Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Reviews of new books

Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Reviews of new books
Felicia Day

Book Review: Take Heart, Felicia Day, Because ‘You’re Never Weird on the Internet’ Miss Nerd

REVIEW: Fun, breezy, and ultimately uplifting, Felicia Day's "You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) [A Memoir]" (ISBN: 9781476785653) is good for chuckles, guffaws, and a shipload of laughs. I'm not a gamer. I don't watch webisodes. I've never tuned in to see Supernatural, Eureka, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And up until this week I had never heard of Felicity Day. Oops, I mean Felicia Day.
The Dark Net

Book Review: Shining a Light on the Digital Underground of ‘The Dark Net’ and It’s Not Very Pretty

REVIEW: You can find anything on the Internet. Proving that in “The Dark Net: Inside the Digital Underworld” (ISBN: 9781612194899) is author and social media analyst Jamie Bartlett. Turns out that a lot of the online netherworld is pretty wild (and often not very pretty).
Goebbels: A Biography

Book Review: Peter Longerich’s ‘Goebbels: A Biography’ is Excellent, Appalling, and Instructive

REVIEW: Yes, it's true: Joseph Goebbels Helps today's GOP. Often considered the father of modern propaganda, Goebbels foreshadowed the GOP playbook in terms of distortion, deception, and dishonesty. Peter Longerich's "Goebbels: A Biography" (ISBN: 9781400067510) is excellent, appalling, and instructive.
The Influence Machine

Book Review: In Katz’s ‘The Influence Machine’ Taxpayers Foot the Bill for The USCC

REVIEW: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a tool for the forces of evil. Don't believe it? You can read about their anti-American and anti-humanity actions in "The Influence Machine: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Corporate Capture of American Life" (ISBN: 9780812993288), an excellent modern-day piece of muckraking by Alyssa Katz.

Book Review: ‘Thank You, Anarchy’ by Nathan Schneider

BOOK REVIEW: Anarchy gets a new and more positive definition in Nathan Schneider's book about the Occupy movement, "Thank You, Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse." Part history, part on-the-scene reporting, and part hope for a better future, the work is valuable and delightfully controversial.
The Big Short

Book Review: ‘The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine’ is fast-paced and fact-packed

REVIEW: A modern-day horror story of how people in our financial system "fiscally raped" us, “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine” (ISBN: 9780393338829) is a fast-paced and fact-packed book made exciting by the superb writing of Michael Lewis.
Simmons Illustration: America Ascendant

Book Review: Greenberg’s ‘America Ascendant’ Gives Us Hope for the 21st Century

REVIEW: Positive feelings about the USA can sometimes be in short supply but Stanley B. Greenberg's “America Ascendant: A Revolutionary Nation's Path to Addressing Its Deepest Problems and Leading the 21st Century” (ISBN: 978-1250003676) offers optimism and the promise of a better future. Wouldn't it be great if he's correct?
Why the Right Went Wrong

Book Review: So Many Reasons ‘Why the Right Went Wrong’ in Conservative Politics

REVIEW: Greed, bigotry, and treason head the list of “Why the Right Went Wrong: Conservatism From Goldwater to the Tea Party and Beyond” (ISBN 9781476763798), the generally helpful new book from E.J. Dionne, Jr.
Killing the Messenger: The Right-Wing Plot to Derail Hillary and Hijack Your Government

Book Review: ‘Killing the Messenger’ Skewers Hillary Haters

REVIEW: David Brock goes after the American Taliban hate machine in 'Killing the Messenger: The Right-Wing Plot to Derail Hillary and Hijack Your Government' (ISBN: 9781455533763). Debunking the anti-Clinton memes and fake scandals is a never-ending job, so let us give thanks that Brock is willing to tackle it.
Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few

Book Review: ‘Saving Capitalism’ by Robert Reich is a Capital Idea

REVIEW: Almost everyone who examines capitalism comes away with finger-and-thumb firmly pinching the nose. Taking a positive approach, Robert Reich exposes the faults but also recommends solutions in his superb "Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few" (ISBN: 9780385350570).
Dark Money - Book

Book Review: Dark Souls with their ‘Dark Money’

REVIEW: Jane Mayer will get your blood boiling in her superb 'Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right' (ISBN: 9780385535595). Every chapter reveals monsters who are perverting the ideals of America.
The Shock Doctrine

Book Review: Fiscal Rape in ‘The Shock Doctrine’

REVIEW: Naomi Klein reveals how the United States exports disaster capitalism in her powerful classic 'The Shock Doctrine' (ISBN: 9780312427993), a book that should be required reading for every government official and knowledgeable voter

Book Review: How and Why the US is Economically ‘Divided’

BOOK REVIEW: The collection of essays called “Divided: The Perils of Our Growing Inequality” (ISBN 978-1-59558-923-1) covers its important topic from a variety of viewpoints. While a valuable book, it's also a bit of a hit-or-miss affair because editor David Cay Johnston selected articles that emphasize facts and data whether or not there was any entertainment value in the writing.

Book Review: A War Book with a Difference, ‘Blackett’s War’

BOOK REVIEW: Books about World War II rarely discuss probability theory, mathematics, and observation of logistics procedures, which makes "Blackett's War: The Men Who Defeated the Nazi U-Boats and Brought Science to the Art of Warfare" (ISBN-13: 978-0307595966) by Stephen Budiansky, a refreshing change. But the horrors of combat are not overlooked (warning; graphic descriptions ahead).

Book Review: ‘Data and Goliath’ – You Don’t Have Any Secrets Anymore

REVIEW: Privacy is becoming an antiquated concept. In "Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World" (ISBN: 9780393244816), security expert Bruce Schneier leads you through a labyrinth of surveillance that should scare the hell out of you.

Book Review: Real-life Horror Story is a Prison of Disbelief in ‘Going Clear’

REVIEW: A beautifully crafted book on a mesmerizing but ugly topic, "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright (ISBN: 9780307745309) is a shocking investigation into the cult of Scientology. As with today's torture-porn horror films, its followers are berated, degraded, and psychologically harmed.

Book Review: Tome of the Unknown Woman Warrior

REVIEW: The fundamental principles of the United States were honored and extended by Frances Perkins, who was "The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins - Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, and the Minimum Wage" (ISBN: 9781400078561). A tireless worker for justice, Perkins has too long been hidden from history. Kirstin Downey seeks to remedy the oversight in her fascinating book.

Getting in Touch with your Inner Racist: Book Review of ‘Dog Whistle Politics’

BOOK REVIEW: In the most important American book of the year so far, Ian Haney Lopez presents a ton of facts and a mountain of logical deductions about race, politics and the nation's future in 'Dog Whistle Politics' (ISBN: 9780199964277). Reading it is like pulling off a scab.

Book Review: Do You Believe in Magic? The value of ‘The God Delusion’

REVIEW: While it didn't convert me to atheism, 'The God Delusion' (ISBN: 9780618918249) by Richard Dawkins is still terrific and should be required reading for anyone who still thinks religion has any value in society. Dawkins' philosophical points are even persuasive, up to a point, but I cannot join him in his non-belief.

Book Review: Brilliant Words on Music in ‘Visions of Jazz’

BOOK REVIEW: It isn't easy getting a handle on a genre that ranges from the smooth swing of a Benny Goodman to the jagged edges of an Ornette Coleman but Gary Giddins' 'Visions of Jazz' (ISBN: 0-19-507675-3) is a beautiful book that makes delightful reading for any jazz lover.

Publishing News

Software News

Music News