Quarantine Reads
What did we talk about before coronavirus? What did we do? I don’t know either. Anyway, this is what I have been reading lately.
The Good
Alas, I did not realize that the morning I stopped by the library to drop off books would be my last chance to come back in ages. So I’ve been getting a lot of books through their app and was overjoyed to read three really good ones in a row.
Craig Fehrman’s Author-in-Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote is a well-researched guide to the book industry in the United States–with a fascinating look at what they presidents have written (or at least said they have). From Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia being mined for quotes by the opposition to Theodore Roosevelt churning out drivel to to Barack Obama essentially writing Dreams of My Father for free, Fehrman’s book is full of cool historical details and asides. I only wish it was more comprehensive.
Rachel Maddow’s Blowout is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how so many terrible energy policy decisions have been made. It illuminates the consequences of reducing environmental and safety oversight. It also explains how Rex Tillerson ended up heading State.
Adam Minter’s Secondhand discusses what happens to our used goods after we are finished with them. Minter follows shoes from Arizona thrift stores to Mexico, electronics from Europe to Ghana, and the material for ragmaking from . . . the cotton fields?! At the end, Minter offers both policy solutions and concrete steps consumers can take.
Richard Snow’s Disney’s Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World describes how the revolutionary park was built and gives a look into what drove the man behind the mouse. The downside for me is that I don’t know when visiting a crowded theme park might be appealing again.
The Meh
The Book of Gutsy Women by Hillary and Chelsea? I wanted to like it, I really did. And I truly appreciate that the book introduced me to some courageous women. But I have Wikipedia too, you know? Even when discussing women they personally know, it never leapt off the page.
Ann Colby’s Wicked St. Augustine is just not wicked enough. I would say this one straddles the line with good. Perhaps my expectations for salaciousness were too high.
That’s what I have been reading lately. How about you?
