America - Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Franklin & Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship

By Scott J. Pearson | October 26, 2021October 26, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) and Winston Churchill both remain among some of the most towering figures in twentieth-century history. Without them, democracy might only be a relic of history. Without them, the lingua franca of the world might be German instead of English. Rather, their friendship, forged by need and trial, led to an end to great European wars and to the blossoming of hopes of world peace. It also cemented the Anglo-American alliance as a…

Society

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

By Scott J. Pearson | September 25, 2021September 25, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

Recent events have caused many thoughtful Americans to reflect on our social cohesion and structures. In this book, Wilkerson performs this task through the educated lens of social theory and builds a compelling case for what needs to change in American culture. She does so by constructing a comprehensive, historical account of injustices done by “the dominant caste” to “the lower caste.” In so doing, she identifies how American society can still have enduring social…

Healthcare History HIV/AIDS

And the Band Played On: Politics, People, & the AIDS Epidemic

By Scott J. Pearson | August 6, 2021August 6, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

“Those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it.” “The primary problems we now face are not scientific problems but social problems involving science.” Such statements certainly provide an impetus to read this classic about the early history of AIDS in America. Though this book is over thirty years old, its meticulous research still communicates how human nature often denies diseased persons respect, compassion, and the resources necessary to recover. Such was certainly true in…

History Religion-Philosophy

Christ in Camp & Combat: Religious Work in the Confederate Armies

By Scott J. Pearson | July 18, 2021July 18, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

The American Civil War comprises one of the most complex stories in a complex nation’s almost-250-year history. Further, the Christian religion is its own complex entity, even when just restricted to the southern states. In this work, Peterson seeks to combine both subjects in a study of the work of chaplains in the Confederate armies. He does a detailed job in collecting primary sources about southern religiosity during the war. However, on the historical front,…

Politics Science Society

Genomic Politics: How the Revolution in Genomic Science is Shaping American Society

By Scott J. Pearson | July 10, 2021July 10, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

Hochschild, an academic political scientist, has been closely following genomic research for the last decade. In this book, she presents a comprehensive summary of where the politics of genomics currently is in America and where we are going. She contends that genomics hasn’t split into traditional left-versus-right camps (yet) primarily because most people tend to be for curing difficult diseases. However, other camps are forming, and she accordingly divides public opinion into Enthusiasts, Hopefuls, Skeptics,…

Healthcare

An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business & How You Can Take It Back

By Scott J. Pearson | June 12, 2021June 12, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

The American healthcare system famously spends more per person than any other system in the world, yet in outcomes, it ranks 37th. In this work, Rosenthal examines why that is the case and what practically can be done about it. Her examination operates both at levels of the patient, healthcare worker, business, insurance agency, and government/public. This book will leave you fuming that too many people are profiteering off of Americans’ health. It will also…

Biography-Memoir Politics Society

Becoming by Michelle Obama

By Scott J. Pearson | February 4, 2021February 4, 2021 by Scott J. Pearson

In this brilliantly deliberate memoir, Obama reflects on the journey that is her life. She shares how an educationally-driven, middle-class, African-American girl from the south-side of Chicago could become First Lady of the United States. With the highest decency, she shares how she raised two girls while in the public eye and how she joined with her husband in carrying a difficult nation. Through her words, she courageously fights for the soul of a country,…

History Society

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

By Scott J. Pearson | November 28, 2020November 28, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

“You should read this.” Those simple words ran across my mind as I finished page 126 of this wonderful book. I am no political scientist though I follow current events tightly. This book, written in 2017 in the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump, reminds us how fragile history can be. By looking at the challenges of the present, it looks at how democracy was subverted by tyranny in the twentieth century. Snyder provides…

Religion-Philosophy

Demystifying Shariah: What it is, How it Works, and Why it’s Not Taking Over Our Country

By Scott J. Pearson | September 27, 2020September 27, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

The author Ali-Karamali is the daughter of immigrants from India, a Stanford graduate, a corporate lawyer in America, and is trained Islamic Law. A patriotic American, she seeks to describe why modern Islam, in the main, is not a threat to American values. She attempts, and for the most part succeeds, to present Islamic (shariah) law as a peaceful force for universal social justice in world history. Obviously, this is a politically laden topic in…