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TOP BEST BOOKS
To submit book reviews or comments on our BEST BOOKS email us at:
WebMaster@SevierDemocrats.com
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BEST BOOK On the Middle East and Islam:
Milton Viorst. "In the Shadow of the Prophet : The Struggle for the Soul of Islam" (New York: Westview Press, 2001).
This book has been recommended by Dr. Graham Leonard as the best book "for understanding Islam and the Middle East today." The author (Milton Viorst), a journalist, explores the fierce struggle between Islamic fundamentalism and modern secularism. Conservative fundamentalists (like Osama bin Laden) are devoted to a community built on faith, living strictly by Islamic law and beliefs. By contrast, modern secularists (like the Saudi royal family) would rather build a more open community that integrates science, democracy, and economic power. Viorst writes: "This book is an exploration of what, after a dazzling beginning, went amiss in Arab society. . . . Certainly, the struggle for the soul of Islam that is being waged throughout the Arab world is not just religious; it is about politics in the widest sense." [JBA]
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BEST BOOK On Religious Fundamentalism:
Karen Armstrong. "The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism" (New York: Random House, 2001).
The author, Karen Armstrong, is a former nun who has written a number of informative, highly-readable books on the world's religions. This extraordinary book traces the roots of fundamentalism in the three monotheistic faiths (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity), from 1492 to the present. Armstrong provides clear understanding of why and how "Fundamentalism" is rapidly spreading across our world today. She says: "The history of fundamentalism shows that this militant piety does not fade away if we ignore it" and "attempts to suppress fundamentalism simply make it more extreme." To a fundamentalist, "modernization is often experienced not as a liberation but as an aggressive assault." Who should read this book? . . . Anyone who is NOT a fundamentalist. You'll gain a deeper, more compassionate understanding of the pain modern society may cause believers in all faiths and why they react as violently as they do. [JBA]
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BEST BOOK On Contemporary Politics:
Thomas Frank. "What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America" (New York: Metropolitan Books, 2004).
Why have some voters made a decision to vote against their economic interests? Read to find how this happened. If you don't have time to read entire book, here are my picks for juicy information:
* P.198 and 199 Harry Blackmun who spent his career as the attorney for the Mayo Clinic wrote the Roe decision. Right of physician not right of the pregnant woman was the targeted consideration as considered by two journalists who studied the issue.
*P. 85 Moving a city to escape a bank loan.
*P. 109 Mods reap the spoils.
*P. 151 pummel the working man.
*P. 176 and 177 Clinton's New Democrats Dan Glickman...vote for NAFTA..."With Democrats and Republicans having merged on free trade , the issues that remained were abortion and guns."
*P. 206 Tennessee and a Democrat William Jennings Bryan....
*P. 86 Corporations can hurt an entire community
[MG]
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BEST BOOK On Conservatism in America:
John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge. "The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America" (New York: Penguin press, 2004).
Clearly, in early 21st Century American politics, conservatives have the upper hand. This insightful book explains why the United States has always tended to lean more "rightward" than much of the world. Compared to Europe, for example, American conservatism today is more ready to favor guns, the death penalty, and strict prison sentences; to use military force to solve human affairs; to merge religion into government; to preach--if not practice--traditional "moral values"; to oppose abortion, gay rights, and stem-cell research. Moreover, the brand-name "conservatism" of Bush, Delay, Cheney, and crew is not classical conservatism, at all. Despite its rhetoric, it does not deliver fiscal responsibility nor smaller government. This is a fine, scary book, which reveals how America has been methodically conquered by a well-oiled ["pun intended"] cabal of ambitious politicians, wealthy fanatics, hungry lobbyists, righty think-tankers, evangelistic fundamentalists, Machiavellian neocons, and puffed-up media bloviaters. A lesson from this book for Democrats: "Conservatives have succeeded in part because, in a country where only half the electorate bothers to vote, they are better organized than other sorts of Americans." [JBA]
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BEST BOOK On Governmental Propaganda:
George Orwell. "1984" (New York: Signet, 1950).
This classic "negative utopia" is more timely today than ever. It shows that George Orwell was not a cynic, but a brilliant visionary who foresaw the mastery of manipulation by propaganda in future totalitarian governments. Orwell understood the state's power to mold thought and shift truth. "Perception" becomes "reality." Orwell's concept of Double-Think is the way people transform an uncomfortable reality into something that feels better--regardless of "facts." Orwellian distortion is an upside-down mental juggling, where something is called (and believed to be) its opposite. Thus: "War Is Peace; Freedom Is Slavery; Ignorance Is Strength." Do you hear any modern echoes? . . . Like: "No Child Left Behind; Clear Skies; Healthy Forests; War on Terror; Patriot Act; Homeland Security; Culture of Life; Social Security Reform"; etc.? Recently, Majority Leader Bill Frist used a second-grade Orwellian twist by renaming his "Nuclear Option" plan to curtail minority rights in the Senate (via the filibuster). Introducing the new-and-improved: "Constitutional Option." Well, what's in a word? . . . POWER! Our Government uses the same tools as modern advertisers. Do you eat steak and hamburger? . . . or "dead cow"? [JBA]
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