This book's full title is The Evangelicals, The Struggle to Shape America. I had not realized that church attendance rose after WWII into the 1950's and 1960's. I went to church with my parents, but I did not know there was a movement towards more church attendance. This rising in attendance was among Protestants, Catholics and Jews.
It is interesting to read reviews by Evangelicals and non-Evangelicals. There is quite a difference in attitude. I find the reviews generally interesting, but they are not especially good. Some people are too set in their views.
Alan Wolfe on New York Times does an interesting review of this book. There are also interesting reviews on Good Reads. Barry Hankins on The Gospel Coalition also has an interesting review.
Discussion by Frances FitzGerald and David Gushee on C-Span. Frances FitzGerald is interviewed by Charlie Rose.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Friday, January 12, 2018
A World in Disarray by Richard Haass
This book's full title is A World in Disarray, American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order. It seems like a pretty bleak view of the world, but it says some interesting things.
For example, he talks about the Ukraine giving up nuclear weapons at independence in the 1990's. Two decades later it was attached by Russia who took the Crimea and the Eastern part of the country. Iraq was forced to give up its nuclear weapons program was invaded by the US a decade later. Libya gave up nuclear program in 2003 and less than a decade later the government was removed by the US and European countries. He says that Iran and North Korean have learned a lesson.
There is a good review by Michiko Kakutani at New York Times. There are good reviews again on Good Reads.
Michael Burleigh, a British historian reviews this book and 3 others on Project Syndicate. The title of the article was The World that Made Tramp. He also reviewed The Fate Of The West The Decline and Revival of the World's Most Valuable Political Idea (Economist Books) by Bill Emmott; The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age (Yale University Press) by James Kirchick; and Mission Failure: America and the World in the Post-Cold War Era (Oxford University Press) by Michael Mandelbaum. He says that these books reflected a morbid state of introspection in the West, sustained by the mounting political and economic challenges of their time.
Richard Haass talks on CBS This Morning. There is an excerpt and a discussion with Richard Haass on the Council on Foreign Relations site. There is a discussion with Peggy Noonan on 92nd Street Y on YouTube.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
For example, he talks about the Ukraine giving up nuclear weapons at independence in the 1990's. Two decades later it was attached by Russia who took the Crimea and the Eastern part of the country. Iraq was forced to give up its nuclear weapons program was invaded by the US a decade later. Libya gave up nuclear program in 2003 and less than a decade later the government was removed by the US and European countries. He says that Iran and North Korean have learned a lesson.
There is a good review by Michiko Kakutani at New York Times. There are good reviews again on Good Reads.
Michael Burleigh, a British historian reviews this book and 3 others on Project Syndicate. The title of the article was The World that Made Tramp. He also reviewed The Fate Of The West The Decline and Revival of the World's Most Valuable Political Idea (Economist Books) by Bill Emmott; The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age (Yale University Press) by James Kirchick; and Mission Failure: America and the World in the Post-Cold War Era (Oxford University Press) by Michael Mandelbaum. He says that these books reflected a morbid state of introspection in the West, sustained by the mounting political and economic challenges of their time.
Richard Haass talks on CBS This Morning. There is an excerpt and a discussion with Richard Haass on the Council on Foreign Relations site. There is a discussion with Peggy Noonan on 92nd Street Y on YouTube.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Money Changes Everything by William Goetzmann
This book's full title is Money Changes Everything: How Finance Made Civilization Possible by William N. Goetzmann. If reading history has taught me anything is that there is seldom anything really new and that this time it is never different.
For example, I remember reading about doing business in China that people were getting their money out because sometimes if you had a successful business the government might arrest you and take your firm away from you and all that you made. This is not new for China. Throughout China's history, the government seldom let an individual get too much money or benefit from things that they have done. The government felt that the government should be the only one to benefit from anything.
It is probably why the industrial revolution did not happen in China. The Chinese invented a lot of things throughout history. They invented the compass, the horse harness, they had paper money going back a long way. However, the Industrial Revolution was very messy. That is not how the Chinese government operated. So what does this say about China being a world power to replace the US?
Bye the way, the US way of doing things has always been quite messy. Yes, they are currently in a mess but this is nothing new. They will muddle through somehow. This could also be applied to the Brits and the Dutch.
There are some interesting reviews on Amazon. As usual there are some great reviews on Good Reads. You can also find a good review by Pietra Rivoli on Financial Times
William Goetzmann answers question on his book on the Yale site. William Goetzmann gives a talk for CFA Institute.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
For example, I remember reading about doing business in China that people were getting their money out because sometimes if you had a successful business the government might arrest you and take your firm away from you and all that you made. This is not new for China. Throughout China's history, the government seldom let an individual get too much money or benefit from things that they have done. The government felt that the government should be the only one to benefit from anything.
It is probably why the industrial revolution did not happen in China. The Chinese invented a lot of things throughout history. They invented the compass, the horse harness, they had paper money going back a long way. However, the Industrial Revolution was very messy. That is not how the Chinese government operated. So what does this say about China being a world power to replace the US?
Bye the way, the US way of doing things has always been quite messy. Yes, they are currently in a mess but this is nothing new. They will muddle through somehow. This could also be applied to the Brits and the Dutch.
There are some interesting reviews on Amazon. As usual there are some great reviews on Good Reads. You can also find a good review by Pietra Rivoli on Financial Times
William Goetzmann answers question on his book on the Yale site. William Goetzmann gives a talk for CFA Institute.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Reflections on the Revolution in Europe by Christopher Caldwell
This book's full title is Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Island and the West. I found it very interesting that European countries thought of themselves as immigrant countries. I had previously only thought of Canada, US, New Zealand and Australia as immigrant countries.
He says that Europeans were attracted to, signed treaty's with and settled in the Ottoman Empire and China because these places were rich and too weak and disorganized to look out for themselves. He says about Europe currently that whether or not it can defend itself it has lost sight of why it should.
David Goodhart in this review on The Guardian is quite critical of Caldwell's view of Muslim immigration into Europe, but I must admit I was reading this book to get a different view from mine on this subject. There is an interesting review of this book on by Fouad Ajami in the New York Times. As usual, there are some very good reviews on this book at Good Reads.
Conversation with Christopher Caldwell by Bill Kristol. on France 24 Christopher Caldwell is interviewed by Annette Young. This interview took place in 2011. Christopher Caldwell gave a lecture at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on 5 May 2009. The lecture is on can Europe be the same with different people in it?
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
He says that Europeans were attracted to, signed treaty's with and settled in the Ottoman Empire and China because these places were rich and too weak and disorganized to look out for themselves. He says about Europe currently that whether or not it can defend itself it has lost sight of why it should.
David Goodhart in this review on The Guardian is quite critical of Caldwell's view of Muslim immigration into Europe, but I must admit I was reading this book to get a different view from mine on this subject. There is an interesting review of this book on by Fouad Ajami in the New York Times. As usual, there are some very good reviews on this book at Good Reads.
Conversation with Christopher Caldwell by Bill Kristol. on France 24 Christopher Caldwell is interviewed by Annette Young. This interview took place in 2011. Christopher Caldwell gave a lecture at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on 5 May 2009. The lecture is on can Europe be the same with different people in it?
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Friday, October 20, 2017
Maximum Canada by Doug Saunders
This book's full title is Maximum Canada, Why 35 Million Canadians Are Not Enough. Doug Saunders has his own site for this book here. He is also on Facebook
I had not realized how anti-immigrant Canada has been in the past until I read this book. However I had heard before in reading Canadian history and Canada had a hard time retaining immigrants. He says that between 1851 and 1941 Canada attracted 6.7M immigrants but lost 6.3M people to the US.
Early in our history, the British Government and the Canadian Government wanted only farmers. A lot of immigrants did not want to be farmers. Lots had skills or want to live in urban areas. One of the main reasons people moved on to the states.
Also we currently have the problem of low density. My city of Toronto has a big land area, but within the city there is much lower density of people than in other cities, say London or New York. We, with low density, good public transportation systems are difficult.
There are some interesting reviews on Amazon Canada. A couple of reviewers certainly do not like Saunders take on population need for Canada. However, I am inclined to agree with Saunders that we need more people, but we do need to manage this. Irvin Studin in the Globe and Mail gives a very thoughtful review of this book. There is another review by Charlie Smith on Straight.
Doug Saunders talks on CBC radio called The Homestretch. He will soon speak soon in Ottawa at Writers Festival . Doug Saunders speaks at Science for Peace. He was on the The Agenda with Steve Paikin talking about The Myth of the Muslim Tide. There is a short video of Doug Saunders talking at The Walrus.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
I had not realized how anti-immigrant Canada has been in the past until I read this book. However I had heard before in reading Canadian history and Canada had a hard time retaining immigrants. He says that between 1851 and 1941 Canada attracted 6.7M immigrants but lost 6.3M people to the US.
Early in our history, the British Government and the Canadian Government wanted only farmers. A lot of immigrants did not want to be farmers. Lots had skills or want to live in urban areas. One of the main reasons people moved on to the states.
Also we currently have the problem of low density. My city of Toronto has a big land area, but within the city there is much lower density of people than in other cities, say London or New York. We, with low density, good public transportation systems are difficult.
There are some interesting reviews on Amazon Canada. A couple of reviewers certainly do not like Saunders take on population need for Canada. However, I am inclined to agree with Saunders that we need more people, but we do need to manage this. Irvin Studin in the Globe and Mail gives a very thoughtful review of this book. There is another review by Charlie Smith on Straight.
Doug Saunders talks on CBC radio called The Homestretch. He will soon speak soon in Ottawa at Writers Festival . Doug Saunders speaks at Science for Peace. He was on the The Agenda with Steve Paikin talking about The Myth of the Muslim Tide. There is a short video of Doug Saunders talking at The Walrus.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
The Story of the Jews by Simon Schama
This book's full title is The Story of the Jews, Finding the Words, 1000 BCE to 1492 CE. The Jews have always been citizens of the world. They have on and off been persecuted by their neighbors. They have often thrived in all sorts of different places despite all that happened to them. Simon Schama writes great history by storytelling.
Judith Shulevitz writing in the New York Times captures the essence of this book well. Ian Thomson does a great review in the Guardian. There are, of course, some interesting reviews on Goodreads. Some found it hard to follow and slow to read. I did not, but then I have read a lot of history and that probably helps. He does have an interesting approach.
Simon Schama was joined onstage by Adam Hochschild to talk about The Story of the Jews, Mr. Schama's multimedia account of Jewish history from 1000 BCE to present times. There video ishere. In 5 parts, Simon Schama tells the story of the Jews at Daily Motion.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Judith Shulevitz writing in the New York Times captures the essence of this book well. Ian Thomson does a great review in the Guardian. There are, of course, some interesting reviews on Goodreads. Some found it hard to follow and slow to read. I did not, but then I have read a lot of history and that probably helps. He does have an interesting approach.
Simon Schama was joined onstage by Adam Hochschild to talk about The Story of the Jews, Mr. Schama's multimedia account of Jewish history from 1000 BCE to present times. There video ishere. In 5 parts, Simon Schama tells the story of the Jews at Daily Motion.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Heroes of Empire by Edward Berenson
This book's full title is Heroes of Empire, Five Charismatic men and the Conquest of Africa. These men might have been heroes to the Western world, but wreaked hardship and violence on African people. It would seem to be the press that made them heroes. They and their country men seem to think that they were bringing civilization to native peoples. I doubt of the native peoples thought that.
On this site of Rorotoko Edward Berenson talks about his book and why he wrote it. The side Questia gives a synopsis of this book plus and excerpt. There is an actual book review by Michael Clinton onWorld History Connected. He talks about the fact that this book has begun to appear on the syllabi of graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses on European imperialism. Rachel K. Bright gives a review of this book on Project Muse. She starts off my talking about how the popular press turned African adventurers into national heroes.
Edward Berenson is a Professor of History at New York University. Here they give a bio of him and the books he has written including the Heroes of Empire. There is an interview with Edward Berenson on YouTube by the Oxford Press. There is another interview of Edward Berenson on the Criterion Collection called the Politics of History.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
On this site of Rorotoko Edward Berenson talks about his book and why he wrote it. The side Questia gives a synopsis of this book plus and excerpt. There is an actual book review by Michael Clinton onWorld History Connected. He talks about the fact that this book has begun to appear on the syllabi of graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses on European imperialism. Rachel K. Bright gives a review of this book on Project Muse. She starts off my talking about how the popular press turned African adventurers into national heroes.
Edward Berenson is a Professor of History at New York University. Here they give a bio of him and the books he has written including the Heroes of Empire. There is an interview with Edward Berenson on YouTube by the Oxford Press. There is another interview of Edward Berenson on the Criterion Collection called the Politics of History.
An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.
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