Category: Books
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Review: Howley’s Thrown
Thrown Kerry Howley I loved this little book. The conceit is that it is a recounting of a philosophy grad student who becomes enraptured with the world of MMA and follows two mid-west regional athletes through their ups and downs. Howley isn’t really a philosophy doctoral candidate, but she is a talented writer. The fighters…
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Review: Levitin’s the Organized Mind
The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload Daniel Levitin I’m a sucker for the books incorporating behavioral science and cognitive research in a self-help self-improvement framework. Give me the cliff notes versions of studies on how I can be more productive/focused/healthier, etc. package it up with some charts and smart writing…
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Review: Schmahmann’s Double Life of Alfred Buber
The Double Life of Alfred Buber I received this as a review copy from the Permanent Press, an excellent independent publisher based in New York. The Permanent Press is one of only a few literary independent publishers left who take the chance to publish serious novels by little known writers. I admire that. And I…
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Review: Mahler’s Ladies and Gentleman the Bronx is Burning
This, and many more reviews I’ve been posting lately originally appeared in 2007 on a now defunct livejournal. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City Jonathan Mahler This is exactly what a journalistic history book should be. Fast, fun, and informative, as the…
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Review: Mezrich’s Ugly Americans
One of many reviews I wrote for an old livejournal account. Now archived here. Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions Ben Mezrich Trashy trash. Not only trashy – horrible. I am embarrassed to say I read it and if you’ve been paying attention around…
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Review: Rodenbeck’s Cairo A City Victorious
One of many reviews I wrote for an old livejournal account. Now archives here. Cairo: The City Victorious Max Rodenbeck It is close by at first, starting with the intimate pock of the microphone and discreet , would not need to be all hearing to hear it. An electric cloud of sound accumulates and…
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Review: Lewis’s Moneyball
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game Michael Lewis Moneyball is among the top couple of books Michael Lewi. Its on one level a story of the Oakland As and how they do well with almost no money by capitalizing on a new way of looking at baseball that was developed by Bill James,…
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Review: Battelle’s The Search
This and the many more reviews I’ve been posting lately originally appeared in a now long defunct livejournal. The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business andTransformed Our Cultu re John Battelle This book is two things – first, it is a detailed and interesting look at how searching online…
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Review: Hegel’s On Art, Religion, and the History of Philosophy
This and so many more reviews I’ve been posting lately originally appeared in a now long defunct livejournal. On Art, Religion, and the History of Philosophy: Introductory Lectures (Hackett Classics) G.W.F. Hegel I read a pretty big chunk of Hegel in my first undergrad philosophy class. He scared the living shit out of me. I…
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Review: Trento’s Secret History of the CIA
One of many, many book reviews I wrote for a livejournal account long, long ago. The Secret History of the CIA Joseph Trento If you want a trashy, gossipy, book full of stories of drunks and mistresses and bat-shit crazy people in charge of our nation’s espionage, then this is your book. It’s a one…
Milo and the Calf 