Ember Rose Baker

Don't vote again until you read this book!

Revisado: 04-10-23

In this book Riggleman presents the facts about the January 6th attack on the capital. Every American should read this book! It was Riggleman's job to collect and analyze data for the January 6th investigative Committee. His solid background in military intelligence equipped him well for the task. He assembled and led the team that collected and analyzed phone and on-line data related to the attack. He presents the data clearly and explains in plain English what the data shows about who was involved and what their roles were. It is a presentation based on hard data rather than political bias. He presents honest clear sighted criticism of both the Republican and Democratic efforts around the events in question. He is honest about the limits he faced in trying to gather all the data possible, and sheds some light on the problems of the make-up of the committee itself. But mostly he has a laser focus on those in leadership on the right who bear most of the responsibility of planning and perpetrating this dangerous coop attempt that nearly succeeded, and the attempted cover up following Jan 6th. Breach is a must read for anyone who loves this country.

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Yikes!

Revisado: 10-05-20

For both Fox News devotees and non-Fox watchers, this book reveals a frightening reality about the feedback loop between Trump and Fox News. It's worse than you ever imagined. Stetler exposes the hypocrisy of several Fox stars, especially Hannity, whom he absolutely skewers. In this book, the author offers a bit of a decoder ring for those of us who are not Fox watchers. Some of the weird, apparently out of the blue stuff Trump has done, suddenly and alarmingly, makes sense. While it is necessary reading for modern Americans trying to navigate the Trump era, the book over-all, though helpful, is mediocre in presentation. I've read text books that were more compelling and engaging.

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Fascinating Story Well Told

Revisado: 10-05-20

Peter Strzok is a really good storyteller and a more than competent writer. If you are hoping for the grimy details about his personal life, or his relationship with Lisa Page, don't bother. You won't find any of that here. True to his FBI training and ethics, he keeps the unnecessary personal stuff out, and focuses on the investigations in which he participated. These are fascinating and enlightening. If you want inside info about the case on which the TV series, The Americans was based, or the Hillary Email investigation or his part in the Mueller investigation, this is the book for you. He reads his work quite well. Very interesting and engaging book!

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Not What He or the Book is cracked Up to Be

Revisado: 10-05-20

Yes there is the info about Trump knowing, way early on about Coronavirus and the threat it posed. But beyond that, meh. Woodward is much too generous to Trump, based on all the other reporting in many instances. I think he (Woodward) has lost his sharpness to a noticeable degree. Not really worth reading because beyond the segments that have been widely disseminated, there just isn't much worth while in it. Don't bother.

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Where it All Went Wrong

Revisado: 10-05-20

When Maddow interviewed Weissmann about the book on her show, she told him she found the book "Heartbreaking" and said, "It just gutted me!" It infuriated me. It may do either or both to you. Wiessmann led the team within the Mueller investigation that examined Paul Manafort. He gives a pretty detailed account of how the investigation was structured, how it functioned and where it hit roadblocks. He names names and offers insight about what they did and did not do and why. He offers an honest critique of where and why the investigators were limited or barred from pursuing all the evidence, and gives more detail about what the report, before Barr got his hands on it, actually showed. And in the end, makes some practical suggestions as to how to fix the rules for future special councils. I highly recommend this book. It is imperative reading before you cast your next vote!

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Interesting, but Poorly Read

Revisado: 10-05-20

There is a lot of behind the scenes info about McGahn and Comey's roles in the Mueller investigation. It's interesting, but I find myself distrusting the accuracy for no other reason than I dislike the author and basically have little respect for the type of journalist he seems to be -- get the story out first, worry about the absolute accuracy later. Also he reads his own work very badly, especially in the last third of the book. Choppy, disjointed sentences, as though he had never seen the material before he sat down to record it. Odd and distracting. It is worth reading for the volume of new information and the way it fills in the background of the Trump fiasco, but take it with a grain of salt and read it yourself instead of listening to the audio book.

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So Many Words!

Revisado: 08-24-20

Evil Geniuses, The Unmaking of America, by Kurt Andersen, presents an extended history of the revolutionary changes that have taken place in the United States starting in the 1980's. He tracks the shift from a booming post WWII economy to the disastrously unequal and unfair economy of today. This is a book about economics and politics. It is well thought out, well argued, and packed with useful information. It sheds a lot of light on how and when things went wrong, and names some of the key players along the way. It also points toward what changes we need to make in our culture, politics and thinking in order to navigate back to a more just and saner society. A+ on all of that from me. However, oh my God! This man loves his own words! Too many words! Should have been edited down by a third. He is a clever writer, and is so taken with his own cleverness that he becomes self-indulgent and annoying at times. He reads his own work well, and very fast, Even so the book is over 16 hours in length. It contains important ideas and insightful observations, but I would recommend the Cliff Notes version for busy people. If you have lots of time on your hands and lots of patience with men who think they are cute, (a trait I obviously lack) go for it!

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Great book! Well written, intelligent, illuminatin

Revisado: 08-17-20

This book is beautifully written, and intelligently thought out. Wilkerson offers a very useful lens through which to think about race and the history of our country by revealing that our forefathers, by allowing slavery, created a caste system that still functions to this day. She compares this American caste system to the caste system of India. This explains so much! I've read 40 books over that past three years trying to understand what happened in the 2016 election and what has been happening to our country ever since. In so many ways it's felt like we've been living in the up-side-down world of Stranger Things. This book flips the world right side up. It explains why there was such a negative reaction to Obama's election, why Trump supporters cling to him despite his failures and outrages, what is happening with the BLM movement, the resurgence of Naziism, all of it makes so much more sense looking through the lens of caste. This is not an angry book. It really defuses some of the negative charge we all react to when we hear the word "racism." It really is one of the finest books I've ever read, and so very helpful in understanding the world we live in! Absolutely brilliant!

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Insightful, Thought Provoking, Enlightening

Revisado: 07-21-20

This is an important book. It presents a deep dive into the history of thought that seems to be guiding Putin in his aggressive assault on truth and facts in his own country and others' including the EU and the US. I found it hard to follow at first as he uses terms that have a more religious feel than a political one and he sites fascist authors I have never studied. It requires a careful listen. This is not a book you breeze through lightly. It would help greatly to read it with a friend so you could discuss it as you go. I really wish that more people, especially in the US would read and consider this book before the coming election. It sheds a great deal of light on what happened in the 2016 elections and what Russia is continuing to do to undermine western democracies. I will probably read this book again at least once, because it is helping me to find clarity and perspective as i try to make sense of our current reality. The author reads the audible edition competently, but my hunch is that the complexity of what the book presents would be easier to fully take in in written form. I thought I knew some things about Russia and the US, having grown up in the cold war, but I find myself re-thinking everything now. We, as a nation, should be re-thinking everything right about now. This book tells you why. It's a good investment of your time and energy.

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Fascinating and Scary

Revisado: 07-11-20

Steve Bennen offers a lens that sheds considerable light on our current political landscape. It helps make sense of many of the decisions, arguments and actions of various political figures and of the modern Republican Party as a whole. It helps illuminate many of the inscrutable, confusing and often contradictory behavior of current Republican leaders. Bennen's lens also goes a long way toward explaining why it is so damned frustrating when Democrats and Republicans try to talk to or work with one another these days. I am not sure if he is 100% correct. The truth is always complicated. But this is a very useful lens that reveals at least part of the truth. I highly recommend it to both Democrats and Republicans, especially those who still hope for a civil conversation with members of the other party.

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