Reading

Some books I have read recently.

Charles Euchner, THE LAST NINE INNINGS. My bud Russ Roberts sent me this, and it was great. The last game of the 2001 World Series, where the Yankees LOST (HA!). Divided up into different parts of the game, at a micro-level. Excellent. But then I went back and reread another book that has some of the same approach, George Will, MEN AT WORK. The stuff on Tony LaRussa, I had forgotten, very interesting.

Rose George, THE BIG NECESSITY: THE UNMENTIONABLE WORLD OF HUMAN WASTE AND WHY IT MATTERS. Terrific, interesting book. Core questions--why do we take many streams of wastewater, combine them, and then try to clean them? In fact, why so much emphasis on water-borne sanitation? Finally, why so much emphasis on "clean water" when the real problem is "handle poop better"? (well, not "handle," exactly, but manage). A very interesting and useful book.

Amity Shlaes, THE FORGOTTEN MAN: A NEW HISTORY OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION. Well written, interesting, and an entirely different view of the motives, methods, and effects of the "New Deal." Read it to see where we may be headed, again.

James Protzman, JESUS SWEPT. An odd book, local fiction about Jesus returning to Earth as an itinerant sweeper. Yep, sounds bizarre, and it is, but it works pretty well. I liked it a lot. Very quirky.

Hunter Thompson, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS. I hadn't read it in years. It holds up pretty well.