Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil by Peter Maass
http://bit.ly/50xZFh
This is not a typical "end of oil and the economic apocalypse is coming" type book. Yes, Maass believes that we will see the end of the oil age in our lifetimes, but he sees this development has mostly a good thing. Maass develops a compelling case for the "resource curse" by detailing the oppression, corruption, and stagnation present in oil rich countries. From Nigeria to Saudia Arabia, Russia to Venezuala, countries most blessed with large oil deposits are cursed by high unemployment, structural inequality, violence, and unsustainable development. American oil companies, U.S. consumers, and the U.S. government has been complicit in all the evils done in the name of petroleum extraction. I wonder if a more balanced and nuanced story could be told about the impact of oil on our world? I wondered how much oil has supported "good" economic growth as well as "bad" consumption. But overall Maass' indictment of oil, oil industries, and oil regimes provides a compelling set of reasons (as if we needed any more reasons) to reduce our dependency on oil through incentives (taxes), conservation, and research.
Grade: A-
SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
http://bit.ly/7N1Xpx
No points for originality, but reliably smart and entertaining. I'm a sucker for academic theory and academic research packaged into narratives for the non-specialilst. Economists and evolutionary psychologists seem to take up the most room on the bookshelf (and have sort of merged with behavioral economists), although primatologists and sociologists may be poised to make a run. Does Levitt have any book length ideas inside of his head? Dubner is a good writer and journalist, I wonder if their partnership has run its course. Don't get me wrong. I super-recommend SuperFreakonomics. Read, enjoy, and bow down to the wisdom of incentives, the wisdom of the economist.
Grade: B+
The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army by Greg Jaffe and David Cloud
http://bit.ly/6kUaX2
I first blogged about this book at my ed. tech blog: http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology_and_learning/learning_from_the_military Briefly, I think it is important to understand the military because the armed forces provide a case study in institutional change. The Generals profiled in this book had to overturn an entrenched military culture (overwhelming force etc.) with a new model (population protection) in order to have a chance to prevail in Iraq. In education we need to replace a model of knowledge scarcity with that of knowledge abundance. And as this book makes clear, we are not as smart, hard-working or disciplined as our nation's top military commanders.
Grade: B+
Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz
http://bit.ly/8Lm4Ph
Don't read this book unless you live with a dog. If a dog is part of your family, then I recommend that you read it together. Understanding your dog from her perspective will make you both happier. And when you read the book please do not take it out of the library, but spring for the audio, digital or dead tree version. We want the author to get the money, as she deserves some tangible rewards for being brave enough to break convention and make the study of the house dog a legitimate field of scientific inquiry. The best parts of the book debunk the myths of dog training (the Dog Whisperer does not come off very well) by diving into the biology and evolutionary history of our canine companions. For instance, wolves (who share a common ancestor with dogs) do not live in hierarchical but familial packs. And if you want to understand your dog, you have to get on your hands and knees and smell the world.
Grade: B
When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins
http://bit.ly/6ODNku
I think the world of 1960 will be as far away to my daughter's experience as 1560 is for me. It is hard to believe how far we have come in terms of equality and attitude about gender in the past 50 years. Perhaps the most important social change in my Mom's lifetime. We are all the beneficiary of the hard work done by the heroines of the women's movement. I am grateful that my girls will have choices not limited by their gender. There is not much new or groundbreaking in this book, but the story is both important and well-told.
Grade: B
http://bit.ly/50xZFh
This is not a typical "end of oil and the economic apocalypse is coming" type book. Yes, Maass believes that we will see the end of the oil age in our lifetimes, but he sees this development has mostly a good thing. Maass develops a compelling case for the "resource curse" by detailing the oppression, corruption, and stagnation present in oil rich countries. From Nigeria to Saudia Arabia, Russia to Venezuala, countries most blessed with large oil deposits are cursed by high unemployment, structural inequality, violence, and unsustainable development. American oil companies, U.S. consumers, and the U.S. government has been complicit in all the evils done in the name of petroleum extraction. I wonder if a more balanced and nuanced story could be told about the impact of oil on our world? I wondered how much oil has supported "good" economic growth as well as "bad" consumption. But overall Maass' indictment of oil, oil industries, and oil regimes provides a compelling set of reasons (as if we needed any more reasons) to reduce our dependency on oil through incentives (taxes), conservation, and research.
Grade: A-
SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
http://bit.ly/7N1Xpx
No points for originality, but reliably smart and entertaining. I'm a sucker for academic theory and academic research packaged into narratives for the non-specialilst. Economists and evolutionary psychologists seem to take up the most room on the bookshelf (and have sort of merged with behavioral economists), although primatologists and sociologists may be poised to make a run. Does Levitt have any book length ideas inside of his head? Dubner is a good writer and journalist, I wonder if their partnership has run its course. Don't get me wrong. I super-recommend SuperFreakonomics. Read, enjoy, and bow down to the wisdom of incentives, the wisdom of the economist.
Grade: B+
The Fourth Star: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army by Greg Jaffe and David Cloud
http://bit.ly/6kUaX2
I first blogged about this book at my ed. tech blog: http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology_and_learning/learning_from_the_military Briefly, I think it is important to understand the military because the armed forces provide a case study in institutional change. The Generals profiled in this book had to overturn an entrenched military culture (overwhelming force etc.) with a new model (population protection) in order to have a chance to prevail in Iraq. In education we need to replace a model of knowledge scarcity with that of knowledge abundance. And as this book makes clear, we are not as smart, hard-working or disciplined as our nation's top military commanders.
Grade: B+
Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz
http://bit.ly/8Lm4Ph
Don't read this book unless you live with a dog. If a dog is part of your family, then I recommend that you read it together. Understanding your dog from her perspective will make you both happier. And when you read the book please do not take it out of the library, but spring for the audio, digital or dead tree version. We want the author to get the money, as she deserves some tangible rewards for being brave enough to break convention and make the study of the house dog a legitimate field of scientific inquiry. The best parts of the book debunk the myths of dog training (the Dog Whisperer does not come off very well) by diving into the biology and evolutionary history of our canine companions. For instance, wolves (who share a common ancestor with dogs) do not live in hierarchical but familial packs. And if you want to understand your dog, you have to get on your hands and knees and smell the world.
Grade: B
When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins
http://bit.ly/6ODNku
I think the world of 1960 will be as far away to my daughter's experience as 1560 is for me. It is hard to believe how far we have come in terms of equality and attitude about gender in the past 50 years. Perhaps the most important social change in my Mom's lifetime. We are all the beneficiary of the hard work done by the heroines of the women's movement. I am grateful that my girls will have choices not limited by their gender. There is not much new or groundbreaking in this book, but the story is both important and well-told.
Grade: B
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