Book review: Reconsidering Reparations by Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò In this book Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò goes beyond the usual justifications and proposals for reparations to descendants of enslaved people, to straightforwardly propose a world making project. Táíwò calls it the Constructive view. “Reconsidering” does not mean tossing out reparations, and instead expands the scope of the …
Category Archives: Reviews
Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning
Book Review: Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney Defeating Donald Trump is the cause of our time—thus concluded Elizabeth Lynne Cheney, after a breathtaking account of the damage Trump has caused and the danger he continues to present as long as he is active. With extensive detail of objective facts …
Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America
Book Review: Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, by Heather Cox Richardson The lesson from the long view of history is to never give up in the present. The observations of historian Heather Cox Richardson—who’s been a bulwark of stability throughout and beyond the authoritarianism of the Trump presidency—are cause to take a …
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Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency
Book review: Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency, by Andy Greenberg Real people and actual actions, all rolled together into an exquisite novel that is fully non-fiction. Turn after turn, Andy Greenberg keeps you on the edge of your seat in this fast moving narrative of real world …
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Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power
Book review: Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power, by Jefferson R. Cowie The title lays bare the real issue: Parse the expression, and then consider the paradox of whether Freedom and Dominion can truly co-exist. In this book Jefferson Cowie illustrates—across centuries of historical fact—that use of the word freedom as …
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American Character: A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good
Book review: American Character: A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good, by Colin Woodard This is required reading for anyone who wants to understand US history, as well as current day cultural and political conflicts. In this book, Colin Woodard provides anthropological ground truth recognizable by most anyone who’s …
How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman
Book review: Defeating the Dictators: How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman, by Charles Dunst In this book, Charles Dunst demonstrates why democracy is essential to all people’s well being and fulfillment. The author also points to how restoring democracy can be accomplished—in a world where authoritarianism is advancing in both world …
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We Need To Build
Book Review: We Need To Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy, by Eboo Patel This book may cause some people to rethink their basic assumptions about how to achieve the just society they properly desire. Eboo Patel offers essential perspectives that some white progressives (and those they’ve influenced) may have overlooked—or forgotten. When the dust …
Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America
Book Review: Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America, by Brendan Ballou Be prepared to be angry when you read this book. Many people are already aware that private equity companies are financial vultures and corporate cannibals. In this book Brendan Ballou draws the curtain back from the insatiable lust for financial gain of private …
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Moral Operating Systems: How Swing Voter’s Brains Work
Moral Operating Systems: How Swing Voter’s Brains Work by Antonia Scatton An article on SubStack from Reframing America This article takes George Lakoff’s book Don’t Think of an Elephant: Know your values and frame the debate and others, and puts it to practical use. Antonia Scatton employs the analogy of different phone operating systems: Democrats …
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