The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain

Expectations. I had something of a “wow” reaction as I read Tali Sharot’s book, The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain. Her research has led to conclusions that optimism is a survival mechanism, and at the neural level, our brain tends to frame the past as better than it was and position us to expect a better future. The regions of the brain that do these things are described in a way that’s accessible to all readers, and those who like to think about thinking and are interested in how the brain works, are those most likely to enjoy this book.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right

Reality. The target audience for Thomas Frank’s book, Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right, is the reader who finds some of the logic of the political right to represent an alternate reality. Unlike what happened after prior economic crises when progressive populism arose, the reaction to the 2008 crisis has been a conservative populism. Frank explores how and why that happened, and where what logic there is may lead (hint in the title.) Frank’s writing is entertaining and lively, and the attention he calls to the lack of reality in some of the muddling positions of the right will appeal to liberal readers, especially those who recognize the absurdity in some elements of conservative populism.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss

Inheritance. Most families have stories about the lives of our ancestors. Fortunate families have some objects that were acquired by those ancestors that connect us to the past as a part of our inheritance. Edmund de Wall is a ceramicist who inherited 264 netsuke from a favorite uncle. One of the netsuke, small intricately carved objects from Japan, provided the title of his family memoir, The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family’s Century of Art and Loss. This finely written book tells of the Ephrussis family, wealthy grain traders and bankers from Russia whose wealth grew in the 20th century as they migrated to Paris and Vienna. Their wealth and some of their lives were destroyed by the Nazis. A family servant hid the netsuke from the Nazis, and they became the only objects that were passed along to the survivors of that tragic time. I was absorbed by this book from beginning to end and recommend it highly to any reader who enjoys how good writing can bring the past to life.

Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended)
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The Shadow Patrol

Stan. The timing of Alex Berenson’s latest John Wells novel could not be better. Set in Afghanistan, The Shadow Patrol explores the duplicity and self-interest of a variety of players in the military, the CIA, and among Afghans. In some ways, this novel seems to come straight from the nightly news. The lively writing made me think that Berenson had fun writing it. Making the code name of a CIA operative, “Stan,” was just outright funny. While Berenson continues to present Wells as a heroic figure whose skills are superior to all other humans, there are enough aspects of his life that come through in this installment that readers can see him as one of us. Fans of action novels are those most likely to enjoy this book.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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Perilous Fight: America's Intrepid War with Britain on the High Seas, 1812-1815

Navy. Readers who gravitate toward naval history are those most likely to enjoy Stephen Budiansky’s fine book, Perilous Fight: America's Intrepid War with Britain on the High Seas, 1812-1815. Budiansky provides a solid foundation of the politics and issues of the time, and the weaknesses of the fledgling USA in comparison to England’s Royal Navy. He describes the key players in sufficient detail, and highlights with ample description the pitched battles that marked that war. Readers unfamiliar with this war will learn much from this book, and those who know this period well are likely to appreciate Budiansky’s contribution to our understanding of that time.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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Thinking Fast and Slow

Principles. Readers who like to think about thinking will enjoy Daniel Kahneman’s book, Thinking Fast and Slow. This Nobel winner elucidates his own research about how the mind works and comments on the insights of other researchers. The title refers to the ways in which our brain leads us toward quick and lazy decisions that are almost automatic versus the harder and slower thinking work that requires greater effort. Kahneman describes his decades of research in a readable style that most readers will find interesting and enlightening. Fans of behavioral economics will find this book to be delightful reading.

Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended)
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The Art of Fielding

Sacrifice. Chad Harbach’s sprawling and ambitious debut novel, The Art of Fielding, demands a lot of patience from readers. The characters are developed very slowly, almost at the pace of most baseball games. The setting is a Midwestern college where the protagonist, Henry Skrimshander, has been recruited to the school because of his talent as a baseball player. His ambition and that of other characters, along with the sacrifices made by many, provide the backdrop for relationships and a multi-year odd adventure with mighty highs and deep lows. Harback tested my willing suspension for disbelief at many times, but by the time I finished the 500+ pages, I realized that I had really enjoyed a fine story. Patient readers who are willing to give a chance to first time authors are those most likely to enjoy this novel.

Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended)
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