books
In Search of History, by Theodore H. White
A sweeping tour of the 20th century that no one should miss. This book came out in 1978. My grandmother gave it to me just this past January. I guess it had been sitting on her shelf since 1978. All I can say is: I’m glad she gave it to me. Better late than... »
Alphabet Juice by Roy Blount, Jr.
Enjoying this primer on how to not write like a 70-ish Anglophile burdened with a mid-20th century wit. Will keep it by my side while taking my own crack at things. »
My lesson from “The Shock Doctrine”: The most dangerous idea is that taken to the hilt
“The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism“, by Naomi Klein, is a wellspring of sad and horrifying revelations. It is a terrifying account of how Milton Friedman’s economic theories have been murderously put into practice throughout the world for the last 40 years. This interview on You Tube is a nice digest of the... »
On the path to exceptional achievements
“Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell, has some interesting anecdotes illustrating his ideas about how to explain exceptionally successful people. These people would be outliers, they sit far outside the bell curve of normal achievement. Gladwell looks at various sets of outliers, such as professional hockey players, pc/software industry moguls, the robber barons of the industrial revolution,... »
New York in the Old Days
Time and Again, by Jack Finney. I guess this is a classic. Mild on science fiction, heavy on historical tourism. A great read for any New Yorker. Si Morley, our cool chill protagonist, found languishing in a NYC ad firm in the 70s, gets recruited into a top secret government project to travel back in... »
A good read on Poker
Positively Fifth Street by James McManus. James McManus recounts his trip to the 2000 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, where he was only supposed to cover the event (and a related kinky murder trial) for Harper’s Magazine. Instead, without telling his editor, he decides to also enter the contest, and makes it to the... »
