Marcia Bookstein’s Bookshelf Feb. 2019

Marcia Bookstein’s Bookshelf

On page 262 of Capital in the 21st Century there are two of the most important sentences I’ve ever read: “…it is essential to be aware of these things: the historical reduction of inequalities of wealth is less substantial than many people believe. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the limited compression of inequality that we have seen is irreversible.” Does this scare you? It should.

Here are three more books that I loved to pieces and highly recommend:

Black Elk Speaks, “as told through John G. Neihardt“.  If you missed this in college you must find the time to read it now.  And indulge yourself in the Introduction.  Mr. Neihardt describes his first meeting with Black Elk, who was waiting for him, even though no contact had occurred between them.  And the Epilogue, which describes their meeting for the last time.  I cried.  Black Elk tells US history from  how he and his people lived it, in his own words, transcribed by Neihardt’s daughter.  You will get a clear, first-hand account of our country’s perfidy against the indigenous people.  And what life was like before the Europeans’ descendants took over.  

Another great book, with flawless writing, is Sonia Sotomayor’s book, My Beloved World.  It’s the story of her life, starting from her early childhood and watching Perry Mason, which became the inspiration to become a judge.  Yes, Mason got the attention, but the judge had the power!  It’s an inspiring, beautiful story, and highlights her as one of our bright lights on the Supreme Court.  It’s a delightful book about an amazing person, and well-worth the time in reading it.

If you’ve ever wondered why it’s so difficult to admit a mistake, Being Wrong, by Kathryn Schulz, explains the psychology behind it.  There are a lot of people who act and think mistakenly.  Yelling at them, or giving them facts, isn’t so helpful.  Understanding how the mind works might be.  She gives examples of people faced with new facts and all the different ways they react.  This knowledge is imperative as we waltz into the 2020 election.  Hopefully we will be helped and fortified by inspirational people and books, and their accumulated  knowledge and wisdom.