Tag: book reviews
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Review: Macintyre’s A Spy Among Friends
A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal Ben Macintyre Its surprising that, until now, there hasn’t been a really thorough, well done, book about the fascinating possibly sociopathic, definitely alcoholic Kim Philby. Philby, as we all know, was a member (perhaps leader?) of the Cambridge spy ring who while working in the…
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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: 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…
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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…
Milo and the Calf 