Review of books on current political, religious, history, and societal issues
The Triumph of Injustice: How the Rich Dodge Taxes – Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman
The authors are internationally known economists with significant focus on the inequality of incomes of the poor, middle class, and wealthy. In this volume they track the history of the American tax system at all levels of government over the past hundred years.
AI Super-Powers – China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order – Kai-Fu Lee
The author is a world class authority on artificial intelligence (AI) with substantial professional training and experience in both the United States and China. He argues that unprecedented developments in AI will bring about dramatic changes in the world’s social order.
A Warning – Anonymous
The author claims to be a senior official in the Trump White House. She/he writes a first person account of experiences in the Administration and quotes liberally from similar experiences shared by others.
Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital – Kimberly Clausing
The author is Professor of Economics at Reed College. She is one of the nations leading expert on taxation of multinational corporations. In this book she promotes the value of international trade, liberal immigration, and free flow of global capital.
Firefighting: The Financial Crisis and It’s Lessons – Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Henry Paulson
The authors were the key players in managing the financial crisis of 2008. The book is a historical review of what caused the crisis, how it unfolded, and what was done to hold the global financial community together and contain the damage.
Beyond the Call – Lee Trimble and Jeremy Dronfield
This is a compelling true story of an American World War II hero who laid his life on the line in covert operations to bring his fellow soldiers as well as other men and women home to safety and freedom.
R.I.P. G.O.P. – Stanley Greenberg
The author is an internationally known poling advisor as well as Democratic Party political strategist. As the title of his book suggests he predicts that the Republican Party will implode in the 2020 election. He has endless statistical data to backup his views. While it is hard to argue with his data he is certainly not an objective observer. And his wife is Connecticut Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.
To Build a Better World – Philip Zelikow and Condoleezza Rice
This book is essentially a review of European political history between 1988 and 1992. It deals with the collapse of the Soviet Union, establishment of the European Union, unification of Germany, and the associated political crisis management by the US and European governments.
The Forgotten 500 – Gregory A. Freeman
This book documents the history of Operation Halyard, the greatest rescue mission of World War II. The achievement is little known today because US and UK politics kept it classified for 60 years.
Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor – Yossi Klein Halevi
As the title suggests the author has structured his book as a set of letters he would write to his Palestinian neighbor. The neighbor is not a specific person but an anonymous Palestinian individual with whom he would like to have a dialog.
Black, White, or Gray?? 