Recent Books -- How The World Really Works, Border Hacker, The Recruit, Unstoppable, Shifty's Boys
04 July 2022
- How The World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. Recommended to me by a lot of smart people. The early chapters are great, really explains the centrality of energy costs in the bulk of the world around us, and how hard it is going to be to move away from fossil fuels. The later chapters seemed to meander and the book lost its edge, but the core point of “you have to understand the world before you can start changing it” is extremely valid.
- Border Hacker by Levi Vonk. The story of a migrants and a particular migrant attempting to get to the US through Mexico. A terrible experience made worse by US policies. I would have enjoyed more stories of more individuals, and less focus on the one individual.
- The Recruit by Alan Drew. A solid thriller about racism in the 80s, themes that sadly remain relevant today.
- Unstoppable: Siggi B. Wilzig’s Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend by Joshua M. Greene. Pretty amazing story of survival and fortitude. Very inspiring.
- Shifty’s Boys byt Chris Offutt. Good thriller set in appalachia, seems to nail the atmosphere.
