Sebastian Junger's In My Time of Dying is stunningly well written. I highly recommend it. I also just finished The Mysterious Case of Rudolph Diesel. I bet most of you have never heard of him. I hadn't. A genius, he was one of the most consequential men in history. The theories on what ultimately happened to him are gripping!
Thanks, I just ordered Junger’s book. I’ve enjoyed the others of his books that I’ve read. Another plug for The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory by Tim Alberta. Very pertinent to the political extremism we see around us today. About half way through Alberta’s first book American Carnage but find I got more from TK, TP, and TG.
Probably not for everyone, but I just finished Midnight at Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbothan. It was the NY Times 2019 Best Book of the Year as well as Time Magazine Book of the Year. Of the various Chernobyl books I have read, it has the most depth of background describing the Soviet system and how it led directly to not only the disaster, but awful lack of urgency to contain the disaster. PS... I was at Oak Ridge National Lab at the time of the disaster, so the unfolding crisis had a huge impact on everyone living and working in a place called "The Atomic City".
Currently reading: https://bookshop.org/p/books/charli...ball-keith-o-brien/20213711?ean=9780593317372 The Florida/Pete Rose connection is really interesting. The 1970s must have been wild.
I’m excited about the new Junger. His trilogy of War, Tribe, and Freedom rank as some of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read. Highly recommended.
I read The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory on the recommendations here. I had a couple beefs with it, but those are minor so I won’t even mention them. The book was also interesting to me because I’ve been in some of the churches discussed and met a couple of the people mentioned. The book made me very sad, but also hopeful. As a Christian, I’m very sad that so many evangelical leaders have become so wrapped up in politics, especially with their unquestioning support of Trump. They have every right to vote for whomever they want, but I think it is wrong for them to be so publicly vocal about it. I started thinking on these issues back in the 1992 election. I concluded that the problem is too many Christians use the Bible to defend their politics, when we should be using it to define our politics. The Bible first and then politics, not the other way around. I’m hopeful for two reasons. In the last part of the book, Alberta talked about Christian leaders who are moving away from politics and especially from supporting Trump. Hopefully they will get back to the primary mission of the church, and that is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m also hopeful because none of the churches I’ve been in have been wrapped up in politics as some of the ones talked about in the book. For the last few decades I’ve been in churches that are theologically conservative, and most of the people in the church are probably politically conservative. I have never heard a pastor in any of these churches endorse candidates or promote a political party. Individuals have their own beliefs and positions, but nothing political was endorsed by the church, save for protecting the unborn child. Interestingly, the most political church I’ve ever attended was when I lived in Berkeley, California. Everybody in that church was politically liberal, and most made no bones about who or what we should be voting for.
No longer big MLB fan, but I am curious why the Rose era was the last of the glory days. Can you tell me or will I have to buy the book to find out?
I agree with you. A pastor or priest or rabbi ought to only tell his or her flock when voting to follow the teachings of Jesus and their hearts. Unfortunately, that would eliminate half or more of the candidates.
I think it just means before football become undisputed king of sports in the US. One of the subplots in the book is the birth of free agency, so there is probably a big money aspect too that too.
This was recommended on a podcast and I started last night and was immediately drawn in by the clever writing and information about an area I know almost nothing about. Like a travelogue with political and historical overlay
