Recommended Reads, 54th in a Quarterly Series

 

Books I've read lately that I would recommend:

City of God (Augustine). Like reading extra writings of Paul, contemporized to the time right after Christ but several centuries removed from the present.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Dweck). Love how this worldview is making its way into education, business, and sports.

Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will (Sapolsky). I still believe in free will but appreciated this reasoned argument that it just doesn't exist.

Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America (Richardson). I don't agree with all of the current argument that Trump is bad for our democracy but did very much follow this book's observations and warnings.

Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium (Sagan). An absolute treat to learn more about and from a science legend.

Roots: The Saga of an American Family (Haley). This book shot up to the top of my "everyone must read" list; we cannot process today's race issues without understanding this inter-generational saga.

Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance (Hall). A fascinating review of the existence of an annually updated resource for traveling Black families to know where to find sympathetic establishments.

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela (Mandela). A truly inspiring autobiographical account of the high cost people must bear to secure basic liberties for others.

Democracy in America (de Tocqueville). As our democratic experience nears 250, helpful to consider these observations from its earlier days well after independence but before Civil War.

Last Team Standing: How the Steelers and the Eagles—"The Steagles"—Saved Pro Football During World War II (Algeo). Given how much of a financial and cultural behemoth the NFL is, very quaint to read about how barebones professional football was in its earliest days and then particularly during the war.

Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip (Algeo). I didn't even register until later that this was the same author as the previous book, but here again is a quaint concept, that the president of the United States could leave office and then go on a road trip through America.

His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life (Alter). A fair and detailed account of a remarkable life.