I offer this book list as a virtual Christmas present to one and all. If you are an informed and critical reader, then here are seven books that will open your eyes and sharpen your understanding of America and what has taken place over the last 120 years. These books will shift your mindset or worldview dramatically.
I have listed the title of the seven books, the author for each book, the number of pages, and one or more initial thoughts that struck me as I read them or continue to read them.
The Laws of Human Nature, Robert Greene, 588 Pages
Human nature is much more complicated than I ever imagined. To be successful in life, we must understand human nature at the deepest possible level. One other thought for this book: I believe it is a candidate for re-reading every year; it is that critically important to understand.
The Creature from Jekyll Island, G. Edward Griffin, 595 Pages
This is the history of the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is not a federal agency, and it was not created to serve the needs of the American people but rather the interests of the major banks in our country. The Federal Reserve is both the remote and proximate cause of the financial problems in America, and it should be a candidate for drastic re-engineering and, eventually, total elimination. A new monetary system and financial structure that reflects the dynamics and technology of the 21st Century are both urgently needed.
The Crash Course, Chris Martenson, 290 Pages
Uncommon thoughts on the economy, energy, and the environment. The world around us is changing at an exponential rate and most people on the planet have no understanding of how these changes will affect them. This is an excellent primer for those who want to learn to think strategically and how to view the future. Buckle up for this book though; it could make you a bit fearful.
America’s Rise and Fall Among Nations (Lessons in Statecraft from John Quincy Adams), Angelo M. Codevilla, 251 Pages
America’s foreign policy was consistently neutral and non-interventionist from President Washington to President Theodore Roosevelt; the latter changed from an interventionist to a non-interventionist over the course of his two presidential terms. With the election of President Woodrow Wilson in 1913, America’s foreign policy shifted to the other side of the spectrum. We had a war to “make the world safe for democracy” (World War I), followed by “a war to end all wars” (World War II), followed by regional wars around the globe in the Far East and the Middle East. None of these latter wars did America win, and we have to wonder why.
In my opinion, the American people have too often been sold a bill of goods and constantly betrayed by its so-called “ruling class.” The total treasure, the number of deaths of civilians and military, and the economic harm caused by all the wars in the 20th Century and the first two decades of the 21st Century are incalculable. And not a mea culpa anywhere or from anyone.
Revolution, KT McFarland, 351 Pages
The author started her foreign policy career working as a night secretary for Henry Kissinger. Forty-five years later, she was appointed the Deputy National Security Adviser by President Trump.
This book should give everyone pause for two reasons. First, the world of politics has been weaponized by the mainstream media, the nightly news, and the various big players in social media. Politics has become so divisive that the survival of America is not ensured, at least not in a form that I would endorse or sign up for. Second, the author demonstrates to me through her story (being interviewed and targeted by the FBI and Mueller’s Special Counsel Team) that our country has become an authoritarian police state ruled by soft tyranny. Ms. McFarland is a woman of uncommon courage and wisdom who refused to sell her soul and was almost destroyed for her principled stance.
The End of the World Is Just the Beginning, Peter Zeihan, 481 Pages
The subtitle says it all: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization. Facts, figures, opinions, and conclusions that will scare the pants off anyone with an IQ north of the median. Another buckle-up book.
Tragedy & Hope, Carroll Quigley, 1,311 Pages
A modern-day version of “The Decline of the West” and “A Study of History” rolled into one. This is Mr. Quigley’s magnum opus. Exceptionally heavy sledding, but worth the effort for its perspective and macro-historical detail.
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I hope you will take up the challenge and read one or more of these books over the coming winter. Good reading!
Cordially,
Andrew J Guinosso