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Books

These books have had a profound impact on my world view.

  • "The Grapes of Wrath," John Steinbeck. Read this in high school and again later in life. It tells the story of an Oklahoma family displaced by the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Poignant look at the life of the dispossessed in the USA.
  • "Biocentrism, How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe," by Robert Lanza & Bob Berman. Fascinating attempt at integrate elements of Quantum Mechanics, such as entanglement, with human consciousness. It is a theory proposing consciousness is fundamental to the universe, creating reality rather than being its byproduct. It proposes that consciousness is inherent in all things.
  • "The Fourth Turning Is Here," Neil Howe. A fascinating theory of history that posits that history follows 80-100 year cycles divided by generations of 20-25 years. He identifies the four "saecula" or parts of the cycle as High, Awakening, Unraveling, Crisis. Each has its own defining characteristics. Howe begins in antiquity and traces history to the present day. We are in the Fourth Turning: Crisis. A sobering read about the times we are in, and what the future may hold.
  • "The Paradox of Democracy," by Sean Illing and Zac Gershberg. The book defines democracy not just by institutions, but by the communication culture that persuades citizens. The paradox is that the instruments of self-governance can be turned against the system itself. They don't believe that democracy is a simple reflection of majority will. Each new form of media, from colonial pamphlets to social networking, offers those in control of the media an opportunity to persuade the populace into voting against their own self-interest.
  • "Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI," by Karen Hao. While the book highlights the rocky transformation of OpenAI from a non-profit, public-good project to the for-profit leading giant, it is a highly detailed examination of the ways in which the tech industry is, in essence, a modern empire. Hao encourages the reader not to believe the utopian predictions of the likes of Altman and others, as they stand to reap enormous profits and have little real regard for the inherent dangers. She paints a dire picture of a deeply exploitive industry.
  • "How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America," Heather Cox Richardson. She argues that while the North won the war, the South's ideology of racial hierarchy and oligarchy survived and triumphed by migrating West, becoming embedded in American identity and politics through westward expansion, resource extraction, and political alliances, ultimately shaping modern conservatism and threatening democracy. The book traces how the "American paradox" of equality and subordination persisted, challenging the post-Civil War vision of a multiracial democracy and creating a political bloc that continues to influence the nation. 
  • "An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s," Doris Kearns Goodwin. Near the end of a long marriage Doris Kearns Goodwin and her husband, Dick Goodwin pour over their notes, recordings, and publications reminiscing about the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. He was the most important speech writer in both administrations. She spent significant time with Johnson interviewing him for a biography. Fascinating, heartwarming view of the times. Johnson was a complicated man, deeply committed to Civil Rights.
  • "Antidemocratic, Inside there Far Right's 50-Year Plot to Control American Elections," David Daley. A deeply disturbing dissection of the ways in which extremely wealthy individuals (Leonard Leo, the Koch Brothers, Coors, et. al.) with extreme views formed organizations such as The Federalist Society, Heritage Foundation, and others in order to foist their radical antidemocratic views on the US. Once they realized that the public would never favor their policies, they knew that voters, and their representatives were impediments to the country they desired. So, they turned to the courts and undertook a plan to stack the Federal Judiciary and the Supreme Court with justices who shared their politics. The result has been an erosion of voting rights, an increase in gerrymandering, and a slew of controversial decisions. John Roberts, their "poster child" began his career in 1981 with the intent of undermining voting rights in order to bring about the country we now live in.
  • More to come...