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Friends,

With Labor Day and the High Holidays fast approaching, now is the time to read one last book before summer is over. Hard though it is to believe, not everything that is good and true can be condensed into a Tweet or even a 1,000 word essay. For your consideration, here are the books I've read thus far in 2021. I hope it helps you decide what to read and what to avoid. Some of these books were published prior to 2021, but they are what I've read, for reasons that may or may not be obvious.

A Promised Land, by Barack Obama--This guy can write. His memoir sheds light on policy, politics, and personalities focusing mainly on the period from his run for the presidency through the assassination of bin Laden. The parts about Israel are good, and the second volume, which will cover the period including the Iran Deal, should be fascinating.

Queen’s Gambit, by Walter Tevis--Novel about a female child prodigy who emerges from an orphanage to become a great chess player. Better than the Netflix series, which dumbed it down and made it ludicrous.

The Conflict Over The Conflict, by Kenneth Stern--College students, parents, anyone concerned about the Israel/Palestine campus debate, and anyone wondering about the IHRA definition of antisemitism owe it to themselves to read this book. Stern is the director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate, the lead drafter of the IHRA’s “Working Definition of Antisemitism,” and was the American Jewish Committee’s expert on antisemitism for 25 years. Read my review here.

Native, by Sayed Kashua--Brilliant collection of Haaretz columns from a Palestinian writer who is the best columnist I’ve read since Mike Royko. By turns, funny, touching, and angry.

Grant, by Ron Chernow (1074 pages)--I slogged through about 450 pages and stopped. Just mind-numbing repetitive details, all of which boil down to Grant had a drinking problem but not as bad of a problem as his critics said and Grant was a great military strategist even if he was a bit of a butcher. And he was too trusting in others who were not really his friends (could this foreshadow something?). So there you have the first 450 pages. Basically an apology and defense of all things Grant. I am not wading through an additional 600 pages even though his presidency is what I am most interested in, so I'd be grateful if anyone would pick up at Chapter 20, read the rest, and let me know how it all turned out. Oddly enough, Chernow doesn't tell us what color handkerchiefs Grant used or what brand of whiskey he drank. Maybe we'll have to await the musical to find out. But he tells us everything else, way more than we need to know, and he treats the minor and the significant with the same level of detail. The Robert Caro biography of LBJ, which at four volumes (and counting) runs over 3,000 pages, is so much better than this tedious, plodding Chernow biography of Grant, which for the past two hundred pages or so has been the same battle over and over again in different locations. Chernow is detail for the sake of detail. Caro is heavy, maybe too heavy at times, on detail, but with Caro, the details serve to make a point, and not the same point over and over again. On the other hand, I do give Chernow credit for titling one of the chapters "Her Satanic Majesty." I've always loved a good subject line. 

Dusk Night Dawn, by Anne Lamott--Typically well-written, funny, and moving Anne Lamott book on revival and courage.

Lucky, by Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes--Entertaining, informative, insightful account of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign and the lucky breaks that won him the nomination and the presidency. Hillary won the popular vote by about 3 million but lost the Electoral College by 77,736 votes across three states, and everything went wrong for her. Biden won the popular vote by about 7 million and won the Electoral College by 42,918 votes across three states, and everything broke his way. He avoided a deadlocked Electoral College and a loss in the House by only about 25,00o votes. This book could have been at least twice as long if Ron Chernow had written it, but whereas Chernow recounted every battle Grant fought in minute detail, Allen and Parnes discuss the primaries in just enough detail to explain why they mattered.

Black Buck, by Mateo Askaripour--Funny, very well-written satire of start-ups and racism from the point of view of a Black salesman.

Kill Switch, by Adam Jentleson--Informative, well-written history of the filibuster, which was not contemplated by the framers and which works counter to the framer’s belief that the Senate should operate democratically. It arose out of a mistake and was almost eliminated years ago (and prevented the elimination of the Electoral College during the Nixon administration). Read this and you’ll understand that there is no justification for the filibuster other than a desire for a minority to impose its will on the majority.

On the House, by John Boehner--A very guilty pleasure. He’s a hypocrite, a coward, and his policies were terrible. But there are some funny stories…

The Man Who Lived Underground, by Richard Wright--Newly found novel version of the short-story (1961) about about a Black man falsely accused of murder who escapes to the sewer system, with a companion essay, “Memories of my Grandmother," about the writing/meaning of the novel. Intense and eerily contemporary.

How to Talk Dirty and Influence People, by Lenny Bruce--Classic autobiography is funny and well-written. The influence he had on subsequent comedians is obvious from reading this, and the essential truths still shine through.

We Stand Divided, by Daniel Gordis--Gordis completely misses the point about why American and Israeli Jews see things differently, plus some right-wing bias thrown in for good measure. Waste of time, but read it on a friend’s recommendation.

Big Time, by Jen Spyra--Funny, off-beat collection of stories of uneven quality but fun to read if you’re looking for a break from the serious and some good laughs.

Yearbook, by Seth Rogen--Laugh out loud stories in this fun memoir that also include a few serious moments, including about antisemitism.

The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Arik Kershenbaum--Lively, fascinating speculation about what animals on earth reveal about aliens and ourselves.

Noise, by Daniel Kahneman--In the style of "Thinking, Fast and Slow," but tedious and overly long. The basic point is that algorithms can often do better than human judgment and that we are often reluctant to recognize noise: variability in judgments that should be identical.

The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz--Clever but ultimately predictable novel about an author who writes a bestseller by stealing the plot his student shared with him before the student died.

Israel, by Noa Tishby--A case for Israel written in the voice of a semi-literate sassy teen that combines legitimate points with embarrassing StandWithUs-type hasbara. Breezy and short enough to finish, but the “I’m a lefty who reluctantly faced the facts…” trope grows tiresome. A book that makes the liberal Zionist fact-based case for Israel is needed. This isn’t it. No one who thinks seriously about these issues will be persuaded by someone whose claim to fame (although I never heard of her until this book came out) is that she is a photogenic celebrity. It ignores the complexities of the conflict and opts for a simple narrative that leaves the reader unprepared to address legitimate criticism of Israel.

Loving the Real Israel, by Alex Sinclair--This is the book anyone tempted to read the Noa Tishby book should read. Sinclair presents an educational agenda for liberal Zionism and explains how to discuss the real Israel with friends, family, and community.

The Other Black Girl, by Zakiya Dalila Harris--Satire on diversity in the workplace and the struggles of Black women to win acceptance at the cost of their dignity. Clever and well-written even though it takes the story a bit too far at times, even by its internal logic.

Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman--Charming novel about a bank robbery and the hostages who learn about themselves and each other.

The Netanyahus, by Joshua Cohen--Read more than 100 pages before giving up even though it’s only 233 pages. Starts out strong and well-written, but gets boring fast and reads like third-rate Philip Roth. Too many good books on deck to invest more time in this. 

Last Best Hope, by George Packer--Thoughtful, well-written book-length essay traces the history of our struggles with democracy and argues that a shared vision of equality of opportunity can bring us together and help restore our ability to self-govern.

Any suggestions for me? Let me know. Back to our regular programming next week.

Last week's newsletter.

ICYMI. The Abraham Accords failed to live up to Trump's hype.

Tweet of the Week. Steve Sheffey.

Video Clip of the Week. A day in the life of a White House intern.

Upcoming Events. Politics with Dana Gordon and Steve Sheffey is back to live events. Join us outdoors in Highland Park on Sunday, September 12, at 3:00pm CT for a special event with Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY). Torres is progressive, pro-Israel, and a rising star in Congress. Contributions are encouraged but not required. Vaccinations are absolutely required. RSVP here if you want to attend. This event will be entirely off the record and closed to press.

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The Fine Print: This newsletter usually runs on Sunday mornings. If you receive it as an ICYMI on Wednesday it's because you didn't open the one sent on Sunday. Unless stated otherwise, my views do not necessarily reflect the views of any candidates or organizations that I support or am associated with. I reserve the right to change my mind as I learn more. I am willing to sacrifice intellectual consistency for intellectual honesty. Smart, well-informed people may disagree with me; read opposing views and decide for yourself. A link to an article doesn't mean that I agree with everything its author has ever said or that I even agree with everything in the article; it means that the article supports or elaborates on the point I was making. I take pride in accurately reporting the facts on which I base my opinions. Tell me if you spot any inaccuracies, typos, or other mistakes so that I can correct them in the next newsletter (and give you credit if you want it). Advertisements reflect the views of the advertisers, not necessarily of me, and advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertisements. I read, value, and encourage replies to my newsletters, but I don't always have time to acknowledge replies or to engage in one-on-one discussion. Don't expect a reply if your message is uncivil or if it's clear from your message that you haven't read the newsletter or clicked on the relevant links. © 2021 Steve Sheffey. All rights reserved.