Mohsin Hamid’s How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a novel told in the form of a self-help book. It tells a rags-to-riches (and back again) tale, and mixes in some unrequited love for good measure.
The format may take a little bit of getting used to, but I very much enjoyed this book.
Read reviews from the New York Times, NPR and the Boston Globe.
I am fascinated with con men and others who engage in fraud, including art forgery. In the art world (at least in today’s art world, which is driven in large part by commercial considerations), forgeries raise fundamental questions about the nature of art, and why we value it.
While I do not share the author’s view that “forgers are the foremost artists of our age,” Keats make some interesting and provocative points as he tell some fascinating tales from the art world.
Read reviews from the Guardian and the New York Review of Books.
I am looking forward to checking out this upcoming exhibition at the Springfield Museums, “Intent to Deceive.”
In Newton’s Football,” Allen St. John and Ainissa Ramirez look at the science behind “America’s game.” They provide an interesting look at the game’s history and innovators as well.
Very well done.
A fascinating history of America’s nuclear arsenal, and the effort to ensure its safety and security.
Read reviews from the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal and the New Yorker.
In “This Town,” Mark Leibovich explains how Washington D.C. really works. A warning — it’s not particularly pretty, but as sociological study of what he sometimes calls “Suck Up City,”it is fascinating.
Highly recommended…
Read reviews from the NY Times, the Boston Globe and the Washington Post.
Gregg Easterbrook’s “The King of Sports” should be required reading by anyone who watches football — professional, collegiate or high school.
He covers the financial hypocrisy of the NFL (the “Non-Profit Football League”), as well as the all-too-brief careers of the vast majority of players, and the “Grand Illusion” that collegiate football offers.
He makes recommendations for fixing the current system, to ensure that those who play the game get out of what they deserve. But his prescriptions make too much sense to ever be put into practice.
Read reviews from the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe and Minnesota Public Radio.
In a nutshell, The Numbers Game is Moneyball for soccer. But like a lot of people, I find it something of a challenge to look at soccer in the same manner as stat-heavy baseball.
But the authors do come across some interesting insights into the game, and how the top clubs put together a winning team.
Floating City, the memoir of Columbia sociology professor Sudhir Venkatesh, offers a fascinating view of New york City’s underground economy, specifically the trade in sex and drugs.
The book is part sociological study, and part personal journey. A very interesting read.
Read a chat with the author in Mother Jones and a review in The Guardian.
I have loved everything of Tom Perrotta’s that I have read, including all of his novels (including Election and Little Children, among others).
His characters make mistakes — often big ones — that end up sending them on a far different path than the one they were on.
Nine Inches is a short story collection in which his characters (as one reviewer explains) “go astray, break the rules, then find their way back to a different life.”
Read reviews from the New York Times and the Boston Globe.
Former Navy SEAL (and the best sniper in U.S. history) Chris Kyle tells looks at the role of 10 guns in American history.
Not a book for the anti-gun crowd. I particularly enjoyed some of the insights about how weapons developed over the years to meet particular needs (usually those of the military and the police).
Read reviews from the Christian Science Monitor and Goodreads.
Tragically, Mr. Kyle was killed earlier this year (before this book was published) while helping a troubled veteran adjust to civilian life.