New Book Reveals Romney . . . A Mormon

Last week, I wrote about some weird emails I received inviting me to attend an event at the National Press Club unveiling a new book that would Swift Boat a major candidate. As promised, I skipped it but kept alert for the details. Mary Ann Akers, who writes "The Sleuth" blog for WaPo, attended, along with "about a dozen reporters ...

Book Review: The Siege of Mecca

I’ve written a review of The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam’s Holiest Shrine and the Birth of Al Qaeda, a riveting retelling of the events of November, 1979, when a group of around 500 Islamic extremists (including at least two American Black Muslims) seized the Grand Mosque at Mecca. The author concludes that this action, taken along ...

Year of Living Biblically

Matt Labash gives a strong review of A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically: It's better than the Bible. Or not better, necessarily. But it is funnier, moves faster, and doesn't bog you down with any of those genealogies. I'll wager that it won't sell as many copies, however. via Jonathan Last

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

I wanted to have this posted in a more timely fashion but, between starting a new job and a hard drive crash that kept me offline for over a week, it ended up on the backburner. Nevertheless, for that as might be interested, here's my review of the final Harry Potter book. I won't go as far as Sophie ...

Harry Potter Best Fantasy Series Ever?

Sophie Masson argues that J.K. Rowling is a "genius" and that her Harry Potter series surpasses the work of the "great fantasy authors, such as [C.S.] Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Philip Pullman." All of these books share the great themes of good and evil and the quest for wisdom and love. Their authors also share a strong background in classical literature, ...

Book Review: “It’s Not About The Truth”

Former Sports Illustrated associate editor Don Yaeger's book about the Duke lacrosse case, written with former head coach Mike Pressler, is a very good overview of the circumstances surrounding the fateful events of March 13-14, 2006, when members of Duke's lacrosse team created a "perfect storm": hiring two adult entertainers for a party that went dreadfully wrong. It's Not About The ...

Age of Abundance

George Will reviews Cato vice president Brink Lindsey's new book The Age of Abundance: How Prosperity Transformed America’s Politics and Culture. It's a useful reminder of the staggering level of improvement in our lives as compared to those of our great grandparents. Until very recently, he notes, when people prayed for their daily bread, they often were praying for just that. ...

Brave New War - Review and Interview

My review of John Robb's important new book, Brave New War, is up at The Examiner. John Robb has spent his career studying terrorism, computer systems and risk management. He has brought these experiences to bear in this vital study of global terrorism. The view is bleak. The terrorists are not only winning, they are unstoppable. We’re wasting trillions on defense and ...

No One Makes You Read Bad Books

Alex Tabarrok has en extensive review of Tom Slee's No One Makes You Shop at Wal-Mart, which he dubs "the best of the anti-market books: it is well written, serious, and knowledgeable about economics." The next several paragraphs demonstrate why "best of the anti-market books" is faint praise, indeed, and makes the description "well written, serious, and knowledgeable about ...

Mexico May Go to U.N. over U.S. Border Fence

Mexico is considering asking the U.N. to stop the U.S. from building a fence along its southern border. Mexico's foreign secretary said Monday the country may take a dispute over U.S. plans to build a fence on the Mexican border to the United Nations. Luis Ernesto Derbez told reporters in Paris, his first stop on a European tour, that a legal ...