My Favorite Books of 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 12:42PM Each year, the neglected pile by the foot of my desk reminds me that I didn’t read all the books that I wanted to read. But unlike the official ‘best’ lists out there that profess to definitively know THE BEST books without any pile disclaimer, I confess that there are a slew of really great books published in 2010 that I didn’t get through. These are the ones I read and enjoyed:
Matt is a friend of mine, whose tenacity, skill and guts I completely admire. But friendship aside, this book contains the kind of biting, in-your-face prose that only Matt can pull off with such incredible finesse, humor and depth. From Greenspan’s obsession with Ayn Rand to the Tea Partiers’ predisposition to shooting themselves and their country in both feet to the Vampire Squid itself, this book is a page turning masterful account of how we got to where we are, and where we’re going.
2) A Question of Values by Morris Berman
This book, penned by a noted historian and bestselling author, was self-published due to the fact that the mainstream publishing houses lacked the ability to conceive that an essay collection, depicting what is culturally and spiritually lacking in our country, could be ‘sell-able.’ This collective oversight by a myopic industry overly concerned with bottom line over qualitative content underscores the essence of the book itself. A Question of Values will make you think and re-evaluate everything you believe.
3) Green Gone Wrong by Heather Rogers
In true old-school reportage style, Heather roamed the globe to determine whether the official, and often corporate promoted, notion of being green (from a product or reduced energy consumption perspective)) isn’t in fact a smokescreen for a deeper systemic issue. By exploring truly energy efficient small towns and getting to the bottom of ethanol production, organic farming methods and other ‘green’ pursuits, Heather’s book shines a light on what we think we know about being green in a penetrating and conversational style.
4) The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
This book, by a first time novelist, is an absolute delight. I was kind of worried given the incredible PR machine behind it, that The Sherlockian might be more of a bandwagon book than the stellar read that it is. But I loved the juxtaposition of the old English darkness of 1900s with the quirky mystery solving abilities of a most extraordinary ‘Irregular’ hero and clever sleuth. The past and present stories artfully mirror the behaviors of Sherlock Holmes and the writer that gave him life, Arthur Conan Doyle.
5) Super-Sad True Love Story: A Novel by Gary Shteyngart
This book is the 1984 of our times, depicting a world where conglomerate corporations are even bigger and more dominant than they are in our real world, life and death is more directly dependent on the size of one’s bank account, China couldn’t care less about the strength of the once powerful American empire, and love and relationships are boiled down to a cold statistic. This book is hilarious, insightful and depressing all at once.
6) The Confession by John Grisham
There is nothing more wonderful than a writer that has succeeded professionally so resolutely but still pens books with powerful and important messages. The notion of innocent people getting framed by overzealous prosecutors and entitled judges in a horribly biased justice system is captured poignantly in this book. Grisham, a major fundraiser and advocate for the Innocence Project doesn’t go for the easy happy ending, but instead chooses to keep it sadly stark and heartbreakingly relevant.
7) The Lean Years by Irving Bernstein with a new forward by Francis Fox Piven
This book, with a new forward by noted historian and scholar, Francis Fox Piven, captures the underbelly of the roaring 1920s, a time when the rich were having a blast as the rest of the country was sinking into the Great Depression way before the term was coined. It is as pertinent today as it was when it was first written, even more so, for we are now living in an economy, and with a government, that not only rewards the most powerful, it bails them out on everybody else’s dime.
8) The Investment Answer by Gordon Murray and Dan Goldie
When Gordon first emailed me about his former background at Goldman Sachs (where he worked well before I did and arguably, when the firm had some semblance of an ethical code), he did not tell me that he was dying of brain cancer. It was not until I saw a Fox clip followed by a viral story by the New York Times, that I realized how much a sacrifice he was making to help people learn investment truths. This book is brief and to the point, but its wisdom is a necessity.
9) All the Devils are Here by Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera
Even amongst the plethora of books written and yet to be written, including my own, about the 2008 financial crisis that was percolating for years (in particular since Glass Steagall was repealed in 1999) this book stands out. Bethany and Joe weave an evocative narrative that evaluates the character and characters behind the crisis, the human flaws, choices and repercussions perpetrated by a small collection of very dangerous people. the book comes complete with an expansive who’s who and what’s what directory in the front.
10) Capital Offense by Michael Hirsh
In Capital Offense, Michael exposes the true reasons why markets are not actually free-flowing exchanges of capital and information, but rigged by a financial elite for whom neither partisan boundaries, nor Main Street economic realities are barrier to their unrequited power-grab. Hirsh’s skillful, historical analysis shows that the free-market philosophies perpetuated by economists, Treasurers, Fed Chairmen, and Presidents are merely an extension of Wall Street’s drive to supremacy.
11) The Fifteen Biggest Lies about the Economy by Joshua Holland
Joshua‘s book is full of research that provides a framework beyond verbal partisan dueling. It provides data behind the lies that Americans are told, perpetuate and tend to believe, regardless of political affiliation. From Obama being a communist to health care reform working, This book is a terrific primer of solid information in an increasingly sound bitey world in which the political-financial system benefits powerful institutions and megalomaniac leaders by screwing and misleading citizens at every destructive turn.
Some other Greats of 2010: Books on my pile that I didn’t get a chance to read in full. but are excellent include: ECONned by Yves Smith, Fortunes of Change by David Callahan, The Monster by Michael Hudson, No Backing Down by Tameron Keyes, Moving Millions by Jeffery Kaye, The Great American Stickup by Robert Scheer, Death of the Liberal Class by Chris Hedges, The Zeroes by Randall Lane, A Presidency in Peril by Robert Kuttner, and Freefall by Joseph Stiglitz.
Reader Comments (1)
is there a definitive book on the "lost decade" of Japan?