Milo and the Calf

Category: Books

  • Review: Tannenbaum’s Badge of the Assassin

    Badge of the Assassin Robert Tannenbaum Philip Rosenberg For a while there, I was deeply interested in the history of armed struggle / terrorism in America, especially as undertaken in the 1970s by groups like the Weather Underground, the Black Liberation Army and others. Much of this era was still shrouded in secrecy and misrepresentation…

  • Review: Woodward’s The Brethren

    This review was originally published on a now long defunct livejournal account. I am moving it over here as part of a project to get all my writing into one spot. The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court Bob Woodward OK, I haven’t read All the Presidents Men, (which is a shame and really should be…

  • Review: Braudel’s Perspective of the World

    This review originally appeared in a now long defunct livejournal sometime around 2007. The Perspective of the World: Civilization and Capitalism 15Th-18th Century, Vol. 3 Fernand Braudel The final volume of this magnum opus tracing in minute, painful, detail the creation of capitalism in the west, and the precursors and repercussions of that creation in the…

  • Review: Packer’s Assassin’s Gate

    This review was originally published on a now long defunct livejournal account. The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq George Packer Packer was an earlier supporter of the war in Iraq, and for that, he deserves to get called out at every event at which he speak, forever. Despite that ill-advised position, he is also an…

  • Review: Levy’s Nothing Serious

    This review (and the dozen or so others I’ve posted tonight) are all from a now long defunct livejournal and have been only minimally edited. Nothing Serious Justine Levy Justine Levy is Bernard-Henri Levi’s daughter. This is her novel about life with a famous father she worships and how all her boyfriends both hate and…

  • Review: Ferguson’s Colossus

    Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire Niall Ferguson Ferguson is by far my favorite right-wing writer*. He is a skilled stylist and isn’t at all afraid to take his theories to their logical conclusions. For Ferguson, the problem isn’t the US is an empire, it is that it does a poor job…

  • Review: Gaiman’s Sandman (Volumes 1, 2 and 3)

    The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes (New Edition) The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll’s House The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country Neil Gaiman Sandman is of course one of the classics of the modern graphic novel. Odds are if you give a shit about the medium, you’ve already read them. Hell, even if you…

  • Review: Eagleton’s Figured of Dissent

    Note this review was orginally written for a now long defunct livejournal. Figures of Dissent: Reviewing Fish, Spivak, Zizek and Others Terry Eagleton I like Terry Eagleton well enough. I haven’t read many of his works (I’ve only read three, actually, the brilliant memoir The Gatekeeper, Literary Theory, and now Figures of Dissent) but I…

  • Review: Twelve Hawks the Traveler

    The Traveler John Twelve Hawks John Twelve Hawks is a pseudonym. Of who, no one knows. This is the first book in trilogy of high tech thrillers with touch of science fiction. Good enough to hold my attention, but now good enough to get me to read the other books in the series. This book…

  • Review: Le Carre’s Tailor of Panama

    A version of this review originally appeared on a now long defunct livejournal account. The Tailor of Panama John Le Carre Le Carre, is in my opinion, the best espionage novelist of all time. If you’re fan of the genre, you’ve probably read at least some of his books. If not, you should. The Tailor…