Recent Books -- Babel, All the Shah's Men, Independent People, The Challenge of Modernizing Islam, We've Got You Covered, The Half Has Never Been Told, Red Notice, The Narrow Corridor, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, The Never Game
15 April 2026
- Babel by R. F. Kuang. Couldn’t finish. Yet another teen magical academy story, not the worst of them, but I just don’t care anymore.
- All the Shah’s Men by Stephen Kinzer. The US torched its relationship with Iran in 1953 and we have been paying for it for 73 years. It is sad to see us double down now and create an entire new generation of hatred for the USA.
- Independent People by Halldór Laxness. Not for me – dry, slow, plodding.
- The Challenge of Modernizing Islam: Reformers Speak Out and the Obstacles They Face by Christine Douglass-Williams. A collection of essays by various Muslim reformers about the challenges they face in trying to modernize Islam. A strange book, it clearly has an agenda, and is not forthright about it. Living in the US, I find that my life and freedoms are more threatened by the Christian right.
- We’ve Got You Covered by Liran Einav and Amy Finkelstein. Short and simple argument for universal basic coverage plus paid supplemental insurance. Seems straightforward and obvious.
- The Half Has Never Been Told by Edward E. Baptist. Gruesome history of slavery in the US. Very hard to finish, the institution was cruel and pervasive throughout the economy.
- Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice by Bill Browder. Corruption and murder in Russia, and the fight against it leading to the Magnitsky act. Excellent.
- The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson. Explores the delicate balance between state and society that is necessary for liberty to flourish. I would love to recommend it but it just takes so long to get to the point. I finally gave up
- An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green. Fun romp through technology, social networks, and aliens run amok, and humanity saving itself.
- The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver. Formulaic. Didn’t bother to finish. I’ve liked a prior Deaver but the well is dry.
