraternityBy Nancy Gibbs and Michael DuffySimon & Schuster, New York, 2012 Zillions of books have been written about individual US presidents and their times in office; biographies, autobiographies, histories, and critiques. The … Continue reading
Book Review: 17 Equations That Changed the World
In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the WorldBy Ian StewartBasic Books, New York, 2012 17 Equations That Changed the World: It’s a greatest hits collection! 17 of your all-time favorite equations from the worlds of mathematics, physics … Continue reading
Religion for Atheists
Alain de Botton thinks religion is too useful to be left entirely to the religious. In his latest book, Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believers Guide to the Uses of Religion, he looks at some of the “best bits” of religion … Continue reading
Book Review: Reinventing the Sacred
Reinventing the Sacred By Stuart A. Kauffman Basic Books, New York, 2008 I really admire the scope and boldness of Stuart Kauffman’s 2008 book Reinventing the Sacred. Prof. Kauffman is a biologist and complexity theorist. He sets out not merely … Continue reading
Cosmopolitanism
Kwame Anthony Appiah’s book, Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, is about finding ways for different people, and peoples, to live together in our increasingly globalized world. Born in England, raised in Ghana, and now a professor of philosophy … Continue reading
Book Review: After the Prophet
After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split By Lesley Hazleton Anchor Books, New York, 2009 It’s a real shame Muhammad never read, never could have read, Machiavelli. This no doubt heretical thought struck me forcefully as I … Continue reading
Book Review: Outliers
Outliers: The Story of SuccessBy Malcolm GladwellLittle, Brown & Co., New York, 2008 In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell examines what makes some people extraordinarily successful, statistical outliers, in their chosen fields. He looks at Bill Gates, the Beatles, professional hockey players … Continue reading
Book Review: The Post-American World
The Post-American WorldBy Fareed ZakariaW. W. Norton & Co., New York, 2008 Despite its apocalyptic-sounding title, Fareed Zakaria’s latest book, The Post-American World, is actually quite optimistic. Zakaria is editor of Newsweek International, and former managing editor of Foreign Affairs. … Continue reading
Book Review: The Bookseller of Kabul
The Bookseller of KabulBy Ǻsne SeierstadLittle, Brown and Company, New York, 2003 The Bookseller of Kabul is a “stranger in a strange land” book. The stranger, Ǻsne Seierstad, is a blond, female, Norwegian journalist. The strange land is Kabul during … Continue reading
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