TYRANNY: TWENTY LESSONS FROM THE TWENTIETH CENTURY (2017) - Short Review

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Twenty ways you can survive the world as it moves in an uncomfortable direction and maintain your input and sanity. As it was in 2017, it is still worth keeping close by and re-reading when needed.

View all my reviews

THINGS ARE NEVER SO BAD THAT THEY CAN'T GET WORSE: INSIDE THE COLLAPSE OF VENEZUELA (2022) - Review

Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse: Inside the Collapse of Venezuela by William Neuman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
On Sale: March 15, 2022

We had a rental property in Pittsburgh years ago and our first tenants were a wealthy family from Venezuela. The parents were doctors. I've always been curious about what their country was like.

Author William Neuman writes about the decline of Venezuela from the days of overwhelming riches to the depths of extraordinary poverty. An alarming number of people have fled to other countries.

Having lived in Caracas while he served as the New York Times Andes Region Bureau Chief, Neuman has combined journalism, memoir, history, politics, and interviews into an accessible book for anyone wanting more in-depth understanding of Venezuela.

It's clear that the author has great empathy for the people. His interviews range from the the people who bear the brunt of the damage by the country's leaders to those who surrounded and protected the wealthy. The involvement of the United States of America is also considered. It's hard not to see disturbing patterns between the two countries.

Highly recommended.

My thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

View all my reviews

 

Update on #OWS Library Trashed

At first the story was the library was trashed. Then the story was it wasn't trashed. Now the truth is it WAS pretty much trashed. Hard to keep up? Read the details HERE and consider donating to the rebuilding of the resource.

You can donate to the library by posting books to:
The UPS Store
Re: Occupy Wall Street
Attn: The People’s Library
118A Fulton St. #205
New York, NY 10038

The End of Libraries and the Future of Books?

Not exactly. But this article (from the Huffington Post 11/16/11) shows how library funding continues to be under fire across the country bringing many to the brink of extinction. The most interesting comments are those that indicate that people don't see what is happening until it is too late. Is it because we are distracted in our daily lives that we don't pay attention to what our leaders are doing until they make an unpopular decision? Or is it because there is no way for us to be engaged in ongoing dialogues about how our community and country is run?

Literary Treats for Politics and Policy Geeks

Everyday Klansfolk: White Protestant Life and the KKK in 1920s Michigan

I just discovered that Dome Magazine has a column called Book It where they write up books dealing with Michigan subjects. The one that caught my eye initially was the mention of the publication of a new book, Everyday Klansfolk: White Protestant Life and the KKK in 1920s Michigan, by British author Craig Fox and published by Michigan State University Press.

If you have any interest in politics and state history, you'll want to check this site out by clicking
Literary Treats for Politics and Policy Geeks.

The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule (2008)

I just had the most disturbing experience at Goodreads, which I have linked to Facebook.

Every time I load the page to write my review, an ad attacking the Democratic candidate for Congress in my district pops up on the page. It opens if you "rollover" it and when you close it, it doesn't stay closed. Very disturbing. I can't even 'save' my review because it covers that area of the page.

I thought robo calls were annoying but this beats anything I have seen. Scary.