book reviews
Reviews for political die-hards of books about politicians, civil rights, Supreme Court rulings and the ever-changing Swamp.
Lifelong Learning
A Story of Race and Inheritance . This is the autobiography of Barack Obama. It's a story of the dreams of his father and grandparents , who had hope to live in a world in which race did not matter. It comes on as the movement in the 60s, the integration of spirit, the notion we could create a more just and equal nation , with harmony and equality for all. He describes how the dream of his family kind of fell away with the country as a whole but he somehow held onto it and rekindled it as a fire in his own heart.
By Sustainable Scott6 years ago in The Swamp
Our House is On Fire: Scenes of a Family and a Planet in Crisis
Recently I finished reading the Ernman-Thunberg (as in Greta Thunberg) family's memoir and wow... It was a total doozy. Our House is On Fire tells the story of the events that led up to Greta Thunberg's school strike for the climate on August 20th, 2018. As hard as it would be to cover any four years in just 222 pages, the four years in question for the Thunbergs are some of the craziest. So many changes, so many struggles, so many fears & dark days, and so much action. More than anything, this book is a guide to getting back on your feet after life knocks you down. And none have been more so knocked than Malena Ernman upon having to watch first one daughter and then the other get bullied in school, receive life-altering diagnoses, and develop life threatening eating disorders. About more than just the young girl who started the World's largest climate strike by sitting alone in front of the Swedish Parliament building, Our House is an insider's view on the good, the bad, and the ugly that took the Thunbergs from a simple Swedish family ruled by their internationally-renowned opera singer mother's tour schedule to an internationally-despised family led by their eldest daughter, her deep concern for the health of the planet we all call home, and her unyielding faith that humanity is not evil.
By Alana Boyles6 years ago in The Swamp
3 Great Novels (and more) about Political Campaigns
In the summer of 2009, I fell in love with the English language and American politics at the same time. I have Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing to thank for that. As a child and pre-teen, I read voraciously and wrote prolifically, but when we moved to England and my mother tongue, French, began to rust, so did my love of language. Sorkin convinced me that English could be elegant. He also showed me how exciting — how glamorous, how romantic — politics could be. Or could, at least, appear.
By Claire Amy Handscombe6 years ago in The Swamp
3 Books to Read If the George Floyd Case Has You Fired Up
So, I don’t know about you, but 2020 has been one heck of a year so far (to put it lightly). It seems like time has flown by, but so many things have happened that it is hard to keep track of the days. I have been struggling with my mental health for the past year and have been trying my best to manage it through COVID-19; however, I have felt a fire growing within me as things have escalated, and when the George Floyd case came to light, I just about exploded.
By Ashley Nestler, MSW6 years ago in The Swamp
Big Brother In The Twenty-First Century
Big Brother in the Twenty-First Century -Or- Why I Am Proud to Be a Prole Seventy years ago on June 8, 1949 what would become George Orwell’s last book Nineteen Eighty-Four was published. An instant success, it has continued in its popularity and terms such as “Orwellian” and “Big Brother” have become part of the standard dystopian lexicon. Nineteen Eighty-Four tells the story of Winston Smith, a man at odds with a political system that seeks to maintain absolute power and control over its citizens’ actions and thoughts. In many ways, Orwell’s work has proved prophetic. We are living in a society where nothing we do is private. Our thoughts - and in turn our reality - are being continuously monitored and controlled. While Orwell’s book deals with a strictly political antagonist, the forces at work in our society are not as easily identifiable. This paper will discuss the main images of Nineteen Eighty-Four and compare them to their contemporary counterparts. While this may seem a bleak topic, rest assured that along with his dire predictions, Orwell also indicated a method of fighting back against the oppressiveness of the system.
By Phillip Merrill6 years ago in The Swamp
'Talking Brook: Yaron Brook Show: Middle East & War'
Dr. Brook enters into the matrix once again. speaking about the Middle East and a little economics. He explains that Kurds remain in Syria. Kurdistan is the freest region and “more hospitable to markets and property rights than Turkey.” Dr. Brook says that Turkey funded and aided ISIS. Betrayal against the Kurds continues to be a hot button issue for Dr. Brook. Trump, to Dr. Brook, represents a zero sum game with no strategy or “America First.” World War I, Vietnam and slavery crop up in the talk as President Trump says that going into the Middle East was the worst decision made in this country. Dr. Brook points out to his audience that there will be people who say that Trump is playing “4-D chess.”
By Skyler Saunders6 years ago in The Swamp
Jefferson and Hamilton
American historian Claude Gernade Bowers, born Wednesday, November 20, 1878, in Westfield, was the ambassador to Spain (1933-1939) during the FDR administration. As an ambassador, Bowers successfully kept the United States out of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). Immediately following his ambassadorship to Spain, he was assigned to fill the ambassadorship to Chile (1939-1953).
By Shain Thomas6 years ago in The Swamp
