Book Review: We Are The Change We Seek: The Speeches of Barack Obama
E.J. Dionne and Joy-Ann Reid edited this volume of selected speeches by President Barack Obama. The 27 speeches date from 2002 to 2017, and include some well-known and some more obscure moments. Each speech has an introduction from the editors that puts in context,...Book Review: The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, edited by Bandy X. Lee
I purchased this group of essays, edited by Bandy X. Lee, M.D., M. Div., in 2017. However, this month was the perfect time to read them. The issue of President Donald Trump’s psychological makeup has been making more headlines and tweets than ever. In fact, it was his...Book Review: The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris
In the U.S., most potential Presidential candidates write a memoir about their lives prior to declaring their candidacy. Kamala Harris published just such a book in 2018. It’s a rundown of her life until now, with strong emphasis on her personal political philosophy...Book Review: Thanks, Obama by David Litt
Native New Yorker David Litt was politically aware enough in college to volunteer for Barack Obama’s first Presidential campaign. Then he moved to Washington, D.C. and tried to get a job after graduation. After an internship, he networked himself into Obama’s White...Book Review: What We Do Now, Essays by Various Authors
I bought this compilation of essays, edited by Dennis Johnson and Valerie Merians, shortly after the 2016 elections. I was wondering just what the title says, “what do we do know?” And, then I put the book on my shelf because I was feeling too many raw emotions....Book Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama
It isn’t easy to be the 9 zillioneth reviewer of Becoming by Michelle Obama. But here I am, wondering how I’ll make this an original and meaningful review.Let’s get the basics out of the way. I loved this book, and am especially glad I listened to the audiobook. While...Book Review: The Soul of America by Jon Meacham
Jon Meacham is an author, historian, professor, and commentator. He has the long view on the politics of today’s world. And he explains what that means in his latest book, The Soul of America. His premise is that our country has had many previous bouts of unrest, with...Book Review: From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey-Stein
Beck Dorey-Stein is a charming and funny young woman, as is her book, From the Corner of the Oval. The day after I finished her book, I met Beck at the Harrisburg Book Festival. She joined former speechwriter and fellow author David Litt on the stage, while...Book Review: Everything You Love Will Burn: Inside the Rebirth of White Nationalism in America by Vegas Tenold
Everything You Love Will Burn: Inside the Rebirth of White Nationalism in America by Norwegian journalist Vegas Tenold is not light reading. It’s a book that I started while also knowing it would be upsetting. But I can’t walk away from these topics, or allow myself...Book Reviews: Four Short Audiobooks
I love a good, immersive audiobook experience. The longer the better. But recently, my attention span took a deep dive. Call it the challenges of everyday life. Nothing especially dramatic was going on, I just couldn’t face my normal length audiobook. Go figure. Thus,...Book Review: Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump by Michael Isikoff and David Corn
Veteran reporters David Corn and Michael Isikoff present solid, meticulous reporting in Russian Roulette. They tell the story of Donald Trump’s myriad connections to Russia, both before and during the 2016 election cycle. They integrate this into the Russian...Book Review: A Very Expensive Poison by Luke Harding
Luke Harding takes us back to London of 2006 with his fascinating review of the death of Alexander Litvinenko via A Very Expensive Poison. The book covers about ten years of not just murder investigation but Russian internal and international politics. Harding’s bona...Book Review: A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
Former FBI Director James Comey tells his side of the story in A Higher Loyalty. Plus, he details the big cases that he was part of before the whole Trump White House debacle. He’s a surprisingly good writer, and I enjoyed this book. In addition to the investigations,...Book Review: Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics by Lawrence O’Donnell
I’ve never read a more intense political history book than Playing with Fire by Lawrence O’Donnell. The subtitle tells it all, and yet doesn’t touch the events’ complexity: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics. Considering it was the bizarre...Book Review: Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Part, How We Come Together by Van Jones
On Election Night 2016, Van Jones said something on CNN that I’ll never forget—it was a Messy Truth. This book expands on those thoughts about Republicans, Democrats, red states, blue states, and whether we’ll ever learn how to be purple. Jones shares his personal...Currently reading
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