236: Simon Bolivar: A Life by John Lynch

Simon Bolivar: A Life

From the book description:

Simón Bolívar was a revolutionary who freed six countries, an intellectual who argued the principles of national liberation, and a general who fought a cruel colonial war. His life, passions, battles, and great victories became embedded in Spanish American culture almost as soon as they happened. This is the first major English-language biography of “The Liberator” in half a century. John Lynch draws on extensive research on the man and his era to tell Bolívar’s story, to understand his life in the context of his own society and times, and to explore his remarkable and enduring legacy.

The book illuminates the inner world of Bolívar, the dynamics of his leadership, his power to command, and his modes of ruling the diverse peoples of Spanish America. The key to his greatness, Lynch concludes, was supreme will power and an ability to inspire people to follow him beyond their immediate interests, in some cases through years of unremitting struggle. Encompassing Bolívar’s entire life and his many accomplishments, this is the definitive account of a towering figure in the history of the Western hemisphere.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Bolivar helped six different nations win their independence. Maybe no one in history has done more for the cause of freedom in the Americas. Understanding his sometimes contradictory ideas about democracy helps explain some of the differences between progressives in South America and progressives in North America.

Read the Kindle version: Simon Bolivar: A Life

237: The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle by David Solnit and Rebecca Solnit

The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle

From the book description:

"From dawn to dusk on November 30, 1999, tens of thousands of people shut down the World Trade Organization meeting, facing cops firing tear gas and rubber bullets, the National Guard, and the suspension of civil liberties. An unexpected history was launched from the streets of Seattle, one in which popular power would matter as much as corporate power, in which economics assumed center stage, and people began envisioning who else they could be and what else their economies and societies might look like.

"The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle explores how that history itself has become a battleground and how our perception of it shapes today's movements against corporate capitalism and for a better world. David Solnit recounts activist efforts to intervene in the Hollywood star-studded movie, Battle in Seattle, and pulls lessons from a decade ago for today. Rebecca Solnit writes of challenging mainstream misrepresentation of the Seattle protests and reflects on official history and popular power. Core organizer Chris Dixon tells the real story of what happened during those five days in the streets of Seattle."

Why this is progressive/liberal: In light of the OWS protests sweeping the nation this work (which I randomly assigned to this date back in July) is especially pertinent. This book by the Solnits isn't so much about the 1998 protest as it is about trying to control the story afterwards. Anybody who has attended an Occupy protests and then read about it in the news (or seen it reported on TV) has noticed the disconnect between the "official" version presented by the media elites, and the experiential version of those who witnessed and participated. This book helps explain how that

238: Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer by Helen Caldicott

Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer

In Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer Caldicott argues that "Nuclear power contributes to global warming, the real costs of nuclear power are prohibitive (and taxpayers pick up most of them), there’s not enough uranium in the world to sustain long-term nuclear power, and that potential for a catastrophic accident or terrorist attack far outweighs any benefits."

Why this is progressive/liberal: Liberals like Barack Obama and iconoclastic progressives like Stewart Brand argue that some form of nuclear power is a necessity. Caldicott counters those arguments in this book.

239: America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation by Elaine Tyler May

America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation

Book description:

"In 1960, the FDA approved the oral contraceptive that would come to be known as "the pill." Within a few years, millions of women were using it. At a time when the population was surging, many believed that the drug would help eradicate poverty around the globe, ensure happy and stable marriages, and liberate women. America and the Pill reveals the ways in which the pill did and did not fulfill these utopian dreams, while also chronicling the stories of the creators, testers, and users who ultimately made the pill their own."

Why this is progressive/liberal: It may be impossible to exaggerate the impact the Pill had on the women's liberation movement. This book puts the arrival of this easy and efficient contraceptive into historical context. Arriving as it did, as the baby boom demographic was about to enter college, the Pill influenced second wave Feminism and the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

Buy the Kindle version: America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation

240: No University Is an Island: Saving Academic Freedom (Cultural Front Series) by Cary Nelson

No University Is an Island: Saving Academic Freedom (Cultural Front Series)

From the book description:

"No University Is an Island offers a comprehensive account of the social, political, and cultural forces undermining academic freedom. At once witty and devastating, it confronts these threats with exceptional frankness, then offers a prescription for higher education's renewal. In an insider's account of how the primary organization for faculty members nationwide has fought the culture wars, Cary Nelson, the current President of the American Association of University Professors, unveils struggles over governance and unionization and the increasing corporatization of higher education. Peppered throughout with previously unreported, and sometimes incendiary, higher education anecdotes, Nelson is at his flame-throwing best. The book calls on higher education's advocates of both the Left and the Right to temper conviction with tolerance and focus on higher education's real injustices. Nelson demands we stop denying teachers, student workers, and other employees a living wage and basic rights. He urges unions to take up the larger cause of justice. And he challenges his own and other academic organizations to embrace greater democracy."

Why this is progressive/liberal: The role and purpose of higher education has been debated and contested for as long as it has existed. Some see higher education as a way to teach about the human experience, others as a sort of vocational training to improve earning potential. Cary Nelson, president of the American Association of University Professors, sees the role of universities as upholding progressive values, and makes the argument for the importance of that role in this book.

Buy the Kindle version: No University Is an Island (Cultural Front)

241: Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech by Cass Sunstein

Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech

Via Wikipedia:

"In his book Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech Sunstein says there is a need to reformulate First Amendment law. He thinks that the current formulation, based on Justice Holmes' conception of free speech as a marketplace “disserves the aspirations of those who wrote America’s founding document." The purpose of this reformulation would be to “reinvigorate processes of democratic deliberation, by ensuring greater attention to public issues and greater diversity of views.” He is concerned by the present “situation in which like-minded people speak or listen mostly to one another,” and thinks that in “light of astonishing economic and technological changes, we must doubt whether, as interpreted, the constitutional guarantee of free speech is adequately serving democratic goals.” He proposes a “New Deal for speech [that] would draw on Justice Brandeis' insistence on the role of free speech in promoting political deliberation and citizenship."

Why this is progressive/liberal: Despite conservative claims to the contrary, Sunstein is a moderate liberal. For example, he endorsed Bush's choice of John Roberts for Supreme Court Chief Justice. What makes this book important for progressives is that liberals often fall down when it comes to protecting free speech. From concerns about political correctness to advocating for legislation to halt hate speech, liberals and progressives sometimes find themselves at odds over what speech should be protected and what speech should not. You may not agree with every aspect of Sunstein's argument, but at least he's making one. Along the way he brings up many interesting ideas worth considering.

Buy the Kindle version: Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech

242: A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam by Neil Sheehan

A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam (Modern Library)

Publisher's book description --

In this magisterial book, a monument of history and biography that was awarded the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction, renowned journalist Neil Sheehan tells the story of Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann–"the one irreplaceable American in Vietnam"–and of the tragedy that destroyed that country and the lives of so many Americans.

Outspoken and fearless, John Paul Vann arrived in Vietnam in 1962, full of confidence in America's might and right to prevail. A Bright Shining Lie reveals the truth about the war in Vietnam as it unfolded before Vann's eyes: the arrogance and professional corruption of the U.S. military system of the 1960s, the incompetence and venality of the South Vietnamese army, the nightmare of death and destruction that began with the arrival of the American forces. Witnessing the arrogance and self-deception firsthand, Vann put his life and career on the line in an attempt to convince his superiors that the war should be fought another way. But by the time he died in 1972, Vann had embraced the follies he once decried. He went to his grave believing that the war had been won.

A haunting and critically acclaimed masterpiece, A Bright Shining Lie is a timeless account of the American experience in Vietnam–a work that is epic in scope, piercing in detail, and told with the keen understanding of a journalist who was actually there. Neil Sheehan' s classic serves as a stunning revelation for all who thought they understood the war.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Opposition to the Vietnam war is one of the key aspects of the 20th century Left in the US. This journalistic tour de force by Neil Sheehan demonstrates why the Left got this one right.

Buy the Kindle version: A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam (Modern Library)