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A writer of history recommends a set of books to make you think again.
When we asked the author of Flags of Our Fathers and his most recent bestseller The Imperial Cruise, to recommend three favorite books, he responded with the following intriguing list, explaining: "One of my college professors told me that it's important to regularly read books to challenge my worldview. Here are three that present startling alternate realities."
By Naomi Klein
"Learn what Rahm Emanuel (Obama's Chief-of-Staff) meant when he said, 'You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.' Inform yourself so you can understand the rush to action the next time our leaders try to scare us into action, whether it's about the need for immediate war or a bailout."
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
By John Perkins
"Some wonder whether this is a true story or a paranoid piece of fiction, but it's a thought-provoking book worth the read. Perkins explains how and why third world countries accepted billions in development loans, how the money was funneled to U.S. engineering firms and how the borrowers' inability to repay forced them to forfeit much of their sovereignty."
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters
By James W. Douglass
"A remarkable story that changed the way I view the world. Douglass shows the connection between Kennedy's policies and his death. Read what former President Harry Truman wrote after JFK's assassination and how it was covered up and you will wonder."
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With dates announced for his upcoming Old Ideas concert tour, we celebrate the inimitable Leonard Cohen: bard, survivor, legend. His most recent album is a return to form for the balladeer, exploring signature themes of lust and longing, spirituality and struggle, all overlaid with a droll sense of humor as familiar as Cohen's prophetic voice.
When Jack Luxton hears that his estranged brother has been killed in combat, long-buried memories begin to well up like groundwater, and difficult choices Jack thought he reconciled himself to years ago turn out to be close at hand. Man Booker Prize-winner Graham Swift's novel plumbs timeless themes of regret, renewal, and the bonds of love.
The opening story in Matthew Battles's electric collection, "The Dogs in the Trees", documents the inexplicable appearance of arboreal canines. Further gorgeous fantastika follows, producing a volume sure to draw comparisons to Borges and George Saunders.
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