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What direction do we take?

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The forum is open to suggestions for the next reading group.  Quite a few books came out this past fall in the way of history and politics.  Some of the best reviewed books are:

The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin;

Collision 2012 by Dan Balz;


The Unwinding by George Packer;

Wilson by Scott Berg;

Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff.

feel free to add your own suggestions.

Comments

  1. TripplerDecember 15, 2013 at 7:51 AM

    next possible read?


    http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/509359.What_Would_Jefferson_Do_

    ReplyDelete
  2. James FergusonDecember 15, 2013 at 8:47 AM

    Jefferson seems to be much fought over these days. The Conservatives love to claim him as well. the Jefferson-Hamilton book looks interesting as it highlights the stark differences between them in terms of the direction a young America. Seems like Hamilton won out in the end, but at the time Jefferson and Jeffersonsian Democrats like Jackson got the upper hand.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rick DiguetteJanuary 4, 2014 at 4:39 PM

    I am re-reading Richard Hofstadter's Anti-Intellectualism in American Life and just finished the chapter "The Decline of the Gentleman" which begins with the smear campaign waged against Jefferson in 1800. It all sounds so familiar.

    Equally familiar was a section in the previous chapter about Eisenhower and how some members of the extreme Right accused him of being an agent of international Communism. Maybe Obama should be glad he's only been labeled a Socialist.

    ReplyDelete
  4. TripplerJanuary 15, 2014 at 8:35 PM

    I tried to post this yesterday but for some reason it did not post:


    My current reading is UNDISPUTED TRUTH by Iron Mike Tyson.

    He and I are from the same neighborhood in Brooklyn. I met his legendary coach Cus D'Amato many years ago and the man was absolutely scary. Tough as heck but a darn good coach. Makes for very good reading.

    ReplyDelete
  5. James FergusonJanuary 16, 2014 at 7:42 AM

    I don't think I'm ready to to Tyson. It's interesting how this ultimate fighting has come to dominate the ring. You hardly hear anymore about boxing these days, although I saw that Klitschko is playing a big role in the Ukranian opposition movement.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TripplerJanuary 16, 2014 at 11:06 PM

      I post on a pro boxing website and it seems we get more interested and more knowledgeable boxing fans from Europe than from the USA. Interestingly, many of our American posters are older guys like me. It seems the younger generation is more interested in mixed martial arts.

      Some European fans have made a very interesting observation: that when a White boxer from the USA is boxing a European the crowd invariably shouts "USA! USA!". But when a Black or Hispanic American fights a European you do not hear such shouting. In fact, very often the crowd roots for the European. It comes as quite a shock to Europeans for them to openly see such a racial divide in the USA but it's no secret to those of us who have known this since time immemorial.

      Delete

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