Let's Book Club!

Jesse:
OK, so this is sour grapes, but I've definitely forgotten some books I read over the last while. Some of this is that I've started and read substantial parts of: Charlie Wilson's War, Israel's Secret Wars, and (somewhat more ambitiously) A Secular Age. However, I can add a couple books (and if I think of more, I'll add them). So, my additions:

The Future of Liberalism by Alan Wolfe (288 pages)

This book was super interesting, and clarified a lot for me about what I believe in, and how I could be thinking about liberalism. However... some of the middle sections definitely draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag. I think it's worth the reading the first couple chapters, and some of the more "philosophical" chapters. I found his argument that on one (right) side of liberalism is a movement that's basically romanticism (cough cough John McCain / neo-Conservatism) interesting, but really, his thesis (regarding there being three meanings for liberalism; attitude, procedural, and substantive) was the most important part of the book. Some of the "practical applications" you could probably skip. I give it a B, to match What's the Matter With Kansas.

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman (272 pages)

An interesting book. I was not blown away. I found it somewhat of a weird mix of middlebrow armchair philosophizing, interesting social commentary, and Gen X whining (which, to be fair, he totally recognizes he's part of). I thought the first chapter (how movies and TV have made him incapable of love) and the chapter on how the media really works were far, far more interesting and important than the others. Nifty chapters included the one on Star Wars and the chapter on The Real World. Interesting, not that arresting, I give it a B.

Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger (400 pages)

A fantastic book. Extremely interesting. This is, of course, the book upon which the movie was based, both of which upon the TV show was based. I highly recommend this look at how insane a town in Texas (which actually isn't that small, by the way) takes high school football. A-

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis (352 pages)

Another great book. My biggest question? Since Lewis clearly set out to write a book about the left tackle position, then found Michael Oher to be so fascinating that he decided he'd just write it about Oher... why didn't he go back and edit it to make it a book about Michael Oher? The "left tackle" stuff he does do, to me, seemed to have nothing to do with the rest of the stuff. I particularly enjoyed the questions it raised for me at the end (when we learn that his family is talking about starting up a charity to help kids who can play sports really well go to school); is this really charity? Is there "good" and "not as good" charity (curing cancer vs. helping kids play football, or teaching kids to read vs. building an art museum)? Can't recall if Lewis meant for these questions to be there... but they were for me. A.

And, finally, some comments on the books I know I started but didn't finish. Israel's Secret Wars was interesting, but became far too "here's an interesting story" followed by "here's some dull information about how the Israeli secret services reorganized for the 19th time". Charlie Wilson's War was interesting in that it totally tracked the movie (which was based on the book). Great film. Really great film. See the film. The book... shmeh.

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Kyle

1. Outliers | Malcolm Gladwell (299 pages) | Grade: C+
2. Boys Will Be Boys | Jeff Pearlman (365 pages) | B
3. Acme Novelty Library #19 | Chris Ware (80 pages*) | A
4. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao | Junot Diaz (340 pages) | A
5. Rome 1960 | David Maraniss (460 pages) | B+
6. The Reckoning | David Halberstam (733 pages) | A
7. Generation Kill | Evan Wright (370 pages) | B
8. Friday Night Lights | Buzz Bissinger (400 pages) | B+
9. Pictures at a Revolution | Mark Harris (496 pages) | A+
10. The Withdrawal Method | Pasha Malla (321 pages) | B+
11. Long Lost | Harlan Coben (374 pages) | D
12. Liar's Poker | Michael Lewis (249 pages) | B
13. McCain's Promise | David Foster Wallace (138 pages) | A
14. The Long Walk | Stephen King (380 pages) | A
15. The White Tiger | Aravind Adiga (276 pages) | A
16. The Closers | Michael Connelly (406 pages) | B+

Total: 5687

Rob

1. The Inner Game of Tennis | Timothy Gallwey (134 pages) | A
2. The Last Shot | Darcy Frey (240 pages) | A+
3. The Road | Cormac McCarthy (287 pages) | A+
4. Outliers | Malcolm Gladwell (299 pages) | C+
5. The Last Season | Phil Jackson (304 pages) | B-
6. The Sunset Limited | Cormac McCarthy (160 pages)| B-
7. The Education of a Coach | David Halberstam (288 pages)| B+
8. Downtown Owl | Chuck Klosterman | (288 pages)| B
9. Can I Keep My Jersey?| Paul Shirley| (336 pages)|C-
10. Then We Came to The End| Joshua Ferris| (416 pages)|B+
11. Friday Night Lights| H.G. Bissinger|(400 pages)|A++
12. Strokes of Genius| L. Jon Wertheim|(208 pages)|B
13. Who's Your City| Richard Florida|( 345 pages)|C
14. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men| (336 pages)|A

Total: 3753

Jesse (Me)

1. America America | Ethan Canin (450 pages) | C+
2. Outliers | Malcolm Gladwell (299 pages) | B-
3. Lester B. Pearson | Andrew Coyne (174 pages) | B
4. All The King's Men | Robert Warren (609 pages) | A
5. The Gamble | Thomas E. Ricks (325 pages) | A-
6. What's The Matter With Kansas | Thomas Frank (251 pages) | B
7. Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime | Eliot A. Cohen (248 pages) | A
8. Churchill: A Life | Sir Martin Gilbert (959 pages) | A+
9. The Future of Liberalism | Alan Wolfe (288 pages) | B
10. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs | Chuck Klosterman (272 pages) | B
11. The Blind Side | Michael Lewis (352 pages) | A-
12. Friday Night Lights | Buzz Bissinger (400 pages) | A

Total: 4672