Comments on: What should Barack read?

By: Kavita Krishnan

Kavita Krishnan — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 02:58:49 +0000

Only just discovered your blog… My contribution to Obama’s essential reading list: ‘Israel/Palestine : how to end the War of 1948′, by a remarkable woman linguist, academic and activist who died a couple of years ago – Tanya Reinhart.

By: lucee

lucee — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:11:19 +0000

Thank you for the book list (for Obama). I’m passing it on to my college-student daughter, too.

While I’m at it, thanks for all your writing. I’ve read most.

By: bani

bani — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:38:47 +0000

I’ve never met anyone else who has read Ratushinskaya’s memoir… I read it ages ago, in my teens, and it’s always stuck in my memory. Very moving story.

By: Phoebe Hoss

Phoebe Hoss — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:53:24 +0000

How about Naomi Klein’s powerful “The Shock Doctrine,” which gives an understandable context for our failure to halt the devastation of Iraq and to help the people of New Orleans after Katrina?

Also, he — or you, Sara Paretsky — might find illuminating the blog at http://www.progwoman.com, written by an ardent and thoughtful Unitarian in New York City.

By: Pascale

Pascale — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 09:21:40 +0000

Like you all I could think of an endless list, indeed B wouldn’t have any time left to do his good work ! However, to add my own two “centimes” I suggest Margaret Atwood’s books – maybe the Edible woman, maybe Cat’s eye which moved me deeply and found an echo in my own life – or how about Oryx and Crake, where human beings have everything but destroyed the planet …

By: genny

genny — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:04:20 +0000

I absolutely “Writing in an Age of Silence” should be on everyone’s “to read” list. Hopefully, Barack has already read it.

I think it says a lot about Sarah Palin that she had trouble with Katie Couric’s question about what books she’s read. Her response to Matt Lauer about the question was also very bizzare.

By: bookwitch

bookwitch — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:15:53 +0000

Writing in an Age of Silence would be good for anyone to read. Then he could read Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner collection with his daughters. Burn My heart by Beverley Naidoo. Crusade by Elizabeth Laird. These, too, are children’s books that he could read with the girls.
I could probably come up with lots of books in this vein, and I believe that the simplicity of children’s books mustn’t be underrated. There will be many worthwhile political books, as well as adult fiction, but others are better placed to suggest good titles among these.