STATE OF TERROR by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny Book Review by Jim McCarthy Sadly, the state of terror engendered by this novel was visited upon this reader. The tale traces the ruthless revenge pursued by a clever and… Read More ›
Book Review
AFTER THE FALL by Ben Rhodes
Reviewed by Jim McCarthy The 44-year-old Rhodes became President Obama’s deputy national security adviser in 2009 following a stint as the candidate’s speechwriter beginning in 2007. Presently, he appears regularly as an MSNBC commentator and hosts a podcast entitled Pod… Read More ›
Forever Wars
Editors’ Note: Reposted from The New York Times, August 10, 2021. Occasionally, a book reviewer will provide the kind of insight that inspires interest to acquire the book. At the same time, some reviews, in and of themselves, contain ideas… Read More ›
Plastics Diploma
By Frank Blechman Despite encouragement by the editors of this blog, I will NOT write this week about (soon-to-be-ex-) Governor Cuomo of New York, troops in (or out of) Afghanistan, the COVID crisis, NASA’s problems with its next moon-mission, the… Read More ›
Cut Nose, Spite Face
THE SUM OF US, by Heather McGhee Book Review by Frank Blechman In The Sum of Us, Heather McGhee brings over 20 years of experience into a strong and very readable case that white supremacist racism hurts white people as… Read More ›
Tangled Up in Blue
Book Review by Frank Blechman Rosa Brooks’ new book, Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City, does not have all the answers about how to improve policing or police. Maybe, it doesn’t have any. It is, however, an honest,… Read More ›
POST-CORONA: From Crisis to Opportunity
Book Review by Frank Blechman Readers have noted that I can’t seem to just say what I have to say. I seem to wander around until I get to the point of my column. For those annoyed by this, I… Read More ›
Hijacking America
Editors’ Note: From the New York Times, Book Review, print edition, August 23, 2020. EVIL GENIUSES The Unmaking of America: A Recent History By Kurt Andersen Reviewed By Anand Giridharadas Commentary: Occasionally we discover dynamic ideas in unexpected places, such… Read More ›
Trump Agonistes
Review by Michael Fruitman Dozens of books have been published about Donald Trump since the 2016 election, by journalists, political pundits, armchair psychologists, past associates, and more. A new one, titled simply Disloyal, by former Trump consigliere Michael Cohen, comes… Read More ›
THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE by Charlie Mackesy
Reviewed by Frank Blechman This book begins with the author disclosing that he doesn’t read many books, and never planned to write one. He likes pictures, he says. So, this is fable with text and pictures. As the four characters… Read More ›