I just finished The Shock Doctrine. What should I read next? I might need a comedy to give me

[lib_wit_it]

strength before the next serious book. Or at least something that won't make me despondent.

I've been considering at these:
Politics Lost: How American Democracy Was Trivialized by People Who Think You're Stupid Joe Klein
Everything You Think You Know About Politics...and Why You're Wrong by Kathleen Hall Jamieson
The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire by Matt Taibbi
F.U.B.A.R.: America's Right-Wing Nightmare Sam Seder & Stpehen Sherrel

I know you don't know me, but I'm progressive and agnostic (probably atheist.)

Any recommendations? Any of these secret rw crap I should avoid?

I've read Al Franken's Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them and loved it. Though, come to think of it, that made me depressed, too. I guess that's par for the course when looking at politics in America in the last 8 years, at least.

[rwenos]

1. Machiavelli's "The Prince"

Or Sun Tzu's "Art of War."

Or (the one I'm going to hit soon), "On War" by Clausewitz.

Or (never hurts), "Democracy in America" by Alexis de Tocqueville.

Yes, I have a taste for the classics. "We read the classics that modern morals might be drawn."

[lib_wit_it]

3. Is this (Sun Tzu's "Art of War") the one Tony Soprano was so fond of? I don't have any troops,

what do I stand to gain from this read?

[rwenos]

7. There are All Kinds of "Troops"

I make my living as a trial lawyer. I've often read military strategy to gain insight into designing my "campaigns" (i.e., cases to be presented to a judge or jury). Thus, although neither you nor I have battalions of guys in Kevlar vests, Bradleys, Joint Strike Fighters, Apache attack helicopters, NSA satellite data or aircraft carriers, we do have staff, evidence, witnesses, documents and ideas.

I find the vision of the ENTIRE battlefield reflected in the military writings cited (and on reflection I would add Ulysses S Grant's excellent Memoir of the Civil War) helps me see problems from the top down, and in the context of the resources available.

My standard joke about this is that, when planning out a case for trial, I want to visualize "the entire Normandy coast."

Thus, in answer to your question, I read the classics of military strategy not only as literature, but to discipline my mind, and to gain insight into the attack doctrine most likely to be adopted by my adversary. Perhaps the metaphor is a little tortured, but it works for me.

On edit: Also, I find one good way to understand what I read in the news is to understand the way the people who make the news think. And the smart guys advising the politicians HAVE read these resources.

[lib_wit_it]

12. I see your point. I am totally ignorant of the kind of thinking common to the the people you speak

of. And I've suffered for that ignorance, especially in my career. You didn't say, but I think I'm right that Tony Soprano used to speak of the Art of War, and I was tempted, more than once at his mention of it, to read it, but figured it would be over my head. But you make me reconsider giving it a try. Thanks for the recommendations.

BTW, I don't admire Tony Soprano, but did envy his power and ability to predict his enemies' behavior.

[rwenos]

14. You're Right (I think) -- Tony was a Sun Tzu Fan

I didn't really watch the show much. I take lessons from Don Vito Corleone sometimes, too.

[CoffeeCat]

2. Do you like Science Fiction?

I recently finished reading "The Host" by Stephanie Meyer.

I loved this book, and it sounds like it's exactly what you need right now.

It deals with an alien invasion, but the book is incredibly thought provoking
and it makes you ponder about the human condition, what it means to be a human
being, etc.

Also, it made me think about what I take for granted, as a human being--our physiology,
feelings, free will, etc.

I can't recommend this book enough. It's totally original. Major escapism.

[lib_wit_it]

5. I went though a SciFi phase in high school, and I know, IIRC, SciFi is an out of favor term, but

that's about it. I just read the hits from Bradbury, Asimov, etc. OH, and 2001 ASO blew my mind, way more than the flick. That's all I remember. That was back in the 70s!

I appreciate your suggestion, and will look into it.

[az chela]

4. "The dark side" or "The angler"

Both are new and excellent exposes

[lib_wit_it]

6. But are they depressing? I need a boost.

[SoCalDem]

8. anything by Carl Hiaasen should do it.. I always liked "Lucky You"

[lib_wit_it]

13. OK, I've checked out a description and a few reviews. This looks like

a nice bit of entertainment. Thanks for the rec.

Oh, and I love your sig line and photo combo! I'm a Beatles nerd and a McCain detractor.

[SoCalDem]

17. I gave that book to my son when he left for school in Italy

He went with a whole group of students, and it's such a fun & easy read that he said about 5 kids read that book on the trip to Florence..and then he left it for his landlord when he returned home a year later :)..probably 40 kids ended up reading that little book :)and maybe some Italians too :)

[lib_wit_it]

20. Very cool. Oh, and I forgot to way, I just reserved this on line at my public library and I'm taking...

the "easy read" part one step farther--they had it on CD, so I'll be listening to it! (It was bundled with another of his books, too, so it's a real bargain.

[mascarax]

9. I like Taibbi

I've read all of them. The best parts of the Great Derangement, to me, were the religious chapters (he joined Rev. Hagee's church in TX).

Al Franken has other books so you might want to read one of those (Rush Limbaugh is a Big, Fat Idiot or Why Not Me?).

[lib_wit_it]

16. I'm assuming you mean he joined Hagee's church as an undercover spectator. That's brave. I can't

even stand to go to Catholic mass anymore, much less some freakazoid evangelical clusterhump.

To refresh myself on the gospel of Hagee I just happened upon this:

McCain's sainted supporter, Joe Lieberman, last year spoke to Hagee's group and lavished him with such obsequious praise that Lieberman actually compared Hagee, favorably, to Moses. Why is Louis Farrakhan deemed by our political establishment to be so radioactive as to not be fit for good company -- black candidates are required to repudiate his support even when they haven't sought it and denounce his views even when they've never advocated anything close to those views -- but John Hagee is a perfectly acceptable figure whom mainstream GOP politicians are free to court without any consequences or media objections?

Fuck you, Joe.

Oh, sorry, I was sidetracked.

Al Franken's books have such great titles. If I thought it would make me laugh more than go red-faced with choked back violence, I'd read RL is a Big Fat Idiot!

Thanks a lot for the suggestions!

[ZombieHorde]

10. The Colour Out of Space, by H.P.Lovecraft

It is about an alien color that invades our world.

[lib_wit_it]

21. This is a definite possibility--anglophile that I am, they had me at "Colour." (How anti-American

of me!)

[enlightenment]

11. The Importance of Being Earnest.

If Oscar Wilde can't raise your spirits, nothing can!

[rwenos]

15. Oscar

My own favorite is "An Ideal Husband," but you make a great point. "There are no illegitimate children, only illegitimate parents."

[lib_wit_it]

22. Ah, yes, well, I read this ages ago, but like much or my life, I don't recall a thing about it! I'll

have to refresh my memory and consider a re-read.

[Bigmack]

18. Read "The Road" by Cormack McCarthy...

That should just about finish you off. It's only a novel, after all. Shock Doctrine is the most NON-fiction book I've read.

Read those two and I guarantee that you'll be lower than a snake's navel.

[lib_wit_it]

24. Well, as tempting as that sounds, I think I'll try to remain at least a bit higher on the snake's

anatomy! Perhaps the shoulders? ;)

[toadzilla]

19. read BOTH of Naomi Wolf's latest books

The End of America is a little depressing, but amazing and short. Give Me Liberty is the sequel, its very energizing and empowering; a handbook to civil engagement.

[lib_wit_it]

25. Thanks Those two are definitely going on my list, but they aren't quite next in line.

[superduperfarleft]

23. Greg Palast's Armed Madhouse.

I wish I'd read that before Shock Doctrine, it serves as a much lighter read, but a good background to a lot of what Naomi Klein talks about.

[lib_wit_it]

27. I just started hearing about Palast over the past year, from my parents, who,

(thanks be to whatever) are democrats. My dad sent me a link to Palast and Kennedy's Steal back the Vote site and I was sorry I missed the Rolling Stone article. Thanks for the rec!

[Nevernose]

26. "Lamb" or "Little Green Men"

Lamb is my favorite book of the last ten years or so, poignant while totally fucking hilarious. It's the gospel according to Biff, Christ's childhood best friend. It manages to be both non-blasphemous (Jesus is always sin free and Christ like) and yet subversive enough to exalt my little atheistic heart. And, even though we all know how the story ends, it's well written enough that when Jesus is being led to his date with destiny, part of the reader is still convinced that his Christ's comrades will still get him out of it.

Little Green Men, written by the same guy that wrote Thank You for Not Smoking, is the account of a Washington stooge who becomes convinced that the aliens are real, even though they're actually a CIA invention, created solely for the purpose of fucking with the Russians' collective heads. I read it on vacation this summer in a single night -- I could not put the book down.

Earlier posters mentioned Oscar Wilde and Carl Hiaasen. If you don't have the time or inclination to read Lamb or Little Green Men, you can't possibly go wrong with The Importance of Being Ernest or, well, anything by Carl Hiaasen. But if you read a Hiaasen book, make sure you read the one with the frozen lizard.

[lib_wit_it]

28. "Totally fucking hilarious" and "subversive enough to exalt my little atheistic heart" are high

praise indeed. This is going on the list. Thanks!

[anigbrowl]

29. Something non political

I tend to stay away from books on contemporary politics unless they've got a historical bent.

If you want an intellectual workout, try Julian Jaynes' 'The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind', which significantly altered my worldview despite its unwieldy title.

For fun, try the 'Illuminatus' trilogy.

[lib_wit_it]

30. The Illuminatus trilogy looks promising! I'm not sure I've got the intellectual capacity to grasp

the Jayne's book. I have become increasingly lacking in (or should I say decreasingly in possession of?)intellectual capacity. But, I am fascinated by the topic, as I found it described in a few google search results.

A reviewer pondered this:
"...the book was copyrighted in 1976 and apparently first published in 1982. That is eons ago in the science of cognition and brain imaging. So I would like to know how the past 2 and a half decades have affected the theories in this book."

Your thoughts on that?

Thanks for the suggestions!

[anigbrowl]

34. On Jaynes

I'm quite interested in cognitive theory and neuroscience (though not to the point of following every last journal article) but I think that it's necessarily mechanistic and that limits the ability to develop a theoretical framework. Jaynes' theories are more experiential and philosophical - the book is hard work, but in the same way as reading Socrates as opposed to reading academic papers. Basically, Jaynes takes the view that schizophrenia is a natural state from which consciousness has emerged which is obviously a radical proposal. If anything, I'd say his ideas are likely to be confirmed or refuted by genetics rather than neuroscience because it posits consciousness as an emergent property rather than a baseline condition.

If what you found online (which is woefully limited - I just got another copy recently, so I had also looked it up electronically a few months ago in hopes of finding a pdf or so) whetted your appetite, then just go and read it. Even if it were to be completely wrong, it would still be a masterpiece. It's a rare case of a book that's too big for the academic field it was aimed at, not unlike Godel, Escher, Bach. If I ever go back to college I would probably choose it as the starting point for a thesis.

[lib_wit_it]

40. I'm sold. It sounds like a lot of books I've read that I didn't ever feel I quite grasped, but

enjoyed the attempt regardless. Thanks!

[ZombieHorde]

43. try the 'Illuminatus' trilogy

I highly suggest the Illuminatus trilogy. Its only downfall is the fact that the story contains no zombies.

[Mr Rabble]

31. Chomsky. Understand our world.

I dont know of any other author that is able to articulate the workings of our society, backed by overwhelming evidence.

You can search for "chomskyan" on youtube and find some amazing lectures. If you want books try these:

Necessary Illusions
Manufacturing Consent
Pirates and Emperors

Or perhaps "Understanding Power".

Good luck.

[lib_wit_it]

35. Thanks--the little I do know of Chomsky makes him a hero already! I'll check out your recs. nt

[shanti]

32. have you read BO's books?

those are next in my queue.

[lib_wit_it]

37. No, but I am waiting for the unabridged versions to come to audible.com. I'm seldom happy with

abridged versions of anything, and I sure don't want to have some of Obama's ideas chopped out. I do like the idea of him as narrator, which he is on the abridged version of Audacity. (I think someone else reads Dreams.) But, come to think of it, I'm not sure if he recorded an unabridged version, and I doubt he'll have time now. ; )

Well, thanks for the reminder, and I'll have to check on those details I'm not sure about!

[clear eye]

33. To raise your spirits try "The Impossible Will Take a Little While"

by Paul Loeb http://powells.com/biblio/2-9780465041664-10

It is a compilation of soul-satisfying excerpts from the writings of Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel, John Lewis, Sherman Alexie, Maya Angelou, Tony Kushner, Pablo Neruda, Henri Nouwen, Marge Piercy, Desmond Tutu and others who bothered to care and didn't give up.

Or you could go lowbrow and read any of Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" series comic mysteries. These are the only books that have ever made me laugh out loud even when reading them in a public place. Others have read them on my say-so, and had much the same reaction.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When you've recovered, maybe you could tackle The Wrecking Crew by Thomas Frank. You need a strong constitution for it. It's both infuriating and a little scary. But it describes the weapons of the rw leadership dead-on, and it helps to know the enemy.

[lib_wit_it]

38. Well, I sure could use some soul satisfaction! And laugh-out-loud funny is always good with me! I'll

put those on the top of my list and the Wrecking Crew down a bit for when I feel stronger. Thanks!

[Greyhound]

36. Have you read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"?

If not, it will certainly brighten up your day.

[lib_wit_it]

39. I have and I loved it! Thanks for the reminder. ; )

[sixmile]

41. Confessions Of An Economic Hitman by John Perkins

or
Imperial Life In The Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekeran

I'm almost finished with Shock Doctrine. Its subject matter is so toxic to me I can only read a chapter at a time.

[Ohio Joe]

42. Have a Nice Day by Mick Foley

Everyone I've gotten to read this book have loved it, even those that hate wrestling.

[alfredo]

44. Sarah Vowell does history like no other. "Assassination Vacation"

is well worth reading. Her "Take the Cannoli" is another fine book.

Anything by David Sedaris is worth the read.

"The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman is oddly reassuring.

[KoKo]

45. Given your reading list you are ready for a break...Anything by Carl Hiaason...

would probably be a great holiday break..... I think "Sick Puppy" was the best one...but I might have the title wrong. Just Google him on Amazon...you will probably find one of his books that will give you a laugh about "Corruption" rather than the "reality hit to the gut" like Klein's book.

We all need a break once in awhile. :D....:-(