John Scott G

REVIEW: With two million copies sold, Howard Zinn's 'A People's History of the United States' (ISBN: 9780060838652) is possibly the most successful history book in, well, history. It is also riveting, sobering, and valuable. While decent Americans admire it, RWNJs loathe it.

The post Book Review: Birthed in Blood and Betrayal – A People’s History of the United States appeared first on MuseWire.

BOOK REVIEW: While it's aimed at policy wonks instead of the normal reading public, "We Are Better Than This: How Government Should Spend Our Money" (ISBN: 9780199332243) by Edward D. Kleinbard contains much that could help the USA live up to our repeated claims of being the greatest nation in the world.

The post Book Review: What if we Tax and Spend Wisely? – ‘We Are Better Than This’ appeared first on MuseWire.

BOOK REVIEW: From a force for good to today's evil incarnate, the Republican Party has had its rare ups and insidious downs before arriving at their current position as supporters of gridlock, corporatism, oligarchy, and all things anti-humane. In "To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party" (ISBN: 9780465024315) the whole sordid story of the GOP is told by Heather Cox Richardson in lightning-fast segments.

The post Book Review: GOP vs. USA: A Brief History – ‘To Make Men Free’ appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW: Zephyr Teachout believes that venality has been on the minds and in the bloodstream of politicians since the founding of the nation. In "Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin's Snuff Box to Citizens United" (ISBN: 9780674050402) she makes the case and provides some possible resolutions to the problem.

The post Book Review: Tons of ‘Corruption in America’ – venality has been in bloodstream of politicians since founding appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW: How often do you look forward to reading about science and history? Bill Bryson makes learning enjoyable in 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' (ISBN: 978-0-307-88515-9) now available in an illustrated edition. Why can't textbooks be this delightful and fascinating?

The post Book Review: ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ is delightful and fascinating appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW: Naomi Klein writes passionately and persuasively in her new book, 'This Changes Everything' (ISBN: 9781451697384). It will anger you, scare you, throw you for a loop, and ultimately uplift you.

The post Book Review: Naomi Klein’s Revolutionary Take on Capitalism ‘This Changes Everything’ appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW: A strange saga filled to the brim with fear and loathing, Rick Perlstein's 'The Invisible Bridge' documents the point in US history where the rightwing began to team up with corporations, racists, and morons to begin systematically destroying this nation. Subtitled 'The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan,' the book (ISBN: 978-1-4767-8241-6) is a well-written chill ride full of ominous shudders.

The post Book Review: Onset of the Zombie Apocalypse in ‘The Invisible Bridge’ appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW (by John Scott G): Stacks of facts tumble over each other in the second edition of 'What You Should Know About Politics...But Don't" (ISBN-13: 9781611454758) by Jessamyn Conrad, and it would be an incredibly valuable book if it contained an index. Still, this is a fairly handy reference guide despite some notable lapses into placating the odious conservative fringe.

The post Book Review: ‘What You Don’t Know About Politics’ Would Fill a Book appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW (by John Scott G): Economics professor Richard Wolff regularly raises eyebrows with his clear-eyed explication of the many advantages of Marxism. Now, in "Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism" (ISBN 9781608462476), he makes the case for curing some of capitalism's ills via Workers' Self-Directed Enterprises.

The post Book Review: Making Socialism a Good Word Again appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW (by John Scott G) : The U.S. is drowning in laws, laws, and more laws. So says Philip K. Howard in his fast-paced "The Rule of Nobody: Saving America from Dead Laws and Broken Government" (ISBN-13: 978-0-393-08282-1). He calls for some common sense changes of attitude and makes a good case for constitutional amendments as part of the cure.

The post Book Review: Who’s in Charge of Our Laws? ‘Nobody’ appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW: Humanity triumphs on every page of Elizabeth Warren's "A Fighting Chance" (ISBN: 9781627790529). Her life story is inspirational but it's her goals -- fairness, a level playing field, justice -- that are crucial to our country's future.

The post Book Review: People Deserve ‘A Fighting Chance’ appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW: Glenn Greenwald's excellent "No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State" (ISBN: 9781627790734) is not only about Edward Snowden and the NSA; it's also about power. Who gets to watch you? Who gets to know your life's decisions? Who gets to monitor your activities? And who is watching the watchers?

The post Book Review: We Have ‘No Place to Hide’ appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW: With an eye-catching title, Elijah Wald's "How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music" (ISBN: 9780199756971) is an off-kilter look at the progression of music from ragtime to rock to rap, with lots of insights on swing, jazz, folk, and blues. Consistently interesting and fun to read, the book pays special attention to what the media and the American mindset have done to influence the music we hear today.

The post Book Review: Good Title, Bad Title for ‘How Beatles Destroyed Rock’ appeared first on MuseWire.

REVIEW: Peter Schuck's "Why Government Fails So Often: And How it Can do Better" (ISBN: 9780691161624) takes 30 pages of brilliant observation and crams it into 412 pages of text. His combination of garrulousness and impenetrable language makes it a very long and extensive and extended and elongated and lengthy and protracted and time-consuming and boring read.

The post Book Review: Bad Writing is One Reason ‘Why Government Fails so Often’ appeared first on MuseWire.

BOOK REVIEW: Peeling back the thick tapestries of privacy shielding the odious Koch brothers, Daniel Schulman's "Sons of Wichita: How the Koch Brothers Became America's Most Powerful and Private Dynasty" (ISBN: 9781455518739) is consistently compelling and a good read. There's a lot here: the Koch's anti-American politics, their disgusting waste of personal wealth, their in-fighting and lawsuits, their dysfunctional family life, and their attitude of total warfare against people in the middle class.

The post Book Review: Anti-Americans Star in ‘Sons of Wichita’ appeared first on MuseWire.

BOOK REVIEW: Spies! Treachery! Deception! Camels! With an eye for detail and a love of intrigue, Scott Anderson plunks you down in the desert for 'Lawrence in Arabia' (ISBN-13: 978-0385532921). The author unleashes a rip-snortin' tale that ultimately reveals a lot of the backstory on the muddle that is today's Middle East.

The post Book Review: Blood on the Sand in ‘Lawrence in Arabia’ appeared first on MuseWire.