What happens when you put people with contempt for government in charge of the government? Lewis takes his eye for the untold story into the unglamorous—but, as he demonstrates, desperately necessary—reaches of the federal Energy, Agriculture, and Commerce departments to show just how indifferent the Trump administration has been to the everyday tasks of governing: …
Few historians are as well-positioned to elucidate the timeless qualities of our greatest presidents than Goodwin, and she does so here with aplomb. In an era when politics is reduced to tribal posturing and a disturbing willingness to cut off the nose to spite the face, this book is a much-needed reminder of how great …
This may not sound like summer reading material but it’s certainly very timely and is actually a pretty quick read. The author was a correspondent for the Economist and this is taken from a column called “Ask a North Korean.” His goal is to humanize North Korea and show that there are real people living …
Most of the time, a sticker proclaiming a title is a “NEW BOOK” is sort of self-evident, but in the case of Shel Silverstein, an actual new book is worth getting out of bed, rushing through your morning oat bran, and heading on down to the bookstore early. Runny Babbit Returns is a collection of tongue-twisting poems …
The fall of the Soviet Union left a power vacuum in which organized crime and former KGB agents coalesced in the newly capitalist state. The 2006 London assassination by poison of dissident Alexander Litivinenko served as a lethal threat to Russians who would defy the kleptocratic state and also displayed the willingness of some Western …
With politics still on our minds, I am moved to recommend two books that shed light on the current situation. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis tells his story of being raised in Frank McCourt-style poverty in Appalachia. He makes his way to Yale Law School without ever losing his …
