I'm in a bit of a lull right now. I don't want to go through all of my favorite older books right off the bat, so I'm saving most of those for when work gets hectic and interferes with my reading outside of the restroom. I'll try and resist putting up any more books I've actually read before, at least for a week or so. Until then, I've got three going right now; two from the Big Shipment and one a gift:
The Other Path: The Economic Answer to TerrorismBy: Hernando de Soto and June Abbott
The book that essentially ruined the Shining Path guerillas. Hernando de Soto (the economist, not the explorer) and the
Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD) in Lima essentially transformed the country over the period of 20 years solely through ideas and policy. I'm about 70 pages into this updated edition of the original and am learning more than I ever thought I'd want to know about legal and extralegal property rights in urban Perú. The strange thing is that this book has uncovered in me a heretofore concealed interest in Peruvian real-estate practices and policies. I know, I'm as surprised as you are, but I'm making the most of it! Anyway, I haven't gotten too far into the meat of the thing yet, but it's my primary focus right now and is sitting on my bedside table except when it's sitting on my porch with a beer.
The General And The JaguarBy: Eileen Welsome
My father, step-mom and grandmother gave me this book when they braved I-95 and visited me a couple of weeks ago. I do have the best families ever: I haven't gotten a lousy gift pretty much since I learned to read (thanks, Dad and Olga!). The basic subject of the book is supposed to be the General Pershing vs. Pancho Villa campaigns. I'm about 50 pages in and General Pershing has yet to make an appearance, but I'm learning a lot about Mexican history between 1900 and 1914. I actually get confused and think I'm reading
The Other Path occasionally when I'm in this one as the root causes of the series of Mexican Revolutions in the early 20th Century closely mirror the issues in Perú covered by Mr. de Soto (is that proper? Anyone familiar with Spanish language naming and reference conventions, please let me know how to refer to him in that context). Ms. Welsome, an accomplished historienne, has put together a very readable and entertaining story so far and I'm enjoying it.
The General and The Jaguar lives in my car right now, and I read it over lunch, during work breaks, while I'm stuck in the Midtown Tunnel, and whenever I go out these days. This book has a great cover, so google it (or click on the link) and take a look.
Epistemology: A Contemporary IntroductionBy: Robert Audi
The problem I have with "
An Introduction to XXXXX" books is that they always try to present the subject in the most accessible vocabulary possible. That's nice if you're writing a book for popular consumption, but no one can possibly believe that the populace is suddenly going to discover a craving for Epistemology. I'm going to have to use the Greek language vocabulary eventually, and reading a whole book that avoids the Greek as much as possible, well, that's just confusing. I'm going to have to create my own definition list I guess. This is rather dense, at least at the start, and the author is patiently beating every introductory idea into the reader's head with a dead horse, so I'm making slow progress (20 pages or so?). I've taken to reading this between about 0530 hrs and 0630 when I stop to get ready for work. For some reason I'm more patient (or less willing to expend the energy needed to be frustrated) first thing in the morning. I'm taking notes
in the book [gasp!] and have to re-sharpen my pencil entirely too often.
Technorati Tags: Book reviews Epistemology Sparky reading The General and the Jaguar Hernando de Soto Eileen Welsome Bill and Olga Witting Pancho VillaLabels: Reading List
