When Princeton philosopher Cornel West stepped up public criticisms of President Barack Obama, he was criticized for dwelling on the failure of Obama to invite him to the inauguration. He sounded like a narcissistic celebrity unaware that anything could be more important than slights against himself. Furthermore, he obscured important points with a specious theory [...]
An interesting blogpost/slideshow by Alexis Garrett Stodgill in the Atlanta Post highlights commonalities between imagery associated with the civil rights/black power movements and the new film “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” These include the black power fist, mass incarceration, the use of hoses, the attempt to end the movement by killing its leaders, [...]
“A Presidency in Peril” is among a small but growing number of books criticizing the Obama administration from the left. According to Vanessa Bush’s review in Booklist: Kuttner [co-founder of The American Prospect, a magazine that actively supports new policies and civic engagement in support of social justice] follows his previous work, Obama’s Challenge (2008), [...]
This up-close view of the end of a factory in Detroit is valuable for both policy makers and general readers. By Margie Burns “Punching Out: One Year in a Closing Auto Plant” details the last months and ultimately the last days of a Detroit manufacturing plant. It is the second title by Paul Clemens, whose [...]
Ten years ago, journalist Barbara Ehrenreich’s bestselling book “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America” asked if you can live on the money you were likely to earn as an unskilled worker. As this involved taking minimum wage jobs insufficient for food and rent, the answer was no. The book went on to [...]
Esmeralda Santiago’s new novel is set on a hacienda in nineteenth-century Puerto Rico. From novelist Sandra Cisneros’ blurb: If, as the proverb goes, history is written by the hunters, then Esmeralda Santiago has imagined history as written from the point of view of the lions. A remarkable story for its detail, imagination, meticulous research, and wisdom, [...]
Although just released on August 10, “The Help,” a film adapted from Kathryn Stockett’s novel, has already run aground of racism charges by the Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH). In its formal statement to moviegoers, the ABWH admonishes the film for “widespread stereotyping” of African American culture during the Civil Rights era. Their concerns range [...]
I love this book‘s title, a reference to George Dangerfield’s 1936 book, “The Strange Death of Liberal England.” A description from the publisher, Polity: The financial crisis seemed to present a fundamental challenge to neoliberalism, the body of ideas that have constituted the political orthodoxy of most advanced economies in recent decades. Author Colin Crouch [...]
“Commodified and Criminalized” shows how black athletes’ success becomes evidence of American colorblindness, while their failure is made to remind us of the persistent power of race. By Paul Heideman It is almost an axiom of American culture today that sports and politics don’t mix. Despite the militarization of sporting spectacles, the intimate involvement of [...]
An early contender for dubious book of the year. From Barnes & Noble Review, although we recommend reading the entire review: With Flashback, Dan Simmons has … put the past behind him and turned a righteous pen to a dystopian future. It is circa 2032, or more precisely, the 23rd year of Jobless Recovery. The [...]
“Reckless Endangerment,” coauthored by New York Times business writer Gretchen Morgenson and housing finance expert Joshua Rosner, focuses on key players in the making of the financial crisis, namely those at the helms of Fannie [Federal National Mortgage Association] and Freddie [Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation]. The writers begin their tale in the mid-1990s, when [...]
Journalist Annie Jacobsen has gotten a lot of attention, including an interview on independent news program, Democracy Now!, for her new book, “Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base.” Plagued by copious UFO theories, “Area 51,” in all its mystery, finds little credible clarification in Jacobsen, personally and professionally. Her life [...]
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