landfall book reviews
From time to time we review books that we have read and think others will find enjoyable and useful. Enjoy!
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Occasionally we borrow a jacket cover graphic from Amazon.com and use it to link to customer reviews of the
book. These reviews are usually pretty good and quite helpful to learn more about the book. If you wish to
read the book however, I would suggest checking it out from your local library or even better, supporting your
local independent bookseller and buying it used.
Hello fellow readers. My first book review is...
The Worldly Philosophers by Robert L Heilbroner --- This is an interesting history of major schools of economic thought since the mid 1700s. It presents chapters on Adam Smith, Marx, utopian socialists, John Maynard Keynes and others. Now I know this doesn't exactly sound like summer vacation thriller, it was a really good introduction to economics and very valuable because it provides the social and historical contexts during which each type of economic theory was developed. This book was very interesting because it traces the development of capitalism from the very basic forms of supply and demand on a very local, small-scale level, through the industrial revolution. Economist seem to be pretty interesting and flambouyant fellows, and the most interesting thing was learning about their lives and social outlooks. Economics is not a pure science because it is a fundamental component of developing society, and therefore each economist discussed was very conscientous of this connection - some swore by the power of a mechanized economy and others strived to discover how economic laws would one day serve the betterment of mankind.
Bottom line... this is a good intro to economic schools of thought.:: Jon ::
Excellent book of the week: Declarations of Independence -- Cross-examining American Ideology by Howard Zinn. This book is so good that I just can't stand it! :: Eric ::
I'd like to issue a formal apology to the millions of fans that have been waiting expectantly since June for me to publish my write-up on The Meaning of It All. I fear now that it may never happen. If it ever does, it will appear here, however for now, nothing is going on in the world of Eric Reads.
I have made a list of more books that I would like to read however. I'm sure books will be added to the list faster than I can check them off. So many book, so little time...
Suggested by Gary:
Habits of the Heart, The Good Society, and Beyond Belief by Robert Bellah Cold Anger by Mary Beth Richards Reveille for Radicals by Saul Alinksy Surplus Powerlessness by Michael Lerner The Other America by Michael Harrington stuff by Robert Putnam Ideolgy and Political Life by Kenneth Hoover Suggested by Jon:
The Worldly Philosophers by R. L. Heilbroner Development as Freedom by Aymarta(?) Sen Suggested by Scott:
Die Broke; and Live Rich by Levine and Pollan Suggested by Paul
Turbo Capitalism by Edward Cuttwak Others:
Carfree Cities by J. H. Crawford The Manufactured Crisis (about Public Education) by Berliner & Biddle happy reading Eric!
:: Eric ::
I've also read a few other books by Feynman, books where he talks about principles of physics in easy to understand language. "Six Easy Pieces" covers six general areas of basic physics and is quite good. "QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter" lays out in an intuitive fashion the principles behind quantum electrodynamics, the theory that attempts to tie quantum theory and light together (or something??). Feynman was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in QED. But this book makes it easy to understand...though it doesn't really seem real...I think you just have to believe that it's real and trust that he's figured it out. It involves clock hands rotating different directions and squiggly lines...but anyways, next book is about politics and whatnot so should be fun! Ta ta.
The book for June will be The Meaning of It All - Thoughts of a Citizen Scientist. It is a collection of three lectures given by Richard Feynman in 1963 in which he "reveals his thinking on life, religion, politics, science--and everything in between," according to the jacket. Sounds pretty good eh? I've read a couple books about Feynman: "Surely You're Joking," and "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" that were really great. Just collections of stories about Feynman's life, but so thought provoking and interesting-- highly recommended! :: Eric ::
