Book 17
17. Politics is for Power, by Eitan Hersh. Anyone interested in how to best make an impact - not just in politics - needs to read this. Really, this should be required reading in high school, and again in college. Hersh, in a little more than 200 pages, goes into why we are so fractured and why people are so distant from the political process. What I love is he does go into what can be done, what has been successful. But he doesn't sugar coat the sheer effort and length of time it will take to right a national ship that has all but turned turtle, to borrow a nautical term. Indeed, this can be a depressing read at times because the effort to get people actually engaged, and not just armchair quarterback, is tremendous and time consuming- because true democracy is a messy, time-consuming process, and most people just want to be left alone, or want the microwave meal solution: quick, cheap, palatable, and easy to eat (but ultimately a horrible diet that will catch up with you). So, making any meaningful change will take a lot of years and a lot of effort. That's a daunting thought.
Currently reading: Stamped From the Beginning, by Ibram X. Kendi, and Careless People, by Sarah Churchwell.