Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy Noam Chomsky
Another provocative, accurate, and deeply troubling analysis of U. S. state power, foreign policy, and the work to undermine democracy at home. Extremely well researched and documented. He sees the current state of internal U. S. politics and the American hegemony the way I do, and he makes a great case. The first half of the book covers much the same ground as Hegemony or Survival, but the second half really gets at what is going on to undermine democracy around the world, as well as here at home. A very, very valuable book.

Gilgamesh: A New English Version    Stephen Mitchell
Mitchell’s contemporary rendering of the Sumerian version of the ancient epic. It is a thousand years older than the Iliad and the Bible. His version is beautiful and moving and has the feel of its distant age. Its concerns are deeply human: friendship, honor, and especially grief and death and how a human should live. Really enjoyed it again in this version.

Crito   Plato
Plato’s dialogue where Socrates explains why, on the eve of his execution, he will not flee from it. He argues that one must act with justice and virtue even if everyone else does not. Brief, clear, and even convincing. Really enjoyed reading it again.

Apology   Plato
Plato’s dialogue where Socrates defends himself against the accusation of impiety, that is, not believing in the gods, and corrupting the youth by teaching them to think. Really enjoying re-reading the dialogues related to Socrates’ trial and death. Interesting argument about why death should not be feared. Wish I had kept it up so I could read them in Greek.

Eye of the Red Tsar   Sam Eastland
Pretty disappointing mystery novel about the man who was the Tsar’s chief investigator who, after being plucked from the Gulag, works for Stalin to find out what happened to the Tsar’s family. Kind of surprised this book actually got published, it makes so many of the narrative mistakes that everyone is taught to avoid in freshman English classes. For example, telling the reader what happens instead of showing what happens. Very, very thin characters. Interesting premise wasted.

Hitler’s Peace   Philip Kerr
Intrigue surrounding the Big Three conference in Tehran in 1943 between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. Really disliked the main character, and Kerr wasn’t able to make it feel like a mystery. Felt like a docu-drama the whole time. All the characters were very unconvincing, there was no suspense, and it was over long. First book of his I haven’t liked. It was a real slog. Too bad.

Stettin Station   David Downing
Third novel with John Russell as a foreign correspondent in Nazi Germany. It’s now 1941, Japan is about to attack Pearl Harbor, and Russell is trying to get himself and Effi safely out of Berlin and the country. Plenty of intrigue and suspense and heartache. Well written, historically impressive, and entertaining. Very nice read.

Hegemony or Survival   Noam Chomsky
Great book about the intellectual foundation and practical implementation of the U.S. plan to rule the world. Chomsky’s scholarship is astounding, and the foreign policy since Woodrow Wilson makes me ashamed. Well-documented case of American government subverting or destroying regimes just to establish its own economic agenda. The Iraq invasion just another step in the plan to control the whole world. Very well written, informative, and even engaging, as usual with Chomsky.

A Most Wanted Man    John Le Carré
Cornwell’s latest indictment of the spy agencies and what they do to all that is human. This time, as in Absolute Friends, the Americans and their program of “extraordinary rendition” are the really evil people. Tight, very well written, and perfectly executed. A delight to read, as usual. I have now read everyone of his books. Can’t wait for his new one this fall.