This week I finished 7 books, which might be the most I’ve read in a week this year! I reread some books like my favorite book about wealth/opportunity inequality as well as one of the best books on thinking errors. I also read an amazing new book on critical race theory, one about the middleman economy and more. Enjoy!
Each of the links to the books are affiliate links, so if you use my link to purchase any of these books, some comes back to support what I do (and it also helps fund my reading habit).
Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It by Richard V. Reeves
What a fantastic book. I read this book a couple of years ago, and I remembered loving it because it really hit on some issues with wealth and opportunity inequality in the United States, but I couldn’t remember why. Rereading it, what Reeves argues is as true today as it was when he first wrote it, which is that the upper middle class is a major reason for inequality in the United States, but we’re often focused on the ultra-rich. As I’ve looked around, I’ve realized that many of the leftists who defend the establishment Democrats are upper middle class, and they constantly argue with us progressives. This book helped me understand why.
When you read this book, you’ll understand that the upper middle class is hoarding opportunities, and their success becomes concentrated for generations to come. Reeves’ solutions aren’t ones that the upper middle class will like, and I think they know that, which is why they’d rather focus on the culture wars rather than change that would really level the playing field.
I think everyone should read this book, and if you’re a leftist, really think about what it means to make our society more equal for everyone.
Human Capitalism: How Economic Growth Has Made Us Smarter - and More Unequal by Brink Lindsey
This is a great, short book. I had never heard of Brink Lindsey, but he’s mentioned a few times in Richard Reeves’ book. I grabbed this book and another one, but I knocked this one out real quick since it’s so short. Brink argues that as we acquire more knowledge, and since it’s so much easier to access this knowledge, it has led to more inequality. For example, just decades ago, you could get paid pretty well without a college degree, but now everything is so specialized that you need a certain amount of knowledge.
Brink points to some great studies and data throughout the book and explains how kids from lower-income communities are being left behind. This book took a different angle than other books on this topic, so it was super interesting.
The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values by Sam Harris
I guess I’ll start by saying how much I appreciate Sam Harris and love his work. This is the first book I ever read about morality, and it was 4 or 5 years ago. Since then, it’s been one of my favorite topics. I wanted to revisit this book to see if my opinion about it changed much. As I read different books on moral philosophy and psychology, I just remember thinking, “I don’t think Harris’ book was as good as these.” Now that I’ve given it another read, I can confirm that it’s not all that great of a book.
The first issue is that I think this was still when Harris was riding the atheist hype train, so 90% of this book is about how religion shouldn’t guide morality. While I totally agree with that idea, that’s not how the book is titled. The subtitle is “how science can determine human values.” Instead, Harris uses most of the book to discuss the issues with religion and points to extreme anecdotes (as per usual) about people who believe morality is relative so religions should be able to do whatever they want. While that does happen, I don’t think it’s the popular belief.
My main issue with the book is that subtitle. But aside from the subtitle, the dude says it repeatedly throughout the book. He keeps saying that science can help us determine morality. In the introduction, he says he’s going to argue that this way of thinking is far better than any moral philosopher. The problem is that he barely discusses science at all in this book. There’s one small section where he discusses neuroscience, and that’s about it. He discusses a tiny bit about some evolutionary psychology, but it’s definitely nothing that is the foundation of his arguments throughout the book.
The entire book is filled with Sam Harris’ famous thought experiments and overcomplicated ways of discussing topics. Don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoy that stuff from him most of the time. My issue is that this book just isn’t that good, and I’m not entirely sure why he wrote it. There are far better books discussing morality, and I’d recommend all of them over this one. As for Sam Harris’ other books like Waking Up, Lying, and Free Will, they’re fantastic.
Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism by Richard Wolff
I read a lot about issues with capitalism, but I’ve been curious about Richard Wolff’s ideas around worker co-ops. This is a fantastic book that really takes a look at how businesses are run and explains how this is one are where we just don’t care about democracy. In a democracy, the people decide, but in the work place, the people have little to no power. I’ve never really seen anyone discuss the topic like this, but it makes a lot of sense, and Wolff makes strong arguments. I don’t see how anyone could be against his ideas unless you literally think the owner/management is smarter and more ethical than the collective.
Direct: The Rise of the Middleman Economy and the Power of Going to the Source by Kathryn Judge
This is a really good and much-needed book. I randomly came across Kathryn Judge’s book on Twitter and was instantly curious. As someone who does a few different entrepreneurial ventures and sells online, I’ve been curious about the “middleman economy”. While more people are getting connected via different platforms like eBay, Etsy and others, there are high fees, and sometimes they’re out of control. In Judge’s book, she goes much further than simply discussing these online platforms.
Judge brought to my attention the health and safety issues that come along with the middleman economy. I didn’t think much about it, but rarely do we know where our food even comes from. I think about how we often don’t know if our clothes and products are ethically sourced, but the author comes out the gate with a terrifying story about someone having an allergic reaction because food supplied by a middleman wasn’t labeled properly.
This book covers so much, and I rarely hear anyone discussing this, so I’m really glad Kathryn Judge is bringing some attention to these issues and challenges. Best of all, she has a ton of ideas for solutions. I really hope a ton of people read this book just so we can all start thinking a bit more about how the middleman economy is affecting all of us.
On Critical Race Theory: Why It Matters & Why You Should Care by Victor Ray
This is honestly one of the better books on structural and systemic racism out there. Victor Ray wrote a short, easy-to-understand book discussing a variety of racist policies and systems that are still affecting Black people in America to this day. I was instantly drawn in because like Victor, I’m half Black but look white and could relate to some of the experiences he’s had. But overall, I loved how he pointed out a ton of issues from policing, to low-income communities, to voting rights and much more.
I can see bad faith actors and those pushing anti-CRT propaganda picking this book apart and saying it doesn’t have enough data to back the claims. I personally don’t think that’s what this book was for. While Ray does cite different stats and data, he doesn’t do a deep dive into them. There are plenty of books about that, and I’ve read most of them. I read every book with a ton of skepticism, and nothing in this book stood out as questionable.
If you want a better understanding of how racism is still alive and well in America, you need to read this book. If you don’t think racism is an issue in America, then you definitely need to read this book.
You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself by David McRaney
I don’t know about you, but when I meet irrational people who make every thinking error under the sun, I wonder, “What did your parents teach you?” With that said, I decided to reread this book, but with my son this time. He’s 13, and reading this book with him was such an amazing experience that I’ll never forget. This is the perfect book to introduce someone to biases, fallacies and heuristics. We reviewed each chapter together and thought of real-life experiences where they happen, and it really stuck with him. I love it.
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