Books worth buying
The hard working staff here at danieldrezner.com has noticed a trend in recent e-mails, along the lines of, “Say, Dan, what books would you recommend for the holidays?” Well, I can’t help much with the holiday-themed books. What I can do is recommend the books I’ve been reading recently: Ian Urbina, Life’s Little Annoyances: True ...
The hard working staff here at danieldrezner.com has noticed a trend in recent e-mails, along the lines of, "Say, Dan, what books would you recommend for the holidays?" Well, I can't help much with the holiday-themed books. What I can do is recommend the books I've been reading recently: Ian Urbina, Life's Little Annoyances: True Tales of People Who Just Can't Take It Anymore. Back in March I blogged about one of Urbina's New York Times stories about the small rebellions against petty annoyances. Urbina's story must have struck a nerve -- six months later he's got a short book chronicling more examples. Do check out his website at www.lifeslittleannoyances.com Zadie Smith, On Beauty. A comic novel about two academic families who can't avoid complicating each others' lives. Smith's writing style has the kind of arch omniscience I aim for in these blog posts -- the difference is that Smith hitsher target, whereas I usually swind up linking to some jaw-dropping picture of Salma Hayek as a diversion from the bad writing. Philip Tetlock, Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know?. See my previous posts here and here about why I like this book. Ed Mansfield and Jack Snyder, Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War A book-length updating of a groundbrreaking article from last decade. The gist is that while mature democracies may be less war-prone with each other, democatizing states are the most war-prone regime type out there. Debate amongst yourselves the disturbing policy implications that flow from this finding. Arrested Development - Season One and Arrested Development - Season Two. No, they're not books, but they are just so f#$%ing funny it really doesn't matter. I once again apologize to Mitchell Hurwitz for not watching this show before it got cancelled. Go watch the first two seasons -- I promise you'll never think about the music to the Peanuts TV specials the same way again. That's all for now -- read those and report back while I wend my way to Hong Kong. UPDATE: Megan McArdle has a long list of book selections. Go check them out -- you don't want to see those porcelain cheeks glisten with tears again.
The hard working staff here at danieldrezner.com has noticed a trend in recent e-mails, along the lines of, “Say, Dan, what books would you recommend for the holidays?” Well, I can’t help much with the holiday-themed books. What I can do is recommend the books I’ve been reading recently:
Ian Urbina, Life’s Little Annoyances: True Tales of People Who Just Can’t Take It Anymore. Back in March I blogged about one of Urbina’s New York Times stories about the small rebellions against petty annoyances. Urbina’s story must have struck a nerve — six months later he’s got a short book chronicling more examples. Do check out his website at www.lifeslittleannoyances.com Zadie Smith, On Beauty. A comic novel about two academic families who can’t avoid complicating each others’ lives. Smith’s writing style has the kind of arch omniscience I aim for in these blog posts — the difference is that Smith hitsher target, whereas I usually swind up linking to some jaw-dropping picture of Salma Hayek as a diversion from the bad writing. Philip Tetlock, Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know?. See my previous posts here and here about why I like this book. Ed Mansfield and Jack Snyder, Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War A book-length updating of a groundbrreaking article from last decade. The gist is that while mature democracies may be less war-prone with each other, democatizing states are the most war-prone regime type out there. Debate amongst yourselves the disturbing policy implications that flow from this finding. Arrested Development – Season One and Arrested Development – Season Two. No, they’re not books, but they are just so f#$%ing funny it really doesn’t matter. I once again apologize to Mitchell Hurwitz for not watching this show before it got cancelled. Go watch the first two seasons — I promise you’ll never think about the music to the Peanuts TV specials the same way again.
That’s all for now — read those and report back while I wend my way to Hong Kong. UPDATE: Megan McArdle has a long list of book selections. Go check them out — you don’t want to see those porcelain cheeks glisten with tears again.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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