June 28, 2009
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What I've been reading
I've been reading more than usual lately, thanks to my broken foot!
1. The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies, Bryan Caplan. Its thesis is compelling, but few of the policy recommendations are politically feasible. One lesson is that high voter turnout implies increased participation by uneducated and irrational voters. So I'm a new fan of voter apathy.
2. The End of Poverty, Jeffrey Sachs. I've heard so many diverging opinions on the efficacy of foreign aid that I don't know how to evaluate his ideas -- except to say that he's more optimistic than any other expert that I know.
3. Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl. The former NY Times restaurant critic chronicles her experiences eating while in disguise. This book made me hungry.
4. The Price of Everything, Russ Roberts. This is a fun and surprisingly moving didactic novel. Its theme is spontaneous order -- the magical ability of the price system to coordinate the efforts of millions of strangers.
5. The Unthinkable, Amanda Ripley. Full of gripping stories of plane crashes and natural disasters, this book persuaded me to pay attention to every flight's safety spiel and to count the number of rows to the emergency exits.
Comments (2)
wow, you read a lot.
Wait, why is your foot broken?
I read a Collection of Translated Contemporary Works by 3 Generations of Taiwanese-Women. You should read that. The plight of Asian women was truly dire. Society sucks. You should write a review about that.