Books in the “Get Political” bookshelf created by satenikanast

It is difficult to imagine a book more terribly relevant than The Fog of War. James Blight and Janet Lang weave together a compelling narrative, important historical documents from the Cuban missile crisis and the Vietnam war, and gripping exchanges of old adversaries met in dialogue in order to offer readers Robert McNamara's darkly prophetic 'lessons.' In so doing, they brilliantly engage the turbulent, complex, endlessly fascinating life of this remarkable public figure. This book is certainly one of the surest guides through the fog, and we would be wise to pay attention.

—Edward T. Linenthal, author of The Unfinished Bombing: Oklahoma City in American Memory

Labor economist Prestowitz (Rogue Nation) projects
visions of Japan’s future in this well-handled study of
sensitive politico-economic issues disguised as a love
letter to the country.

—Publishers Weekly

Opens a window on the struggles of South Africa
miners to overcome not only the opposition of the
plutocratic mineowners, but also the opposition
of the entrenched union establishment created in an earlier era of upheaval’

— FRANCES FOX PIVEN, City University of New York Graduate Center

Mr. Tudor pushes into new social and economic territory with his book, including the rising role of immigrants, multicultural families and even gay people in South Korea. He lays out some of the contradictory behavior one finds in South Korea, such as the unending desire for new and trendy gadgets and fashion and yet the tunnel-like view of what constitutes a successful life.

—The Wall Street Journal

A scathing denunciation of how America outsourced its industrial capacity to China, a package that included catastrophic pollution. Investigative journalists Kelly and Jacobs again team up in a hard-hitting follow-up to their 2008 environmental page-turner Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles. As “self-deputized gumshoes” covering the environmental beat, the authors felt they could not ignore the ugly reality in China. As the air in LA improved, in China, a “nauseating, gray-brown cloud from an oversaturated sky” was darkening the landscape. … China’s adoption of an open-door policy for American manufacturers was a devil’s bargain. The authors have harsh words for the “Clinton-Gore pairing,” which allowed American industry to get out from under environmental regulation and benefit from cheap Chinese labor … A powerful warning that “a growing cloud of toxins aloft [are] swirling in the winds around the world and recirculating the pollution we hoped to shed.”

—Kirkus Reviews

In the six-year history of World War II, there were few events that struck more fear in the hearts and minds of participants than the indiscriminate, so-called terror bombing of civilians and non-military targets . . . Coventry’s demise stood out as an early example of terror bombing and . . . Frederick Taylor has brought that experience to the forefront in an engaging volume.

―New York Journal of Books

Many Germans still regard the Munich massacre as the darkest day in the history of the Federal Republic, yet to date Germany has not commemorated the victims properly. With the captivating Munich 1972, Mr. Large offers a memorial of sorts—and a reminder that, long before 9/11, a war on Western civilization, emanating from the Middle East, had already been declared.

—The Wall Street Journal

The power of Escaping North Korea stems from the stories Mr. Kim tells. During his four years in China, he met hundreds of escapees from the North. He reconstructs their tales—of the privations of daily existence in North Korea, of life on the lam in China—in heartbreaking detail... There are many heroes in Mr. Kim's book, not least the author himself.

—The Wall Street Journal

Essential reading for anyone seeking an understanding of the 'resource curse', the global exploitation of Africa's resources and the troubled state of African politics. Drawing on a detailed knowledge of the region, Douglas Yates does a remarkable job of exposing the predatory forces responsible for the continuing impoverishment of Africa's oil states - while also celebrating those heroic African figures who have resisted the onslaught.

—Professor Michael T. Klare, Hampshire College, Massachusetts and author of Resource Wars

This book for the first time links two literatures: the comparative study of the role of the military in the politics and economics of states around the world, and the study of the role of the Pakistan army. ... As Dr. Siddiqa points out, this relationship raises profound questions about Pakistan’s future. ... A must-read.

—Stephen P. Cohen, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings, and author of "The Pakistan Army" and "The Idea of Pakistan"

The rise of ISIS is one of the most puzzling and stunning developments in world politics. For readers trying to understand it, this book is a fine place to start. It is a concise but surprisingly detailed history. Beginning around 2004, with the Jordanian founder of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Griffin traces the history in chronological order through 18 short, albeit busy, chapters and a postscript. The book is primarily devoted to tracing the battles ISIS leaders have fought, but a chapter titled 'Twitter Caliphate' delves into the novel social media strategies that aid ISIS in broadcasting its message and recruiting followers. Griffin nowhere tries to speculate or create new typologies. He simply aims at describing the details along the way. Recommended.

—Choice

A leading litigator engagingly explores what many readers already know: the US Supreme Court votes along party lines. In this highly knowledgeable and entirely accessible book, Zirin (The Mother Court: Tales of Cases that Mattered in America's Greatest Trial Court, 2014) shows that what many readers thought they knew about our nation's highest court only touched the surface.

—Kirkus, Starred Review