Tag Archives: America

The New Jim Crow

Posted on April 27, 2013 by smellincoffee

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness © 2010 Michelle Alexander 290 pages             In The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander argues that the United States’ drug laws, coupled with its law … Continue reading →

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Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet

Posted on April 13, 2013 by smellincoffee

Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet352 pages© 2008 Michael T. Klare For much of the 20th century, a handful of industrialized countries enjoyed access to a seemingly infinite supply of oil. But a century of economic progress has seen global demand for … Continue reading →

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Straphanger

Posted on April 6, 2013 by smellincoffee

Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile336 pages© 2012 Taras Grescoe The cheap energy era is over, unless someone invents a Star Trek replicator that can magick barrels of oil into existence. Cities across the world are working … Continue reading →

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The Great Railroad Revolution

Posted on December 31, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Great Railroad Revolution: A History of Trains in America© 2012 Christian Wolmar448 pages The United States’ history is one written with novelty: born in the dawn of the industrial age,  America was a blank slate for technologies with the … Continue reading →

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Bitterly Divided

Posted on October 26, 2012 by smellincoffee

Bitterly Divided: the South’s Inner Civil War© 2008 David Williams310 pages Why did the South lose the Civil War? Was it the strengths of the Union — a better rail network, a superior manufacturing base, more soldiers? David Williams doesn’t … Continue reading →

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No Logo

Posted on September 29, 2012 by smellincoffee

No Logo: the Case Against the Brand Bullies  © 1999, 2009; Naomi Klein 544 pages The political and financial turmoil of the past few years have seen a rising tide of anger targeted against the political power of wealthy corporations. … Continue reading →

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Empire of Illusion

Posted on September 16, 2012 by smellincoffee

Empire of Illusion: the End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle© 2009 Chris Hedges232 pages Do we live in a world where images are more important than reality, where perception has supplanted substance? Chris Hedges thinks so, and in … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (12 September)

Posted on September 13, 2012 by smellincoffee

About a week ago, ten inches of rain were dumped on my hometown in 24 hours, leading to widespread flooding. Various services around town were disrupted, meaning the people who — inexplicably — journeyed to the library in the midst … Continue reading →

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The Artificial River

Posted on July 31, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Artificial River: the Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1867© 1997 Carol Sheriff272 pages At the dawn of a new century, the two-decade old American republic stood hemmed in between storm-tossed Atlantic ocean and the towering Appalachian mountains. … Continue reading →

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A People’s History of the Civil War

Posted on July 23, 2012 by smellincoffee

A People’s History of the Civil War: Struggles for the Meaning of Freedom594 pages© 2005 David Williams No war has left such an impression on the American character as its civil war. That conflict (1861-1865) claimed more American lives than … Continue reading →

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