Engaging Today's Global Citizens

Spring Book and Blog* Recommendations

With spring comes nicer weather and longer days, the perfect time to pick up a new book or check out a new blog. Here's a sample of what Stanley Foundation staff members and think. readers recommend.

Books

Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change
by Elizabeth Kolbert

Drawing on travels and interviews she conducted from Alaska to Iceland, Kolbert (a staff writer for The New Yorker) weaves the science of climate change together with stories of how changing temperatures, melting glaciers, and ozone levels are affecting people today and will affect the lives of our children and grandchildren. Kolbert points out vividly how climate change has been happening for millennia but has picked up its pace in the last two centuries. Not just a history, Kolbert also presents some of the steps that could be taken to curb this man-made environmental change and the social and political debates—both in the United States and internationally—that are hindering progress.

—Jen Maceyko

A People's History of the United States
by Howard Zinn

Zinn is not afraid to look at the less popular side of US history and should be required reading for all citizens. This is not history as it is presented in schools, certainly not history as politicians present it. The book is good medicine, a dose of realism. Zinn sheds light on the painful chapters of the American past, suggesting that for us as a nation to claim the moral high ground requires we ignore these chapters. He demonstrates a demand for self-examination and humility rather than arrogance and finger-pointing. Sizable, the book repays all the time spent with it. Zinn writes clearly but never simplistically. The book's reputation as a classic is well-deserved.

—Philip Dacey
New York, NY

Small Pieces Loosely Joined: A Unified Theory of the Web
by David Weinberger

Despite the misleading subtitle, this is not another book about the Web. Small Pieces Loosely Joined is about society, and how the Internet is changing how we define it. Coauthor of The Cluetrain Manifesto (another good book), Weinberger believes that our connection to others is what makes us who we are. The Internet is changing not only the way we connect to each other but how. With geography no longer a constraint, the number of people we can potentially interact with vastly increases and this increase is changing us as a society—for better or for worse. Weinberger uses humor and storytelling combined with philosophy and commentary to discuss how the Internet is changing our perceptions of space, time, self, and knowledge. Sure to inspire some readers and dishearten others, it's worth the read.

—Andrew Burnette

Networks of Democracy: Lessons From Kosovo for Afghanistan, Iraq, and Beyond
by Anne Holohan

Although Holohan gets technical at times, this book is a must read for anyone interested in finding more effective ways of maintaining the peace and rebuilding after conflict. Over the course of three years, Holohan observed two municipalities in Kosovo and the ways in which local NATO, UN, French personnel, and NGOs interacted. In one municipality, these groups formed a strong network of communication that benefited local residents in numerous ways. In the other, the deep hierarchical roots of these organizations hindered on-the-ground progress. The conclusions Holohan draws—as the title intimates—have serious implications for peacebuilding and reconstruction in war-torn countries around the world.

—David Shorr

Blogs

The Washington Note
The Washington Note, written by Steve Clemons, is my must-read, inside-the-Beltway blog. The best bloggers bring expertise, credibility, and personality to their posts...and Steve succeeds in all three. He seems to know everything of importance going on behind the scenes in Washington, especially matters related to US foreign policy. Cut through the clutter of talk radio and cable news' mindless chatter with a daily stop at The Washington Note.

Democracy Arsenal
Democracy Arsenal is another favorite. This blog features an all-star lineup of writers with serious foreign policy credentials. They have seen international relations from the inside out...and can therefore offer invaluable perspective and insight. When I read the posts on Democracy Arsenal, I often wonder why I am not seeing this depth of discussion in major American newspapers.

Gizmodo
Gizmodo covers the world of electronic gizmos and gadgets, everything from handwarmers powered by your USB port to $5,000 iPod speakers. Okay, the site has nothing to do with global affairs, but it covers a lot of news from the Asian gadget wellsprings and frequently reminds us that Europeans seem to get the cool new cell phones long before they are available in America. There must be a foreign policy connection in there somewhere.

* A blog (short for Web log) is a Web page that features posts in reverse chronological order. Blogs often act as a person's running commentary on topics ranging from personal diaries, political opinion, celebrity gossip, anything in between, or all of the above.

** Links to books and blogs are provided only as a resource for readers. The Stanley Foundation does not endorse Amazon.com or individual Web sites.