Books for/about - history

The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Authors: Thomas L. Friedman

ISBN: 0374292795
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Summary: Knockout Analysis
Very sharp analysis and prediction. And very good characterization why extremism is so rife in the Muslim world. The only concern is that such gung-ho support of Free Trade as Friedman exhibits, is dangerious, especially when nations like China, and entities like the EU discriminate against and punish American-based companies and business interests.

Summary: Insightful view of globalization
Great read on globalization and how it does/will affect the future. Unlike other books, gives a 180 degree look into the immediate past, present, and potential future. Some areas in the book tend to lean towards prophecy, but Thomas Freidman does a good job of gluing his arguments together.

Summary: Science or Policy?
Thomas Friedman's tome on "globalization" is more a paean to neo-liberal capitalism than an analysis of technology and its potential benefits. After briefly exploring the profitless spirit of cooperation that motivated scientists, engineers, computer programmers and technical enthusiasts to develop "open source" free software, Internet file protocols, web platforms, web browsers, e-mail, and fiber optics technology for the common good, Friedman shifts focus to how these new technologies are now being exploited for profit through the magic of supply chains, outsourcing, in-sourcing, off-shoring, and labor arbitraging. From this point, he subtly shifts his theme from science to economics and takes up the torch for a new round of entrepreneurial enterprising under conventional neo-liberal assurances that improved technology will lead to a better future through market competition, reduced production costs, and lower prices. Unfortunately, he fails to account for why our highest expressions of technology over the past century have proved so completely futile in reducing worldwide unemployment, plight in the inner cities, the breakdown of infrastructure and social services, homelessness, hunger, disease, and premature death. He fails to explain why momentous achievements in agriculture, chemistry, transportation, computer science, biology, and medicine stand in such stark contrast to widespread wage slavery and grinding poverty in third-world countries while threatening the livelihood of millions of people in the industrialized countries.

Friedman expresses his flat (interconnected) worldview almost entirely through the eyes of capital, showing little regard for individuals who stand to lose their jobs during the exciting transition. He applauds flexible U.S. labor laws that allow employers to hire and fire without restrictions, but condemns Germany's restrictions as too inflexible for the quick redeployment of capital. Oddly, he does not express the same sentiment for flexibility with respect to government-subsidized /guaranteed corporate loans, regressive corporate tax rates, obsessive protection of corporate intellectual property rights (tantamount to monopoly), a government bail-out of the savings and loan industry, a government bail-out of banks that invested heavily in Mexico, huge subsidies for the airline industry and corporate agriculture. Apparently, he only expects little people to be adaptable and open to change. Corporate America will require its usual subsidies.

This book is well worth reading for its insightful and interesting history of the communications explosion. Friedman's delightful and easy-to-read prose provides copious and inspiring examples of technological progress and hope for a better future, but he naively depicts a world in which market forces are superseding nation states. Nothing could be further from the truth. America's largest multi-national corporations could not exist a day without government economic, political, and military support to protect their markets and subsidize their expenses. Contrary to Friedman's theme, policy still drives the world--not surrealistic market forces beyond mortal understanding and control. For better or worse, the world remains a product of our own creation. For greater insight on this subject, I recommend Failed States by Noam Chomsky, Empire with Imperialism by James Petras and Henry Veltmeyer, and The Left Strikes Back by James Petras.

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The One Percent Doctrine

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Authors: Ron Suskind

ISBN: 0743271092
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Summary: Praise for "The One Percent Doctrine"
This is the careful work of a careful and insightful journalist. If you want a window on the twisted logic of the Bush Administration and its neocon ideologs as they misguided our run-up to the Iraq fiasco, read this book.

Summary: The Haunted (White) House
The scariest novel I've read since Stephen King's "The Shining." Substitute the snowed-in lodge with the White House and it is the same story.

Summary: Truth is scarier than fiction
If you've been paying attention to politics in the United States since 9/11, this book will be of interest. If you suspected lies and schemes from the White House leading up to the war in Iraq, this book will add fuel to your fire.
Suskind unravels the story from the inside, with playfully written scenes between key characters involved in the intelligence community and the Bush administration. Not only will you learn about terrorists who are not, but you will also learn about Cheney's "one percent" doctrine, which, in a nutshell, states that the US government must act on anything which has a one percent chance of happening. From this platform, the US has invaded a country which (according to CIA experts at the time) had nothing to do with 9/11 and which had no WMD capabilities -- ok, maybe there was a 1% chance they might. Forget the 99% chance that they don't.
By far one of the most frightening and enlightening books I've read in a long time.

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	The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More Publisher: Hyperion Authors: Chris Anderson
ISBN: 1401302378 List Price: $24.95 Amazon Price: $14.97 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 1 Reviews: Summary: Two Page's Worth of Material Stretched to a Book How many times per chapter do we have to read about Google, filters, democratization of distribution, and niches v. hits? Does he really think he discovered something new here? The only novelty I found was in an early chapter in which he explained that in the 50's and 60's one by product of the TV channels and the Top 40's was that they "synchronized" the US population in its tastes. Then there are the gaffes. Like when he writes that a jump from 6.4% to 12.1% is "almost a 50% increase". I know I learned math before the internet, but that sounds like "almost doubling" to me. Summary: Too much Socialism and Google/Apple Advertising I was excited when I first got this book. As I began to read it though I discovered many problems with the conclusions Anderson was making. For example, he made Google out to be an ingenious search engine, capable of retrieving exactly what people want using "Wisdom of the Crowd". And in most cases this "Wisdom" was given out of a sense of purpose and not for profit. Reality could not be further from the truth. I find Google to be increasingly less useful. Made-For-Adsense websites dominate the top search results of everything which contain nothing more than link farms, useless link directories, and of course Google advertisements made to make Google and the Adsense partner rich at the expense of small business owners on the Long Tail. In fact there was so much indirect praise for Google I began to wonder if Anderson was somehow making a commission through Adsense. Then there's Wikipedia. The body of knowledge where whoever is the most persistent wins, including high school and college students with nothing better else to do. Hardly a crowd wisdom I'm interested in. Anderson seems to believe crowds are smarter than individuals. While crowds might be better at predicting crowd behavior they certainly don't solve any significant problems. The references to and quotes from Karl Marx were never ending. I could keep going but I won't. If you generally lean towards classical economics or you think America is better off not being a true democracy because you don't want the "crowd wisdom" ruining what's good, then you probably won't like the book. You probably won't even finish reading it. I couldn't. Summary: Ties an old familiar statistical graph to current consumer trends The long tail is the colloquial name for a long-known feature of statistical distributions that is also known as "heavy tails", "power-law tails" or "Pareto tails". In these distributions a high-frequency or high-amplitude population is followed by a low-frequency or low-amplitude population which gradually "tails off". In many cases the infrequent or low-amplitude events--the long tail--can cumulatively outnumber or outweigh the initial portion of the graph, such that in aggregate they comprise the majority. In this book the author explains how due to changing technology it is now not only feasible but desirable in business to cater to the "long tail" of this curve. The author explains how in traditional retail, you have the 80/20 rule, with 20 percent of the products accounting for 80 percent of the revenue. Online, instead, he sees the "98 percent rule." Where 98 percent of all the possible choices get chosen by someone, and where the 90 percent that is only available online accounts for half the revenue and two-thirds of the profits. He also explains how filters and recommender systems that help people find what they are really looking for are crucial ingredients. Thus, in a nutshell, Anderson's theory is that mass culture is fading, and being replaced by a series of niches. Thus the subtitle of his book, "Why The Future of Business Is Selling Less of More." The author explains that the three forces of the long tail are: 1. Democratization of the tools of production such as GarageBand for musicians. 2. Minimization of the costs of distribution which in turn minimize the cost of consumption such as wideband internet connections. 3. The connection of consumers to one another to minimize the noise down the tail, such as this Amazon review system. In this brave new world of niche markets, the author explains the new producers, markets, and tastemakers all of which are largely driven by the technological forces of cheap hardware and increasingly sophisticated recommender systems that tap the on-line purchasing habits of consumers and match individuals with the products that are likely to interest them the most. Anderson goes on to explain the power of Long Tail economics by citing sales and trend data in three media: books (Amazon), music (Rhapsody) and movies (NetFlix). He postulates the seemingly incredible claim that Walmart is in fact elitist, since they are constrained by physical space to offering only the most popular products. This is another basic premise of the book - that until the birth of the Internet physical space constrained retailers to offering only the most popular 20% of items because they represented 80% of the purchasing power. The author's arguments hold up the best when he examines the entertainment industry. It is obvious that the recording industry is at a loss as to what to do about the fact that their sales are fading fast other than to blame piracy and sue consumers that dare decide that an overpriced vanilla-sounding boy-band CD is not worth the price. You can also see the desperation in the movie industry too, that has resorted to begging people to go to the theaters at the Academy Awards, but continues to mainly output recycled and formulaic products and reaps the expected mundane ticket receipts. However, I think that the author overlooks two points. First, people crave some kind of common conversation with their fellow man. If we are all broken up into groups of a dozen each that all have the same politics, like the same music, and watch the same movies, then the community at large is duller for it. Take "American Idol" for example. It is obvious that this is not a hit show because America thinks that the winner is going to be the next Elvis Presley. In fact, the winners usually represent the plain vanilla output that has brought the recording industry to its knees in the first place. Can you see someone as gritty as Joe Cocker ever winning this contest? It is the audience participation and the feeling that you are part of the outcome that is the appeal. Also, people flocked to the very successful Harry Potter movies and the Lord of the Rings trilogy just as much because everyone else was going and taking their kids to see them and thus they were part of society's "common conversation" as they were because of the quality of the films. The second point that the author overlooks is that the monopolies whose death he cheers due to the "long tail" are simply being replaced by other monopolies. Who else but large businesses with the resources to mine the hugely diverse "long tail" shall prosper in the long term? A case in point is that the author himself keeps coming back to the same companies when he talks about "long tail" success stories. In summary, although this book is a bit repetitive at times, it makes some good points. The author does a good job of tying the old familiar "long tail" statistical graph to the rapid change in purchasing habits over the last ten years, which is something that nobody else had succeeded in doing until he articulated the trend. Summary:

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The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Authors: Michael Pollan

ISBN: 1594200823
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Summary: Thought-provoking
This was a great book - very interesting and thought provoking.

The premise was that Pollan wanted to eat different types of meals and find out exactly where the food came from. The first section is his meal at MacDonalds and then following the path of factory farmed animals and commodity corn. The second section was pasture-raised animals in which he profiled this amazing farm that tries to mimic the natural diets and styles of animals - really inspiring to hear about this farmer fighting against the goverment to raise his animals naturally, and then he creates a meal that he hunted and foraged for himself (though did I miss something - he baked bread and made pasta but didn't mention growing the wheat!).

The book was well written and I think will encourage people to really think about where their food comes from.

Summary: Is it Truth or Fiction? Representative Examples, Please.
Pollan's book lacks balance. He uses two farmers in Iowa (who between them farm <1000 acres) as exemplary of all corn farmers -- overfertilizing, using either new equipment they cannot afford or old equipment that damages their hearing, wearing out the soil, etc. My midwestern farm-raised parents laughed out loud, countering with as many stories of well managed farms whose founding family owners are doing quite nicely, thank you, without raping the land.

In the section on pastoral farming, he uses the example of a farmer who will not ship product from Virginia to New York because of the inherent conflict of using fuel to ship 'truly organic' food such a long way, but who invites Pollan to drive down and pick some up - which would use proportionally more fuel than Fedex'ing the damn chicken.

The historical and scientific discussions are interesting, and (no pun intended) food for thought, but the lack of factual basis inferred by Pollan's generalizations makes the veracity of these discussions difficult to accept.

Summary: Wonderful!
This book is not only full of valuable information but it is a meditation on the philosophy of eating. Michael Pollan is able to, without judgement, show us why eating closer to our food source is a valuable practice. I recommend it highly and have purchased several copies for friends. It is truly an amazing book!

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Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

Publisher: Viking Adult
Authors: Nathaniel Philbrick

ISBN: 0670037605
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Summary: A critical period in our history that most Americans know precious little about.
Recently I received "Mayflower" as a birthday gift from my mother-in-law. Although I read lots of books about history and politics this is probably not a book I would have bought myself.
Shame on me. In "Mayflower" author Nathaniel Philbrick has done a splendid job of clarifying just what happening in New England in the years 1620 to 1676. For sure it is a much more interesting and complicated story than I had ever imagined. From the very first chapter I found "Mayflower" to be compelling reading.
The first part of "Mayflower" focuses on the voyage itself. Personally I never knew that the Pilgrims had embarked on this journey not from England, but from the city of Leidon in the Netherlands. Nor had I ever heard of the Speedwell, a vessel the Pilgrims had purchased for the express purpose of helping them to relocate to the New World. You will learn why Speedwell was forced to abort its voyage just off the coast of Plymouth, England and how it came to be that the group travelled to the New World aboard the Mayflower.
After the long and arduous journey across the Atlantic the Pilgrims endured unimaginable hardships during the first few years on these shores. A large number would perish from disease and starvation during the early days of Plimoth colony. All the while the group would struggle to establish relationships with a number of different native American tribes in the New England area. For me, these complicated and ever changing relationships are really the heart and soul of "Mayflower". You will come to understand why certain tribes gravitated to and were very supportive of the English while others would prove to be extremely hostile. What's more you will discover why a great many of these alliances were extremely fragile and subject to change. To fully understand what was happening you have to become acquainted with the key players. Philbrick introduces us to important people like William Bradford, Edward Winslow and Benjamin Church as well as key Native American leaders like Massasoit and his son Philip. And if you have never heard of King Philips War you will come to understand why this 14 month battle between the English and Native Americans would prove to be so decisive. The inclusion of a number of large and well-marked maps throughout the book assist the reader in coming to a clear understanding of just what was happening in New England at any given time.
When my mother-in-law presented me with "Mayflower" for my birthday she mentioned that a local newspaper recommended this book as "great summer reading". I would have to concur. I simply could not put "Mayflower" down. This is a well written book that deserves your attention. You will learn an awful lot! Highly recommended!

Summary: with realistic expectations, you will enjoy this book
Mr Philbrick's 'In The Heart Of The Sea' was a gem. 'Mayflower' is a diamond in the rough that never quite achieves the same luster. It is certainly interesting and can hold your interest but somehow it is flat. If you have an interest in the subject, or in correcting falsehoods in our glorified history then you will enjoy this book. If you were a fan of 'In The Heart Of The Sea' and are looking for the next Philbrick book to captivate you like that, then you may be disappointed. Read it, enjoy it, just dont expect to be blown out of the water.

Summary: An Very Good Readable History of a Essential American Topic
This book is a very rewarding well written history on a topic I thought I knew more than enough about. I was surprised by how much I learned, some minor details other signifigant historical events which are left out of most history textbooks. Modern Americans seem to equate the Puritan settlers of this era as foreign to modern America. In reading Mayflower you reattach the humanity that links pre-revolutionary America to modern America.

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	1776 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Authors: David McCullough
ISBN: 0743226712 List Price: $32.00 Amazon Price: $20.16 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 3 Reviews: Summary: cleared my plate before I was done eating It was a good book, not spectacular, but easily readable and entertaining. Lots of insightful information was presented well. What took it down in my opinion from a 5 star book to a 3 star book was the way it concluded.... it just stopped. There I was, reading and reading, enjoying myself, thinking I had another 100 or so pages to go (in the hardcover version). End of December, 1776 rolls around and there are a few paragraphs that seemed to be summarizing a bit, and then I turn the page and it's the biography information. WHAT?!?! I was literally angry at Mr. McCullough. Why'd you leave me hanging? Where was the profound insight? Where was the "give me something to think about" chapter of conclusions? Yes, we all know that the American patriots won, but come on, tell me something! Give me something that I can lean back, sip on a cup of coffee, and dwell on! I felt like you cleared my plate before I was done eating. Summary: Major dissapointment Prior to purchasing this book I read several reviews from readers. Some positive some not. After reading I must admit that I was suprised at the sudden ending. Washington had just been successful at Princeton and the war was turning in favor of the Americans . Previously MvCullough described in detail all of the battles won and lost then he devotes one sentence to the surrender at Yorktown. That's it. He previously devoted 12 lines of type describing the goods left behind by the rector of King's Chapel when the British retreated from Boston, but only one for the ending of the war. The negative reviewers were correct. This book is a bummer. Summary: I never knew this is how it started I became interested in 1776 not long after it hit the bookshelves and soon became widely acclaimed. Even though I consider myself to be well-educated, I knew very little of the USA's origins, and this encouraged me to read 1776 to learn more. McCollough tells the tale of the year 1776 and George Washington in command of an infantry in its infancy. Much of the narrative is supplemented by interesting letters, journal entries, and quotes directly from the hands and mouths of the army participants, from high-ranking commanders down to ordinary soldiers, which gave the book authenticity and character. McCollough reveals a "real" side of Washington by noting not only his strengths and valor, but also his indecision and pain. In addition to seeing how Washington handled his first year as general, I also learned through the book how the life of an enlisted man was, and just how many hardships the greater army had to overcome. I was astounded to see how close we might have come to losing to England after declaring our independence. The narrative was captivating, and included many details of people, places, and battles, but not to the point that the text became overwhelming or dry. Of this book, there were only two things I found lacking. While there were many and rich images to supplement the text, I, personally, would have like more and more detailed maps. However, the thing I found most disappointing was that only the year 1776 was covered in the book! I really wanted to keep reading, all the way through to the end of the war. Summary:

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Suite Fran�aise

Publisher: Knopf
Authors: Irene Nemirovsky Sandra Smith

ISBN: 1400044731
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Summary: Great slice of a terrible period in time
The writing, devlopment of characters with a backdrop of the worst period in history makes this novel informative and poignant. Knowing that Ms Nemirovsky was living during this time
and had to end her book where she did because she was deported to Aushwitz where she died, makes this book feel more like a memoir than a novel. A must read for anyone who is interested in this period or for anyone who just likes to read a well crafted book

Summary: Tyranny: Man's curse from hell
Hitler, Pol Pot--mastermind of the Cambodian holocaust--Fidel Castro, and thousands of tyrants throughought history have three qualities in common: inborn hatred for humankind, delusions of grateness, and sadism.(Read my memoir; "Adios, Havana") These creatures of subhuman strain are cancers that eventually destroy the same societies that brought them to power. Though fictional, "Suite Francaise" vividly depicts the horrors these lunatics can inflict into their own brothers and sisters. Great book! It should be read by the many who do not appreciate the bountiful blessings we have in America.

Summary: Beautiful Mind
This book moves me. The author beautifully depicts daily scenes in the lives of the conqueror and the conquered. She finds beauty and humor amidst the monumental losses of war. She seduces with words so wonderfully choreographed I find myself reading a passage over and over just to savor her mastery of language. That Ms Nemirovsky is able to to enlighten and enrich us with her artistry under the circumstances in which she found herself elevates her to the status of Angel and reminds that no one can rob us of our hearts and minds. I am grateful for the survival of this manuscript.

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Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't

Publisher: Collins
Authors: Jim Collins

ISBN: 0066620996
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Summary: AWSOME BOOK!
This is an awsome book! I thought Patrick M. Lencioni was a good writer, but Jim Collins is a Great writer! The research and the detail in this book is unheard of. Mr. Collins and his team did a great job in explaining every part of this book in great detail. If you want to become a better leader, in any field, read this book.

Summary: Fantastic
This book delivers great insight into the inner workings of what makes a good company become great and the characteristics of the leaders of those comapnies and workers. Great book to get to understand and to apply to your own situation.

Summary: Finish it or do not read it at all
All too often a message has promise, but the messenger misinterprets it. That is often the case with this book, partly due to the author's thoroughness in introducing his first concept of `getting the right things/people in the right places'. This concept is so extensively covered in the first half of the book that, I believe, most people assume this continues into the second part of the book and quit reading. (Or, this is enough to make conversation around an executive lunch table and so they drop it for another hot conversation topic.)

In fact, the second part is significantly different and discusses what happens once everything is in place... momentum. Since most read the first half of the book and quit, I will cover the second half first.

Momentum and incremental improvements are the key to `radical breakthroughs', which, if done right, can not be recognized until well after they happen. This hurts the quick-fix consultants out there, but there is no effective way to have long lasting impact with a significant shift of direction. A quick shift requires readjustment by everybody and does not put an organization on stable ground to continue their momentum. Rather, small changes will amass into a significant step at some point but none of these alone will change the playing field or greatly move organizations position in it.

Most important about this is FOCUS, each of these changes comes with understanding the world around you but focusing on how you can make a difference. The problem comes when the scope of vision becomes to wide and, marketing is concerned with the testing results the QA department got on beta build 3, support is talking about who in sales is making their quota and sales is talking about where the executive team held their last off-site. Keeping each team focused on contributing toward the goal and feeling the energy build as they make progress is the key.

Now for the first part, get resources where they belong, even if this includes placing them in the trash. Collins describes an organization as a bus. First, get the right people you need for the journey on the bus, get the wrong people off. Yes, there are some people who are not right for the organization, it would be a disservice to the others on the team and hurt that person's future if you did not help them get off the bus. Second, put the right people in the right seats. Great! Now that everybody is where their skills are best applied look at the tools you have and do the same. If the ticket system is garbage, replace it with something that meets your needs, money spent now will save you operating costs in the future. Monitoring application working adequately, find somebody who can make it work right.

If you are going to read this book, commit to reading the entire book, it can be worth it. The misinterpretation of G2G is partly the fault of the media, which enjoys sensationalizing that Jim Collins is advocating firing people that are not immediate contributors to the team and a fit for the culture. So learn about momentum and be comfortable with your organization not holding huge release parties for new products and be able to look back and say, `I was part of something great.'

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