Book 18: A Fine Mess: A Global Quest for a Simpler, Fairer, and More Efficient Tax System
The US tax code is a bit of a mess, isn’t it? That seems to be the sentiment of the general public and is one of the many reasons the US desperately needs to update it. I’m reading it to understand the history of our tax code, and the various innovations other countries employ to have a simpler, fairer, and more efficient tax system. I read The Healing of America by T.R. Reid last summer and thoroughly enjoyed it. His writing is entertaining (even on dense subjects), informative, and concise.
Book 19: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
Evicted is a landmark analysis of poverty in America by Harvard sociologist Matthew Desmond. It examines extreme poverty and economic exploitation and delivers fresh solutions to this “uniquely American problem.” In What’s the Matter With Kansas, Thomas Frank writes something like, “poverty rules because it’s profitable.” I assume this book will delve deep into this idea. Evicted won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for best non-fiction.
Book 20: The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
The Master and his Emissary uses brain research to examine how our “divided brain” (the left and right hemispheres) shaped the Western world. The left part of the brain is detail oriented and inclined to self-interest. McGilchrist argues the left hemisphere is increasingly taking precedence and could potentially wreak havoc on society. This book comes highly recommended from a former pastor.
Book 21: How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Rank About Being Sick in America
How We Do Harm exposes a medical system plagued by flawed financial incentives, disparities in treatment, and politics. The book is by Dr. Otis Brawley, the chief medical and scientific officer of The American Cancer Society, and is praised as a “well-reasoned manifesto for change.”
Hope to see you read with me this month! 🙂
As one currently dealing with extended medical care for a family member, I’m planning to add the last of these to my list.
My current active reading includes:
Alan Lewis, Between Cross & Resurrection: A Theology of Holy Saturday
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
Alasdair MacIntyre, Ethics in the Conflicts of Modernity
None of these are quick reads & I have a short attention span so I’ll swap them out frequently.