Palestine Peace Not Apartheid: Jimmy Carter
Can’t say I entirely understand all the controversy, I found the book did not blame one side or another. Who it did put a lot of blame on was power hungry politicians rather than on the people of the two sides. Surprisingly Christian in tone also, I forget that Carter is an evangelical Christian himself. I’d recommend this book highly, though I’d also like to read other perspectives on the whole issue if anyone recommends any.
Undercover Economist:
If you want to get some real life examples of how larger economic theories work, this is an excellent book that is easy and even fun to read. Starting with microeconomics and moving to macro, the book explains why coffee shops are so expensive, why lousy restaurants prevail in touristy areas, why used cars are always terrible and other economic phenomena. Great until the very end, when it got a little too pro-free trade for my opinion.
Spiral Staircase: Karen Armstrong
An interesting new genre- the “academic memoir.” Armstrong’s book started a bit dull but I cant not finish a book and so kept going with it. Armstrong, if you look at any other books I’ve reviewed, is a somewhat popular religion writer, but I didn’t realize she had had such a fascinating life. From living in a catholic convent, to pursuing a Ph. D at Oxford, to all manner of mental and physical illness in between she tells a wonderful story about finding a place for spirituality in her life. Her study of the world religions brought her closer to the divine than all the practice ever good, and I felt like I really began to understand on a deeper level what religion meant, how it operates in cultures, and how it intersects and departs from dogma.
