General Books - Page 10

The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics, and the Modern West

Mark Lilla

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Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Religious passions are again driving world politics. The quest to bring political life under God’s authority has been revived, confounding expectations of a secular future. In this major book, Mark Lilla reveals the sources of this age-old quest—and its surprising role in shaping Western thought.

The story could not be more timely. Most civilizations in history have been organized on the basis of a political theology – a myth or revelation about the correct ordering of society. Yet due to a crisis in Western Christendom nearly five hundred years ago, a novel intellectual challenge to political theology arose in Europe. By portraying religion as an expression of human nature, not a divine gift, modern Western thinkers found a way to free politics from God’s authority and build barriers against destructive religious passions.

But the temptations of political theology are always present, even in the West. As Lilla vividly shows, the urge to reconnect politics to religion remained strong and took novel forms in modern European thought. By the Second World War a forceful political messianism had arisen, justifying the most deadly ideologies of the age.

Making us question what we thought we knew about religion, politics, and the fate of civilizations, Lilla reminds us of the modern West’s unique trajectory and what is required to remain on it.

La audacia de la esperanza: Reflexiones sobre cómo restaurar el sueño americano (Vintage Espanol) (Spanish Edition)

Barack Obama

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

En La audacia de la esperanza, el senador demócrata Barack Obama reclama una política diferente—una política para quienes están cansados del agrio partidismo, una política que se basa en la fe, la participación de todos y la nobleza de espíritu que es parte esencial de “nuestro improbable proyecto de democracia”.

En el corazón de este libro está la visión del senador Obama de cómo podemos superar nuestras divisiones para enfrentar los problemas concretos. Él examina la creciente inseguridad económica de las familias estadounidenses, las tensiones raciales y religiosas dentro del cuerpo político y las amenazas transnacionales—desde el terrorismo hasta las pandemias—que se congregan más allá de nuestras costas. En sus anécdotas acerca de su familia, amigos, miembros del Senado y hasta del presidente, existe un poderoso deseo de establecer conexiones: la plataforma de un consenso político radicalmente optimista.

Como senador y abogado, profesor y padre, cristiano y escéptico, y sobre todo como estudioso de la historia y de la naturaleza humana, el senador Obama ha escrito un libro de un poder transformador.

America Between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11

Derek Chollet, James Goldgeier

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When the Berlin Wall collapsed on November 9, 1989— signaling the end of the Cold War—America and the West declared victory: Democracy and free markets had prevailed and the United States emerged as the world's triumphant superpower. The finger-on-the-button tension that had defined a generation was over, and it seemed that peace was at hand.

The next twelve years rolled by in a haze of self-congratulation— what some now call a "holiday from history. "When that complacency shattered on September 11, 2001, setting the U.S. on a new and contentious path, confused Americans asked themselves: How did we get here?

In America Between The Wars, Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier examine how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Wall on 11/9 and the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11 shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today. Reflecting the authors' deep expertise and broad access to key players across the political spectrum, this book tells the story of a generation of leaders grappling with a moment of dramatic transformation—changing how we should think about the recent past, and uncovering important lessons for the future.

The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation

Drew Westen

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Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

People vote their passions! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The Republican Party, to its credit, has exploited this fundamental principle of politics for decades, while many Democratic candidates have retreated into a "safe" strategy of not offending the electorate.

This has lead to an extremely unhealthy state of one-party dominance at many levels of government.

Westen utilizes brain science and research to prove that taking a clear stance on a controversial issue, even if it is the "wrong" stance in the view of the pollsters, will garner more votes that hiding behind a staid shield of non-offensive double-talk.

Editorial Review:

The Political Brain is a groundbreaking scientific investigation into how the mind and brain really work and what this means for why candidates win and lose elections.

In politics, when reason and emotion collide, emotion invariably wins. In this landmark book, scientist and psychologist Drew Westen shows through a whirlwind tour of American political leaders how electorates vote not with their heads but with their hearts and how the marketplace that matters most is the marketplace of emotion, filled with values, images, analogies, moral sentiments, and moving oratory.

The first serious investigation into how emotions affect voter behavior, The Political Brain reveals how the political landscape would change if candidates began with a twenty-first-century understanding of how the mind and brain really work.

Your Government Failed You: Breaking the Cycle of National Security Disasters

Richard A. Clarke

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Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Richard Clarke's dramatic statement to the grieving families during the 9/11 Commission hearings touched a raw nerve across America. Not only had our government failed to prevent the 2001 terrorist attacks, but it has proven itself, time and again, incapable of handling the majority of our most crucial national security issues, from Iraq to Katrina and beyond. This is not just a temporary failure of our current leadership—it is a systemic problem, the result of a pattern of incompetence that must be understood, confronted, and prevented.

Clarke's first book, the number one bestseller Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror, explained how the United States had stumbled into a struggle with violent Islamist extremists. Now, in Your Government Failed You, Clarke looks at why these unconscionable failures have continued and how America and the world can succeed against the terrorists. Yet Clarke also goes far beyond terrorism, to examine the inexcusable chain of recurring U.S. government disasters. Despite the lessons of Vietnam, there is Iraq. A trail of intelligence failures litters the Washington landscape. From Katrina to color codes and duct tape, "homeland security" has been an oxymoron. Why does the superpower continue to bobble national security?

Clarke minces no words in his examination of the breadth and depth of the mediocrity, entropy, and collapse endemic in America's national security programs. In order for the United States to stop its string of strategic mistakes, we first need to understand why they happen. Drawing on his thirty years in the White House, Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence community, Clarke gives us a privileged, if horrifying, look into the debacle of government policies, discovering patterns in the failures and offering ways to stop the cycle once and for all.

The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister: Three Who Changed the World

John O'Sullivan

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Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

History as it should be written: fact-filled, detached and light on the bias 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Very readable, smooth flowing inter-weaving of the stories of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II and how, working together, they changed the world. This is history as it should be written. Fact-filled. Detached. Light on the bias. Fascinating. The book is quick to read and hard to put down.

This is the story of three disparate personalities and their unlikely (and synchronous) rises to power. The elderly B-movie actor. The school-marmish scold. The non-Italian Catholic living under the thumb of officially atheistic communism. Together, they defeat the scourge of communism while simultaneously rescuing their respective polities from the slow death spiral of the 60s and 70s, whether than be Reagan resurrecting American swagger and putting the U.S. economy on sound footing, or Thatcher curing Britain of Euro-sclerosis, or the Holy Father rescuing the Catholic church for the suffocating forces of modernism and "reform."

This is an essential history of late 20th Century America and Great Britain. It is an essential history of the recent Catholic church. It is also very much a history of Poland, for it is that land that it is at the center of this narrative. Ronald Reagan always believed that the key to ending the Cold War lay with Poland. And it is events in Poland, from the papal visits, to the strike at the Gdansk shipyard, from the martial law of Jaruszelski, to the rise of Lech Walesa and Solidarity, that shape this story. Reagan's insight into the centrality of Poland proved astonishingly right.

This book is not just for us Republicans. For example, one Carter Era figure prominently and positively figures in events here: Zbigniew Brzezinski, Carter's national security advisor. Brzezinski has not gotten enough credit for seizing control of events in Poland from the late Carter administration through the Reagan administration. This book gives him delayed credit.

Two (minor) criticisms of this book. First, the Holy Father drops out of the narrative, for the most part, in the last third of the book. More Pope, please! Second, the equation of the bombing of Mrs. Thatcher's hotel in 1984, does not really parallel the 1981 assassination attempts on President Reagan and Pope John Paul II. It's a reach that doesn't work. But these are very minor blemishes on a masterful book.

Editorial Review:

The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister is a sweeping, dramatic account of how three great figures changed the course of history. All of them led with courage--but also with great optimism. The pope helped ordinary Poles and East Europeans banish their fear of Soviet Communism, convincing them that liberation was possible. The prime minister restored her country's failing economy by reviving the "vigorous virtues" of the British people. The president rebuilt America's military power, its national morale, and its pre-eminence as leader of the free world. Together they brought down an evil empire and changed the world for the better. No one can tell their intertwined story better than John O'Sullivan, former editor of National Review and the Times of London, who knew all three and conducted exclusive interviews that shed extraordinary new light on these giants of the twentieth century.

The Plan: Big Ideas for Change in America

Rahm Emanuel, Bruce Reed

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 1.0 of 5

Blueprint for socialism 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have a 2006 copy. I assume it's the same content but maybe with a different, updated introduction. The book spells out the "first terms" of a new contract between the government and the citizenry. A reader would have to assume that there will be more to come. The first "term" is the Universal Citizen Service: Three months of training for every American between ages 18-25. The specifics of the training aren't provided except to say the most important part of the training is: "bringing people of vastly different backgrounds together to serve side by side and find common ground with a common purpose". Hmm... sounds rather heavy handed since this is mandatory. No penalties for not complying are presented. Will there be re-education camps if one DOESN'T find the common purpose? What is the common purpose? Who has decided that?

Emanuel is the brains behind Obama. Public relations-wise, Obama is everything that Emanuel is not. I've heard Emanuel speak. He's obnoxious, unlikeable, and very inarticulate. Obama is warm, friendly and likeable. I believe that Emanuel and Axelrod (who LOOKS LIKE HITLER!) are simply using Obama who doesn't strike me as exceptionally bright (he's average, OK? Not brilliant.) to advance their leftwing agenda.

I hope I don't end up in a re-education camp for posting this.

Edit your post:
I have a 2006 copy. I assume it's the same content but maybe with a different, updated introduction. The book spells out the "first terms" of a new contract between the government and the citizenry. A reader would have to assume that there will be more to come. The first "term" is the Universal Citizen Service: Three months of training for every American between ages 18-25. The specifics of the training aren't provided except to say the most important part of the training is: "bringing people of vastly different backgrounds together to serve side by side and find common ground with a common purpose". Hmm... sounds rather heavy handed since this is mandatory. No penalties for not complying are presented. Will there be re-education camps if one DOESN'T find the common purpose? What is the common purpose? Who has decided that?

Emanuel is the brains behind Obama. Public relations-wise, Obama is everything that Emanuel is not. I've heard Emanuel speak. He's obnoxious, unlikeable, and very inarticulate. Obama is warm, friendly, likeable and, of course, very well spoken. I believe that Emanuel and Axelrod are simply using Obama who doesn't strike me as exceptionally bright (he's average, OK? Not brilliant.) to advance their leftwing agenda.

I hope I don't end up in a re-education camp for posting this. Guidelines

Editorial Review:

The Plan offers a bold vision of what America can be. It shows the way for both parties to move beyond the old political arguments and make progress for the American people. And it offers an innovative agenda for America – with ideas that address the nation’s most pressing challenges by doing more for Americans and asking Americans to do more for their country in return. Each of these ideas offers a clean break with the status quo, yet all are positive, practical, and can be put into action right away. Built on the authors’ firm beliefs that politicians owe the people real answers, that citizenship is a responsibility, not an entitlement program, and that the Democratic Party succeeds when America succeeds, the highly anticipated Plan delivers, challenges, and inspires.

How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must): The World According to Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter

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Total reviews: 705 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Welcome to the world of Ann Coulter. With her monumental bestsellers Treason, Slander, and High Crimes and Misdemeanors, Coulter has become the most recognized and talked-about conservative intellectual in years—and certainly the most controversial. Now, in How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must), which is sure to ignite impassioned debate, she offers her most comprehensive analysis of the American political scene to date. With incisive reasoning, refreshing candor, and razor-sharp wit, she reveals just why liberals have got it so wrong.

In this powerful and entertaining book, which draws on her weekly columns, Coulter ranges far and wide. No subject is off-limits, and no comment is left unsaid. After all, she writes, “Nothing too extreme can be said about liberals because it’s all true.” How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) offers Coulter’s unvarnished take on:

•The essence of being a liberal: “The absolute conviction that there is one set of rules for you, and another, completely different set of rules for everyone else.”

•John Kerry: “A reporter asked Kerry, ‘Are you for or against gay marriage?’ As usual, his answer was, ‘Yes.’ ”

•Her 9/11 comments: “I am often asked if I still think we should invade their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity. The answer is: Now more than ever!”

•The state of the Democratic Party: “Teddy Kennedy crawls out of Boston Harbor with a quart of Scotch in one pocket and a pair of pantyhose in the other, and Democrats hail him as their party’s spiritual leader.”

•Her philosophy for arguing with liberals: “Tough love, except I don’t love them. My ‘tough love’ approach is much like the Democrats’ ‘middle-class tax cuts’—everything but the last word.”

•The “Treason Lobby”: “Want to make liberals angry? Defend the United States.”

In this full-on Coulterpalooza, you’ll find the real, uncensored Ann Coulter. A special concluding chapter even includes the pieces that squeamish editors refused to publish—“what you could have read if you lived in a free country,” says Coulter. How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) is a stunning reminder of why Ann Coulter’s commentary has achieved must-read status.

“A fluent polemicist with a gift for Menckenesque invective...and she can harness such language to subtle, syllogistic argument.”--Washington Post Book World

“Ann Coulter is a trailblazer.”--Los Angeles Times Book Review

“She can zing one-liners faster than Zeus can throw lightning bolts.”--Kansas City Star

“You know those pundits who bore you to tears trying to balance everyone’s point of view? Coulter isn’t one.”--People

“A great deal of research supports Ms. Coulter’s wisecracks.”--New York Times

“The conservative movement has found its diva.”--Bill Maher

“Ann Coulter is a pundit extraordinaire.”--Rush Limbaugh

Also available as a Random House AudioBook and as an e-Book

Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl

Susan Campbell

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

By the age of twelve, Susan Campbell had been flirting with Jesus for some time, and in her mind, Jesus had been flirting back. Why wouldn't he? She went to his house three times a week, sat in his living room, listened to his stories, loudly and lustily sang songs to him. So, one Sunday morning, she walked to the front of her fundamentalist Christian church to profess her love for Jesus and to be baptized.

But from the moment her robe floated to the surface of the baptistery water, she began to question her fundamentalist Christian faith. If baptism requires complete immersion underwater, what does it mean, she wondered, if a piece of fabric attached to a would-be Christian floats to the top? Does the baptism still count?

In this lovingly told tale, Susan Campbell takes us into the world of fundamentalism—a world where the details really, really matter. And she shows us what happened when she finally came to admit that in her faith, women would never be allowed a seat at the throne.

"Engaging…seductively simple…intellectually honest…totally informed…affectionate and respectful…this confession of faith is all these things, and more too. I loved reading it, and I continue to enjoy savoring it."
—Phyllis Tickle, author of The Divine Hours

"While it may be true that Jesus loves all of us, Susan Campbell is clearly His favorite. Her writing cuts to the quick and slices to the bone, thereby cleaning and healing old wounds for every woman who's struggled to find acceptance within, and without, conventional religion. Leaving no commonplace concerning family, faith, or truth unexamined, Campbell nevertheless—amazingly and paradoxically—manages to delight the reader on every page. Driven by anger and longing, but sustained by grace and joy, she offers the gift of her own journey to faith without sentimentality and with unmatched honesty and wit. An essential book."
—Regina Barreca, author of Babes in Boyland

"Dating Jesus resists easy answers – or glib categorization. Susan Campbell is too bright – and funny –for that. From fundamentalist Christianity to why baseball trumps softball, from an exploration of title IX to footnotes steeped in scripture (and the occasional 1970s TV reference), this book entertains, educates, and surprises."
—Lindsey Crittenden, author of The Water Will Hold You: A Skeptic Learns to Pray

"Throughout this captivating memoir, I felt the presence of the spirit of Jesus merging with the feisty spirit of a fundamentally faith-full follower, guiding her through and beyond religious rigidity with liberating grace."
—Miriam Therese Winter, professor of spirituality and feminist studies, Hartford Seminary in Connecticut

Left in Dark Times: A Stand Against the New Barbarism

Bernard-Henri Levy

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In this unprecedented critique, Bernard-Henri Lévy, one of the world’s leading intellectuals revisits his political roots, scrutinizes the totalitarianisms of the past as well as those on the horizon, and argues powerfully for a new political and moral vision for our times. Are human rights Western or universal? Does anti-Semitism have a future, and, if so, what will it look like? And how is it that progressives themselves–those who in the past defended individual rights and fought fascism–have now become the breeding ground for new kinds of dangerous attitudes: an unthinking loathing of Israel; an obsessive anti-Americanism; an idea of “tolerance” that, in its justification of Islamic fanaticism, for example, could become the “cemetery of democracies”; and an indifference, masked by relativism, to the greatest human tragedies facing the world today? Illuminating these and other questions, Lévy also brings to life his own autobiography, highlighting the thinkers he has known and scrutinized and the ideological battles he has fought over thirty years–revealing their bearing on the present.

Above all, Lévy offers a powerful new vision for progressives everywhere, one based neither on the failed idealisms of the past neither nor on their current misguided, bigoted, and dangerously sentimental attachments but on an absolute commitment to combat evil in all its guises. The “new barbarism” Levy compellingly diagnoses is real and must be confronted. At a time of ideological and political transition in America, Left in Dark Times is a polemical, incendiary articulation of the threats we all face–in many cases without our even being aware of it–and a riveting, cogent stand against those threats. Surprising and sure to be controversial, wise and free of cynicism, it is one of the most important books yet written by one of the crucial voices of our time.

Praise for Bernard-Henri Lévy’s American Vertigo

“An entertaining trip, as much in the tradition of Jack Kerouac as Tocqueville.”
–The New York Times

“Perceptive, pugnacious, passionate [and] exquisitely written.”
–The New York Observer

“It’s difficult to remember when a writer of any nationality so clearly and thoughtfully delineated both the good and bad in America. [Grade:] A.”
–Entertainment Weekly (Editor’s Choice)

“Lévy is a true friend of the American experiment and a comrade in the American struggle against the barbarisms.”
–The New Republic

“Lévy writes brilliantly. American Vertigo is filled with insights and goodwill.”
–The Wall Street Journal

“Provocative . . . [Lévy is] a writer of enormous power and vitality.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

“Vigorous . . . impressive.”
–The Boston Globe