Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

The Cost-Benefit Revolution by Cass R. Sunstein

By Scott J. Pearson | June 1, 2020May 31, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Sunstein, a Harvard law professor, has served in several administrations, both Republican and Democratic. In this book, he exposits his experience in regulation to suggest more effective ways to do so. Instead of partisan pro-con analysis, he suggests to measure costs and benefits, an idea originally implemented by Reagan through the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). This practice provides a pragmatic – Sunstein calls it “technocratic” – way of assessing which regulations are…

Fiction-Stories

The Trial by Franz Kafka

By Scott J. Pearson | May 30, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

European and Western disillusionment with life was at a peak after World War I. The twentieth century was supposed to be humanity’s greatest; instead, it was full of greater ways (think, nerve gas, machine guns, and trench warfare) for humans to destroy themselves. In this context, Kafka wrote this novel, published only after his death. In this story of an everyman, the dilemma of Josef K. (or just K.) raises the question of what we…

Biography-Memoir History Leadership Society

Grant by Ron Chernow

By Scott J. Pearson | May 25, 2020September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

This Memorial Day is appropriate to celebrate one of our nation’s forgotten saviors. Although Lincoln is often credited with guiding the nation’s rebirth by preserving the Union, none of this would have happened without Ulysses S. Grant’s leadership. Still, Grant is often denigrated as an inept drunk and a butcher of soldiers. This view simply was not shared among his contemporaries who viewed his grace in Confederate surrender at Appomattox Courthouse as foundational in national…

Poetry Religion-Philosophy

The Inferno of Dante: A New Verse Translation

By Scott J. Pearson | May 24, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Dante’s Divine Comedy is famously organized into three sections: hell (inferno), then purgatory, and finally paradise. The first section (hell) is generally considered the greatest of the three, and Robert Pinsky attempts to re-translate the verses in this edition. Dante intentionally wrote the Divine Comedy in the Italian of commoners (instead of the Latin of scholars) so that the masses could read it. Therefore, it is appropriate for Pinsky to translate the Inferno in a…

Books

Five Books for Summer 2020

By Scott J. Pearson | May 23, 2020May 23, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

The Great Influenza by John Berry There is no book more appropriate for our time. This is the best history of the last major pandemic – and the deadliest in history. If you want to learn what will help us overcome COVID, first figure out what helped us overcome H1N1 Influenza. The Plague by Albert Camus One of the modern era’s greatest takes on a pandemic, Camus’ work reminds us what life is really about.…

Indie Software-Technology

JavaScript from ES5 to ESNext

By Scott J. Pearson | May 19, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

In recent years, JavaScript (JS) has seen a resurgence in popularity. From NodeJS on servers to PhoneGap on mobile devices to common standards in web browsers, JS seems to be everywhere. ES is the abbreviation for ECMA Script, the standard which JS implements. This book covers in detail the advance of the ES standards from earlier days (ES5) to 2019 (ESNext). Much effort has been given on the issue of “callback hell” and features resulting…

Biography-Memoir Sports

Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod, the World’s First Female Sports Superstar

By Scott J. Pearson | May 15, 2020August 13, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Despite watching tennis religiously throughout my life, I did not know the name of Charlotte “Lottie” Dod. She was a five-time winner of Wimbledon in the late 1800s. But she was more than a mere tennis player. She was an ice skater, a tobogganist, a mountain climber, an endurance bicyclist, a hockey player on the English national team, a championship golfer, and an Olympic silver medalist in archery. Quite the resume. After her sporting days…

Biography-Memoir Religion-Philosophy Writing-Communication

Spiritual Quests: The Art and Craft of Religious Writing

By Scott J. Pearson | May 12, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

This book is the manicured transcript of an event in New York City in the 1980s. This seminar featured six prominent writers influenced by different faith traditions. They spoke on how their religious beliefs/practices changed the way they wrote. By commenting on a practice as timeless as writing, this account captures much of religious writers’ sentiments towards their craft. All of these six speeches were interesting. They covered faith traditions as disparate as Roman Catholicism,…

Kids

Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls

By Scott J. Pearson | May 10, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

A release from Dog Man series is one of the most anticipated events in the genre of graphic novels. Filled with humor, this book tells of the tale of an evil mad scientist who sought to wreck the city with his powerful robot. It also tells the tale of Petey the cat and what happens when his son invites Petey’s father to visit. Finally, it tells of a hero in love with cupcakes who inadvertently…

Biography-Memoir

In the Shadow of the Valley: A Memoir

By Scott J. Pearson | May 10, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Appalachia has long been an economically depressed region, and its social conditions are just as harsh. Bobi Conn’s story fully evokes these sentiments in readers’ hearts. She was raised in extremely oppressive circumstances (drugs; physical, sexual, and verbal abuse; limited opportunities). However, she learned to pour herself into reading and writing, and these activities allowed her to build a semblance of a good life. Nonetheless, she still grieves over the people – family, relationships, and…