Hiding in plain sight

Hiding in plain sight: the invention of Donald Trump and the erosion of America / Sarah Kendzior, 273 pgs.

After reading this book, you may find yourself pondering...is democracy even a thing anymore? Crazy times is all you can really think as you marvel at how things have come to this.  The country isn't easy to live in anymore but there aren't any obvious other choices either.  What will it take to get the average person interested in the decline? It isn't that they aren't interested, there are limits to what any individual can do.  Kendzior spends a lot of time talking about these issues and warning people yet is still met with surprise when events she foretold come to pass. Not exactly uplifting but should be required reading.

War on Peace

War on Peace: the end of diplomacy and the decline of American influence / Ronan Farrow, 425

What happens when the diplomats get fired?  The military rules the relationships between the U.S. and other countries.  How long will it take to rebuild a diplomatic corps?  It could take decades.  People need lots of experience to actually be effective at international relations. These aren't theoretical questions, Farrow's account of the state of the Department of State doesn't give you a lot of hope that we will be able to negotiate out way out of much.  Hopefully this will all change in the near future and the U.S. can again become a world leader.

Yes we (still) can

Yes, we (still) can: politics in the age of Obama, twitter and Trump / Dan Pfeiffer 291 pgs.

Sometimes funny, sometimes inspiring, it is great to read about a group of people who dedicated their energy to trying to do good things for others.  It didn't always work and the backstories about disagreeable congresspeople are perhaps historic insights.  Pfeiffer's own story is interesting because he tells us his philosophy is to always work harder and be devoted and that is the key to his success even in areas where he isn't all that competitive (see high school basketball).  Reading things like this can make one melancholy.  Let's hope we still can at some point in the near future.