Book Reviews (7/29/05)
by Dean Hartwell
In the past few months, I have read several books. I have reviewed them on a scale of one to five:
God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It (HarperSanFrancisco, 2005) – Jim Wallis criticizes both the Republican and Democratic parties for misusing (Christian) faith or for not using it all in policy matters. Wallis points out that the GOP ignores the poor, in contradiction to the New Testament’s teachings. As for the Democrats, they balk too easily at faith-based programs that can help the poor, the sick and the addicted. The book is at its best when Wallis describes his attempts to get the British Prime Minister Tony Blair to adopt his compromise solution for the situation in Iraq. Rating: «««
What We've Lost: How the Bush Administration Has Curtailed Our Freedoms, Mortgaged Our Economy, Ravaged Our Environment and Damaged Our Standing in the World (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004) – Graydon Carter complains that the United States has lost much because of the Bush presidency, particularly its reputation before the world. This book makes the usual anti-Bush arguments (unfair tax cuts, the Patriot Act, rush to war, etc.) and offers little in the way of new information. Rating: ««
The Two Percent Solution: Fixing America's Problems in Ways Liberals and Conservatives Can Love (Public Affairs, 2003) – Matt Miller offers concrete examples of how the Republicans and Democrats can work together. His bipartisan solutions address issues such as universal health care, quality of schools and living wages. Miller speaks most eloquently when he recounts his own experience working in Washington, D.C. Rating: «««
Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think (The University of Chicago Press, 1996) – George Lakoff provides an answer to the question as to why some people are political liberals and others are political conservatives. He suggests that it revolves around one’s view of the family. Conservatives support a “strict father” who sets the rules for everyone and enforces them accordingly. They want the government to perform the same role for society. Liberals, on the other hand, want a nurturing family and government. This book is thought-provoking. Rating: ««««
The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers and the Media That Love Them (Hyperion, 2004) – Amy and David Goodman recount their travels to troubled spots around the world and the media coverage of them. They criticize “embedded” journalists, who go with the armed forces and cover events with their protection. According to the Goodmans, such journalists lose their objectivity and fail to report stories that implicate the armed forces or the government. This book is well-researched and documented. Rating: ««««
Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich - and Cheat Everyone Else (Portfolio, 2003) – David Cay Johnston lambastes the tax laws of the United States as biased against the poor. He points out that those with the least amount of income are the most likely to be audited by the IRS and that the wealthy can hire tax attorneys to find loopholes in the system. The author struggles to make a dull subject interesting and does fairly well. Rating: «««
End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World (Mariner Books, 2005) – Paul Roberts warns us about the inevitability of the end of fossil fuels and discusses the feasibility of alternative sources, such as hydrogen. This book, however, fails to make the subject of energy interesting. Rating: ««
White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son (Soft Skull Press, 2005) – Tim Wise addresses the issue of racism in our society from the point of view of a white man who has dedicated his life to fighting it. Wise points out that although laws have been passed against racial discrimination, problems remain. He uses his own life as an example, discussing times he has been pulled over and not given a ticket, how he got into Tulane despite poor grades and test scores and how he avoided punishment in school. He contrasts these incidents with what would have happened had he been black. Rating: «««
The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11 (Interlink, 2004) – David Ray Griffin provides a balanced analysis of the attacks of 9/11/01. Griffin assesses the evidence of each attack of that day, giving both the official theory and the critics of the theory. For example, he points out that officials have blamed the fire caused by the airplane crashes for the collapse of the twin towers. He then cites critics who believe the fires were not hot enough to burn through the steel in those buildings. His fair approach makes this book an especially good read. Rating: ««««
On the Justice of Roosting Chickens: Reflections on the Consequences of U.S. Imperial Arrogance and Criminality – (AK Press, 2003) - Ward Churchill expresses his belief that the attacks of 9/11/01 stemmed from United States use of the military and violation of international law around the world. In an exhaustive list of examples of U.S. wrongful intervention and violations of established international protocol, Churchill suggests that several nations had reason to seek revenge upon us. As for solutions to these wrongful policies, he is somewhat vague, although he does opine that voting does no good, because if it did, it would be outlawed. Rating: «««
The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States - (W.W. Norton and Company, 2004) – The 9/11 Commission gives its version of what happened on September 11, 2001. It alleges a plot hatched by Osama bin Laden and carried out by hijackers armed with box cutters. While admitting that much of its “evidence” on the bin Laden and the hijackers comes from terrorists since captured by the United States or its allies, it also omits any reference to any alternative theory as to what happened. Rating: ««
The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions (Olive Branch, 2004) – David Ray Griffin wrote his second book about the attacks of 9/11 after the official report came out in the summer of 2004. He picks apart the report on several fronts, from the omissions of statements from several people who say they had advanced warning of the attacks and the distortions of evidence made by the Bush Administration, such as evidence of Pakistani intelligence involvement in the attacks. It makes for great reading, but it fails to provide an alternative theory as to what happened. Rating: «««
What Went Wrong in Ohio: the Conyers Report on the 2004 Presidential Election – (Academy Chicago Publishers, 2005) - This book recounts many of the election irregularities in Ohio in the last presidential election. It details the extraordinary lines that mostly Democratic voters had to wait in on Election Day, the mysterious transfer of votes from Kerry to Bush and the exit polls that showed Kerry winning, among other things. It strikes a tone of disgust toward Kenneth Blackwell, the Secretary of State of Ohio and the Co-chair of Bush’s campaign by stating that he refused to answer any of the questions submitted to him. Overall, the book makes a strong case that Kerry really won the state in 2004. Rating: ««««
Buck – (PublishAmerica, 2004) - Kenneth Michael White provides a story of a local community and the problems of legislation and law enforcement. The lead character, Buck, gets in trouble after September 11th, 2001 for assisting a friend who was given a ticket by the Light Police for keeping his light on too late. The story makes me wonder about what happens to people after they gain power in terms of their common sense in dealing with social issues. Rating: ««««
Moyers on America: A Journalist and His Times – (Anchor, 2005) - Bill Moyers does in this book what he does best: discuss the mood of our nation and the problems that face it. Not only does he cover issues such as the rise of the religious right, he goes back into his own history and provides a candid review of the performance as President of his former boss, Lyndon Johnson. Some of the articles here are several years old, but he does provide three new essays in the paperback version of the book. Rating: ««««