War Room book thread

Higus

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I thought it might be interesting for members to talk about the WR related books they are reading or have read.

Currently about half way done with Fire and Fury. It's pretty shocking, but it helps put some of the actions of the presidency in perspective. When you realize that Trump never really wanted to be president, some of the campaign trail shenanigans suddenly make a lot of sense. Refusing to release taxes or divest business interests before the election? Makes sense if he didn't really plan on winning anyway. The whole election is like "The Producers" where Trump was surrounded by a lot of opportunistic people who wouldn't have gotten roles on legitimate campaigns. Their plan was to have a good showing and then become talking heads on conservative media outlets, but they ended up winning and being utterly unprepared to actually run the government.
Also interesting is the power struggle between Priebus, Bannon, and Kushner for influence over the president. Each of them developed their own strategies to deal with the president and one another. Priebus is a whipping boy, but he takes advantage of the president's lack of interest in policy to get him to sign anything put on his desk. Bannon was both a true believer and an opportunist that latched onto anyone with money, but also had a keen understanding of how effective his brand of cynicism is at riling both supporters and opposition. Kushner has delusions of granduer, is often naive and over his head about politics, but is also surprisingly tenacious.

I don't normally read political books, but it has been a fascinating, if not frightful read so far. Looking forward to the second half.
 
Currently about half way done with Fire and Fury. It's pretty shocking, but it helps put some of the actions of the presidency in perspective. When you realize that Trump never really wanted to be president,

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I got a book perfect for you
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I've read Fire and the Fury. The making of Donald Trump by David Cay Johnson is a better read imo.

All WRs should read
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
by Thomas Piketty.
 
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I've read Fire and the Fury. Trump Nation by David Cay Johnson is a better read imo.

All WRs should read
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
by Thomas Piketty.
Thanks! What do you like about Trump Nation and Capital?
 
I am currently reading ' The Storm Before The Storm' by Mike Duncan..

Awesome Historical Podcaster.

And the book has a lot to do with the political climate we are currently experiencing..

Just in ancient Roma..
 
Been a while since I read anything overtly political, or even for leisure in general. Pretty much read exclusively for school nowadays. On that note, if anyone is looking for academic essays on postcolonialism.... i'm your guy.
 
I just finished Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. The book is a highly suspenseful true story built around a series of murders of wealthy Native Americans in the 1920s that I had never heard about.

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Been a while since I read anything overtly political, or even for leisure in general. Pretty much read exclusively for school nowadays. On that note, if anyone is looking for academic essays on postcolonialism.... i'm your guy.
You ever take that CT class?
 
I just finished Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. The book is a highly suspenseful true story built around a series of murders of wealthy Native Americans in the 1920s that I had never heard about.

%7B762D399E-2832-4CBC-A616-CE8279121232%7DImg100.jpg
That kind of stuff is in my wheelhouse, and it's really fascinating. I haven't read that specific book even thought it's cropped up on my radar several times.
 
I've read Fire and the Fury. Trump Nation by David Cay Johnson is a better read imo.

All WRs should read
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
by Thomas Piketty.

Piketty is good. I hope he's wrong.
 
Another book I read recently, but cannot recommend, is Amanda Ripley's The Smartest Kids in the Room and How They Got that Way.

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The book handles its subject matter mainly by dealing with three American high schoolers who travel abroad to three separate countries (South Korea, Finland, and Poland) where the education systems appear to be demonstrably better than in the US.

Unfortunately, Ms Ripley doesn't know her subject matter very well and tends to draw the wrong lessons from what she does learn.
 
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I'm finishing up the Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker. It's a great read for those interested in understanding violence and how to interpret our own fear/emotions and use them for safety. Meditations on Violence is an excellent read too which also studies criminals and their behavior and how to react in those situations, how to manage the chemical dump during an attack, etc.. Obviously I am interested in studying violence in a scientific and rational way and also a huge fan of martial arts. I'm not sure it's WR related but certainly in line with a martial arts forum.

Next up on the docket is Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Also thinking about reading Trumptocracy by David Frum, although I suspect that won't be a fun read if not informative.
 
Anyone who likes the genre of true crime might find these two books enjoyable.



Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson by Jeff Guinn

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Born to Lose: Stanley B. Hoss and the Crime Spree that Gripped a Nation by James G. Hollock.

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Both stories are fascinating and you'll learn much about how crappy the liberal criminal justice system was in the nineteen-sixties and -seventies.

Everyone has heard of Manson, of course, but Hoss's story is every bit as interesting.
 
Currently reading



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Great read so far
 
Might as well make a Guatemalan ice hockey thread.
 
I just finished Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. The book is a highly suspenseful true story built around a series of murders of wealthy Native Americans in the 1920s that I had never heard about.

%7B762D399E-2832-4CBC-A616-CE8279121232%7DImg100.jpg
Haven't read the book but I am familiar with the story, is it as crazy as I remember ?
 
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