Kampfner, John "Why the Germans Do it Better"

Kampfner, John "Why the Germans Do it Better. Notes from a Grown-Up Country" - 2020

Another Christmas gift by one of my sons. They know what I'm interested in.

This book gives us an overview of the Germany's post-war politics, economics, and social history. The title might be a little misleading, John Kampfner does not only praise Germany for everything. He compares it mainly with the United Kingdom and their recent politics with which he doesn't seem to agree - well, neither do I. We should all strive for more unity and not drift apart. In that, I seem to be more German than I ever thought I might be.

All in all, the author sees Germany with the eyes of a foreigner who lived here long enough to judge. Many of my compatriots complain about our social security system, our health insurances, anything, really. But they don't know how it is elsewhere. Especially healthcare is still a top priority and every German has a right to medical care. Unfortunately, it's not like that everywhere. But also our politics is exemplary, according to the author. In the book description, we are even described as an eternally fascinating country. I think many Germans would be surprised to hear that. Unfortunately, not all foreigners would agree with John Kampfner. Many still live in the 1940s and see us as the eternal enemy.

A big part of the book is how Germany was rebuilt after the Second World War, how it helped building a united Europe, how it faced the challenges after reunification and how it welcomed many more refugees from Syria than most other countries. He mentions, that "in Germany there had long been a consensus around the principles of generous contributions directly from the pay packet in return for high-quality service. There is similiarly broad support for the principles underlying higher taxation and the role of the state - that you are paying not just for your own benefit, and that of your family, but for the needs of society at large. That way of thinking has been in place for decades."

And about the challenges the reunification posed, he asks: "Could any other nation have dealt with a situation such as that with so little upheaval?"

Mind you, the book is not just written with rose-tinted glasses. The author doesn't just mention the good parts, he also describes what could be better and what could lead to problems in the future. However, he has been asked by many Germans to change the title and include more about what we get wrong.

Still, an interesting book that is probably even more interesting for Germans than it might be for outsiders.

From the back cover:

"Emerging from a collection of city states 150 years ago, no other country has had as turbulent a history as Germany or enjoyed so much prosperity in such a short time frame. Today, as much of the world succumbs to authoritarianism and democracy is undermined from its heart, Germany stands as a bulwark for decency and stability.

Mixing personal journey and anecdote with compelling empirical evidence, this is a critical and entertaining exploration of the country many in the West still love to hate. Raising important questions for our post-Brexit landscape, Kampfner asks why, despite its faults, Germany has become a model for others to emulate, while Britain fails to tackle contemporary challenges. Part memoir, part history, part travelogue, Why the Germans Do It Better is a rich and witty portrait of an eternally fascinating country."

Harari, Yuval Noah "21 Lessons for the 21st Century"

Harari, Yuval Noah "21 Lessons for the 21st Century" - 2018

A brilliant follow-up to "Sapiens" and "Homo Deus". This is another book that I think everyone should read. The author shows us what the future might have in mind for us and how we should get prepared. And I don*t talk about the fear of war or natural disasters due to climate change but about everyday life. What should we study to get a decent job? More importantly, what should our children study in order to get through their lives? My parents and grandparents would leave school at age 14 or 15, do an apprenticeship and many of them worked in the same company for the rest of their lives. Once they finished their apprenticeship, they could do what they learn for decades without having to learn anything new. That is not the case anymore. That wasn't the case for my generation, that isn't the case for tomorrow's generation and it certainly will not be the case for the next generation after that.

So, we need clever people like Yuval Harari to tell us what might happen, what we can do in order not to be afraid of the future. He does exactly that. His recommendations make sense and are well-founded, he explains every single remark he makes. What's even better, he explains it in such a way that even people who don't understand much about science (like myself) can follow his explanations. And also about politics, global economy, anything that concerns us and influences our lives.

I heartily recommend this and his other books. They are just fantastic. I hope he will write more.

From the back cover:

"Sapiens showed us where we came from. Homo Deus looked to the future. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century explores the present.

How can we protect ourselves from nuclear war, ecological cataclysms and technological disruptions? What can we do about the epidemic of fake news or the threat of terrorism? What should we teach our children?

Yuval Noah Harari takes us on a thrilling journey through today’s most urgent issues. The golden thread running through his exhilarating new book is the challenge of maintaining our collective and individual focus in the face of constant and disorienting change. Are we still capable of understanding the world we have created?"

Frankopan, Peter "The Silk Roads"

Frankopan, Peter "The Silk Roads. A New History of the World" - 2015

I love books about the part of the world where the silk roads used to be. So, I bought this book without much looking at it because it sounded like it would be the right one for me.

And it was. But there is so much more to this book than just the history of the Orient. The subtitle is "A new history of the world" and that is exactly what this is. It makes us understand a lot of the contemporary problems. It makes you really grasp our current situation.

When we learn history at school that is before the 20th century, it is mostly Greece and Rome that seems to be interesting to us. Who teaches us about Persia and Ancient China and all the other cultures that had a huge impact on us Europeans. We were so unimportant for a long, long time. We were only at the edge of the world, nothing much was going on here, nobody cared about those "barbarians" in the West.

So, this is not just a history of the Silk Roads, it's a history of everything. He goes on into the present day with some interesting views about last century's wars. More or less, he explains how we got into the trouble we are today. And if we're honest, we have to accept the fact that we are quite culpable of it ourselves.

You can tell that the author is a history professor, he really knows his stuff and knows how to present it, how to bring it across to readers, even if they have not much knowledge about history.

This book is not just supported through many pictures, every single chapter, and may it be ever so little, has its own map that shows you exactly where this part of the book took place and what the earth looked back then. Totally interesting.

If it didn't come out through my description, yet, I loved this book. It's great.

From the back cover:

"For centuries, fame and fortune were to be found in the west - in the New World of the Americas. Today, it is the east which calls out to those in search of riches and adventure. Sweeping right across Central Asia and deep into China and India, a region that once took centre stage is again rising to dominate global politics, commerce and culture.

A major reassessment of world history, The Silk Roads is a dazzling exploration of the forces that have driven the rise and fall of empires, determined the flow of ideas and goods and are now heralding a new dawn in international affairs."

Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich "The Communist Manifesto"

Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich "The Communist Manifesto" (German: Das Kommunistische Manifest) - 1848

It's unbelievable that this book is almost two centuries old. It's as contemporary and accurate as it was in 1848. I have always said, and I still believe it is correct, Marx and Engels would turn in their grave if they saw what has been made from their ideas. Unfortunately, they forgot to include one aspect into their theories, the human factor. As we have seen during the last two years of this pandemic, there are always greedy, selfish people around and they will not change their mind for the common good, often they are not smart enough to understand that and cannot think further than their own nose. So we should forgive them. But, honestly, I don't want to. I hate selfishness more than anything.

I live in a country with a good health system which is regarded by many outsiders as communist. We have free education and a good insurance for when we lose our jobs. We look after each other in our system and I am happy about that. But there are still too many rich people who could do more for the rest of the population. Again, the human factor. But I am glad we have the system we have and wouldn't want to live in some other countries, even if they claim to have more money. My son lived in Sweden for a while and their system is even further than Germany, a great system with high taxes but the people are generally a lot happier than those in other countries. I think that speaks for itself.

Karl Marx is a great philosopher; he has been named one of the most well-known thinkers in the world. We should give his thoughts more consideration.

Quotes:
"Political power, properly so called, is merely the organised power of one class for oppressing another."
Unfortunately, Karl Marx was right here, as always.

"The ruling ideas of each age have ever been the ideas of its ruling class."
So true, those who rule the country tell us what we should think.

"Then the world will be for the common people, and the sounds of happiness will reach the deepest springs. Ah! Come! People of every land, how can you not be roused."
Good question. If people don't want to understand, they won't.

"You are horrified at our intending to do away with private property. But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population."
Also this is still truer than ever.

"Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.
Workingmen of all countries unite!"
The trouble is, many of the suppressed people believe their oppressors that this is wrong and will end in a disaster for them. No, it will end in a disaster for the rich.

"Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps."
Still the same!

And last but not least:
"Communism deprives no man of the power to appropriate the products of society; all that is does is to deprive him of the power to subjugate the labour of others by means of such appropriation."

From the back cover:

"A rousing call to arms whose influence is still felt today

Originally published on the eve of the 1848 European revolutions, The Communist Manifesto is a condensed and incisive account of the worldview Marx and Engels developed during their hectic intellectual and political collaboration. Formulating the principles of dialectical materialism, they believed that labor creates wealth, hence capitalism is exploitive and antithetical to freedom.

One of the most profoundly defining documents ever published in history. The Communist Manifesto has forever realigned political faultlines worldwide, and its aftershock resonates to this day. In the 150 years since its publication, no other treatise has inspired such a dividing and violent debate, and after the recent collapse of several regimes which had initially embraced it, a retrospective interpretation of the essential ideas it advocates is presented in this comprehensive volume."

 

See also: "Capital. Critique of Political Economy" - 1867

Fatland, Erika "Sovietistan"

Fatland, Erika "Sovietistan: Travels in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan" (Norwegian: Sovjetistan. En reise gjennom Turkmenistan, Kasakhstan, Tadsjikistan, Kirgisistan og Usbekistan) - 2014

After reading "The Border" by this Norwegian author where she travels all around the Russian border and visits every adjoining country, I was eager to read her first book where she visited the Central Asian "Stans" who became independent after the break-up of the Soviet Union.

I was not disappointed. Erika Fatland seems like someone who really researches what she does. She speaks several languages, i.a. Russian which makes it easier but she still meets many people who don't speak any of the languages she knows. You can definitely tell she knows a lot about exploring other cultures. And it's interesting to read a woman's perspective about this part of the world, doesn't happen too often.

There is so much history in the part of the world, longer than the European one, definitely longer than any of the "new world" and this book makes us aware that we should always look at someone's history if we try to understand them. From the Mongolian invaders through the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union, these countries have all had to endure a lot. It's not easy to go back to what we would call "normal democracy" in just one generation. Some of the countries seem to be on a better way than others but I'm sure it will still take a long time until all the inhabitants will be able to live a free life.

The author tells us about the Silk Road, the mountains and valleys, the rich cities of the past (like Samarkand, doesn't that name just conjure some dreamy 1001 night-like picture?). And the ethnic people who have inhabited this area for thousands of years. In telling her story where it fits in the historical parts she mentions, she gives us a good idea about how life in those countries seems to be. From old cultures like bride-stealing to the wealth brought through oil, there is a lot to take in

We hear about Genghis Khan and Amir Timur or Tamerlane, two Mongol conquerors, who influenced the region just as much as Stalin later on.

A while ago I read a book about the Hutterer (The Forgotten People) who came to Canada via this region and Erika Fatland also mentions the Mennonites who suffered the same fate, some of whom still occupy their area. It was interesting to compare these two religious' groups.

But those are not the only interesting people the traveller met. There are so many anecdotes about the people she met and how she often was welcomed with open arms.

There is this guy (Igor Savitsky, see here on Wikipedia) who founded a museum in the middle of nowhere, even in Uzbek standards, the State Art Museum of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, named after I.V. Savitsky, also known as Nukus Museum of Art or Savitsky Museum and the Desert of Forbidden Art.

Or she talks to human rights activists, people who live in the mountains without any electricity or anything else we all consider necessary to live a decent life. They don't and chose to live like that. Totally interesting.

As always, it was great to read about a part of the world we know so little about. Most Europeans would even be able to find the right countries on a map if questioned let alone name the capital cities. I've learned them now and hope to remember them:
Kazakhstan: Nur-Sultan, formerly Astana
Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek
Tajikistan: Dushanbe
Turkmenistan: Ashgabat
Uzbekistan: Tashkent

Granted, there are so many topics in this book, anthropology, communism, dictatorship, economy, ecology, human rights, politics, religion, sociology, you name it, everything that fits into human life is there, but it is still a highly pleasurable read.

I also really appreciated to see this world through the eyes of a woman. A woman who grew up in a free world and therefore would see more of the restrictions women in these countries have to live with than any man ever would. Well done, Erika!

This was our international online book club read in November 2020.

Some comments by the readers:

• I had once read a travel book I didn't like, therefore didn't think I would like this one, but it absolutely gripped me and held my interest through all the many layers of history, politics, culture, travelling, etc.
• At the meeting we talked a lot about how the USSR nostalgia seem to appear and how for example we in Finland reading this book might be reacting to that.
• Personally, I really, really enjoyed this book. It definitely widened my knowledge of a lot of things and was really well written.
  

From the back cover:

"Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan became free of the Soviet Union in 1991. But though they are new to modern statehood, this is a region rich in ancient history, culture, and landscapes unlike anywhere else in the world.

Traveling alone, Erika Fatland is a true adventurer in every sense. In Sovietistan, she takes the reader on a compassionate and insightful journey to explore how their Soviet heritage has influenced these countries, with governments experimenting with both democracy and dictatorships.

In Kyrgyzstani villages, she meets victims of the tradition of bride snatching; she visits the huge and desolate Polygon in Kazakhstan where the Soviet Union tested explosions of nuclear bombs; she meets shrimp gatherers on the banks of the dried out Aral Sea; she witnesses the fall of a dictator.

She travels incognito through Turkmenistan, a country that is closed to journalists. She meets exhausted human rights activists in Kazakhstan, survivors from the massacre in Osh in 2010, and German Mennonites that found paradise on the Kyrgyzstani plains 200 years ago. We learn how ancient customs clash with gas production and witness the underlying conflicts between ethnic Russians and the majority in a country that is slowly building its future in nationalist colors.

Once the frontier of the Soviet Union, life follows another pace of time. Amidst the treasures of Samarkand and the brutalist Soviet architecture, Sovietistan is a rare and unforgettable adventure."

Marx, Karl "Capital"

Marx, Karl "Capital. Critique of Political Economy" (German: Das Kapital. Kritik der politischen Ökonomie) - 1867

For my classic non-fiction November read I chose a book I wanted to read for ages. "Capital". When I first joined Facebook, I used to take part in some of their "games" and found that I am very liberal (not a surprise), "as far left as can be before heading into Stalin's backyard". That was a US American test, of course. (Compared to their Republicans, that is certainly true.) But I know Karl Marx would turn in his grave if he saw what has been made out of his ideas in many countries. The Scandinavians are probably the best examples of what he wished for the people. And I belong to those people who "believe" in public healthcare, free education for everyone, a decent minimum wage, a good retirement plan, everything people are against who think that brings "communism" to their country.

But enough of that, I think I've said it often enough and I know people who don't agree but don't come up with a better answer. They seem to think it's great that the super-duper rich get away with paying low income tax whilst others go hungry.

So, the book. When I announced at the classics club that I was reading this in November, I received a lot of comments like "tough read", "well done, you, would be too hard for me". Actually, at the beginning, I thought it was rather boring. My background is more or less business, at least I had to take a lot of classes in that direction during my education. So, I knew how demand and supply set the price, material and manufacture together are the basis for that.

But all in all, there is a lot in this book about the beginning of industrialism and what went wrong there for the "little man", weirdly enough, a lot of that still is wrong, the worker is still exploited by the employer. See minimum wage discussions. They have more rights nowadays (thanks to those "bl...y" trade unions, another idea most conservatives are against) but that doesn't mean that many employers won't try to circumnavigate them and, if they have to adhere to it, won't go one step further than they have to.

I am sure there are many books around who explain this better in a contemporary way even for the most die-hard opponents to understand that the world doesn't just turn around themselves, that it would be so much nicer if people gave up their selfish attitudes. But I doubt they would want to understand them. This book and ideology have been around for more than 150 years now and not much has changed. Unfortunately.

This also is a great history lesson.

Granted, the book has some drier parts but all in all, I believe it is very readable. I would love to discuss this with people who have read it and see whether their opinions have changed.

Quote:
"Let us finally imagine, for a change, an association of free men, working with the means of production held in common."

From the back cover:

"Capital by Karl Marx is a foundational theoretical text in materialist philosophy, economics and politics. Marx aimed to reveal the economic patterns underpinning the capitalist mode of production, in contrast to classical political economists such as Adam Smith, Jean-Baptiste Say, David Ricardo and John Stuart Mill. Marx did not live to publish the planned second and third parts, but they were both completed from his notes and published after his death by his colleague Friedrich Engels. Capital is the most cited book in the social sciences published before 1950. The Communist Manifesto (originally Manifesto of the Communist Party) is an 1848 political pamphlet by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Commissioned by the Communist League and originally published in London just as the revolutions of 1848 began to erupt, the Manifesto was later recognised as one of the world's most influential political documents.

Wage Labour and Capital is an essay on economics by Karl Marx, written in 1847 and first published in articles in the Neue Rheinische Zeitung in April 1849. This essay has been widely acclaimed as the precursor to Marx's important treatise Das Kapital.

Value, Price and Profit was a speech given to the First International Working Men's Association in June in 1865 by Karl Marx. It was written between the end of May and June 27 in 1865, and was published in 1898. Karl Marx (1818–1883) was a famous German philosopher, economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, journalist and revolutionary socialist."

This was instigated by our Classics Club reading challenge. I found them through Words and Peace. Thank you.

See also:
Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich "The Communist Manifesto" (GE: Das kommunistische Manifest) - 1848

Harari, Yuval Noah "Homo Deus"

Harari, Yuval Noah "Homo Deus. A Brief History of Tomorrow"- 2016

After reading "Sapiens. A Brief History of Mankind", I knew I had to read the following books by this brilliant scientist and author.

After trying to explain how we got where we are today, Yuval Noah Harari now takes us on an expedition into the future, almost list Charles Dickens in "A Christmas Carol", we've dealt with "Christmas Past", we know "Christmas Present" but we have no idea what "Christmas yet to come" will bring us. The author gives us options, tells us what could be if we don't change or even what can be if we do change. Let me tell it like this, a lot was not new to me, but he gives so many different perspectives that it is interesting to see where else we might be heading.

This highly engaging book makes us aware of what we are today, where we are today, what needs to be done and what we can do. We all know that machines and computers have taken over a huge part of what our world used to be, are we ready for the next step?

I'm already looking forward to his next book where he deals with "Christmas Present": "21 Lessons for the 21st Century".

I think all his books should enter every school curriculum.

From the back cover:

"From the author of the international bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind comes an extraordinary new book that explores the future of the human species.

Yuval Noah Harari, author of the bestselling Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, envisions a not-too-distant world in which we face a new set of challenges. In Homo Deus, he examines our future with his trademark blend of science, history, philosophy and every discipline in between. 

Homo Deus explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century from overcoming death to creating artificial life. It asks the fundamental questions: Where do we go from here? And how will we protect this fragile world from our own destructive powers? This is the next stage of evolution. This is Homo Deus.

War is obsolete
You are more likely to commit suicide than be killed in conflict

Famine is disappearing
You are at more risk of obesity than starvation

Death is just a technical problem
Equality is out but immortality is in

What does our future hold?"

Yu, Hua "China in Ten Words"

Yu, Hua (余華/Yú Huá) "China in Ten Words" (Chinese: 十個詞彙裡的中國/Shi ge cihui li de Zhongguo) - 2012

Our latest book club suggestion. I am happy somebody thought of it because it is a remarkable book. I love to read about different cultures but I also love to read about language and find out what kind of words are used in which connection. To read about "disparity" or "copycat" and what the meaning of that is in modern day China is pretty interesting. Whether it's about Great Leap Forward or the Cultural Revolution, the ever present Little Red Book or just the ordinary Chinese person, the author has experienced it all first-hand.

My favourite chapter must have been "Reading", there are some fantastic quotes that recap my feelings brilliantly:

"I did once sum up my experience in the following way:
'every time I read one of the great books, I feel myself transported to another place, and like a timid child I hug them close and mimic their steps, slowly tracing the long river of time in a journey where warmth and emotion fuse. They carry me off with them, then let me make my own way back, and it's only on my return that I realize they will always be part of me.'"

and

"If literature truly possesses a mysterious power, I think perhaps it is precisely this: that one can read a book by a writer of a different time, a different country, a different race, a different language, and a different culture  and there encounter a sensation that is one's very own. Heine put into words the feeling I had as a child when I lay napping in the morgue. And that, I tell myself, is literature."


The book teaches us a lot about life in China during the lifetime of the author (born 1960) so far as well as about the author himself. I thought it fascinating to learn about a life that could have been mine since I am about the same age as Hua Yu. Intriguing.

From the back cover:

"From one of China’s most acclaimed writers, his first work of nonfiction to appear in English: a unique, intimate look at the Chinese experience over the last several decades, told through personal stories and astute analysis that sharply illuminate the country’s meteoric economic and social transformation.

Framed by ten phrases common in the Chinese vernacular - 'people,' 'leader,' 'reading,' 'writing,' 'Lu Xun' (one of the most influential Chinese writers of the twentieth century), 'disparity,' 'revolution,' 'grassroots,' 'copycat,' and 'bamboozle' - China in Ten Words reveals as never before the world’s most populous yet oft-misunderstood nation. In 'Disparity,' for example, Yu Hua illustrates the mind-boggling economic gaps that separate citizens of the country. In 'Copycat,' he depicts the escalating trend of piracy and imitation as a creative new form of revolutionary action. And in 'Bamboozle,' he describes the increasingly brazen practices of trickery, fraud, and chicanery that are, he suggests, becoming a way of life at every level of society.

Characterized by Yu Hua’s trademark wit, insight, and courage, China in Ten Words is a refreshingly candid vision of the 'Chinese miracle' and all its consequences, from the singularly invaluable perspective of a writer living in China today."

We discussed this book in our international online book club in July 2019.

Harari, Yuval Noah "Sapiens"

Harari, Yuval Noah "Sapiens. A Brief History of Mankind" (Hebrew: קיצור תולדות האנושות/Ḳizur Toldot Ha-Enoshut) - 2014

This book is one of the most interesting ones I have read lately. A book that tries to explain how we became the beings we are today, what happened between the time the first humanoid forms appeared on this earth and today. It answers many questions you might have never asked yourself but always should have.

Why did the Homo Sapiens survive and not the Neanderthal? Why did we go from being hunters and gatherers to being settlers, farmers? Did it do us any good? Have people in the middle ages been unhappier than we are today? What is the advantage of global communities? And where does all this go? How much does biology influence history? What exactly are cultural differences?

If you have any questions along those lines, the answer is probably in this book. Or - it can't be answered.

A brilliant book by a great mind, a history professor who has studied his fellow human beings intensely.

From the back cover:

"100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens.

How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables and consumerism? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come?

In Sapiens, Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical – and sometimes devastating – breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions. Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, paleontology and economics, he explores how the currents of history have shaped our human societies, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Have we become happier as history has unfolded? Can we ever free our behaviour from the heritage of our ancestors? And what, if anything, can we do to influence the course of the centuries to come?

Bold, wide-ranging and provocative, Sapiens challenges everything we thought we knew about being human: our thoughts, our actions, our power ... and our future."

 

I also read "Homo Deus" in the meantime. Just as great.

Hochschild, Arlie Russell "Strangers in Their Own Land"

Hochschild, Arlie Russell "Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right" - 2016

I have read this book in the hope that I will understand the Republicans a little better and I truly believe that the author wrote it in order to understand them. I still don't understand. And I doubt the author does. How can you not want the government to help you when the companies pollute your environment? There are people out there who know what goes wrong but still don't want any rules for the companies who destroy their lives, their landscapes, bring cancer and other illnesses to their families and treat the few people who work for them like rubbish.

I think the difference between Democrats/Liberals and Republicans is that the former sees the government as a caring parent who will help you on your way, sending you to a good school, making sure you'll find your way in the world, taking care of you when you are sick or can't do anything and for that you help in the household. The latter see them as as Big Brother who doesn't just watch you, doesn't share their toys but takes away all yours and destroys them. Well, without a caring parent, companies will just behave like Big Brother.

I would recommend this book to anyone, especially Republicans, in order to understand where this is all going and how we hopefully can find a better way to save this planet.

From the back cover:
"In Strangers in Their Own Land, the renowned sociologist Arlie Hochschild embarks on a thought-provoking journey from her liberal hometown of Berkeley, California, deep into Louisiana bayou country--a stronghold of the conservative right. As she gets to know people who strongly oppose many of the ideas she famously champions, Hochschild nevertheless finds common ground and quickly warms to the people she meets--among them a Tea Party activist whose town has been swallowed by a sinkhole caused by a drilling accident--people whose concerns are actually ones that all Americans share: the desire for community, the embrace of family, and hopes for their children.

Strangers in Their Own Land goes beyond the commonplace liberal idea that these are people who have been duped into voting against their own interests. Instead, Hochschild finds lives ripped apart by stagnant wages, a loss of home, an elusive American dream--and political choices and views that make sense in the context of their lives. Hochschild draws on her expert knowledge of the sociology of emotion to help us understand what it feels like to live in "red" America. Along the way she finds answers to one of the crucial questions of contemporary American politics: why do the people who would seem to benefit most from "liberal" government intervention abhor the very idea?"

A friend sent me a link to an article about two books, One Way To Bridge The Political Divide: Read The Book That's Not For You.  You can find the review to the other book "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates here.

Coates, Ta-Nehisi "Between the World and Me"

Coates, Ta-Nehisi "Between the World and Me" - 2015

A friend sent me a link to an article about two books, One Way To Bridge The Political Divide: Read The Book That's Not For You.

I started with this one, because my library had it. I hope they will get the other one soon because I don't really want to buy a book about conservatives.

Now to get to this book. It is fantastic. It shows the inner feelings and fears of a black guy, first for himself, then later for his family. He talks to his son Samori, tells him about his youth and what he did or didn't do. I think everyone should read this. There are so many great books out there to understand what people are going through, makes us all understand them better.

We all need to learn from history and move forward, this is one of the books that teaches us about it.

Every time I read about topics like this, I am reminded of the most famous quote by Martin Niemöller (1892–1984), a Protestant pastor who spent seven years in concentration camps for opposing the Nazis:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me. 

Let's all speak out for the oppressed minorities in any country.

From the back cover:
"'This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of i'.”

In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?

Between the World and Me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’s attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder. Beautifully woven from personal narrative, reimagined history, and fresh, emotionally charged reportage, Between the World and Me clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts our present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward."

These are the two books from the article:
One Way To Bridge The Political Divide: Read The Book That's Not For You:
Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild is about Tea Party conservatives in Louisiana. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is about what it means to be black in America.

Kristof, Nicholas; WuDunn, Sheryl "A Path Appears"

Kristof, Nicholas; WuDunn, Sheryl "A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity" - 2014

I read "Half the Sky. How to Change the World" by the same authors and couldn't wait for this book to appear. So, I bought the first copy I could get my hands on. Usually, I don't mind whether I get the US American or the British edition but in this case I wish I would have checked whether the British one would have been different. Or would have at least given some more European links.

Don't misunderstand me, this is a fabulous book, so many great causes that the couple draws our attention to and what we can do to help those unfortunate people either on the other side of the globe or even next door who only need a little money to change their life for the better. Unfortunately, most of the addresses given in the book are for Americans who give US Dollars.

But that is the only complaint I have. After all, it is a US American book, probably written mainly with US American readers in mind.

The authors have done some great research, as I had already experienced in their former book. What it comes down to, in a nutshell, if you want to donate money, find a cause that you consider is worthy and make sure you give it so that this money really makes a difference to someone. The authors make us understand that even a small donation can make a big change. Or if we don't have money that there are still things we can do, volunteer or write, for example.

So, even though the last part of the book is not very helpful for me, I still have learned a lot. How I can find an organization that I want to support, what I can do in order to help where I think help is needed most. They also underlined that any help is helpful, no matter how small.  So, research for the right charity, just as if you want to buy a new gadget, check what the charities do and whether you like what they are doing, don't just throw money at something and think you have done a good deal, if you know where your money goes to, it is so much better. And don't just look at how much money they spend on advertising, check how much money is raised and goes to the cause in the end.

An informative and inspirational book. Well done, Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2024.

From the back cover:

"With scrupulous research and on-the-ground reporting, Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn explore how altruism affects us, what are the markers for success, and how to avoid the pitfalls. In their recounting of astonishing stories from the front lines of social progress, we see the compelling, inspiring truth of how real people have changed the world, underscoring that one person can make a difference.
A Path Appears offers practical, results-driven advice on how best each of us can give and reveals the lasting benefits we gain in return. Kristof and WuDunn know better than most how many urgent challenges communities around the world face today. Here they offer a timely beacon of hope for our collective future."

The authors won the Pulitzer Prize for their reports about China in the New York Times. They also have started a foundation, read more about it here: "Half the Sky Foundation"

Moore, Michael "Stupid White Men"

Moore, Michael "Stupid White Men" - 2001

In one of my challenges for this year there is one that says "A book written by an author with your same initials." Since I wanted to read this book ever since it came out, I thought it was about time to tackle it.

Michael Moore does not just share my initials and most of my political opinions, I also found out that he is an Eagle Scout. As are both my boys.

Anyway, now to the book. This was even worse than I thought. Not as in the writing but as in the contents. Some of the stuff is so unbelievable, you wonder why people still vote for that party. And, even worse, they are the ones who write the most negative stuff about others.

Having said that, Michael Moore doesn't just rant about the party he didn't vote for, no, he also writes down what those in the party he'd rather see in office did and do wrong. I like that, it means you are not just saying the other side is evil, you look at the while picture and maybe even accept that they might do something right from time to time, as well.

This book has kept what it promised. It gives you a good view over what is (was) going on in the so-called Land of the Free, and not just what you hear from friends who like to overshare their hate for the other party on Facebook.

Of course, the book dates from  2001 and was published even before September 11th, so it isn't current. But I think it even gains in retrospect because you can see that some of his fears were quite prophetic. We can see that a lot of the problems created in this world stem from that time.

I don't want to get into big discussion in this blog. So, if you belong to my friends who hate President Obama and loved President Bush, just scroll over this as I do over your numerous hate posts almost every day. Thank you.

"Stupid White Men" tells you everything you need to know about how the great and the good screw us over.

From the back cover: "It reveals - among other things - how 'President' Bush stole an election aided only by his brother, cousin and dad's cronies, electoral fraud and tame judges; how the rich stay rich while forcing the rest of us to live in economic fear; and how politicians have whored themselves to big business.

Whether he's calling for United Nations action to overthrow the Bush Family Junta, calling on African-Americans to place whites-only signs over the entrances of unfriendly businesses, or praying that Jesse Helms will get kissed by a man, Stupid White Men is Michael Moore's Manifesto on Malfeasance and Mediocrity.

A hilarious must-read for anyone who wants to know what the con is and how 'they' get away with it, Stupid White Men is only available uncensored because public pressure forced the original publishers to publish a book they felt was too hot to handle. Now it's time to find out why."

I know most of these leaders have changed in the meantime but I challenge any of you to name more than ten of the present ones without googling or checking Wikipedia or whatever.

List of Leaders of Fifty Largest Countries
(in order of country's size)

1. China - President Jiang Zemin
2. India - President Kocherit Raman Narayanan
3. United States - President George W. Bush
4. Indonesia - President Megawati Sukarnoputri
5. Brazil - President Fernando Henrique Cardoso
6. Russia - President Vladimir Putin
7. Pakistan - General Pervez Musharraf
8. Bangladesh - President Shahabuddin Ahmed
9. Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
10. Nigeria - President Olusegun Obasanjo
11. Mexico - President Vicente Fox Quesada
12. Germany - Chancellor Gerhard Schröder
13. Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
14. Vietnam - President Tran Duc Luong
15. Egypt - President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak
16. Turkey - President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
17. Iran - Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamemei, President Mohammad Khatami
18. Ethiopia - President Negasso Gidada
19. Thailand - Prime Minister Thaksin Chinnawat
20. United Kingdom - Prime Minister Anthony C. L. Blair
21. France - President Jacques Chirac
22. Italy - Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
23. Congo (Kinshasa) - President Joseph Kabila
24. Ukraine - President Leonid D. Kuchma
25. South Korea - President Kim Dae-Jung
26. South Africa - President Thabo Mbelki
27. Burma - Prime Minister Than Shwe
28. Spain - President Jose Mariaaznar
29. Colombia - President Andres Pastrana
30. Poland - Presided Aleksander  Kwasniewski
31. Argentina - President Fernando De La Rua
32. Tanzania - President Benjamin Wiliam Mkapa
33. Sudan - President Lt. Gen. Omar El-Bashir
34. Canada - Prime Minister Jean Chretien
35. Algeria - President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
36. Kenya - President Daniel Arap Moi
37. Morocco - Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi
38. Peru - President Alejandro Toledo
39. Afghanistan - Mullah Mohammed Rabbari
40. Uzbekistan - President Islam Karimov
41. Nepal - King Gyanendra, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur  Derba
42. Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez Frias
43. Uganda - President Lt Gen. Yoweri Museveni
44. Iraq - President Saddam Hussein
45. Romania - President Ion Iliescu
46. Taiwan - President Chen Shui-Bian
47. Saudi Arabia - King Fahd Bin Abd Al-Aziz Al Saud
48. Malaysia - Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamed
49. North Korea - President Vim Jong Il
50. Ghana - President John Agyekum Kufuor

Orwell, George "Nineteen Eighty-Four"

Orwell, George "Nineteen Eighty-Four" - 1949

I am pretty sure I read this book in my youth. But that was so long go, certainly before 1984. So, I thought it was about time to re-read it.

Has Orwell's negative Utopia arrived, did he predict well? Yes and no. "Big Brother" IS watching us. Even as I type this, I know that anybody who would like to, will be able to read this. But is “Big Brother” really interested in my musings about the books I read. I doubt it. A few of my friends read it and that is no different to me making a couple of photocopies and distributing it.

However, I think "Big Brother" are all of us. We have seen how useful the internet was last year when all those people protested against the regime in their countries. Without the internet, without mobile phones, facebook, etc., there would not have been this massive change as there was.

So, for better or worse, Orwell's phantasies have come true but it is used in a completely different way. The telescreen could be compared to facebook, only, we can decide what we put in there and what not and we can also decide who we let in to read what we are writing and who not. Huge difference.

My favourite quote of the book: "We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness."

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2025.

From the back cover:

"Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell's nightmare vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff's attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell's prescience of modern life - the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language - and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written."

I love maps and I love to know where the people I'm reading about are, so I was looking for a map of Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia and found one here.

Another great Orwell book "Animal Farm".

O'Farrell, John "Things can only get better"

O'Farrell, John "Things can only get better: Eighteen Miserable Years in the Life of a Labour Supporter, 1979-1997" - 1998

Interesting story, the ups and downs of a politician. John O'Farrell has a pretty humorous and sarcastic side when he describes his fights for a better country and his agony of having to serve during the reign of a conservative prime minister. Great read. I loved it.

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2024.

From the back cover:

"Like bubonic plague and stone cladding, no-one took Margaret Thatcher seriously until it was too late. Her first act as leader was to appear before the cameras and do a V for Victory sign the wrong way round. She was smiling and telling the British people to f*** off at the same time. It was something we would have to get used to.'

Things Can Only Get Better is the personal account of a Labour supporter who survived eighteen miserable years of Conservative government. It is the heartbreaking and hilarious confessions of someone who has been actively involved in helping the Labour party lose elections at every level: school candidate: door-to-door canvasser: working for a Labour MP in the House of Commons; standing as a council candidate; and eventually writing jokes for a shadow cabinet minister.

Along the way he slowly came to realise that Michael Foot would never be Prime Minister, that vegetable quiche was not as tasty as chicken tikki masala and that the nuclear arms race was never going to be stopped by face painting alone."

I also read "An Utterly Impartial History of Britain or 2,000 Years of Upper Calls Idiots in Charge" which was certainly just as great, if not better.

O'Farrell, John "An Utterly Impartial History of Britain"

O'Farrell, John "An Utterly Impartial History of Britain or 2,000 Years of Upper Calls Idiots in Charge" - 2007

I haven't laughed and learned as much in one book as with this one. I read "Things can only get better" by the same author and really liked it. But this is a completely different matter. John O'Farrell makes history hilarious. I learned so much about British history, more than any of my history teachers would have ever imagined for me. From the Romans to World War II, the British Isles have been the place of many upheavals. To learn about all this in such a funny way, pure bliss.

A quote I especially liked: "… history is an infinite flow chart and at every junction only one of a number of possible routes was taken. The exact point at which Britain and Europe and the world have ended up today is only one of a billion, billion possibilities; the incredibly unlikely result of every decision, struggle and accident to have involved all the people who were born before we were. …" Probably the reason why I like alternate history books so much.

Another one I cannot agree with: "Germany was allied to Austria (They still always give each other maximum points in the Eurovision Song Contest) …" Uhm, …. not really, there is a standing joke that Austria gives Germany "zero points" (imagine French accent) every year. Probably sarcasm. ;-)

Definitely want to read the follow-up to this great book: "An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain: or Sixty Years of Making the Same Stupid Mistakes as Always"

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2024.

From the back cover:

"Many of us were put off history by the dry and dreary way it was taught at school. Back then 'The Origins of the Industrial Revolution' somehow seemed less compelling than the chance to test the bold claim on Timothy Johnson's 'Shatterproof' ruler. But here at last is a chance to have a good laugh and learn all that stuff you feel you really ought to know by now...

In this 'Horrible History for Grown Ups', you can read how Anglo-Saxon liberals struggled to be positive about immigration; 'Look I think we have to try and respect the religious customs of our new Viking friends - oi, he's nicked my bloody ox!' Discover how England's peculiar class system was established by some snobby French nobles whose posh descendants still have wine cellars and second homes in the Dordogne today. And explore the complex socio-economic reasons why Britain's kings were the first in Europe to be brought to heel; (because the Stuarts were such a useless bunch of untalented, incompetent, arrogant, upper-class thickoes that Parliament didn't have much choice.)

A book about then that is also incisive and illuminating about now, '2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge' is a hilarious, informative and cantankerous journey through Britain' fascinating and bizarre history. It is as entertaining as a witch burning, and a lot more laughs."

Orwell, George "Animal Farm"

Orwell, George "Animal Farm" - 1945

"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others." I think this must be one of the most popular quotes ever. And the most truthful.

Everyone knows "Animal Farm", if you haven't read it, then you have heard about it, if not, a very quick recap: The animals on Manor Farm start a revolution and chase the farmer away and take control. They start very democratic and socialistic but in the end the pigs get more and more like the humans and exploit the other animals.

Orwell was against Stalin and his policies, so this is a very political book, disguised as a fairy story. What can I say? I love it!!!

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2024.

From the back cover:

"Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the henhouses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes. With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he lurched across the yard, kicked off his boots at the back door, drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery, and made his way up to bed, where Mrs. Jones was already snoring. As soon as the light in the bedroom went out there was a stirring and a fluttering all through the farm buildings. Word had gone round during the day that old Major, the prize Middle White boar, had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals. It had been agreed that they should all meet in the big barn as soon as Mr. Jones was safely out of the way. exhibited was Willingdon Beauty) was so highly regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an hour's sleep in order to hear what he had to say."

I also recommend "Nineteen Eighty Four".

Gladwell, Malcolm "The Tipping Point"

Gladwell, Malcolm "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference"  - 2000

Why do some products sell better than others, why was "Sesame Street" such a success, why does certain behaviour spread like an epidemic?

Malcolm Gladwell knows it all, he introduces various concepts, all of them able to get a product, an idea, anything to the "tipping point" from which there is no return.

A review by George Stephanopolous said "A book for anyone who cares about how society works and how we can make it better". I couldn't agree more. This book belongs to those that really can change your life.

From the back cover:
"'The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life,' writes Malcolm Gladwell, 'is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do.' Although anyone familiar with the theory of memetics will recognize this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.

For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a 'Connector': he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere 'wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston,' he was also a 'Maven' who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day - think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you.

Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the 'stickiness' of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor Rod Steiger. Although some readers may find the transitional passages between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy, even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that 'tipping point,' like 'future shock' or 'chaos theory,' will soon become one of those ideas that everybody knows - or at least knows by name. - Ron Hogan"

Vossestein, Jacob "Dealing with the Dutch"

Vossestein, Jacob "Dealing with the Dutch" - 1998

Based on his wide experiences and insights of all types of foreign views on the Dutch, Jacob Vossestein is called an interculturalist. He wrote this as a guide book for companies and people wanting to do business with the Dutch.

However, this is also very helpful if you just live in the Netherlands and have to "deal" with them on a normal every day business. This guy knows what he's talking about. He studied human geography and social anthropology and he observed his fellow countrymen very well.

I wish someone had given this book to me before I moved to the Netherlands. I probably might have thought it can't be that bad or I might have never moved here.

In any case, this work gives a very good account of Dutch culture and behaviour, what you should or shouldn't do when working with Dutch people. Great insight.

From the back cover:

"People from all corners of the world involved in government, business and culture come into contact with Dutch colleagues and counterparts, either in the Netherlands or in their own countries. No matter whether you are coming to the Netherlands for a business trip or to work here for a while, or have regular contact with Dutch people in your own country, being prepared for Dutch culture will make your working and social contacts more effective and therefore more satisfactory. Like the very successful first edition published in 1997, and the updated version published in 2001, this 14th revised and updated edition of Dealing with the Dutch focuses on Dutch values and norms, but it also takes into account the economic, social and cultural changes the Netherlands is undergoing. Many new quotes by people from all over the world who have already 'dealt with the Dutch' have also been added."

Kristof, Nicholas D. & WuDunn, Sheryl "Half the Sky"

Kristof, Nicholas D. & WuDunn, Sheryl "Half the Sky. How to Change the World" - 2009

"Half the Sky" - What shall I say about this book other than it is the most extraordinary one ever? Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn are an American-Chinese journalist couple who have travelled the world and give us a heart-rendering account of women's lives all over this globe, women struggling to make ends meet, women who have to fight for every little thing but especially for their life.

The authors don't just tell us about the problems that exist in various parts of Africa and Asia, they also come up with a lot of ideas on how to help these women, ideas that already work, ideas that help. That is the best thing about this report, it gives us hope that something can be done to end this misery and injustice.

The subjects go from human trafficking, slavery, prostitution, rape, honour killings to genital mutilation, maternal mortality, family planning, education, microcredits, anything you can think of that can be done to a human being will be done somewhere, and it's usually the women who have to suffer.

They also have started a foundation, read more about it here: "Half the Sky Foundation"

This book can change your life. Read it.

We discussed this in our international book club in May 2012.

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2024.

From the back cover:

"A call to arms against our era’s most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women in the developing world.

With Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn as our guides, we undertake a journey through Africa and Asia to meet an extraordinary array of women struggling under profoundly dire circumstances: a Cambodian teenager sold into sex slavery; an Ethiopian woman left for dead after a difficult birth; an Afghan wife beaten ruthlessly by her husband and mother-in-law. But we meet, as well, those who have triumphed - a formerly illiterate fistula patient who became a surgeon in Addis Ababa; an Indian woman who saved herself and her children from prostitution - and those who make it their work to provide hope and help to other women: the victim of gang rape who galvanized the international community and created schools in rural Pakistan; the former Peace Corps volunteer who founded an organization that educates and campaigns for women’s rights in Senegal. Through their stories, Kristof and WuDunn help us see that the key to progress lies in unleashing women’s potential - and they make clear how each of us can help make that happen.

Fiercely moral, pragmatic, and inspirational, Half the Sky is essential reading for every global citizen."

The authors won the Pulitzer Prize for their reports about China in the New York Times in 1990.