Steve Lacey's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 09 May 2025 06:00:19 -0700 60 Steve Lacey's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Seven Things You Can't Say About China]]> 216674647 #1 New York Times Bestseller

Senator Tom Cotton offers an unflinching look at the deadly threat of Communist China and reveals the truth about America’s most dangerous enemy. �

“As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I’m often asked if the threat from China is as bad as it seems. My answer is no—it’s worse than you can imagine.�

ĚýSeven Things You Can’t Say About China is Tom Cotton’s provocative exposĂ© about the gravest threat to American freedom. The media, Hollywood, academia, Wall Street, and most politicians can’t—or won’t—speak the truth about China. But Senator Cotton will, because America needs to know.

ĚýIn this hard-hitting book, he reveals what others refuse to say,

The inside story—drawn from his intelligence and national-security experience and knowledge—on how deeply the Chinese Communist Party has infiltrated America.How China persecutes Christians and commits genocide against religious and ethnic minorities.The alarming rise of China’s armed forces and nuclear arsenal, which will soon rival our own.The danger our children face from China’s influence on Hollywood, the NBA, TikTok, and so much more.How China lied, stole, and cheated its way to wealth while devastating America’s workers and businesses.ĚýSeven Things You Can’t Say About China sounds the alarm about Communist China’s carefully crafted plans to defeat America in the coming decade—and what we must do to fight back.]]> 206 Tom Cotton 0063392321 Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.80 Seven Things You Can't Say About China
author: Tom Cotton
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.80
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/09
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West]]> 213728752
From the Palantir co-founder, one of tech’s boldest thinkers and The Economist’s “best CEO of 2024,� and his deputy, a sweeping indictment of the West’s culture of complacency, arguing that timid leadership, intellectual fragility, and an unambitious view of technology’s potential in Silicon Valley have made the U.S. vulnerable in an era of mounting global threats.

“Not since Allan Bloom’s astonishingly successful 1987 book The Closing of the American Mind—more than one million copies sold—has there been a cultural critique as sweeping as Karp’s.”—George F. Will, The Washington Post

Silicon Valley has lost its way.

Our most brilliant engineering minds once collaborated with government to advance world-changing technologies. Their efforts secured the West’s dominant place in the geopolitical order. But that relationship has now eroded, with perilous repercussions.

Today, the market rewards shallow engagement with the potential of technology. Engineers and founders build photo-sharing apps and marketing algorithms, unwittingly becoming vessels for the ambitions of others. This complacency has spread into academia, politics, and the boardroom. The result? An entire generation for whom the narrow-minded pursuit of the demands of a late capitalist economy has become their calling.

In this groundbreaking treatise, Palantir co-founder and CEO Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska offer a searing critique of our collective abandonment of ambition, arguing that in order for the U.S. and its allies to retain their global edge—and preserve the freedoms we take for granted—the software industry must renew its commitment to addressing our most urgent challenges, including the new arms race of artificial intelligence. The government, in turn, must embrace the most effective features of the engineering mindset that has propelled Silicon Valley’s success.

Above all, our leaders must reject intellectual fragility and preserve space for ideological confrontation. A willingness to risk the disapproval of the crowd, Karp and Zamiska contend, has everything to do with technological and economic outperformance.

At once iconoclastic and rigorous, this book will also lift the veil on Palantir and its broader political project from the inside, offering a passionate call for the West to wake up to our new reality.]]> 390 Alexander C. Karp 0593798708 Steve Lacey 5 The technological Republic

Alex Karp is brilliant and focused and it shows in his interviews, the extraordinary growth of Palantir and in much more intellectual and inspiring depth in this marvelous book. Very important for a thinking America to read and heed. ]]> 4.08 The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West
author: Alexander C. Karp
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/06
date added: 2025/05/06
shelves:
review:
The technological Republic

Alex Karp is brilliant and focused and it shows in his interviews, the extraordinary growth of Palantir and in much more intellectual and inspiring depth in this marvelous book. Very important for a thinking America to read and heed.
]]> <![CDATA[Eight Days in May: The Final Collapse of the Third Reich]]> 58518227
In Eight Days in May, the award-winning historian and Hitler biographer Volker Ullrich draws on an astonishing variety of sources, including diaries and letters of ordinary Germans, to narrate a society's descent into Hobbesian chaos. In the town of Demmin in the north, residents succumbed to madness and committed mass suicide. In Berlin, Soviet soldiers raped German civilians on a near-unprecedented scale. In Nazi-occupied Prague, Czech insurgents led an uprising in the hope that General George S. Patton would come to their aid but were brutally put down by German units in the city. Throughout the remains of Third Reich, huge numbers of people were on the move, creating a surrealistic tableau: death marches of concentration-camp inmates crossed paths with retreating Wehrmacht soldiers and groups of refugees; columns of POWs encountered those of liberated slave laborers and bombed-out people returning home.

A taut, propulsive narrative, Eight Days in May takes us inside the phantomlike regime of Hitler's chosen successor, Admiral Karl Dönitz, revealing how the desperate attempt to impose order utterly failed, as frontline soldiers deserted and Nazi Party fanatics called on German civilians to martyr themselves in a last stand against encroaching Allied forces. In truth, however, the post-Hitler government represented continuity more than change: its leaders categorically refused to take responsibility for their crimes against humanity, an attitude typical not just of the Nazi elite but also of large segments of the German populace. The consequences would be severe. Eight Days in May is not only an indispensable account of the Nazi endgame, but a historic work that brilliantly examines the costs of mass delusion.]]> 336 Volker Ullrich 1631498282 Steve Lacey 4 Eight days in May

Nazi Germany, like the Civil War, is the train wreck I can’t help watching. This book takes a different and fascinating historical approach focused only on the last 8 days of the regime. Exceptionally informative, and ultimately unbelievably sad for the world that this happened. ]]> 4.40 2020 Eight Days in May: The Final Collapse of the Third Reich
author: Volker Ullrich
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/02
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves:
review:
Eight days in May

Nazi Germany, like the Civil War, is the train wreck I can’t help watching. This book takes a different and fascinating historical approach focused only on the last 8 days of the regime. Exceptionally informative, and ultimately unbelievably sad for the world that this happened.
]]> <![CDATA[Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants]]> 59959706
Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, a mother, and a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings - asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass - offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In a rich braid of reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.]]> 387 Robin Wall Kimmerer Steve Lacey 5 Braiding Sweetgrass

This is quite a book and like none other I have read. Robin is historically indigenous but also a professional botanist who teaches and does research at a university. I love the focus on reciprocity and gratitude. ]]> 4.49 2013 Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/27
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves:
review:
Braiding Sweetgrass

This is quite a book and like none other I have read. Robin is historically indigenous but also a professional botanist who teaches and does research at a university. I love the focus on reciprocity and gratitude.
]]> The Road to Character 36686305
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE ECONOMIST

With the wisdom, humor, curiosity, and sharp insights that have brought millions of readers to his New York Times column and his previous bestsellers, David Brooks has consistently illuminated our daily lives in surprising and original ways. In The Social Animal, he explored the neuroscience of human connection and how we can flourish together. Now, in The Road to Character, he focuses on the deeper values that should inform our lives.

Looking to some of the world’s greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, Brooks explores how, through internal struggle and a sense of their own limitations, they have built a strong inner character. Labor activist Frances Perkins understood the need to suppress parts of herself so that she could be an instrument in a larger cause. Dwight Eisenhower organized his life not around impulsive self-expression but considered self-restraint. Dorothy Day, a devout Catholic convert and champion of the poor, learned as a young woman the vocabulary of simplicity and surrender. Civil rights pioneers A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin learned reticence and the logic of self-discipline, the need to distrust oneself even while waging a noble crusade.

Blending psychology, politics, spirituality, and confessional, The Road to Character provides an opportunity for us to rethink our priorities, and strive to build rich inner lives marked by humility and moral depth.

“Joy,� David Brooks writes, “is a byproduct experienced by people who are aiming for something else. But it comes.”]]> 321 David Brooks Steve Lacey 5 The Road to Character

Brooks marvelous book is a must read for those of us who purport to guide youth, guide adults, or guide ourselves. What an inspiration in a host of ways. The first sentence is better than the first sentence of a Tale of Two Cities and that says a great deal!! “Recently, I have been thinking about the difference between resume virtues and eulogy virtues.� I typed that from memory but I’m sure it is close. It compelled to immediately stop reading and contemplate the profundity of the thought. Don’t miss this book. ]]> 3.91 2015 The Road to Character
author: David Brooks
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves:
review:
The Road to Character

Brooks marvelous book is a must read for those of us who purport to guide youth, guide adults, or guide ourselves. What an inspiration in a host of ways. The first sentence is better than the first sentence of a Tale of Two Cities and that says a great deal!! “Recently, I have been thinking about the difference between resume virtues and eulogy virtues.� I typed that from memory but I’m sure it is close. It compelled to immediately stop reading and contemplate the profundity of the thought. Don’t miss this book.
]]> The Complete Essays 36550317 483 Michel de Montaigne 989778215X Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.07 1580 The Complete Essays
author: Michel de Montaigne
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1580
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[The Life of Samuel Johnson (Annotated)]]> 60719406 "The Life of Samuel Johnson,� an ode to friendship and admiration by James Boswell
First published in 1791, “The Life of Samuel Johnson� is a biography of English writer Samuel Johnson written by his friend and admirer James Boswell. Boswell’s biography is considered by many scholars to be one of the finest pieces of biographical writing in the English language.
Boswell was acquainted with Samuel Johnson during his life but did not publish the work until seven years after Johnson’s death. The work was from the beginning a critical and popular success and represents a landmark in the development of the modern genre of biography.
Later research has shown that Boswell took liberties with some of Johnson’s quotations and censored important incidents from his biography. However, the level of detail included in the work makes it a valuable resource on Samuel Johnson and the eighteenth century.]]> 691 James Boswell Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 3.33 1790 The Life of Samuel Johnson (Annotated)
author: James Boswell
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1790
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale]]> 23803174 A beautiful gift edition of the heartwarming story that became the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life.For almost seventy years, people the world over have fallen in love with Frank Capra’s classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life. But few of those fans know that Capra’s film was based on a short story by author Philip Van Doren Stern, which came to Stern in a dream one night. Unable at first to find a publisher for his evocative tale about a man named George Pratt who ponders suicide until he receives an opportunity to see what the world would be like without him, Stern ultimately published the story in a small pamphlet and sent it out as his 1943 Christmas card. One of those 200 cards found its way into the hands of Frank Capra, who shared it with Jimmy Stewart, and the film that resulted became the holiday tradition we cherish today. Now fans of It’s a Wonderful Life, or anyone who loves the spirit of Christmas, can own the story that started it all in an elegant, illustrated edition that’s perfect for holiday giving. It includes an Afterword by Stern’s daughter, Marguerite Stern Robinson, that tells the story of how her father’s Christmas card became the movie beloved by generations of people around the world.]]> 65 Philip van Doren Stern Steve Lacey 5 The Greatest Gift

What a treat to read the original story that formed the basis of “It’s a Wonderful Life,� the inspiring and heartwarming movie starring Jimmy Stewart. I hope I remember to read this to grandkids next Christmas!!]]> 4.37 1943 The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale
author: Philip van Doren Stern
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1943
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:
The Greatest Gift

What a treat to read the original story that formed the basis of “It’s a Wonderful Life,� the inspiring and heartwarming movie starring Jimmy Stewart. I hope I remember to read this to grandkids next Christmas!!
]]> <![CDATA[Murder in la Famille: A Charles de la Forȇt Mystery (A Charles de la Forêt Mystery Book 4)]]> 229149083
In Murder in la Famille, Charles is in a race to unravel the most important mystery of his life. He must find the real killer and clear his sister’s name before the de la Garde family takes her head—and the murderer escapes without being punished for the crime.

For fans of historical fiction, mysteries, and the action of musketeer adventures, you can’t miss the fourth installment in the Charles de la Forêt Mystery series.]]> 328 Phillip Wray Steve Lacey 5 Murder in la Famille

Massively entertaining as usual for Wray! Every book, I get more interested in Charles and his adventures. I can hardly wait for the next book!!]]> 4.50 Murder in la Famille: A Charles de la Forȇt Mystery (A Charles de la Forêt Mystery Book 4)
author: Phillip Wray
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
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Murder in la Famille

Massively entertaining as usual for Wray! Every book, I get more interested in Charles and his adventures. I can hardly wait for the next book!!
]]> <![CDATA[Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System from Crisis â€� and Themselves]]> 9966432 Ěý
The brilliantly reportedĚý New York TimesĚý bestseller that goes behind the scenes of the financial crisis on Wall Street and in Washington to give the definitive account of the crisis, the basis for the HBO film
Ěý
â€� Too Big To FailĚý is too good to put down. . . . It is the story of the actors in the most extraordinary financial spectacle in 80 years, and it is told brilliantly.â€� —The Economist
Ěý
In one of the most gripping financial narratives in decades, Andrew Ross Sorkin—aĚý New York Times Ěýcolumnist and one of the country's most respected financial reporters—delivers the first definitive blow-by-blow account of the epochal economic crisis that brought the world to the brink. Through unprecedented access to the players involved, he re-creates all the drama and turmoil of these turbulent days, revealing never-before-disclosed details and recounting how, motivated as often by ego and greed as by fear and self-preservation, the most powerful men and women in finance and politics decided the fate of the world's economy.]]> 617 Andrew Ross Sorkin 1101443243 Steve Lacey 5 Too Big to Fail

What a fabulous collection of complex reporting and beautiful writing. As a long time Squawk Box junkie, I have come to massively appreciate Andrew Ross Sorkin’s approach to all things financial and political. I didn’t think it was possible but reading this incredible book has only increased my admiration. A must read for one who would understand the great financial crisis of 2007-8. ]]> 4.33 2009 Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System from Crisis — and Themselves
author: Andrew Ross Sorkin
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves:
review:
Too Big to Fail

What a fabulous collection of complex reporting and beautiful writing. As a long time Squawk Box junkie, I have come to massively appreciate Andrew Ross Sorkin’s approach to all things financial and political. I didn’t think it was possible but reading this incredible book has only increased my admiration. A must read for one who would understand the great financial crisis of 2007-8.
]]> <![CDATA[Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson]]> 34971437 AĚýNew York Times Book ReviewĚýNotable Book of 2017From the great historian of the American Revolution, New York Times-bestselling and Pulitzer-winning Gordon Wood, comes a majestic dual biography of two of America's most enduringly fascinating figures, whose partnership helped birth a nation, and whose subsequent falling out did much to fix its course.Thomas Jefferson and John Adams could scarcely have come from more different worlds, or been more different in temperament. Jefferson, the optimist with enough faith in the innate goodness of his fellow man to be democracy's champion, was an aristocratic Southern slaveowner, while Adams, the overachiever from New England's rising middling classes, painfully aware he was no aristocrat, was a skeptic about popular rule and a defender of a more elitist view of government. They worked closely in the crucible of revolution, crafting the Declaration of Independence and leading, with Franklin, the diplomatic effort that brought France into the fight. But ultimately, their profound differences would lead to a fundamental crisis, in their friendship and in the nation writ large, as they became the figureheads of two entirely new forces, the first American political parties. It was a bitter breach, lasting through the presidential administrations of both men, and beyond.ĚýBut late in life, something remarkable these two men were nudged into reconciliation. What started as a grudging trickle of correspondence became a great flood, and a friendship was rekindled, over the course of hundreds of letters. In their final years they were the last surviving founding fathers and cherished their role in this mighty young republic as it approached the half century mark in 1826. At last, on the afternoon of July 4th, 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration, Adams let out a sigh and said, "At least Jefferson still lives." He died soon thereafter. In fact, a few hours earlier on that same day, far to the south in his home in Monticello, Jefferson died as well.ĚýArguably no relationship in this country's history carries as much freight as that of John Adams of Massachusetts and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. Gordon Wood has more than done justice to these entwined lives and their meaning; he has written a magnificent new addition to America's collective story.]]> 512 Gordon S. Wood 0735224722 Steve Lacey 5 Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

What a marvelous, inspiring, challenging, depressing, and ebullient tome this is. An exceptional read for anyone interested in really understanding how we became America through the lives and interactions of these two founders. Don’t miss it. ]]> 4.35 2017 Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
author: Gordon S. Wood
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves:
review:
Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

What a marvelous, inspiring, challenging, depressing, and ebullient tome this is. An exceptional read for anyone interested in really understanding how we became America through the lives and interactions of these two founders. Don’t miss it.
]]> <![CDATA[Wealth and Justice: The Morality of Democratic Capitalism (Values and Capitalism)]]> 208505215 80 Arthur C. Brooks Steve Lacey 5 Wealth and Justice

Short and sweet and very powerful. His writing is consistently thoughtful, and fully accounts for the lessons learnable from history. Must read for Americans.]]> 5.00 2010 Wealth and Justice: The Morality of Democratic Capitalism (Values and Capitalism)
author: Arthur C. Brooks
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/06
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves:
review:
Wealth and Justice

Short and sweet and very powerful. His writing is consistently thoughtful, and fully accounts for the lessons learnable from history. Must read for Americans.
]]> <![CDATA[The Five Marks of a Man: Finding Your Path to Courageous Manhood(Book for Men on 5 Traits of Godly Masculinity)]]> 199418771 lives day to day, wants to be MVP, plays, wants the reassurance of the crowd, and is a predator. A man has a vision for his life, is a team player, works, has the courage to take a minority position, and is a protector. These are the five marks of a man. It's not enough to just know them. A real man aggressively pursues them on a daily basis.

Drawing from his own experience and the lives of others, pastor Brian Tome calls on men to examine themselves and take steps in the direction of a fully realized manhood that honors God, respects women, elevates others, and works purposefully for an end greater than their own satisfaction or pleasure. It's time for men to step into their honorable place in the world and lean into a new reality--one defined by strength, purpose, and honor.]]> 207 Brian Tome 149344820X Steve Lacey 5 The Five Marks of a Man

A must read for a man who would be a MAN in the deepest and most profound sense of the word. Gentleman, please for your sake and the sake of those you love, don’t miss reading and living out this book!!
]]> 4.41 The Five Marks of a Man: Finding Your Path to Courageous Manhood(Book for Men on 5 Traits of Godly Masculinity)
author: Brian Tome
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves:
review:
The Five Marks of a Man

A must read for a man who would be a MAN in the deepest and most profound sense of the word. Gentleman, please for your sake and the sake of those you love, don’t miss reading and living out this book!!

]]> Thinking, Fast and Slow 12385458 Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman, the renowned psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think.

System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. The impact of overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning our next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems shape our judgments and decisions.

Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives—and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Winner of the National Academy of Sciences Best Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and selected by The New York Times Book Review as one of the ten best books of 2011, Thinking, Fast and Slow is destined to be a classic.]]> 512 Daniel Kahneman 1429969350 Steve Lacey 5 Thinking, Fast and Slow

This is unequivocally one the best books I have ever read. Kahneman attempts and succeeds at distilling and unbelievably complex literature and era of discovery about how we think into memorable paradigms. It can help us recognize systematic errors we all have difficulty avoiding and recognize how others are likewise afflicted, the latter being easier than the former. The book probably is not accessible to everyone, but I heartily endorse everyone trying because of inestimable value. ]]> 4.20 2011 Thinking, Fast and Slow
author: Daniel Kahneman
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves:
review:
Thinking, Fast and Slow

This is unequivocally one the best books I have ever read. Kahneman attempts and succeeds at distilling and unbelievably complex literature and era of discovery about how we think into memorable paradigms. It can help us recognize systematic errors we all have difficulty avoiding and recognize how others are likewise afflicted, the latter being easier than the former. The book probably is not accessible to everyone, but I heartily endorse everyone trying because of inestimable value.
]]> <![CDATA[What I Learned Losing A Million Dollars]]> 23203711
This book -- winner of a 2014 Axiom Business Book award gold medal -- begins with the unbroken string of successes that helped Paul achieve a jet-setting lifestyle and land a key spot with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. It then describes the circumstances leading up to Paul's $1.6 million loss and the essential lessons he learned from it -- primarily that, although there are as many ways to make money in the markets as there are people participating in them, all losses come from the same few sources.

Investors lose money in the markets either because of errors in their analysis or because of psychological barriers preventing the application of analysis. While all analytical methods have some validity and make allowances for instances in which they do not work, psychological factors can keep an investor in a losing position, causing him to abandon one method for another in order to rationalize the decisions already made. Paul and Moynihan's cautionary tale includes strategies for avoiding loss tied to a simple framework for understanding, accepting, and dodging the dangers of investing, trading, and speculating.]]> 192 Jim Paul 0990530108 Steve Lacey 5 4.02 1994 What I Learned Losing A Million Dollars
author: Jim Paul
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1994
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Dorian Gray 20938967
The first version of The Picture of Dorian Gray was published as the lead story in the July 1890 edition of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, along with five others. The story begins with a man painting a picture of Gray. When Gray, who has a "face like ivory and rose leaves" sees his finished portrait he breaks down, distraught that his beauty will fade, but the portrait stay beautiful, inadvertently making a faustian bargain. For Wilde, the purpose of art would guide life if beauty alone were its object. Thus Gray's portrait allows him to escape the corporeal ravages of his hedonism, (and Miss Prism mistakes a baby for a book in The Importance of Being Earnest), Wilde sought to juxtapose the beauty he saw in art onto daily life.

Reviewers immediately criticised the novel's decadence and homosexual allusion, one in the The Daily Chronicle for example, called it “unclean,� “poisonous,� and “heavy with the mephitic odours of moral and spiritual putrefaction.� Wilde vigorously responded, writing to the Editor of the Scots Observer, he clarified his stance on ethicsr and aesthetics in art "If a work of art is rich and vital and complete, those who have artistic instincts will see its beauty and those to whom ethics appeal more strongly will see its moral lesson." He nevertheless revised it extensively for book publication in 1891: six new chapters were added, some overt decadence passages and homo-eroticism excised, and a preface consisting of twenty two epigrams, such as "Books are well written, or badly written. That is all. " was included. Contemporary reviewers and modern critics have postulated numerous possible sources of the story, a search Jershua McCormack argues is futile because Wilde "has tapped a root of Western folklore so deep and ubiquitous that the story has escaped its origins and returned to the oral tradition." Wilde claimed the plot was "an idea that is as old as the history of literature but to which I have given a new form". Modern critics have considered the novel to be technically mediocre: the conceit of the plot has guaranteed its fame, but the device is never pushed to its full.
]]> 145 Oscar Wilde Steve Lacey 5 Dorian Gray

No one needs my endorsement to have heard rightly that Dorian Gray is a disturbing masterpiece. To little effect, I add my voice to the just chorus. ]]> 4.00 1890 Dorian Gray
author: Oscar Wilde
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1890
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
Dorian Gray

No one needs my endorsement to have heard rightly that Dorian Gray is a disturbing masterpiece. To little effect, I add my voice to the just chorus.
]]> <![CDATA[The Dressmaker Murder: A Gabrielle Boucher Mystery]]> 203948560 49 Phillip L. Wray Steve Lacey 5 The Dressmake Murder

A very entertaining story and advancement of Gabrielle’s character in the Charles de la Foret series. I am very eager for the next full novel in the series. When is it coming out Phillip??]]> 4.25 The Dressmaker Murder: A Gabrielle Boucher Mystery
author: Phillip L. Wray
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
The Dressmake Murder

A very entertaining story and advancement of Gabrielle’s character in the Charles de la Foret series. I am very eager for the next full novel in the series. When is it coming out Phillip??
]]> <![CDATA[On Liberty and the Subjection of Women]]> 19174028 293 John Stuart Mill 0141945613 Steve Lacey 5 On Liberty and The Subjection of Women

These books have been widely acclaimed for over 150 yrs and they are surely worthy. J. S. Mill was ahead of his time and likely pulled the western world closer to his expansive and visionary assessment of how things are and how they should be. I add my feeble voice to the chorus of those singing his praise for over 100 yrs. ]]> 4.04 1869 On Liberty and the Subjection of Women
author: John Stuart Mill
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1869
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves:
review:
On Liberty and The Subjection of Women

These books have been widely acclaimed for over 150 yrs and they are surely worthy. J. S. Mill was ahead of his time and likely pulled the western world closer to his expansive and visionary assessment of how things are and how they should be. I add my feeble voice to the chorus of those singing his praise for over 100 yrs.
]]> <![CDATA[What So Proudly We Hail: The American Soul in Story, Speech, and Song]]> 156375081 "A stupendous compilation of the best things said by and to Americans . . . [I] open it every night at random and always find something valuable." —Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal

"Indispensable . . . Should become The Book of Virtues for patriots." —Mona Charen, nationally syndicated columnist

Concerned about rising cynicism and apathy, more and more Americans lament the decline in patriotic feeling and civic engagement. Fortunately, this wonderfully rich anthology is here to help all Americans realize more deeply—and appreciate more fully—who they are as citizens of the United States.At once inspiring and thought provoking, What So Proudly We Hail explores American identity, character, and civic life using the soul-shaping power of story, speech, and song. Editors Amy Kass, Leon Kass, and Diana Schaub—acclaimed scholars who among them have more than a century of teaching experience—have assembled dozens of selections by our country's greatest writers and leaders, from Mark Twain to John Updike, from George Washington to Theodore Roosevelt, from Willa Cather to Flannery O'Connor, from Benjamin Franklin to Martin Luther King Jr., from Francis Scott Key to Irving Berlin.Featuring the editors' insightful and instructive commentary, What So Proudly We Hail illuminates our national identity, the American creed, the American character, and the virtues and aspirations of active citizenship. This marvelous book will spark much-needed discussion and reflection in living rooms, classrooms, and reading groups everywhere.]]> 811 Amy A. Kass 1684516641 Steve Lacey 5 What So Proudly We Hail

What an inspiring and challenging anthology that captures being an American in all the best senses! Must read. I believe Peggy Noonan suggested keeping it by the bedside and reading one piece every night before bed. Truly a great idea.]]> 4.33 2011 What So Proudly We Hail: The American Soul in Story, Speech, and Song
author: Amy A. Kass
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves:
review:
What So Proudly We Hail

What an inspiring and challenging anthology that captures being an American in all the best senses! Must read. I believe Peggy Noonan suggested keeping it by the bedside and reading one piece every night before bed. Truly a great idea.
]]> The Circle 18659415 The Circle is the exhilarating new novel from Dave Eggers, best-selling author ofĚýA Hologram for the King,Ěý a finalist for the National Book Award.
Ěý
When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users� personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.]]> 524 Dave Eggers 0385351402 Steve Lacey 5 3.59 2013 The Circle
author: Dave Eggers
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius]]> 57584149 A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is the unique, moving memoir of a college senior who, in the space of five weeks, loses both of his parents to cancer and inherits his eight-year-old brother. In his distinctive style unlike any other memoir, Egger's story is an exhilarating debut that manages to be simultaneously hilarious and wildly inventive, as well as a deeply heartfelt story of the love that holds a family together.]]> 426 Dave Eggers Steve Lacey 3 A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

I understand this book is his best. It is surely not my cup of tea, way too much stream of consciousness for my test. Unfortunately, I grew weary of the constant cursing that detracted from the story for me as well. Next, I read the The Circle. ]]> 3.40 2000 A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
author: Dave Eggers
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves:
review:
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

I understand this book is his best. It is surely not my cup of tea, way too much stream of consciousness for my test. Unfortunately, I grew weary of the constant cursing that detracted from the story for me as well. Next, I read the The Circle.
]]> <![CDATA[All Minus One: John Stuart Mill's Ideas on Free Speech]]> 57981827 78 Jonathan Haidt Steve Lacey 5 4.42 All Minus One: John Stuart Mill's Ideas on Free Speech
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Certain Idea of America: Selected Writings]]> 214932378 From Pulitzer-prize winning Wall Street Journal columnist and New York Times bestselling author Peggy Noonan, a masterclass in how to see and love America.

For a quarter century, Peggy Noonan has been thinking aloud about America in her much-loved Wall Street Journal column. In this new collection of her essential recent work, Noonan demonstrates the erudition, wisdom and humor that have made her one of America’s most admired writers.

She calls balls and strikes on the political shenanigans of recent leaders and she honors the integrity of great Americans, ranging from Billy Graham to the heroes of 9/11.Ěý A thinker who never allows her tenderness to slip into sentimentality, she writes with clear-eyed urgency about the internal and external dangers facing our republic. She sometimes writes with indignation, but above all she writes with loveâ€� and an enduring faith that America can be its best self, that its ideals are worth protecting,Ěý and that beauty and heroism can be found in our neighbors, in our history,Ěý and in ourselves. This book is a celebration of what America has been, is, and can be.]]> 351 Peggy Noonan 0593854780 Steve Lacey 5 A Certain Idea of America

Peggy Noonan’s collected of favorite columns is outstanding and that is not the least surprising. It is full of common sense and calls to reclaim expectations that would help us tremendously if followed. Alas, I they won’t be, but if they are to be, we need Peggy’s voice and more like hers. ]]> 4.26 2024 A Certain Idea of America: Selected Writings
author: Peggy Noonan
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves:
review:
A Certain Idea of America

Peggy Noonan’s collected of favorite columns is outstanding and that is not the least surprising. It is full of common sense and calls to reclaim expectations that would help us tremendously if followed. Alas, I they won’t be, but if they are to be, we need Peggy’s voice and more like hers.
]]> <![CDATA[Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future]]> 61272291 A groundbreaking, revelatory portrait of the six generations that currently live in the United States and how they connect, conflict, and compete with one another—from the acclaimed author of Generation Me and iGen

The United States is currently home to six generations: the Silents, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z, and Generation Alpha. They have had vastly different life experiences and thus, one assumes, they must have vastly diverging beliefs and behaviors--but what are those differences, what causes them, and how deep do they actually run?

Professor of psychology Jean Twenge does a deep dive into a treasure trove of long-running, government-funded surveys and databases to answer these questions. Are we truly defined by major historical events, such as the Great Depression for the Silents and September 11 for Millennials? Or, as Twenge argues, is it the rapid evolution of technology that differentiates the generations?

With her clear-eyed and insightful voice, Twenge explores what the Silents and Boomers want out of the rest of their lives; how Gen X-ers are facing middle age; the ideals of Millennials as parents and in the workplace; and how Gen Z has been changed by COVID-19, among other fascinating topics. Surprising, engaging, and informative, Generations will forever change the way you view your parents, peers, coworkers, and children, no matter what your generation.]]> 549 Jean M. Twenge 198218163X Steve Lacey 5 Generations

Twenge wrote an even better book than iGen. I highly recommend this book especially for Boomers who want to understand and help young people better and for parents of youngsters preparing to aid the kids in navigating the minefield of technology they are tip-toeing through. ]]> 4.29 2023 Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future
author: Jean M. Twenge
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves:
review:
Generations

Twenge wrote an even better book than iGen. I highly recommend this book especially for Boomers who want to understand and help young people better and for parents of youngsters preparing to aid the kids in navigating the minefield of technology they are tip-toeing through.
]]> <![CDATA[iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us]]> 35707221 Generation Me.

With generational divides wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today’s rising generation of teens and young adults. Born in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s and later, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person—perhaps why they are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

But technology is not the only thing that makes iGen distinct from every generation before them; they are also different in how they spend their time, how they behave, and in their attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. They socialize in completely new ways, reject once sacred social taboos, and want different things from their lives and careers. More than previous generations, they are obsessed with safety, focused on tolerance, and have no patience for inequality. iGen is also growing up more slowly than previous generations: eighteen-year-olds look and act like fifteen-year-olds used to.

As this new group of young people grows into adulthood, we all need to understand them: Friends and family need to look out for them; businesses must figure out how to recruit them and sell to them; colleges and universities must know how to educate and guide them. And members of iGen also need to understand themselves as they communicate with their elders and explain their views to their older peers. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation—and the world.]]> 527 Jean M. Twenge Steve Lacey 5 iGen

This book was highly recommended and frequently quoted by Haidt in “The Anxious Generation.� Both books are superbly researched, synthesized with nuance, and profoundly important for current parents and in my case grandparents and youth leaders. Both of these books will meaningfully shape my interactions with youth in the organizations I serve. Stunning!]]> 4.03 2017 iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us
author: Jean M. Twenge
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:
iGen

This book was highly recommended and frequently quoted by Haidt in “The Anxious Generation.� Both books are superbly researched, synthesized with nuance, and profoundly important for current parents and in my case grandparents and youth leaders. Both of these books will meaningfully shape my interactions with youth in the organizations I serve. Stunning!
]]> <![CDATA[Incerto 5-Book Bundle: Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, The Bed of Procrustes, Antifragile, Skin in the Game]]> 57202894 The landmark five-book series—all together in oneĚýebook bundleThe Incerto is an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision making when we don’t understand the world, expressed in the form of a personal essay with autobiographical sections, stories, parables, and philosophical, historical, and scientific discussions, in non-overlapping volumes that can be accessed in any order. The main thread is that while there is inordinate uncertainty about what is going on, there is great certainty as to what one should do about it.This ebook bundle FOOLED BY RANDOMNESSTHE BLACK SWANTHE BED OF PROCRUSTESANTIFRAGILESKIN IN THE GAME]]> 1872 Nassim Nicholas Taleb 0593243668 Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.69 Incerto 5-Book Bundle: Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, The Bed of Procrustes, Antifragile, Skin in the Game
author: Nassim Nicholas Taleb
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.69
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting up a Generation for Failure]]> 36556202
First Amendment expert Greg Lukianoff and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt show how the new problems on campus have their origins in three terrible ideas that have become increasingly woven into American childhood and what doesn’t kill you makes you weaker; always trust your feelings; and life is a battle between good people and evil people. These three Great Untruths are incompatible with basic psychological principles, as well as ancient wisdom from many cultures. They interfere with healthy development. Anyone who embraces these untruths—and the resulting culture of safetyism—is less likely to become an autonomous adult able to navigate the bumpy road of life.

Lukianoff and Haidt investigate the many social trends that have intersected to produce these untruths. They situate the conflicts on campus in the context of America’s rapidly rising political polarization, including a rise in hate crimes and off-campus provocation. They explore changes in childhood including the rise of fearful parenting, the decline of unsupervised play, and the new world of social media that has engulfed teenagers in the last decade.

This is a book for anyone who is confused by what is happening on college campuses today, or has children, or is concerned about the growing inability of Americans to live, work, and cooperate across party lines.]]> 352 Jonathan Haidt 0735224900 Steve Lacey 5 The Coddling of the American Mind

This is my fourth book in the last two weeks by Jonathan Haidt. The man can research, think, and write like crazy. I want to read everything of his I can get my hands on. ]]> 4.23 2018 The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting up a Generation for Failure
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:
The Coddling of the American Mind

This is my fourth book in the last two weeks by Jonathan Haidt. The man can research, think, and write like crazy. I want to read everything of his I can get my hands on.
]]> <![CDATA[An Eye for an Eye (William Warwick #7)]]> 199239850
Thousands of miles away, in the leafy Berkshire countryside, Lord Hartley, the latest in a line of peers going back over two hundred years, lies dying. But his will triggers an inheritance with explosive consequences.

Two deaths. Continents apart. Completely unrelated.

So why are they at the centre of a master criminal's plot for revenge?

And can Scotland Yard’s Chief Superintendent William Warwick uncover the truth before an innocent man's life and legacy are destroyed?]]> 384 Jeffrey Archer 000864019X Steve Lacey 5 An Eye for an Eye

In the best sense, a typical Jeffrey Archer thriller. It hard to not massively enjoy his books. While they are not literary masterpieces, they are really fun and this one continues the superb tradition. ]]> 4.13 2024 An Eye for an Eye (William Warwick #7)
author: Jeffrey Archer
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves:
review:
An Eye for an Eye

In the best sense, a typical Jeffrey Archer thriller. It hard to not massively enjoy his books. While they are not literary masterpieces, they are really fun and this one continues the superb tradition.
]]> <![CDATA[The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion]]> 15992204 The Righteous Mind, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the origins of our divisions and points the way forward to mutual understanding.
Ěý
His starting point is moral intuition—the nearly instantaneous perceptions we all have about other people and the things they do. These intuitions feel like self-evident truths, making us righteously certain that those who see things differently are wrong. Haidt shows us how these intuitions differ across cultures, including the cultures of the political left and right. He blends his own research findings with those of anthropologists, historians, and other psychologists to draw a map of the moral domain, and he explains why conservatives can navigate that map more skillfully than can liberals. He then examines the origins of morality, overturning the view that evolution made us fundamentally selfish creatures. But rather than arguing that we are innately altruistic, he makes a more subtle claim—that we are fundamentally groupish. It is our groupishness, he explains, that leads to our greatest joys, our religious divisions, and our political affiliations. In a stunning final chapter on ideology and civility, Haidt shows what each side is right about, and why we need the insights of liberals, conservatives, and libertarians to flourish as a nation.]]> 530 Jonathan Haidt 0307907031 Steve Lacey 5 The Righteous Mind

This is his third book I have read very recently and they are all terrific. This book seems to me very important reading generally. I felt the same about “The Anxious Generation.� It is not common for me to declare books “important� generally, but both of these are. I hope many, many more people read them. They could all of us and the nation if heeded. ]]> 4.34 2012 The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves:
review:
The Righteous Mind

This is his third book I have read very recently and they are all terrific. This book seems to me very important reading generally. I felt the same about “The Anxious Generation.� It is not common for me to declare books “important� generally, but both of these are. I hope many, many more people read them. They could all of us and the nation if heeded.
]]> <![CDATA[The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom]]> 10809340 "The most brilliant and lucid analysis of virtue and well-being in the entire literature of positive psychology. For the reader who seeks to understand happiness, my advice Begin with Haidt."ĚýĚý—Martin E.P. Seligman, University of Pennsylvania and author of Authentic HappinessThe HappinessĚýHypothesisĚýis a book about ten Great Ideas. Each chapter is an attempt to savor one idea that has been discovered by several of the world's civilizationsâ€�to question it in light of what we now know from scientific research, and to extract from it the lessons that still apply to our modern lives and illuminate the causes of human flourishing. Award-winning psychologist Jonathan Haidt shows how a deeper understanding of the world's philosophical wisdom and its enduring maximsâ€�like "do unto others as you would have others do unto you," or "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"â€�can enrich and transform our lives.]]> 416 Jonathan Haidt Steve Lacey 5 The Happiness Hypothesis

This is an old of Haidt’s books (relative esp to The Anxious Generation) so it is very interesting to biopsy his thinking from say 2006 on the research of the ancient’s and the scientists regarding happiness. This book was and will be incredibly valuable to me. I can’t wait to read another of his books. ]]> 4.26 2006 The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/13
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves:
review:
The Happiness Hypothesis

This is an old of Haidt’s books (relative esp to The Anxious Generation) so it is very interesting to biopsy his thinking from say 2006 on the research of the ancient’s and the scientists regarding happiness. This book was and will be incredibly valuable to me. I can’t wait to read another of his books.
]]> <![CDATA[The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness]]> 181250294 THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

From New York Times bestselling coauthor ofĚýThe Coddling of the American Mind, an essential investigation into the collapse of youth mental health—and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.

“Erudite, engaging, combative, crusading.� �New York Times Book Review

“Words that chill the parental heartâ€� Ěýthanks to Mr. Haidt, we can glimpse the true horror of what happened not only in the U.S. but also elsewhere in the English-speaking worldâ€� lucid, memorableâ€� galvanizing.â€� â€�Wall Street Journal

"[An] important new book...The shift in kidsâ€� energy and attention from the physical world to the virtual one, Haidt shows, has been catastrophic, especially for girls."Ěý—Michelle Goldberg, The New York Times

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?

In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood� began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood� in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood� has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.

Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems� that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.

Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes—communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children—and ourselves—from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.]]> 395 Jonathan Haidt 0593655044 Steve Lacey 5 The Anxious Generation

I have been personally successful in reading books I enjoy and get a lot out of, so I can sound like a pollyanna liking everything I read. This book got more recommendations from other books and friends than any book I have read in a long time. It stood up amazingly well. This book is not merely excellent, it is profoundly IMPORTANT. I view this as a must read for a very wide audience. Our entire country, the current and coming young generations could be dramatically impacted for the good by the whole reading this and acting on it. PLEASE READ!!!]]> 4.38 2024 The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/10
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves:
review:
The Anxious Generation

I have been personally successful in reading books I enjoy and get a lot out of, so I can sound like a pollyanna liking everything I read. This book got more recommendations from other books and friends than any book I have read in a long time. It stood up amazingly well. This book is not merely excellent, it is profoundly IMPORTANT. I view this as a must read for a very wide audience. Our entire country, the current and coming young generations could be dramatically impacted for the good by the whole reading this and acting on it. PLEASE READ!!!
]]> <![CDATA[Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life]]> 56031730 The companion volume to 12 Rules for Life offers further guidance on the perilous path of modern life.ĚýĚýInĚý12 Rules for Life, clinical psychologistĚýand celebrated professor at Harvard andĚýthe University of Toronto Dr. Jordan B.ĚýPeterson helped millions of readers imposeĚýorder on the chaos of their lives. Now, inĚýthis bold sequel, Peterson delivers twelveĚýmore lifesaving principles for resisting theĚýexhausting toll that our desire to order theĚýworld inevitably takes.ĚýIn a time when the human will increasinglyĚýimposes itself over every sphere ofĚýlife—from our social structures to our emotionalĚýstates—Peterson warns that too muchĚýsecurity is dangerous. What’s more, he offersĚýstrategies for overcoming the cultural, scientific,Ěýand psychological forces causing us toĚýtend toward tyranny, and teaches us how toĚýrely insteadĚýon our instinct to find meaningĚýand purpose, even—and especially—when weĚýfind ourselves powerless.ĚýWhile chaos, in excess, threatens us withĚýinstability and anxiety, unchecked order canĚýpetrify us into submission.ĚýBeyond Order providesĚýa call to balance these two fundamentalĚýprinciples of reality itself, and guidesĚýus along the straight and narrow path thatĚýdivides them.ĚýĚý]]> 432 Jordan B. Peterson 0593084659 Steve Lacey 5 Beyond Order: 12 more rules for Life

Jordan Peterson hit another home run with his second set of 12 “rules.� The book is riddled with common sense blended with a thoughtful and scientific approach to psychology. I personally wish everyone would read these two books along with the books of Arthur Brooks and that juxtaposition is high praise from me indeed. ]]> 4.46 2021 Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life
author: Jordan B. Peterson
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves:
review:
Beyond Order: 12 more rules for Life

Jordan Peterson hit another home run with his second set of 12 “rules.� The book is riddled with common sense blended with a thoughtful and scientific approach to psychology. I personally wish everyone would read these two books along with the books of Arthur Brooks and that juxtaposition is high praise from me indeed.
]]> <![CDATA[12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos]]> 33792742
What are the most valuable things that everyone should know?

Acclaimed clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson has influenced the modern understanding of personality, and now he has become one of the world's most popular public thinkers, with his lectures on topics from the Bible to romantic relationships to mythology drawing tens of millions of viewers. In an era of unprecedented change and polarizing politics, his frank and refreshing message about the value of individual responsibility and ancient wisdom has resonated around the world.

In this book, he provides twelve profound and practical principles for how to live a meaningful life, from setting your house in order before criticising others to comparing yourself to who you were yesterday, not someone else today. Happiness is a pointless goal, he shows us. Instead we must search for meaning, not for its own sake, but as a defence against the suffering that is intrinsic to our existence.

Drawing on vivid examples from the author's clinical practice and personal life, cutting edge psychology and philosophy, and lessons from humanity's oldest myths and stories, 12 Rules for Life offers a deeply rewarding antidote to the chaos in our eternal truths applied to our modern problems.]]> 432 Jordan B. Peterson 0345816048 Steve Lacey 5 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

This is the first of his books that I have read and as endorsed by my adult children, it is superb. I can hardly wait to start and finish its� sequel ]]> 4.20 2018 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
author: Jordan B. Peterson
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves:
review:
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

This is the first of his books that I have read and as endorsed by my adult children, it is superb. I can hardly wait to start and finish its� sequel
]]> <![CDATA[The Making of the Atomic Bomb: 25th Anniversary Edition]]> 18634812
Few great discoveries have evolved so swiftly -- or have been so misunderstood. From the theoretical discussions of nuclear energy to the bright glare of Trinity there was a span of hardly more than twenty-five years. What began as merely an interesting speculative problem in physics grew into the Manhattan Project, and then into the Bomb with frightening rapidity, while scientists known only to their peers -- Szilard, Teller, Oppenheimer, Bohr, Meitner, Fermi, Lawrence, and yon Neumann -- stepped from their ivory towers into the limelight.

Richard Rhodes takes us on that journey step by step, minute by minute, and gives us the definitive story of man's most awesome discovery and invention.]]> 1499 Richard Rhodes Steve Lacey 5 The Making of the Atomic Bomb

It is no wonder that Rhodes won a Pulitzer Prize for the extraordinary book about extraordinary discovery and events. The paradoxes of modern life have never been clarified so well. ]]> 4.52 1986 The Making of the Atomic Bomb: 25th Anniversary Edition
author: Richard Rhodes
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.52
book published: 1986
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/29
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves:
review:
The Making of the Atomic Bomb

It is no wonder that Rhodes won a Pulitzer Prize for the extraordinary book about extraordinary discovery and events. The paradoxes of modern life have never been clarified so well.
]]> <![CDATA[By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission]]> 25430204 The American way of life, built on individual liberty and limited government, is on life support.

American freedom is being gutted. Whether we are trying to run a business, practice a vocation, raise our families, cooperate with our neighbors, or follow our religious beliefs, we run afoul of the government—not because we are doing anything wrong but because the government has decided it knows better. When we object, that government can and does tell us, “Try to fight this, and we’ll ruin you.�

In this provocative book, acclaimed social scientist and bestselling author Charles Murray shows us why we can no longer hope to roll back the power of the federal government through the normal political process. The Constitution is broken in ways that cannot be fixed even by a sympathetic Supreme Court. Our legal system is increasingly lawless, unmoored from traditional ideas of “the rule of law.”ĚýThe legislative process has become systemically corrupt no matter which party is in control.

But there’s good news beyond the Beltway. Technology is siphoning power from sclerotic government agencies and putting it in the hands of individuals and communities. The rediversification of American culture is making local freedom attractive to liberals as well as conservatives. People across the political spectrum are increasingly alienated from a regulatory state that nakedly serves its own interests rather than those of ordinary Americans.

The even better news is that federal government has a fatal It can get away with its thousands of laws and regulations only if the overwhelming majority of Americans voluntarily comply with them. Murray describes how civil disobedience backstopped by legal defense funds can make largeĚýportions of the 180,000-page Federal Code of Regulations unenforceable, through a targeted program that identifies regulations that arbitrarily and capriciously tell us what to do. Americans have it within their power to make the federal government an insurable hazard like hurricanes and floods, leaving us once again free to live our lives as we see fit.By the People’s hopeful message is that rebuilding our traditional freedoms does not require electing a right-thinking Congress or president, nor does it require five right-thinking justices on the Supreme Court. It can be done by we the people, using America’s unique civil society to put government back in its proper box.Ěý]]> 338 Charles Murray 0385346522 Steve Lacey 5 4.28 2015 By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission
author: Charles Murray
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/20
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves:
review:

]]> Profiles in Courage 18891190 Written in 1955 by the then junior senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage has served as a clarion call to every American. A collection of eight inspiring, unsung, and heroic acts by American patriots at different junctures in our nation's history, Kennedy's book became required reading and an instant classic and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Now, a half-century later, it remains a moving, powerful, and relevant testament to the indomitable national spirit and an unparalleled celebration of that most noble of human virtues.

Along with vintage photographs and an extensive author biography, this book features Kennedy's correspondence about the writing project, contemporary reviews, a letter from Ernest Hemingway, and two rousing speeches from recipients of the Profile in Courage Award.

]]> 272 John F. Kennedy 0062339095 Steve Lacey 5 Profiles in Courage

I last read Kennedy’s book in high school, lo these many years ago and it was powerful then as it is powerful now. After years of fascination with 19th century America and the supposedly “unprecedented� division of our current politics, this book took on a new intensity. It is clearly laughable that modern stress in politics is unprecedented. There is plenty of precedent but not plenty of awareness. The courageous senators Kennedy lifts before are inspiration that should move us all. ]]> 4.18 1955 Profiles in Courage
author: John F. Kennedy
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1955
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves:
review:
Profiles in Courage

I last read Kennedy’s book in high school, lo these many years ago and it was powerful then as it is powerful now. After years of fascination with 19th century America and the supposedly “unprecedented� division of our current politics, this book took on a new intensity. It is clearly laughable that modern stress in politics is unprecedented. There is plenty of precedent but not plenty of awareness. The courageous senators Kennedy lifts before are inspiration that should move us all.
]]> <![CDATA[American Sketches: Great Leaders, Creative Thinkers & Heroes of a Hurricane]]> 10844143 One of America's most versatile writers, author of bestselling biographies such as Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin, has assembled a gallery of portraits of (mostly) Americans that celebreate genius, talent, and versatility, and traces his own education as a writer and biographer.In this collection of essays, the brilliant, acclaimed biographer Walter Isaacson reflects on lessons to be learned from Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton, and other interesting characters he has chronicled both as biographer and journalist. The people he writes about have an awesome intelligence, but that is not the secret to their success. They had qualities that were even more rare, such as imagination and true curiousity. Isaacson also reflects on how he became a writer, the lessons he learned from various people he met, and the challenges for journalism in the digital age. He also offers loving tributes to his hometown of New Orleans, which offers many of the ingredients for a creative culture, and to the Louisiana novelist Walker Percy, who was an early mentor. In an anecdotal and personal way, Isaacson describes the joys of writing and the way that tales about the lives of fascinating people can enlighten our own lives.]]> 308 Walter Isaacson 1439183457 Steve Lacey 5 American Sketches

I am an unabashed fan of Walter Isaacson so it is possible that anything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. Still, this collection of his marvelous is warm-hearted, profound, challenging, and inspiring. It is strange to say but he reminds me of Arthur Brooks and it is hard for me to to praise more highly. His subjects are massively different but like Brooks everything he writes is infused with a spirit of joy and optimism and confidence that our nation can be a community. ]]> 4.00 2009 American Sketches: Great Leaders, Creative Thinkers & Heroes of a Hurricane
author: Walter Isaacson
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves:
review:
American Sketches

I am an unabashed fan of Walter Isaacson so it is possible that anything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. Still, this collection of his marvelous is warm-hearted, profound, challenging, and inspiring. It is strange to say but he reminds me of Arthur Brooks and it is hard for me to to praise more highly. His subjects are massively different but like Brooks everything he writes is infused with a spirit of joy and optimism and confidence that our nation can be a community.
]]> <![CDATA[In Too Deep (Jack Reacher #29)]]> 204433643 The gripping new Jack Reacher thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew ChildReacher wakes up, alone, in the dark, handcuffed to a bed in a makeshift hospital room. His few possessions are gone. He has no memory of getting there. The last thing he can recall is the car he had hitched a ride in getting run off the road. The driver was killed. The people who staged the attack assume Reacher was the driver's accomplice and patch up his wounds as they plan to make him talk. A plan that will backfire spectacularly . . .]]> Lee Child 0593725816 Steve Lacey 5 In Too Deep

A very typical, fun, quick read, Jack Reacher thriller. Not better not worse. It was very entertaining as all of them have been. Generally, I think too many thrillers are dusting off nuclear story lines, but oh well. I’ll read the next for sure too. ]]> 4.16 2024 In Too Deep (Jack Reacher #29)
author: Lee Child
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/29
date added: 2024/10/29
shelves:
review:
In Too Deep

A very typical, fun, quick read, Jack Reacher thriller. Not better not worse. It was very entertaining as all of them have been. Generally, I think too many thrillers are dusting off nuclear story lines, but oh well. I’ll read the next for sure too.
]]> There Are Rivers in the Sky 202469593 From the Booker Prize finalist author of The Island of Missing Trees, an enchanting new tale about three characters living along two rivers, all under the shadow of one of the greatest epic poems of all time. "Make place for Elif Shafak on your bookshelf... you won't regret it." (Arundhati Roy)

In the ancient city of Nineveh, on the bank of the River Tigris, King Ashurbanipal of Mesopotamia, erudite but ruthless, built a great library that would crumble with the end of his reign. From its ruins, however, emerged a poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh, that would infuse the existence of two rivers and bind together three lives.Ěý

In 1840 London, Arthur is born beside the stinking, sewage-filled River Thames. With an abusive, alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother, Arthur’s only chance of escaping destitution is his brilliant memory. When his gift earns him a spot as an apprentice at a leading publisher, Arthur’s world opens up far beyond the slums, and one book in particular catches his Nineveh and Its Remains.

In 2014 Turkey, Narin, a ten-year-old Yazidi girl, is diagnosed with a rare disorder that will soon cause her to go deaf. Before that happens, her grandmother is determined to baptize her in a sacred Iraqi temple. But with the rising presence of ISIS and the destruction of the family’s ancestral lands along the Tigris, Narin is running out of time.Ěý

In 2018 London, the newly divorced Zaleekah, a hydrologist, moves into a houseboat on the Thames to escape her husband. Orphaned and raised by her wealthy uncle, Zaleekah had made the decision to take her own life in one month, until a curious book about her homeland changes everything.ĚýĚý

A dazzling feat of storytelling, There Are Rivers in the Sky entwines these outsiders with a single drop of water, a drop which remanifests across the centuries. Both a source of life and harbinger of death, rivers—the Tigris and the Thames—transcend history, transcend “Water remembers. It is humans who forget.”]]> 498 Elif Shafak 0593801725 Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.40 2024 There Are Rivers in the Sky
author: Elif Shafak
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Body: A Guide for Occupants]]> 43611499 Bill Bryson, bestselling author of A Short History of Nearly Everything, takes us on a head-to-toe tour of the marvel that is the human body—with a new afterword for this edition.

Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body—how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately) the ways it can fail. Full of extraordinary facts (your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this) and irresistible Brysonesque anecdotes, The Body will lead you to a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular.

As Bill Bryson writes, “We pass our existence within this wobble of flesh and yet take it almost entirely for granted.� The Body will cure that indifference with generous doses of wondrous, compulsively readable facts and information. As addictive as it is comprehensive, this is Bryson at his very best, a must-read owner’s manual for every body.]]> 478 Bill Bryson Steve Lacey 5 The Body

Bryson has accomplished another tour-de-force. As a physician and physics amateur, he breadth writing science palatable to the masses is truly remarkable. Don’t stop writing Bill!!]]> 4.41 2019 The Body: A Guide for Occupants
author: Bill Bryson
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves:
review:
The Body

Bryson has accomplished another tour-de-force. As a physician and physics amateur, he breadth writing science palatable to the masses is truly remarkable. Don’t stop writing Bill!!
]]> <![CDATA[Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets (Incerto, #1)]]> 8536015 Fooled by Randomness is a standalone book in Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand. The other books in the series are The Black Swan, Antifragile, Skin in the Game,Ěýand The Bed of Procrustes.Fooled by Randomness is the word-of-mouth sensation that will change the way you think about business and the world. Nassim Nicholas Taleb–veteran trader, renowned risk expert, polymathic scholar, erudite raconteur, and New York Times bestselling author of The Black Swan–has written a modern classic that turns on its head what we believe about luck and skill. This book is about luck–or more precisely, about how we perceive and deal with luck in life and business. Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill–the world of trading–Fooled by Randomness provides captivating insight into one of the least understood factors in all our lives. Writing in an entertaining narrative style, the author tackles major intellectual issues related to the underestimation of the influence of happenstance on our lives. The book is populated with an array of characters, some of whom have grasped, in their own way, the significance of the baseball legend Yogi Berra; the philosopher of knowledge Karl Popper; the ancient world’s wisest man, Solon; the modern financier George Soros; and the Greek voyager Odysseus. We also meet the fictional Nero, who seems to understand the role of randomness in his professional life but falls victim to his own superstitious foolishness. However, the most recognizable character of all remains unnamed–the lucky fool who happens to be in the right place at the right time–he embodies the “survival of the least fit.â€� Such individuals attract devoted followers who believe in their guru’s insights and methods. But no one can replicate what is obtained by chance. Are we capable of distinguishing the fortunate charlatan from the genuine visionary? Must we always try to uncover nonexistent messages in random events? It may be impossible to guard ourselves against the vagaries of the goddess Fortuna, but after reading Fooled by Randomness we can be a little better prepared. Named by Fortune One of the Smartest Books of All Time A Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year]]> 358 Nassim Nicholas Taleb Steve Lacey 5 Fooled by Randomness

Fooled by Randomness is a marvelous and I think very important book. I can’t say it is satisfying because it lacks an “answer� in fact in large part the book explains why we lack answers and that we must adapt to that rather feel the comfort of the “answer.� I loved the book and it is perfectly designed to help us take all with the appropriate boulder of salt. ]]> 4.22 2001 Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets (Incerto, #1)
author: Nassim Nicholas Taleb
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/19
date added: 2024/10/19
shelves:
review:
Fooled by Randomness

Fooled by Randomness is a marvelous and I think very important book. I can’t say it is satisfying because it lacks an “answer� in fact in large part the book explains why we lack answers and that we must adapt to that rather feel the comfort of the “answer.� I loved the book and it is perfectly designed to help us take all with the appropriate boulder of salt.
]]> <![CDATA[Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering]]> 213924056
Why is Miami…Miami? What does the heartbreaking fate of the cheetah tell us about the way we raise our children? Why do Ivy League schools care so much about sports? What is the Magic Third, and what does it mean for racial harmony? In this provocative new work, Malcolm Gladwell returns for the first time in twenty-five years to the subject of social epidemics and tipping points, this time with the aim of explaining the dark side of contagious phenomena.

Through a series of riveting stories, Gladwell traces the rise of a new and troubling form of social engineering. He takes us to the streets of Los Angeles to meet the world’s most successful bank robbers, rediscovers a forgotten television show from the 1970s that changed the world, visits the site of a historic experiment on a tiny cul-de-sac in northern California, and offers an alternate history of two of the biggest epidemics of our day: COVID and the opioid crisis. Revenge of the Tipping Point is Gladwell’s most personal book yet. With his characteristic mix of storytelling and social science, he offers a guide to making sense of the contagions of modern world. It’s time we took tipping points seriously.]]> 346 Malcolm Gladwell 031658147X Steve Lacey 5 Revenge of the Tipping Point

Once again, Malcom Gladwell has “killed it.� This is a mesmerizing and endlessly fascinating book. I wish everyone would read this book for many reasons.]]> 4.27 2024 Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering
author: Malcolm Gladwell
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/15
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves:
review:
Revenge of the Tipping Point

Once again, Malcom Gladwell has “killed it.� This is a mesmerizing and endlessly fascinating book. I wish everyone would read this book for many reasons.
]]> <![CDATA[The Canceling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust and Threatens Us All—But There Is a Solution]]> 101021947
Cancel culture is a new phenomenon, and The Canceling of the American Mind is the first book to codify it and survey its effects. From the team that brought you the bestselling Coddling of the American Mind comes hard data and research on what cancel culture is and how it works, along with hundreds of new examples showing the left and the right both working to silence their enemies.

The Canceling of the American Mind will change how you view cancel culture. Rather than a moral panic, we should consider it a dysfunctional part of how Americans battle for power, status, and dominance. Cancel culture is just one symptom of a much larger the use of cheap rhetorical tactics to “win� arguments without actually winning arguments. After all, why bother refuting your opponents when you can just take away their platform or career?

The good news is that we can beat back this threat to democracy through better citizenship. The Canceling of the American Mind offers concrete steps toward reclaiming a free speech culture, with materials specifically tailored for parents, teachers, business leaders, and everyone who uses social media. We can all show intellectual humility and promote the essential American principles of individuality, resilience, and open mindedness.]]> 457 Greg Lukianoff 1668019167 Steve Lacey 5 The Canceling of the American Mind

I have long worried that much of the American public doesn’t consider the possibility of having any wrong ideas. This has spread into frequent effort to systematically ignore and even silence views that differ from our own cutting all of us off from learning anything really new. This is a superb articulation of the problem and so balanced I expect both ends of the political spectrum to hate it or like the part that applies to others and ignore the part pertaining to them. Our country and our posterity need all of us to do better and taking this book to heart, is a great place to start. ]]> 3.93 The Canceling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust and Threatens Us All—But There Is a Solution
author: Greg Lukianoff
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/13
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves:
review:
The Canceling of the American Mind

I have long worried that much of the American public doesn’t consider the possibility of having any wrong ideas. This has spread into frequent effort to systematically ignore and even silence views that differ from our own cutting all of us off from learning anything really new. This is a superb articulation of the problem and so balanced I expect both ends of the political spectrum to hate it or like the part that applies to others and ignore the part pertaining to them. Our country and our posterity need all of us to do better and taking this book to heart, is a great place to start.
]]> The Reckless Barrister 19469789 224 April Kihlstrom 1610845684 Steve Lacey 0 4.00 1999 The Reckless Barrister
author: April Kihlstrom
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at: 2024/10/12
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves:
review:

]]> The Wily Wastrel 19464187 213 April Kihlstrom 1610845781 Steve Lacey 0 3.50 1999 The Wily Wastrel
author: April Kihlstrom
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves:
review:

]]> At Home in Mitford 6412114 446 Jan Karon 144062996X Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.40 1994 At Home in Mitford
author: Jan Karon
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Persistent Earl 17908404


AVAILABLE DIGITALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME


After the Earl of Devanham has been injured in the battle of Waterloo, he is shuffled into the care of Lady Phoebe Brodfield, a widow who withdrew from life into the company of her rambunctious nieces and nephews. Since the events surrounding her late husband's death are still a mystery to her, she is unwilling to pursue another love. But when the Earl begins to heal, Phoebe starts to see the warm heart just beneath his rakish exterior--and it may be just enough to make the pain from her past melt away...]]> Gail Eastwood 110157884X Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 3.48 1995 The Persistent Earl
author: Gail Eastwood
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 3.48
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin]]> 18890706 From the author of the international bestsellerĚýOn Tyranny, the definitive history of Hitler’s and Stalin’sĚýpolitics of massĚýkilling, explaining why Ukraine has been at the center of Western history for the last century.ĚýAmericans call the SecondĚýWorld War “the Good War.â€� But before it even began, America’s ally Stalin had killed millions of his own citizens—and kept killing them during and after the war. Before Hitler was defeated, he had murdered six million Jews and nearly as many other Europeans. At war’s end, German and Soviet killing sites fell behind theĚýIronĚýCurtain, leaving the history of mass killing in darkness.Ěý ĚýAssiduously researched, deeply humane, and utterly definitive,ĚýBloodlandsĚýis a newĚýkind of EuropeanĚýhistory, presentingĚýthe mass murders committed by the Nazi and Stalinist regimes as two aspects of a singleĚýstory.ĚýWith a newĚýafterword addressing the relevance of these events to the contemporary decline of democracy,ĚýBloodlandsĚýis required reading for anyoneĚýseekingĚýto understand the central tragedy of modern historyĚýandĚýitsĚýmeaningĚýtoday.Ěý]]> 562 Timothy Snyder 0465032974 Steve Lacey 5 Bloodlands

I believe that understanding the heart of eastern Europe, the plight of the Jews in the 20th century, the risks our country faces, facing our recent past with Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s USSR passes through this amazing, mind-numbing book. As important as it clearly is, one cannot expect just anyone to read. It pushes us deeply into an unimaginable reality. Still, the more who read it the better and I am thankful for having read it. ]]> 4.43 2010 Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin
author: Timothy Snyder
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/10
date added: 2024/10/10
shelves:
review:
Bloodlands

I believe that understanding the heart of eastern Europe, the plight of the Jews in the 20th century, the risks our country faces, facing our recent past with Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s USSR passes through this amazing, mind-numbing book. As important as it clearly is, one cannot expect just anyone to read. It pushes us deeply into an unimaginable reality. Still, the more who read it the better and I am thankful for having read it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Great Democracies (A History of the English-Speaking Peoples #4)]]> 44012239 The final volume of the prime minister’s four-part history of Britain brings the nation from the Napoleonic Wars to the Boer War of 1902.
Ěý
In the “wilderness� years after Sir Winston Churchill unflinchingly guided his country through World War II, he turned his masterful hand to an exhaustive history of the country he loved above all else. And the world discovered that this brilliant military strategist was an equally brilliant storyteller. In 1953, the great man was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.�
Ěý
This final volume in Churchill’s extraordinary, sweeping history follows Britain from the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars to the Boer War of 1902. In it, Churchill makes an impassioned argument for the crucial role played by the English-speaking people in exporting not just economic benefits, but political freedom by encouraging democracy throughout the world. Churchill’s passion for this era—informed by his own experience as a soldier and a wartime journalist during the Boer War—shines through in this thrilling conclusion to his historic work.
Ěý
“This history will endure; not only because Sir Winston has written it, but also because of its own inherent virtues—its narrative power, its fine judgment of war and politics, of soldiers and statesmen, and even more because it reflects a tradition of what Englishmen in the hey-day of their empire thought and felt about their country’s past.� �The Daily Telegraph]]> 261 Winston S. Churchill 0795330626 Steve Lacey 5 History of the English speaking peoples

Masterpiece, treasure, marvelous Churchill. Amazing how well he wrote history long before fame as PM. I wish I had read it long ago.
]]> 4.64 1958 The Great Democracies (A History of the English-Speaking Peoples #4)
author: Winston S. Churchill
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.64
book published: 1958
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/25
date added: 2024/09/25
shelves:
review:
History of the English speaking peoples

Masterpiece, treasure, marvelous Churchill. Amazing how well he wrote history long before fame as PM. I wish I had read it long ago.

]]> The Books of Jacob 58418363 The Nobel Prize–winner’s richest, most sweeping and ambitious novel yet follows the comet-like rise and fall of a mysterious, messianic religious leader as he blazes his way across eighteenth-century Europe.

In the mid-eighteenth century, as new ideas—and a new unrest—begin to sweep the Continent, a young Jew of mysterious origins arrives in a village in Poland. Before long, he has changed not only his name but his persona; visited by what seem to be ecstatic experiences, Jacob Frank casts a charismatic spell that attracts an increasingly fervent following. In the decade to come, Frank will traverse the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires with throngs of disciples in his thrall as he reinvents himself again and again, converts to Islam and then Catholicism, is pilloried as a heretic and revered as the Messiah, and wreaks havoc on the conventional order, Jewish and Christian alike, with scandalous rumors of his sect’s secret rituals and the spread of his increasingly iconoclastic beliefs. The story of Frank—a real historical figure around whom mystery and controversy swirl to this day—is the perfect canvas for the genius and unparalleled reach of Olga Tokarczuk. Narrated through the perspectives of his contemporaries—those who revere him, those who revile him, the friend who betrays him, the lone woman who sees him for what he is�The Books of Jacob captures a world on the cusp of precipitous change, searching for certainty and longing for transcendence.]]> 992 Olga Tokarczuk 0593087496 Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.03 2014 The Books of Jacob
author: Olga Tokarczuk
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Age of Revolution (A History of the English Speaking Peoples #3)]]> 43985559 The third volume of the Prime Minister’s history of Britain follows the nation’s ascent as a world power and its response to the threat of Napoleon.
Ěý
In the “wilderness� years after Sir Winston Churchill unflinchingly guided his country through World War II, he turned his masterful hand to an exhaustive history of the country he loved above all else. And the world discovered that this brilliant military strategist was an equally brilliant storyteller. In 1953, the great man was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.�
Ěý
This third of four volumes explores Britain’s rise to world leadership during the eighteenth-century Age of Revolution. With characteristic eloquence, Churchill recounts the plunging of the South Seas company stock, the Spanish and Austrian Successions, the Treaty of Utrecht, the Seven Years� War, and the American and French Revolutions. This sweeping history is a must-read for history buffs.
Ěý
“This history will endure; not only because Sir Winston has written it, but also because of its own inherent virtues—its narrative power, its fine judgment of war and politics, of soldiers and statesmen, and even more because it reflects a tradition of what Englishmen in the hey-day of their empire thought and felt about their country’s past.� �The Daily Telegraph]]> 392 Winston S. Churchill 0795330472 Steve Lacey 5 4.66 1957 The Age of Revolution (A History of the English Speaking Peoples #3)
author: Winston S. Churchill
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.66
book published: 1957
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/18
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[William Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Illustrated)]]> 44569264
The Comedies
A Midsummer Night's Dream
All's Well That Ends Well
As You Like It
Love’s Labour ’s Lost
Measure for Measure
Much Ado About Nothing
The Comedy of Errors
The Merchant of Venice
The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Taming of the Shrew
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Twelfth Night; or, What you will

The Romances
Cymbeline
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
The Tempest
The Winter's Tale

The Tragedies
King Lear
Romeo and Juliet
The History of Troilus and Cressida
The Life and Death of Julius Caesar
The Life of Timon of Athens
The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra
The Tragedy of Coriolanus
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
The Tragedy of Macbeth
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice
Titus Andronicus

The Histories
The Life and Death of King John
The Life and Death of King Richard the Second
The Tragedy of King Richard the Third
The first part of King Henry the Fourth
The second part of King Henry the Fourth
The Life of King Henry V
The first part of King Henry the Sixth
The second part of King Henry the Sixth
The third part of King Henry the Sixth
The Life of King Henry the Eighth

The Poetical Works
The Sonnets
Sonnets to Sundry Notes of Music
A Lover's Complaint
The Rape of Lucrece
Venus and Adonis
The Phoenix and the Turtle
The Passionate Pilgrim]]> 5185 William Shakespeare 9897788611 Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.14 1623 William Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Illustrated)
author: William Shakespeare
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1623
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Bookseller of Inverness 62079417
Six years later, with the clan chiefs routed and the Highlands subsumed into the British state, Iain lives a quiet life, working as a bookseller in Inverness. One day, after helping several of his regular customers, he notices a stranger lurking in the upper gallery of his shop, poring over his collection. But the man refuses to say what he's searching for and only leaves when Iain closes for the night.

The next morning Iain opens up shop and finds the stranger dead, his throat cut, and the murder weapon laid out in front of him - a sword with a white cockade on its hilt, the emblem of the Jacobites. With no sign of the killer, Iain wonders whether the stranger discovered what he was looking for - and whether he paid for it with his life. He soon finds himself embroiled in a web of deceit and a series of old scores to be settled in the ashes of war.]]> 331 S.G. MacLean 1529414199 Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.23 2022 The Bookseller of Inverness
author: S.G. MacLean
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Pursuit of Glory: The Five Revolutions that Made Modern Europe: 1648-1815 (The Penguin History of Europe)]]> 8362601 "History writing at its glorious best."--The New York Times"A triumphant success. [Blanning] brings knowledge, expertise, sound judgment and a colorful narrative style."--The EconomistThe New York Times bestselling volume in the Penguin History of Europe seriesBetween the end of the Thirty Years' War and the Battle of Waterloo, Europe underwent an extraordinary transformatoin that saw five of the modern world's great revolutions--scientific, industrial, American, French, and romantic. In this much-admired addition to the monumental Penguin History of Europe series, Tim Blanning brilliantly investigates the forces that transformed Europe from a medieval society into a vigorous powerhose of the modern world. Blanning renders this vast subject immediate and absorbing by making fresh connections between the most mundane details of life and the major cultural, political, and technological transformations that birthed the modern age.]]> 753 Timothy C.W. Blanning 1101202459 Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.29 2007 The Pursuit of Glory: The Five Revolutions that Made Modern Europe: 1648-1815 (The Penguin History of Europe)
author: Timothy C.W. Blanning
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The New World (A History of the English Speaking Peoples #2)]]> 44026081 The second volume of the Nobel Prize–winning prime minister’s breathtaking history of Britain continues with the growth of monarchy and religious conflict.
Ěý
In the “wildernessâ€� years after Winston S.ĚýChurchill unflinchingly guided his country through World War II, he turned his masterful hand to an exhaustive history of the country he loved above all else. And the world discovered that this brilliant military strategist was an equally brilliant storyteller. In 1953, the great man was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.â€�
Ěý
This second of four volumes exploring the history of this great nation explores the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, from the power struggles of the Tudor and Stuart families, the growth of the monarchy, the Protestant Reformation, England’s Civil War, and the discovery of the Americas. A History of the English-Speaking Peoples remains one of the most compelling and vivid works of history ever written.
Ěý
“This history will endure; not only because Sir Winston has written it, but also because of its own inherent virtues―its narrative power, its fine judgment of war and politics, of soldiers and statesmen, and even more because it reflects a tradition of what Englishmen in the hey-day of their empire thought and felt about their country’s past.� �The Daily Telegraph
Ěý]]> 411 Winston S. Churchill 0795330448 Steve Lacey 5 4.46 1956 The New World (A History of the English Speaking Peoples #2)
author: Winston S. Churchill
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.46
book published: 1956
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/12
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Birth of Britain (A History of the English Speaking Peoples #1)]]> 43981392 The first volume of the Nobel Prize–winning prime minister’s breathtaking history of Britain explores the birth of a great nation and world power.
Ěý
In the “wildernessâ€� years after Winston S.ĚýChurchill unflinchingly guided his country through World War II, he turned his masterful hand to an exhaustive history of the country he loved above all else. And the world discovered that this brilliant military strategist was an equally brilliant storyteller. In 1953, the great man was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.â€�
Ěý
In this first of four volumes exploring the history of the United Kingdom, The Birth of Britain begins with Caesar’s invasion in 55 BC, and continues through the establishment of the constitutional monarchy, the parliamentary system, and the people who played lead roles in creating democracy in England. The History of the English-Speaking Peoples series remains one of the most compelling and vivid collections of history ever written.
Ěý
“This history will endure; not only because Sir Winston has written it, but also because of its own inherent virtues―its narrative power, its fine judgment of war and politics, of soldiers and statesmen, and even more because it reflects a tradition of what Englishmen in the hey-day of their empire thought and felt about their country’s past.� �The Daily Telegraph]]> 343 Winston S. Churchill 0795330413 Steve Lacey 5 The Birth of Britain

Churchill recounts a prolonged and complicated stretch of early British history up to the beginning of the reign of Henry Tudor (VII) in 1485. Fabulous preparation for a trip to London!!]]> 4.49 1956 The Birth of Britain (A History of the English Speaking Peoples #1)
author: Winston S. Churchill
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.49
book published: 1956
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/05
date added: 2024/09/05
shelves:
review:
The Birth of Britain

Churchill recounts a prolonged and complicated stretch of early British history up to the beginning of the reign of Henry Tudor (VII) in 1485. Fabulous preparation for a trip to London!!
]]> <![CDATA[The Bridge at Andau: The Compelling True Story of a Brave, Embattled People]]> 58061759
But there was a bridge at Andau, on the Austrian border, and if a Hungarian could reach that bridge, he was nearly free. It was about the most inconsequential bridge in Europe, but by an accident of history it became, for a few flaming weeks, one of the most important bridges in the world, for across its unsteady planks fled the soul of a nation....

Here is James A. Michener at his most gripping, with a historic account of a people in desperate revolt, a true story as searing and unforgettable as any of his bestselling works of fiction.]]> 232 James A. Michener Steve Lacey 5 The Bridge at Andau

The “Great Courses� lecturer on the history of eastern Europe, strongly recommended this book if one is to understand Hungary and the suffering of satellite nations under Soviet communism. Michener lived, breathed, and infuses us with as profound a story as I have ever read. I am horrified by how little we did to help Hungary and by how blithely was luxuriate in our precious freedom. I treasure the tears in my eyes as I inhaled this masterwork. ]]> 4.28 1957 The Bridge at Andau: The Compelling True Story of a Brave, Embattled People
author: James A. Michener
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1957
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/23
date added: 2024/08/23
shelves:
review:
The Bridge at Andau

The “Great Courses� lecturer on the history of eastern Europe, strongly recommended this book if one is to understand Hungary and the suffering of satellite nations under Soviet communism. Michener lived, breathed, and infuses us with as profound a story as I have ever read. I am horrified by how little we did to help Hungary and by how blithely was luxuriate in our precious freedom. I treasure the tears in my eyes as I inhaled this masterwork.
]]> <![CDATA[Facing Reality: Two Truths about Race in America]]> 56864999


What good can come of bringing them into the open? America's most precious ideal is what used to be known as the American People are not to be judged by where they came from, what social class they come from, or by race, color, or creed. They must be judged as individuals. The prevailing Progressive ideology repudiates that ideal, demanding instead that the state should judge people by their race, social origins, religion, sex, and sexual orientation.

We on the center left and center right who are the American Creed's natural defenders have painted ourselves into a corner. We have been unwilling to say openly that different groups have significant group differences. Since we have not been willing to say that, we have been left defenseless against the claims that racism is to blame. What else could it be? We have been afraid to answer. We must. Facing Reality is a step in that direction.]]> 157 Charles Murray 1641771984 Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.44 2021 Facing Reality: Two Truths about Race in America
author: Charles Murray
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Convenient Marriage 8270023 322 Georgette Heyer Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 3.92 1934 The Convenient Marriage
author: Georgette Heyer
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1934
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/15
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Look Closer 59428226 From the bestselling and award-winning author comes a wickedly clever and fast-paced novel of greed, revenge, obsession--and quite possibly the perfect murder.

Simon and Vicky couldn't seem more normal: a wealthy Chicago couple, he a respected law professor, she an advocate for domestic violence victims. A stable, if unexciting marriage. But one thing's for sure ... absolutely nothing is what it seems. The pair are far from normal, and one of them just may be a killer.

When the body of a beautiful socialite is found hanging in a mansion in a nearby suburb, Simon and Vicky's secrets begin to unravel. A secret whirlwind affair. A twenty-million-dollar trust fund about to come due. A decades-long grudge and obsession with revenge. These are just a few of the lies that make up the complex web...and they will have devastating consequences. And while both Vicky and Simon are liars, just who exactly is conning who?

Part Gone Girl, part Strangers on a Train, Look Closer is a wild rollercoaster of a read that will have you questioning everything you think you know.]]> 464 David Ellis 0698161998 Steve Lacey 5 Look Closer

An absolute spell-binding page-turner! A fabulous story that grabs you and shakes you until nearly the last page. A great who/how done it. ]]> 4.23 2022 Look Closer
author: David Ellis
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/04
date added: 2024/08/04
shelves:
review:
Look Closer

An absolute spell-binding page-turner! A fabulous story that grabs you and shakes you until nearly the last page. A great who/how done it.
]]> The Double Wager 30845365 224 Mary Balogh 1944654011 Steve Lacey 2 4.07 1985 The Double Wager
author: Mary Balogh
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1985
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/02
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves:
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]]> Robinson Crusoe 6569494 239 Daniel Defoe 1596252758 Steve Lacey 4 Robinson Crusoe

Somehow, I had managed to not read this famous book until this my 70th year and I am glad I did. I can’t say I loved it but it was interesting and I was particularly intrigued by Robinson’s musings over his faith. A worthy read of an historically very important novel. ]]> 4.00 1719 Robinson Crusoe
author: Daniel Defoe
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1719
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/01
date added: 2024/08/01
shelves:
review:
Robinson Crusoe

Somehow, I had managed to not read this famous book until this my 70th year and I am glad I did. I can’t say I loved it but it was interesting and I was particularly intrigued by Robinson’s musings over his faith. A worthy read of an historically very important novel.
]]> <![CDATA[Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980]]> 19790502
Beginning in the 1950s, America entered a period of unprecedented social reform. This remarkable book demonstrates how the social programs of the 1960s and '70s had the unintended and perverse effect of slowing and even reversing earlier progress in reducing poverty, crime, ignorance, and discrimination. Using widely understood and accepted data, it conclusively demonstrates that the amalgam of reforms from 1965 to 1970 actually made matters worse. Why? Charles Murray's tough-minded answers to this question will please neither radical liberals nor radical conservatives. He offers no easy solutions, but by forcing us to face fundamental intellectual and moral problems about whom we want to help and how, Losing Ground marks an important first step in rethinking social policy.]]> 348 Charles Murray Steve Lacey 5 4.29 1983 Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980
author: Charles Murray
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/29
date added: 2024/07/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis]]> 38358610 From a former marine and Yale Law School graduate, a probing look at the struggles of America’s white working class through the author’s own story of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town.

Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of poor, white Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for over forty years, has been reported with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. In HillbillyElegy, J.D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hanging around your neck.

The Vance family story began with hope in postwar America. J.D.’s grandparents were “dirt poor and in love� and moved north from Kentucky’s Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually one of their grandchildren would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of success in achieving generational upward mobility. But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that J.D.’s grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, and, most of all, his mother struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, never fully escaping the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. With piercing honesty, Vance shows how he himself still carries around the demons of his chaotic family history.

A deeply moving memoir, with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country.

]]> 274 J.D. Vance 0062872257 Steve Lacey 0 4.20 2016 Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
author: J.D. Vance
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2024/07/21
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War]]> 18920827 594 Robert M. Gates 0307959481 Steve Lacey 5 Duty

As I write this, I am bespeckled with goosebumps from reading the the last chapter, acknowledgements, and reviewing the plates. The book was overwhelming in it’s depth, honesty, and inspiration. I am so thankful he wrote it for many reasons. Chief among them is the honor it brings to our men and women in service, but also for how it provides a glimpse into people I know only politically and the gift of newfound respect for them. This could never have been achieved without such a book. I have always admired him from the time he hit my radar probably 50 yrs ago, to my daughter’s time at Texas A&M when she met him personally in his office, and to then extraordinary service he gave the country and two presidents at the end of his public career. How I wish we had more of him, but more importantly that the rest us thought like him. ]]> 3.99 2014 Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War
author: Robert M. Gates
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/19
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves:
review:
Duty

As I write this, I am bespeckled with goosebumps from reading the the last chapter, acknowledgements, and reviewing the plates. The book was overwhelming in it’s depth, honesty, and inspiration. I am so thankful he wrote it for many reasons. Chief among them is the honor it brings to our men and women in service, but also for how it provides a glimpse into people I know only politically and the gift of newfound respect for them. This could never have been achieved without such a book. I have always admired him from the time he hit my radar probably 50 yrs ago, to my daughter’s time at Texas A&M when she met him personally in his office, and to then extraordinary service he gave the country and two presidents at the end of his public career. How I wish we had more of him, but more importantly that the rest us thought like him.
]]> <![CDATA[Red Sky Mourning (Terminal List #7)]]> 199897972
A storm is on the horizon. America’s days are numbered. A Chinese submarine has gone rogue and is navigating towards the continental United States, putting its nuclear missiles within striking distance of the West Coast.

A rising Silicon Valley tech mogul with unknown allegiances is at the forefront of a revolution in quantum computing and Artificial Intelligence.

A politician controlled by a foreign power is a breath away from the Oval Office.

Three seemingly disconnected events are on a collision course to ignite a power grab unlike anything the world has ever seen.

The country’s only hope is a quantum computer that has gone dark, retreating to the deepest levels of the internet, learning at a rate inconceivable at her inception. But during her time in hiding, she has done more than learn. She has become a weapon. She is now positioned to act as either the country’s greatest savior or its worst enemy. She is known as “Alice� and her only connection to the outside world is to a former Navy SEAL sniper named James Reece who has left the violence of his past life behind.

Will there be blood?

Count on it!

Will the forces that threaten to destroy the United States be enough to light the fuse of Reece’s resurrection?]]> 576 Jack Carr 1668047098 Steve Lacey 5 4.50 2024 Red Sky Mourning (Terminal List #7)
author: Jack Carr
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/08
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Tattooist of Auschwitz (The Tattooist of Auschwitz, #1)]]> 37540594
In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.]]> 293 Heather Morris Steve Lacey 5 Tattooist of Auschwitz

This is truly an astonishing story with layer after layer of intensity, unreal coincidence, and man’s inhumanity on a scale that beggars the imagination. It was great preparation for going to Auschwitz this fall. ]]> 4.40 2018 The Tattooist of Auschwitz (The Tattooist of Auschwitz, #1)
author: Heather Morris
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/08
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves:
review:
Tattooist of Auschwitz

This is truly an astonishing story with layer after layer of intensity, unreal coincidence, and man’s inhumanity on a scale that beggars the imagination. It was great preparation for going to Auschwitz this fall.
]]> <![CDATA[The Return of Great Powers: Russia, China, and the Next World War]]> 195537441 Instant New York Times Bestseller

“An absorbing account of 21st-century brinkmanship . . . . one that should be read by every legislator or presidential nominee sufficiently deluded to think that returning America to its isolationist past or making chummy with Putin is a viable option in today’s world.� �New York Times Book Review

The essential new book by CNN anchor and chief national security analyst Jim Sciutto, identifying a new, more uncertain global order with reporting on the frontlines of power from existing wars to looming ones across the globe.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 dawned what Francis Fukuyama called “The End of History.� Three decades later, Jim Sciutto said on CNN’s air as the Ukraine war began, that we are living in a �1939 moment.� History never ended—it barely paused—and the global order as we long have known it is now gone. Powerful nations are determined to assert dominance on the world stage. And as their push for power escalates, a new order will affect everyone across the globe. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a part of it, but in reality, this power struggle impacts every corner of our world—from Helsinki to Beijing, from Australia to the North Pole. This is a battle with many in the Arctic, in the oceans and across the skies, on man-made islands and redrawn maps, and in tech and cyberspace.
Ěý
Through globe-spanning, exclusive interviews with dozens of political, military, and intelligence leaders, Sciutto defines our times as a return of great power conflict, “a definitive break between the post–Cold War era and an entirely new and uncertain one.� With savvy, thorough, in-person reporting, he follows-up his 2019 bestseller, The Shadow Inside Russia’s and China's Secret Operations to Defeat America, which focused on the covert tactics of a hidden conflict.
Ěý
The Return of Great Powers analyzes a historic and visible shift in real time. It details the realities of this new post–post–Cold War era, the increasingly aligned Russian and Chinese governments, and the flashpoint of a new, global nuclear arms race. And it poses a As we consider uncertain, even terrifying, outcomes, will it be possible for the West and Russia and China to prevent a new World War?]]> 368 Jim Sciutto 0593474155 Steve Lacey 5 The Return of the Great Powers

The book is superbly researched, thoughtful, comprehensive, and frankly sobering. I am very glad I read and strongly recommend it for people seeking to be thoughtful global citizens contemplating voting wisdom for 2024. ]]> 4.22 The Return of Great Powers: Russia, China, and the Next World War
author: Jim Sciutto
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/26
date added: 2024/06/26
shelves:
review:
The Return of the Great Powers

The book is superbly researched, thoughtful, comprehensive, and frankly sobering. I am very glad I read and strongly recommend it for people seeking to be thoughtful global citizens contemplating voting wisdom for 2024.
]]> <![CDATA[Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism]]> 199897879 A provocative, brilliant analysis by recently retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer that deconstructs the textualist philosophy of the current Supreme Court’s supermajority and makes the case for a better way to interpret the Constitution.The relatively new judicial philosophy of textualism dominates the Supreme Court. Textualists claim that the right way to interpret the Constitution and statutes is to read the text carefully and examine the language as it was understood at the time the documents were written. This, however, is not Justice Breyer’s philosophy nor has it been the traditional way to interpret the Constitution since the time of Chief Justice John Marshall. Justice Breyer recalls Marshall’s exhortation that the Constitution must be a workable set of principles to be interpreted by subsequent generations. Most important in interpreting law, says Breyer, is to understand the purposes of statutes as well as the consequences of deciding a case one way or another. He illustrates these principles by examining some of the most important cases in the nation’s history, among them the Dobbs and Bruen decisions from 2022 that he argues were wrongly decided and have led to harmful results.]]> 361 Stephen Breyer 1668021552 Steve Lacey 5 Reading the Constitution

Justice Emeritus Breyer wrote here and brilliant, thoughtful, and penetrating analysis of constitutional interpretation aimed at the educated general public. It is incredible well-rounded, and respectful of multiple interpretive styles and I think wisely thinks we should all the useful and time honored techniques for this extraordinarily important work. It is easy to see why his arguments exist, why they have two sides, why both sides have merit, and why he landed where he did. We need some people like him on the bench. We don’t need 9 like him on the bench, but I would be very unhappy with 9 any 9 people have 1 philosophy on the bench. There is enough gray for left, right, originalist, purposiveist, and justices like Breyer. May we cultivate a healthy mix!]]> 4.26 Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism
author: Stephen Breyer
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/14
date added: 2024/06/14
shelves:
review:
Reading the Constitution

Justice Emeritus Breyer wrote here and brilliant, thoughtful, and penetrating analysis of constitutional interpretation aimed at the educated general public. It is incredible well-rounded, and respectful of multiple interpretive styles and I think wisely thinks we should all the useful and time honored techniques for this extraordinarily important work. It is easy to see why his arguments exist, why they have two sides, why both sides have merit, and why he landed where he did. We need some people like him on the bench. We don’t need 9 like him on the bench, but I would be very unhappy with 9 any 9 people have 1 philosophy on the bench. There is enough gray for left, right, originalist, purposiveist, and justices like Breyer. May we cultivate a healthy mix!
]]> Poland 20529368 Poland teems with vivid events, unforgettable characters, and the unfolding drama of an entire nation.
Ěý
Praise for Poland
Ěý
“Engrossing . . . a page-turner in the grand Michener tradition.��The Washington Post
Ěý
“A Michener epic is far more than a bedtime reader, it’s an experience. Poland is a monumental effort, a magnificent guide to a better understanding of the country’s tribulations.��Chicago Tribune
Ěý
“Stunning . . . an unmatched overview of Polish history . . . The families themselves come very much alive, and through them, Poland itself.��USA Today
Ěý
“A titanic documentary novel.��The Wall Street Journal


From the Paperback edition.]]> 669 James A. Michener 0804151458 Steve Lacey 5 4.29 1983 Poland
author: James A. Michener
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/06
date added: 2024/06/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis]]> 198513498 George Stephanopoulos, the legendary political news host and former advisor to President Clinton, recounts the history-making crises from the place where twelve presidents made their highest-pressure the White House Situation Room.Ěý

No room better defines American power and its role in the world than the White House Situation Room. And yet, none is more shrouded in secrecy and mystery. Created under President Kennedy, the Sit Room has been the epicenter of crisis management for presidents for more than six decades. Time and again, the decisions made within the Sit Room complex affect the lives of every person on this planet. Detailing close calls made and disasters narrowly averted, THE SITUATION ROOM will take readers through dramatic turning points in a dozen presidential administrations,

Incredible minute-by-minute transcripts from the Sit Room after both Presidents Kennedy and Reagan were shot The shocking moment when Henry Kissinger raised the military alert level to DEFCON III while President Nixon was drunk in the White House residence The extraordinary scene when President Carter asked for help from secret government psychics to rescue American hostages in Iran A vivid retelling of the harrowing hours during the 9/11 attack New details from Obama administration officials leading up to the raid on Osama Bin Laden And a first-ever account of January 6th from the staff inside the Sit Room THE SITUATION ROOM is the definitive, past-the-security-clearance look at the room where it happened, and the people—the famous and those you've never heard of—who have made history within its walls.]]> 346 George Stephanopoulos 1538740788 Steve Lacey 5 The Situation Room

I enjoyed this tome immensely. All of the events that George covers in the book happened in my memory and the insider view of what was happening in the WH and the Sit Room was beyond fascinating, It was inspiring at times, terrifying at times, a source of great national pride at times, and unfortunately national shame at times. At all times, I found it hard to put down. ]]> 4.52 2024 The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis
author: George Stephanopoulos
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/21
date added: 2024/05/21
shelves:
review:
The Situation Room

I enjoyed this tome immensely. All of the events that George covers in the book happened in my memory and the insider view of what was happening in the WH and the Sit Room was beyond fascinating, It was inspiring at times, terrifying at times, a source of great national pride at times, and unfortunately national shame at times. At all times, I found it hard to put down.
]]> <![CDATA[Decision at Sea: Five Naval Battles that Shaped American History]]> 10518887 392 Craig L. Symonds 0199754888 Steve Lacey 5 Decision at Sea: 5 Naval Battles�

Craig Symonds has done it again. What a great history of the US Navy focused on 5 great naval battles. The story of each battle was riveting and I think it was the best, most concise coverage of Midway I have read. He also brings the challenges of naval superiority we face today up to date. Superb read. ]]> 4.14 2005 Decision at Sea: Five Naval Battles that Shaped American History
author: Craig L. Symonds
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/19
date added: 2024/05/19
shelves:
review:
Decision at Sea: 5 Naval Battles�

Craig Symonds has done it again. What a great history of the US Navy focused on 5 great naval battles. The story of each battle was riveting and I think it was the best, most concise coverage of Midway I have read. He also brings the challenges of naval superiority we face today up to date. Superb read.
]]> <![CDATA[Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy]]> 5986436
Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military became the most divisive issue facing the new government. The founders—particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adams—debated fiercely. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect from pirates or drain the treasury and provoke hostility? Britain alone had hundreds of powerful warships.From the decision to build six heavy frigates, through the cliff-hanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of Founding Brothers and the narrative flair of Patrick O'Brian.]]> 461 Ian W. Toll Steve Lacey 5 Six Frigates

A truly marvelous book covering in detail periods or American history little discussed. This is especially true of the Quasi was against revolutionary France/Napoleonic France. This compliment applies also to the War of 1812 which was so important for US naval history. Loved the book. ]]> 4.56 2006 Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy
author: Ian W. Toll
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/15
date added: 2024/05/15
shelves:
review:
Six Frigates

A truly marvelous book covering in detail periods or American history little discussed. This is especially true of the Quasi was against revolutionary France/Napoleonic France. This compliment applies also to the War of 1812 which was so important for US naval history. Loved the book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Battle: How the Fight between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future]]> 11605286 205 Arthur C. Brooks Steve Lacey 5 The Battle: How the Fight between Free Enterprise and Big Government will Shape America’s Future

Conservatives desperately need to read this and Arthur Brooks� other books. Not only would it help conservatism, more importantly it would help our nation which critically needs it. ]]> 4.33 2010 The Battle: How the Fight between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future
author: Arthur C. Brooks
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/09
date added: 2024/05/09
shelves:
review:
The Battle: How the Fight between Free Enterprise and Big Government will Shape America’s Future

Conservatives desperately need to read this and Arthur Brooks� other books. Not only would it help conservatism, more importantly it would help our nation which critically needs it.
]]> <![CDATA[From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life]]> 58100575
Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that often accompanies aging. But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our decline, and the more painful it is when it occurs.

What can we do, starting now, to make our older years a time of happiness, purpose, and yes, success?

At the height of his career at the age of 50, Arthur Brooks embarked on a seven-year journey to discover how to transform his future from one of disappointment over waning abilities into an opportunity for progress. From Strength to Strength is the result, a practical roadmap for the rest of your life.

Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as dozens of interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks shows us that true life success is well within our reach. By refocusing on certain priorities and habits that anyone can learn, such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress, we can set ourselves up for increased happiness.

Read this book and you, too, can go from strength to strength.]]> 270 Arthur C. Brooks 0593191498 Steve Lacey 5 From Strength to Strength

I wish I had read this 3 years or more before I retired from a very satisfying and joyous career. I don’t know that any outcome would have changed for me, but my mental approach to my latter years could well have been transformed much earlier. Brooks continues to be amazing. A national treasure. ]]> 3.93 2022 From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
author: Arthur C. Brooks
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/08
date added: 2024/05/08
shelves:
review:
From Strength to Strength

I wish I had read this 3 years or more before I retired from a very satisfying and joyous career. I don’t know that any outcome would have changed for me, but my mental approach to my latter years could well have been transformed much earlier. Brooks continues to be amazing. A national treasure.
]]> <![CDATA[Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism -- America's Charity Divide -- Who Gives, Who Doesn't, and Why It Matters]]> 19961609 Brooks, a preeminent public policy expert, spent years researching giving trends in America, and even he was surprised by what he found. In Who Really Cares, he identifies the forces behind American charity: strong families, church attendance, earning one's own income (as opposed to receiving welfare), and the belief that individuals-not government-offer the best solution to social ills.

But beyond just showing us who the givers and non-givers in America really are today, Brooks shows that giving is crucial to our economic prosperity, as well as to our happiness, health, and our ability to govern ourselves as a free people.

]]> 268 Arthur C. Brooks Steve Lacey 5 Who Really Cares

Like all of Brooks books, this one is superbly researched, articulate, provocative, and even generous with those who could be insulted by the research. He assiduously avoids the latter to an amazing degree. This is the fourth of his books I have read and I consider reading them all essential-one to the next!!
]]> 4.50 2006 Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism -- America's Charity Divide -- Who Gives, Who Doesn't, and Why It Matters
author: Arthur C. Brooks
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/06
date added: 2024/05/06
shelves:
review:
Who Really Cares

Like all of Brooks books, this one is superbly researched, articulate, provocative, and even generous with those who could be insulted by the research. He assiduously avoids the latter to an amazing degree. This is the fourth of his books I have read and I consider reading them all essential-one to the next!!

]]> <![CDATA[The Road to Freedom: A Bradley Lecture by Arthur C. Brooks]]> 21037408
In this speech, Brooks demonstrates that free enterprise encapsulates the American notions of fairness and service to others and allows each individual to live a flourishing and prosperous life. No other system, Brooks claims, promotes these values as extensively as American free enterprise.]]> 25 Arthur C. Brooks Steve Lacey 0 4.00 2012 The Road to Freedom: A Bradley Lecture by Arthur C. Brooks
author: Arthur C. Brooks
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2024/05/03
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A History of the World in 100 Objects]]> 13025132 "An enthralling and profoundly humane book that every civilized person should read." --The Wall Street JournalĚýThe blockbuster New York Times bestseller and the companion volume to the wildly popular radio seriesWhen did people first start to wear jewelry or play music? When were cows domesticated, and why do we feed their milk to our children? Where were the first cities, and what made them succeed? Who developed math--or invented money? The history of humanity is one of invention and innovation, as we have continually created new things to use, to admire, or leave our mark on the world. In this groundbreaking book, Neil MacGregor turns to objects that previous civilizations have left behind to paint a portrait of mankind's evolution, focusing on unexpected turning points.Ěý Beginning with a chopping tool from the Olduvai Gorge in Africa and ending with a recent innovation that is transforming the way we power our world, he urges us to see history as a kaleidoscope--shifting, interconnected, constantly surprising. A landmark bestseller, A History of the World in 100 Objects is one f the most unusual and engrossing history books to be published in years. Ěý“None could have imagined quite how the radio series would permeate the national consciousness. Well over 12.5 million podcasts have been downloaded since the first programme and more than 550 museums around Britain have launched similar series featuring local history. . . . MacGregor’s voice comes through as distinctively as it did on radio and his arguments about the interconnectedness of disparate societies through the ages are all the stronger for the detail afforded by extra space. A book to savour and start over.â€�—The Economist]]> 736 Neil MacGregor 1101545305 Steve Lacey 5 A History of the World in 100 objects

The idea behind the book is genius. Choose 100 objects from the British Museum and use to craft a history of the world. It is fascinating in its own right, but I am counting on it being spectacular preparation for my first trip to the British Museum in the fall. ]]> 4.14 2010 A History of the World in 100 Objects
author: Neil MacGregor
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/03
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves:
review:
A History of the World in 100 objects

The idea behind the book is genius. Choose 100 objects from the British Museum and use to craft a history of the world. It is fascinating in its own right, but I am counting on it being spectacular preparation for my first trip to the British Museum in the fall.
]]> <![CDATA[The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 7: 1863-1865]]> 18755925 516 Abraham Lincoln Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.67 2004 The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 7: 1863-1865
author: Abraham Lincoln
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Writings of Abraham Lincoln, Vol. 6]]> 11556961 506 Abraham Lincoln Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 3.80 2003 The Writings of Abraham Lincoln, Vol. 6
author: Abraham Lincoln
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 2: 1843-1858]]> 18755921 138 Abraham Lincoln Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.25 2004 The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 2: 1843-1858
author: Abraham Lincoln
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 1: 1832-1843]]> 18755924 166 Abraham Lincoln Steve Lacey 0 currently-reading 4.05 2004 The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 1: 1832-1843
author: Abraham Lincoln
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier, and More Prosperous America]]> 35163237
Drawing on years of research, Brooks presents a social justice agenda for a New Right—an inclusive, optimistic movement with a positive agenda to fight poverty, promote equal opportunity, extol spiritual enlightenment, and help everyone lead happier and more fulfilling lives. Firmly grounded in the four “institutions of meaning”—family, faith, community, and meaningful work—it is a call for a government safety net that actually lifts people up and offers a vision of true hope through earned success.

Clear, well-reasoned, accessible, and free of vituperative politics, The Conservative Heart is a welcome strategy for conservatives looking for fresh, actionable ideas—and for politically independent citizens who believe that neither side is adequately addressing their needs or concerns.]]> 259 Arthur C. Brooks 0062795503 Steve Lacey 5 The Conservative Heart

This is another must read. It is only the second of Brooks books I have read (the other was Love Your Enemies), and I expect to feel this way about all of them. If only some of our policians in a position to lead would fully ingest and exhale the essence of this book, what a great country we could be again!!
]]> 4.10 2015 The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier, and More Prosperous America
author: Arthur C. Brooks
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/26
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves:
review:
The Conservative Heart

This is another must read. It is only the second of Brooks books I have read (the other was Love Your Enemies), and I expect to feel this way about all of them. If only some of our policians in a position to lead would fully ingest and exhale the essence of this book, what a great country we could be again!!

]]> <![CDATA[Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt]]> 43299781
Arthur C. Brooks demuestra que el abuso y la indignaciĂłn no son la fĂłrmula correcta para un Ă©xito duradero y ofrece una forma de liderazgo alternativa basada en tender puentes y restablecer relaciones. Sus recetas no son convencionales ni se limitan a evocar el civismo y la tolerancia.

La clave está en centrarnos en aquellas cosas que nos unen y aprender a gestionar el desacuerdo como una herramienta de en esa diferencia de opiniones está la base de una competencia sana para alcanzar los propósitos comunes. Los sentimientos que alberguemos hacia nuestros "enemigos" son irrelevantes, lo que importa es cómo actuemos. Ama a tus enemigos ofrece una estrategia clara para una nueva generación de líderes.

Es una llamada unificadora a las filas de ciudadanos deseosos ver un progreso tanto en la forma de hacer política como en la convivencia; y es, ante todo, una hoja de ruta para hallar la felicidad que conlleva vivir en armonía a pesar de nuestras diferencias.]]> 261 Arthur C. Brooks Steve Lacey 5 Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Saver America’s from the Culture of Contempt

Wow-a revolution of healing is possible!! I have listened to Arthur Brooks for years getting interviewed on Squawk Box. He is awesome. I am thrilled I finally read one of his books. This book drips with the profundity of simplicity (unlike this sentence.) How I wish the whole country would read and apply the simple principles in this book. We would live differently, interact differently, and vote differently. PLEASE, PLEASE, read this marvelous book. ]]> 4.41 2019 Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt
author: Arthur C. Brooks
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/23
date added: 2024/04/23
shelves:
review:
Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Saver America’s from the Culture of Contempt

Wow-a revolution of healing is possible!! I have listened to Arthur Brooks for years getting interviewed on Squawk Box. He is awesome. I am thrilled I finally read one of his books. This book drips with the profundity of simplicity (unlike this sentence.) How I wish the whole country would read and apply the simple principles in this book. We would live differently, interact differently, and vote differently. PLEASE, PLEASE, read this marvelous book.
]]> West With Giraffes 56449476 An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.

“Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…�

Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave.

It’s 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California’s first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world’s first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes.

Part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, West with Giraffes explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it’s too late.]]> 346 Lynda Rutledge 1542023351 Steve Lacey 4 West with Giraffes: A Novel

This is a moving and heart-wrenching story that captures the late 1930s midwest and all the human suffering caused largely by the weathered. The life and trials of Woody Nickel gradually unfold in a touching way. I love the way the 86 yo daughter gets pulled firmly into the story at the end. ]]> 4.34 2021 West With Giraffes
author: Lynda Rutledge
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/20
date added: 2024/04/20
shelves:
review:
West with Giraffes: A Novel

This is a moving and heart-wrenching story that captures the late 1930s midwest and all the human suffering caused largely by the weathered. The life and trials of Woody Nickel gradually unfold in a touching way. I love the way the 86 yo daughter gets pulled firmly into the story at the end.
]]> <![CDATA[Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time]]> 50309218 The dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest and of one man's forty-year obsession to find a solution to the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day--"the longitude problem."Anyone alive in the eighteenth century would have known that "the longitude problem" was the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day-and had been for centuries. Lacking the ability to measure their longitude, sailors throughout the great ages of exploration had been literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Thousands of lives and the increasing fortunes of nations hung on a resolution. One man, John Harrison, in complete opposition to the scientific community, dared to imagine a mechanical solution-a clock that would keep precise time at sea, something no clock had ever been able to do on land. Longitude is the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest and of Harrison's forty-year obsession with building his perfect timekeeper, known today as the chronometer. Full of heroism and chicanery, it is also a fascinating brief history of astronomy, navigation, and clockmaking, and opens a new window on our world.]]> 191 Dava Sobel Steve Lacey 5 Longitude: the True Story of a Lone Genius Solved the Greatest Scientific problem of His Time

I had known about the invention of chronometers for many years, but this magnificent book fleshes out immense detail that is profoundly interesting and seminal in the history of maritime shipping and travel. Fabulous story and read.]]> 4.25 1995 Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time
author: Dava Sobel
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/18
date added: 2024/04/18
shelves:
review:
Longitude: the True Story of a Lone Genius Solved the Greatest Scientific problem of His Time

I had known about the invention of chronometers for many years, but this magnificent book fleshes out immense detail that is profoundly interesting and seminal in the history of maritime shipping and travel. Fabulous story and read.
]]> <![CDATA[The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization]]> 59973336 2019 was the last great year for the world economy.
For generations, everything has been getting faster, better, and cheaper. Finally, we reached the point that almost anything you could ever want could be sent to your home within days - even hours - of when you decided you wanted it.
America made that happen, but now America has lost interest in keeping it going.
Globe-spanning supply chains are only possible with the protection of the U.S. Navy. The American dollar underpins internationalized energy and financial markets. Complex, innovative industries were created to satisfy American consumers. American security policy forced warring nations to lay down their arms. Billions of people have been fed and educated as the American-led trade system spread across the globe.
All of this was artificial. All this was temporary. All this is ending.
In The End of the World is Just the Beginning, author and geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan maps out the next a world where countries or regions will have no choice but to make their own goods, grow their own food, secure their own energy, fight their own battles, and do it all with populations that are both shrinking and aging.
The list of countries that make it all work is smaller than you think. Which means everything about our interconnected world - from how we manufacture products, to how we grow food, to how we keep the lights on, to how we shuttle stuff about, to how we pay for it all - is about to change.
In customary Zeihan fashion, rather than yelling fire in the geoeconomic theatre, he narrates the accumulation of matchsticks, gasoline, and dynamite in the hands of the oblivious audience, suggesting we might want to call the fire department.
A world ending. A world beginning. Zeihan brings readers along for an illuminating (and a bit terrifying) ride packed with foresight, wit, and his trademark irreverence.]]> 512 Peter Zeihan Steve Lacey 5 The End of the World is Just Beginning

The depth and historical analysis of this book is amazing and profoundly insightful, much like the other of his I have a read—The Accidentally Superpower. Of course, all of his predictions cannot come true, but I think it incredibly valuable to read and understand. The most important things he discusses seem to never become part of the public discourse, which will promote tragedies he expects to plague the next two decades. I wish 100-10,000 times more people will read the book that will. It is sad. Fabulous book. ]]> 4.39 2022 The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization
author: Peter Zeihan
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/15
date added: 2024/04/15
shelves:
review:
The End of the World is Just Beginning

The depth and historical analysis of this book is amazing and profoundly insightful, much like the other of his I have a read—The Accidentally Superpower. Of course, all of his predictions cannot come true, but I think it incredibly valuable to read and understand. The most important things he discusses seem to never become part of the public discourse, which will promote tragedies he expects to plague the next two decades. I wish 100-10,000 times more people will read the book that will. It is sad. Fabulous book.
]]> Of Mice and Men 202769744
Set against the backdrop of the American West, the narrative delves into the deep friendship between George and Lennie, two contrasting characters bound by a shared dream of owning a piece of land. Lennie, despite his immense physical strength, possesses a childlike innocence that complicates their journey. The novel poignantly addresses themes of loneliness, the pursuit of the American Dream, and the harsh realities faced by those on the margins of society.

Steinbeck's rich prose captures the essence of the time and place, offering a compelling exploration of human resilience and the fragility of dreams. "Of Mice and Men" stands as a timeless work that continues to resonate with readers, prompting reflection on the enduring nature of friendship, the pursuit of happiness, and the societal challenges that shape the human experience.]]> 121 John Steinbeck 1998114805 Steve Lacey 5 4.38 1937 Of Mice and Men
author: John Steinbeck
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1937
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/09
date added: 2024/04/09
shelves:
review:

]]> James 179550498
While many narrative set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin�), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.

Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a “literary icon� (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.]]> 304 Percival Everett 0385550375 Steve Lacey 5 4.60 2024 James
author: Percival Everett
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/07
date added: 2024/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Passing of the Armies: An Account Of The Final Campaign Of The Army Of The Potomac]]> 41159560 Making History. The Home of 99p/99c History Books.

1865, and as the Appomattox Campaign gets underway the Civil War enters its final stages.

From investing Petersburg to the battle of White Oak Road and the battle of Five Forks, the Union Army under Grant is pursuing Lee across a battle-scarred Virginia.

Amongst them is Brigadier General J. L. Chamberlain, commanding the 1st Brigade of the Union Army’s V Corps.

At Appomattox, Lee, his line of retreat cut and his army surrounded, was left with little choice but to surrender.

On April 12, Chamberlain presided over the formal parade marking the surrender of the Confederates� arms and colours.

Impressed by the demeanour of Lee’s soldiers, and recognising the day’s significance, he had his men salute their former foes; it would prove a controversial, yet defining moment.

Treating troop movements, the storm of battle, the army’s spirit and an unusual respect for the enemy with equal eloquence, this is a very human account of a war that divided a nation.

"This is one of the finest accounts of a campaign penned by a Federal soldier....A stellar work of Civil War history -- a classic." - The Civil War in Books

“One of the knightliest soldiers of the Federal Army.� General John Brown Gordon.

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (1828-1914) was a college professor from Maine who volunteered for the Union Army in 1862. Awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Gettysburg, he ended the war a Brevet Major General. A Republican, after the war he entered politics, serving four consecutive terms of office as the Governor of Maine.

]]> 301 Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Steve Lacey 4 The Passing of the Armies (Joshua Chamberlain)

I enjoyed the book more because of the subject than the writing. The writing ostentatious and while I love words, he achieves a ponderous style that is exhausting. Chamberlain was a hero at a critical moment of Gettysburg and survived as the general of a division the bulk of the rest of the war. He was there at Appomattox so the read is irresistible in spite of that. Grant’s memoirs towers over the book though. ]]> 4.31 1914 The Passing of the Armies: An Account Of The Final Campaign Of The Army Of The Potomac
author: Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1914
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/01
date added: 2024/04/01
shelves:
review:
The Passing of the Armies (Joshua Chamberlain)

I enjoyed the book more because of the subject than the writing. The writing ostentatious and while I love words, he achieves a ponderous style that is exhausting. Chamberlain was a hero at a critical moment of Gettysburg and survived as the general of a division the bulk of the rest of the war. He was there at Appomattox so the read is irresistible in spite of that. Grant’s memoirs towers over the book though.
]]> <![CDATA[Grant and Twain: The Story of a Friendship That Changed America]]> 5572482 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.In this deeply moving and meticulously researched book, veteran writer Mark Perry reconstructs the heady months when Grant and Twain inspired and cajoled each other to create two quintessentially American masterpieces.In a bold and colorful narrative, Perry recounts the early careers of these two giants, traces their quest for fame and elusive fortunes, and then follows the series of events that brought them together as friends. The reason Grant let Twain talk him into writing his memoirs was He was bankrupt and needed the money. Twain promised Grant princely returns in exchange for the right to edit and publish the book—and though the writer’s own finances were tottering, he kept his word to the general and his family.Mortally ill and battling debts, magazine editors, and a constant crush of reporters, Grant fought bravely to get the story of his life and his Civil War victories down on paper. Twain, meanwhile, staked all his hopes, both financial and literary, on the tale of a ragged boy and a runaway slave that he had been unable to finish for decades. As Perry delves into the story of the men’s deepening friendship and mutual influence, he arrives at the startling discovery of the true model for the character of Huckleberry Finn.With a cast of fascinating characters, including General William T. Sherman, William Dean Howells, William Henry Vanderbilt, and Abraham Lincoln, Perry’s narrative takes in the whole sweep of a glittering, unscrupulous age. A story of friendship and history, inspiration and desperation, genius and ruin, Grant and Twain captures a pivotal moment in the lives of two towering Americans and the age they epitomized.]]> 336 Mark Perry Steve Lacey 5 Grant and Twain: The story of a freioendship that changed America

Twain’s writing has been a lifelong lover as a civil war buff, I had always admired his accomplishments and marveled at them. Huck Finn is my favorite american novel. I finally read Grant’s memoirs and was blown away by the tour-de-force it is in in simplicity. Reading it caused my kindle app to suggest this book for which I am so grateful. I had no idea that the history of Huck Finn, Twain, Grant and his memoirs are all intertwined. What gift this tome is. A true must read!!]]> 4.33 2004 Grant and Twain: The Story of a Friendship That Changed America
author: Mark Perry
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/29
date added: 2024/03/29
shelves:
review:
Grant and Twain: The story of a freioendship that changed America

Twain’s writing has been a lifelong lover as a civil war buff, I had always admired his accomplishments and marveled at them. Huck Finn is my favorite american novel. I finally read Grant’s memoirs and was blown away by the tour-de-force it is in in simplicity. Reading it caused my kindle app to suggest this book for which I am so grateful. I had no idea that the history of Huck Finn, Twain, Grant and his memoirs are all intertwined. What gift this tome is. A true must read!!
]]> You Know Me Al 34479548
CHAPTER I
A BUSHER'S LETTERS HOME

Terre Haute, Indiana, September 6.
Friend Well, Al old pal I suppose you seen in the paper where I been sold to the White Sox. Believe me Al it comes as a surprise to me and I bet it did to all you good old pals down home. You could of knocked me over with a feather when the old man come up to me and says Jack I've sold you to the Chicago Americans.

I didn't have no idea that anything like that was coming off. For five minutes I was just dum and couldn't say a word.

He says We aren't getting what you are worth but I want you to go up to that big league and show those birds that there is a Central League on the map. He says Go and pitch the ball you been pitching down here and there won't be nothing to it. He says All you need is the nerve and Walsh or no one else won't have nothing on you.

So I says I would do the best I could and I thanked him for the treatment I got in Terre Haute. They always was good to me here and though I did more than my share I always felt that my work was appresiated. We are finishing second and I done most of it. I can't help but be proud of my first year's record in professional baseball and you know I am not boasting when I say that Al.

Well Al it will seem funny to be up there in the big show when I never was really in a big city before. But I guess I seen enough of life not to be scared of the high buildings eh Al?

I will just give them what I got and if they don't like it they can send me back to the old Central and I will be perfectly satisfied.

I didn't know anybody was looking me over, but one of the boys told me that Jack Doyle the White Sox scout was down here looking at me when Grand Rapids was here. I beat them twice in that serious. You know Grand Rapids never had a chance with me when I was right. I shut them out in the first game and they got one run in the second on account of Flynn misjuging that fly ball. Anyway Doyle liked my work and he wired Comiskey to buy me. Comiskey come back with an offer and they excepted it. I don't know how much they got but anyway I am sold to the big league and believe me Al I will make good.

Well Al I will be home in a few days and we will have some of the good old times. Regards to all the boys and tell them I am still their pal and not all swelled up over this big league business. Your pal, Jack.

To be continue in this ebook]]> 85 Ring Lardner Steve Lacey 5 You Know me Al

I hadn’t read this book since I was in high school and it still makes me laugh out loud. Lardner had such a grip on human nature, baseball, and the language. It was a treat and a true classic. ]]> 4.00 1916 You Know Me Al
author: Ring Lardner
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1916
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/26
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves:
review:
You Know me Al

I hadn’t read this book since I was in high school and it still makes me laugh out loud. Lardner had such a grip on human nature, baseball, and the language. It was a treat and a true classic.
]]> <![CDATA[Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant]]> 61987451
The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant is the first comprehensively annotated edition of Grant's memoirs, fully representing the great military leader's thoughts on his life and times through the end of the Civil War and his invaluable perspective on battlefield decision making. An introduction contextualizes Grant's life and significance, and lucid editorial commentary allows the president's voice and narrative to shine through. With annotations compiled by the editors of the Ulysses S. Grant Association's Presidential Library, this definitive edition enriches our understanding of the antebellum era, the Mexican War, and the Civil War. Grant provides insight into how rigorously these events tested America's democratic institutions and the cohesion of its social order.

The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant preserves and extends a work of profound political, historical, and literary significance and serves as the gateway for modern readers of all backgrounds to an American classic.]]> 835 Ulysses S. Grant Steve Lacey 5 Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

As a long time civil war buff, I am stunned and disappointed it took me so long to read and thereby admire this most extraordinary of Presidential memoirs. I had no idea what a marvelous book it until I read Accidentally Presidents wherein it was highly recommended. I am indebted to Jared Cohen for the superb recommendation. The man could really write and he told an extraordinary story from an extraordinary perspective in marvelous detail with humility in spite of the enormous success he wrought. ]]> 4.60 1885 Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
author: Ulysses S. Grant
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.60
book published: 1885
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/24
date added: 2024/03/24
shelves:
review:
Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

As a long time civil war buff, I am stunned and disappointed it took me so long to read and thereby admire this most extraordinary of Presidential memoirs. I had no idea what a marvelous book it until I read Accidentally Presidents wherein it was highly recommended. I am indebted to Jared Cohen for the superb recommendation. The man could really write and he told an extraordinary story from an extraordinary perspective in marvelous detail with humility in spite of the enormous success he wrought.
]]> <![CDATA[THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, A GRIEF OBSERVED, THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH]]> 196589489 1527 C.S. Lewis Steve Lacey 5 Classic C.S. Lewis

The 7 chronicles of Narnia were fabulous. I had not read them for decades and they are truly marvelous!! A Grief Observed about his grief the death of his wife joy is gut-wrenching. That Hideious Strength doesn’t work for me at all. It is likely a deficiency in me, too many issues to count. ]]> 4.17 THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, A GRIEF OBSERVED, THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/13
date added: 2024/03/13
shelves:
review:
Classic C.S. Lewis

The 7 chronicles of Narnia were fabulous. I had not read them for decades and they are truly marvelous!! A Grief Observed about his grief the death of his wife joy is gut-wrenching. That Hideious Strength doesn’t work for me at all. It is likely a deficiency in me, too many issues to count.
]]> <![CDATA[The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution]]> 22063607 Following his blockbuster biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson’s New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed The Innovators is a “riveting, propulsive, and at times deeply moving� (The Atlantic) story of the people who created the computer and the internet.What were the talents that allowed certain inventors and entrepreneurs to turn their visionary ideas into disruptive realities? What led to their creative leaps? Why did some succeed and others fail? The Innovators is a masterly saga of collaborative genius destined to be the standard history of the digital revolution—and an indispensable guide to how innovation really happens. Isaacson begins the adventure with Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron’s daughter, who pioneered computer programming in the 1840s. He explores the fascinating personalities that created our current digital revolution, such as Vannevar Bush, Alan Turing, John von Neumann, J.C.R. Licklider, Doug Engelbart, Robert Noyce, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Tim Berners-Lee, and Larry Page. This is the story of how their minds worked and what made them so inventive. It’s also a narrative of how their ability to collaborate and master the art of teamwork made them even more creative. For an era that seeks to foster innovation, creativity, and teamwork, The Innovators is “a sweeping and surprisingly tenderhearted history of the digital age� (The New York Times).]]> 560 Walter Isaacson Steve Lacey 5 The Innovators

The book is a towering monument to the beauty and power of collaboration and the marriage of arts and science that has lead to the modern digital age. It is profoundly optimistic without wearing rose-colored glasses. It is a supremely important read for lovers of math, lovers or computers, lovers of art, and lovers of people into a marvelously balanced hybrid of all of these we could all benefit from. ]]> 4.34 2011 The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
author: Walter Isaacson
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/05
date added: 2024/03/05
shelves:
review:
The Innovators

The book is a towering monument to the beauty and power of collaboration and the marriage of arts and science that has lead to the modern digital age. It is profoundly optimistic without wearing rose-colored glasses. It is a supremely important read for lovers of math, lovers or computers, lovers of art, and lovers of people into a marvelously balanced hybrid of all of these we could all benefit from.
]]> <![CDATA[The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present]]> 36620482 LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE

A sweeping history—and counter-narrative—of Native American life from the Wounded Knee massacre to the present.

The received idea of Native American history—as promulgated by books like Dee Brown's mega-bestselling 1970 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee—has been that American Indian history essentially ended with the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee. Not only did one hundred fifty Sioux die at the hands of the U. S. Cavalry, the sense was, but Native civilization did as well.

Growing up Ojibwe on a reservation in Minnesota, training as an anthropologist, and researching Native life past and present for his nonfiction and novels, David Treuer has uncovered a different narrative. Because they did not disappear—and not despite but rather because of their intense struggles to preserve their language, their traditions, their families, and their very existence—the story of American Indians since the end of the nineteenth century to the present is one of unprecedented resourcefulness and reinvention.

In The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, Treuer melds history with reportage and memoir. Tracing the tribes' distinctive cultures from first contact, he explores how the depredations of each era spawned new modes of survival. The devastating seizures of land gave rise to increasingly sophisticated legal and political maneuvering that put the lie to the myth that Indians don't know or care about property. The forced assimilation of their children at government-run boarding schools incubated a unifying Native identity. Conscription in the US military and the pull of urban life brought Indians into the mainstream and modern times, even as it steered the emerging shape of self-rule and spawned a new generation of resistance. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee is the essential, intimate story of a resilient people in a transformative era.]]> 526 David Treuer Steve Lacey 0 to-read 4.24 2019 The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present
author: David Treuer
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Beneath a Scarlet Sky 37642916 An alternate cover edition for ASIN B01L1CEZ6K can be found here.

Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours.

Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He’s a normal Italian teenager—obsessed with music, food, and girls—but his days of innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six years his senior.

In an attempt to protect him, Pino’s parents force him to enlist as a German soldier—a move they think will keep him out of combat. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitler’s left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reich’s most mysterious and powerful commanders.

Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share.

Fans of All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale, and Unbroken will enjoy this riveting saga of history, suspense, and love.

]]> 525 Mark T. Sullivan Steve Lacey 5 Beneath a Scarlet Sky

This is a powerful and poignant story of a very young man in WW2 in Italy, pulled to spying by pretending to be a loyal servant of a German general. It is heart-wrenching over and over and quite hard to put down. I loved it. ]]> 4.56 2017 Beneath a Scarlet Sky
author: Mark T. Sullivan
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/28
date added: 2024/02/28
shelves:
review:
Beneath a Scarlet Sky

This is a powerful and poignant story of a very young man in WW2 in Italy, pulled to spying by pretending to be a loyal servant of a German general. It is heart-wrenching over and over and quite hard to put down. I loved it.
]]> <![CDATA[Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America]]> 42085627 This New York Times bestselling “deep dive into the terms of eight former presidents is chock-full of political hijinks—and déjà vu� (Vanity Fair) and provides a fascinating look at the men who came to the office without being elected to it, showing how each affected the nation and world.The strength and prestige of the American presidency has waxed and waned since George Washington. Eight men have succeeded to the presidency when the incumbent died in office. In one way or another they vastly changed our history. Only Theodore Roosevelt would have been elected in his own right. Only TR, Truman, Coolidge, and LBJ were re-elected. John Tyler succeeded William Henry Harrison who died 30 days into his term. He was kicked out of his party and became the first president threatened with impeachment. Millard Fillmore succeeded esteemed General Zachary Taylor. He immediately sacked the entire cabinet and delayed an inevitable Civil War by standing with Henry Clay’s compromise of 1850. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded our greatest president, sided with remnants of the Confederacy in Reconstruction. Chester Arthur, the embodiment of the spoils system, was so reviled as James Garfield’s successor that he had to defend himself against plotting Garfield’s assassination; but he reformed the civil service. Theodore Roosevelt broke up the trusts. Calvin Coolidge silently cooled down the Harding scandals and preserved the White House for the Republican Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression. Harry Truman surprised everybody when he succeeded the great FDR and proved an able and accomplished president. Lyndon B. Johnson was named to deliver Texas electorally. He led the nation forward on Civil Rights but failed on Vietnam. Accidental Presidents shows that “history unfolds in death as well as in life� (The Wall Street Journal) and adds immeasurably to our understanding of the power and limits of the American presidency in critical times.]]> 530 Jared Cohen 1501109847 Steve Lacey 5 4.18 2019 Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America
author: Jared Cohen
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/20
date added: 2024/02/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House]]> 177058880 New York Times Bestseller

New York Times bestselling author of Accidental Presidents explores what happens after the most powerful job in the President of the United States.

Former presidents have an unusual place in American life. King George III believed that George Washington’s departure after two terms made him “the greatest character of the age.� But Alexander Hamilton worried former presidents might “[wander] among the people like ghosts.� They were both right.

Life After Power tells the stories of seven former presidents, from the Founding to today. Each changed history. Each offered lessons about how to decide what to do in the next chapter of life.

Thomas Jefferson was the first former president to accomplish great things after the White House, shaping public debates and founding the University of Virginia, an accomplishment he included on his tombstone, unlike his presidency. John Quincy Adams served in Congress and became a leading abolitionist, passing the torch to Abraham Lincoln. Grover Cleveland was the only president in American history to serve a nonconsecutive term. William Howard Taft became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Herbert Hoover shaped the modern conservative movement, led relief efforts after World War II, reorganized the executive branch, and reconciled John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Jimmy Carter had the longest post-presidency in American history, advancing humanitarian causes, human rights, and peace. George W. Bush made a clean break from politics, bringing back George Washington’s precedent, and reminding the public that the institution of the presidency is bigger than any person.

Jared Cohen explores the untold stories in the final chapters of these presidents� lives, offering a gripping and illuminating account of how they went from President of the United States one day, to ordinary citizens the next. He tells how they handled very human problems of ego, finances, and questions about their legacy and mortality. He shows how these men made history after they left the White House.]]> 508 Jared Cohen Steve Lacey 5 Life after Power

What a fascinating read! We don’t think much about ex-Presidents but Jared Cohen did and the guy can do research and write. All 7 of the characters are vastly different, interesting and inspiring. I can hardly wait to start “Accidental Presidents� which he wrote searlier. Shout out to Andrew Ross Sorkin who recommended the book on Squawk Box and interviewed the author this week. SUPER!]]> 4.28 Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House
author: Jared Cohen
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/16
date added: 2024/02/16
shelves:
review:
Life after Power

What a fascinating read! We don’t think much about ex-Presidents but Jared Cohen did and the guy can do research and write. All 7 of the characters are vastly different, interesting and inspiring. I can hardly wait to start “Accidental Presidents� which he wrote searlier. Shout out to Andrew Ross Sorkin who recommended the book on Squawk Box and interviewed the author this week. SUPER!
]]> <![CDATA[Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty]]> 19192114
For four hundred years, Americans have wrestled with and fought over two concepts that define the nature of the the proper relation between church and state and between a free individual and the state. These debates began with the extraordinary thought and struggles of Roger Williams, who had an unparalleled understanding of the conflict between a government that justified itself by "reason of state"-i.e. national security-and its perceived "will of God" and the "ancient rights and liberties" of individuals.

This is a story of power, set against Puritan America and the English Civil War. Williams's interactions with King James, Francis Bacon, Oliver Cromwell, and his mentor Edward Coke set his course, but his fundamental ideas came to fruition in America, as Williams, though a Puritan, collided with John Winthrop's vision of his "City upon a Hill."

Acclaimed historian John M. Barry explores the development of these fundamental ideas through the story of the man who was the first to link religious freedom to individual liberty, and who created in America the first government and society on earth informed by those beliefs. The story is essential to the continuing debate over how we define the role of religion and political power in modern American life.]]> 477 John M. Barry 1101554266 Steve Lacey 5 Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul

This is a typical John Barry masterpiece. I have previously read Rising Tide and The Great Influenza and all three have the same style. A very important underappreciated subject is chronicled deeply and beautifully, but only after extremely detailed and rich background occupying 1/3 to 1/2 of the book ahead of the ostensible subject. I loved it so much.]]> 4.43 2012 Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty
author: John M. Barry
name: Steve Lacey
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/09
date added: 2024/02/09
shelves:
review:
Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul

This is a typical John Barry masterpiece. I have previously read Rising Tide and The Great Influenza and all three have the same style. A very important underappreciated subject is chronicled deeply and beautifully, but only after extremely detailed and rich background occupying 1/3 to 1/2 of the book ahead of the ostensible subject. I loved it so much.
]]>