Compilation of Books Discussed at Marblehead League Book Group Sept. 2017- May 2020 Eight meetings; 2-4 months apart; 5-12 people 1 September 2017 Marblehead League Book Discussion Group 1. “Nothing to Envy: Ordinary lives in North Korea” by Barbara Demick (Katharine) An acclaimed non-fictional book about the closed world of North Korea. 2. “The Case Against Perfection” by Michael Sandel The famed Harvard professor (most popular course at Harvard) discusses bioethics, about how the advances in biological sciences will become political issues, as science outpaces conceptual frameworks, e.g. use of embryos, genetic engineering, etc. We may feel certain things bother us, but can’t articulate why when confronted with something new. 3. “Justice” by Michael Sandel Roundly endorsed classic work of the compelling political philosopher; you can view YouTube of each chapter as he gives the lecture 4. “What Money Can’t Buy: The moral limits of markets” by Michael Sandel Discusses the role of money and markets in our society 5. “The Genius of Birds” Jennifer Ackerman A wonderful book on the amazing lives of birds, endorsed by several attendees. Great respite from politics. 6. “Weaponized Lies: How to think critically in the post-truth era” by Daniel Levitin Talks about the fallacies of logic and easy statistics; takes on idea of “experts” when are not expert in area they are expounding upon. Could be a text book for students and others on how various ways of presenting information can skew the message. 7. “You’re More Powerful than you Think” by Eric Liu Discusses power and steps to take to access your own power to take on those who have it and how various groups have organized to become powerful. 8. “The Golden Passport: Harvard Business School, the limits of capitalism and the moral failure of the MBTA Elite ” by Duff McDonald A book about how Harvard Business School has aggravated the economic disparities in the US today. (Joan) 9. “Dark Money” by Jane Mayer Reveals how big money permeates our political system through foundations, PACS, NCOs, educational institutions. 2 10. “Corporations Are Not People” by Jeff Clements An excellent call to action about the dangers of giving corporations, human rights. 11. “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson Traces the migration of Southern blacks from the South between WWI and the 1960’s /70s by following three individuals as they left for a variety of reasons and settled elsewhere in the US. 12. “Our Founding Brothers: the Revolutionary Generation“ by Joseph Ellis Examines those who were involved in the founding of our country 13. “The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783 -- 1789” by Joseph Ellis How the four- John Jay, Hamilton, Madison and Washington got together to write the Constitution 14. “I Got Here As Fast As I Could…” by Rebecca Del Giudice A Marblehead writer creates a work of fiction that encapsulates the horror of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, informed by detailed research into Katrina and those who suffered through it. 15. “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century” by Timothy Snyder) A meditation on threats to democracy with examples of how a variety of attitudes and actions seen in the US today echo the darkest past of the 20th century. 16. “The Plot to Hack America” by Malcolm Nance Published in 2016 by a security expert who recognized what and how the Russians were trying to effect the 2016 election. 17. “New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander A must-read that explores how incarceration today has become a way of keeping blacks in their place. 18. “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson Stories about the Equal Justice Initiative, that illuminates how “brutality, unfairness, and racial bias continue to infect criminal law in the U.S.” justice system. 19. “A Gentleman in Moscow” fictional work by Amor Towles Several members had high praise for this novel; a previous novel “Rules of Civility” was also endorsed. 3 March 2018 Books Discussed at Second League Book Group 20. “Who Stole the American Dream” Hedrick Smith Informative website, good speaker, past NYT journalist; Discusses a variety of problems including gerrymandering, the environment, money in politics 21. “Saving Capitalism” by Robert Reich Discusses what we must have to have for a free market and how monied interests has perverted these free market factors: decisions about property, monopoly, contract, bankruptcy, enforcement ; problems of insider trading; contracts - where industries ensure use of arbitration instead of law suits to settle problems; enforcement - we have laws and regulations but agencies are understaffed. Reich also suggests solutions: restore campaign finance laws, address gerrymandering, etc. (Note: Reich now head of Common Cause) 22. “The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire” by Stephen Kinzer Beginning of American imperialism, which sheds new light on understanding the way the United States acts in the world today, talks about interventionist actions. Kinzer is a wonderful speaker and recommended. 23. “Thank you for Being Late” by Thomas Freedman) Discusses the very fast trajectory of change (technology, climate change, globalization) vs. how fast people adjust to change. Could be contributing to nationwide disaffection. 24. “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates it is a letter from a father to his son about growing up black in America.. It includes the story of attainment of money for the founding of Harvard came which from the selling of slaves 25. “I Am Not Your Negro” movie seen by a number of attendees, based on work by James Baldwin on experience of being black in America 26. “The Sympathizer” by Viet Thanh Nguyen a young man finds himself in unusual circumstances during the Vietnam War 27. “The Most Dangerous Man in America” a recommended documentary about the Vietnam War, at Abbot Public Library 28. “Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right” by Arlie Hochchild League member reported on a talk given by Arlie, discussing her work as a social scientist, spending 5 months living in Louisiana to understand the “deep story” about America that defines the beliefs of the people who live there. (Deep 4 Story: The idea that they’re waiting in line, looking ahead at the American Dream and the line hasn’t moved; they see a variety of line-cutters including blacks who cut in via Affirmative Action, women who take their jobs via the women’s movement and undocumented workers who also take their jobs.) 29. “What’s the Matter with Kansas”. “Listen Liberal” two books by Thomas Frank Listen Liberal is the one Tom felt most eye-opening for liberals, things the left failed to get right. The idea of rule by experts is eroding, creation of a knowledge economy does not help all. For example: liberals fought for “rights” instead of public good; abandoned working poor. 30. “Women of Words: A Personal Introduction to Thirty-Five Important Writers” Editor: Jane Bukovinsky 31. “Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers” by Nick Offerman A highly entertaining walk through American history highlighting troublemakers who made a difference. 32. “Cooler and Smarter” by Union of Concerned Scientists, Offers personal actions for greener footprint individuals' can take to “walk-the-talk”. UCS gives perspective via graphs and data on what changes we can undertake (transportation, electricity, etc.) to be most effective combatting global warming; Practical conventional science wisdom can be put into action. Also, locally, Town Water Dept. newsletters are a source of home water use tips ; she also recommended the great programs at “HubWeek: A Festival for the Future”, coming up October 10-15, 2017 in BOSTON/CAMBRIDGE in the Fall. 33. “Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America 1st Edition” by Adam Winkler Author gives history of how we got to where we are in gun attitudes; recently the Supreme Court’s Heller decision validated that people had the rights to defend home. 34. “Dark Money” by Jane Mayer The defining book about money in politics, a brilliant and insightful analysis. Who is working behind the scenes and how they are influencing the future by affecting academic institutions, statehouses, think tanks, courts, etc. Scary! 35. “How Propaganda Works” by Jason Stanley In depth academic treatment of the danger of demagogic rhetoric (propaganda) to a liberal democracy. It is a special danger because democracy is based on rational deliberation and propaganda it bypasses such debate with emotionalism, hiding the flawed ideologies, never addressing underlying injustice and inequality. It ultimately undermines the very values necessary for a liberal democracy. 5 36. “Taking a Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America” by Rand Paul In talking to some of the 30 yr olds in our community and asking them what they are reading, this book came up. Not having read; this read might open window to understand some of the ideas & issues that appeal to the next generation. June 25 2018 Third Book Group 37. “The New Confession of an Economic Hitman” by John Perkins. This is an autobiography by a man who participated in a tale of greed involving U.S. businesses selling a product to poor developing countries, financed by World Bank with the cooperation of the US government, and CIA. The terms to finance these projects could not be met by the poor countries, who fell in arears and then had to give up control to business with the US government interfering in their countries. The author calls it “Empire Building” and it was evident under George H. Bush. 38. “Wild Swans” by Jung Chang This is a story of three generations of Chinese women, showing the strength of the women.