This week, an open discussion thread to talk about the book and wrap up the discussion of The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina!
Also, because we’re trying to pick books well in advance, pretty soon we’ll be doing our next vote on the book to follow The Meritocracy Trap. If you have a suggestion or an idea, comment with your thoughts.
Next week we’ll be off for the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but we’ll kick off The Meritocracy Trap on January 4. All you’ve got to do is grab a copy (from your local bookstore or Amazon) and read through the end of Chapter One. Have a great holiday.
What were your thoughts on the book? Would your recommended it?
I’m into hearing the ideas of others about books I like the general order so far—- story of the past, a story of the present, and a (probably) a more general sociological book.
A couple of books that I have enjoyed—reflecting my general nerdness—were “How the States Got Their Shapes” (lots of facts, not interesting characters, though) and “ The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways” (breaks the myths of how the highways got built).
How about Christopher Ketcham's book "This Land: How Cowboys, Capitalism, and Corruption are Ruining the American West"? I learned a ton from this book, especially about the Bureau of Land Management. Well-written and suspenseful.
Somehow I missed it and I am pretty good usually at keeping up with the recent books. Thank you for finding it and bringing it to our attention. I feel the same way about the meritocracy book - I am a teacher and an American, and meritocracy has been such a part of my working life. I am looking forward to that book. I did like the way Ian devoted his last chapter to possible solutions to some of the misery we were reading about; so often, books like that have very little, if any, idea of follow-up. I do always have the Monterrey guide to fish in my wallet and only buy the
fish in their sustainable list. But I have to do more than that.
Oh interesting. I listened to the podcast Bundyville. Two seasons. Hits on a lot of the same issues and it’s going to be a bigger issue in the coming years.
I saw some of the excepts in the Times and it's a topic that personally fascinated me so I threw it on the list of books I'd try to read at some point!
I’m into hearing the ideas of others about books I like the general order so far—- story of the past, a story of the present, and a (probably) a more general sociological book.
A couple of books that I have enjoyed—reflecting my general nerdness—were “How the States Got Their Shapes” (lots of facts, not interesting characters, though) and “ The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways” (breaks the myths of how the highways got built).
Yes, there is a lot about the Bundys in the book. And you are right - it is only going to get worse.
How about Christopher Ketcham's book "This Land: How Cowboys, Capitalism, and Corruption are Ruining the American West"? I learned a ton from this book, especially about the Bureau of Land Management. Well-written and suspenseful.
Somehow I missed it and I am pretty good usually at keeping up with the recent books. Thank you for finding it and bringing it to our attention. I feel the same way about the meritocracy book - I am a teacher and an American, and meritocracy has been such a part of my working life. I am looking forward to that book. I did like the way Ian devoted his last chapter to possible solutions to some of the misery we were reading about; so often, books like that have very little, if any, idea of follow-up. I do always have the Monterrey guide to fish in my wallet and only buy the
fish in their sustainable list. But I have to do more than that.
I would definitely recommend it. It has not gotten much play in the "book media" and I find that
surprising. It seems highly researched and covers a topic that is hardly touched upon. How did you find out about it originally?
Oh interesting. I listened to the podcast Bundyville. Two seasons. Hits on a lot of the same issues and it’s going to be a bigger issue in the coming years.
I saw some of the excepts in the Times and it's a topic that personally fascinated me so I threw it on the list of books I'd try to read at some point!