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Books I have read this summer

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DarkWaters

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Hello,

I have been meaning to post some more book recommendations. This thread is to detail some of my favorite books amongst the many that I have read over the summer. If anyone would like a more detailed recommendation, feel free to ask. I love talking about books.

America on Trial by Alan Dershowitz -- This is a good book that contains a nice summary of numerous trials that the Harvard Law Professor and famed defender deems to be important to shaping America's legal philosophy today. In particular, I enjoyed his discussion of the trial of Shoeless Joe Jackson and of Susan B. Anthony. Despite its size, this book is a relatively quick read and is suited for random access. I found it amusing how the author seemed to sheepish to offer a statement on whether justice was served after the O.J. Simpson verdict, despite offering an indepth critique on many of the other sensationalist trials.

The Closing of the Western Mind by Charles Freeman -- This is a comprehensive read on the rise of Catholicism and the simultaneous shriveling of reason in the western world. It goes into great detail on various key figures in crafting Christianity including Saint Paul, Saint Augustine, Bishop Ambrose of Milan, Emperor Justinian, Tertullian and the like. The book appropriately ends with Thomas Aquinas, who helped bring about the rebirth of reason in the Christian world. After reading this book, I perceive that I have a better historical context for understanding Christianity. Thanks to Diana Hsieh for recommending this.

India Unbound by Gurcharan Das -- This book is about the recent economic history of India. It is another great argument to how embracing Capitalism raises the standard of living for all citizens of a country. This is a great read if you wish to learn about the various Prime Ministers in recent Indian history along with many examples of productive geniuses like those in the Tata family who are helping modernizing India today. I read this book after seeing it recommended by both Thomas Friedman and Robert Tracinski.

In the Path of God: Islam and Political Power by Daniel Pipes -- This book was published in the early eighties. Nevertheless, history has not changed and his assessments then are still important to recognize today. This book helps provide context to help Westerners better understand Muslim ideology and offers a rigorous treatment of how Islam has influenced a wide range of nations. The intersection of political Islam and the history of a nation is thoroughly detailed for about thirty to forty different nations. Daniel Pipes is an expert on Islamic Fundamentalism and has made multiple appearances on panels to discuss radical Islam, including a few with Dr. Yaron Brook that are available on the Ayn Rand Institute's website.

Your Doctor is not in by Jane Orient, M.D. -- I read this book from a desire to get a better understanding of healthcare. I still regard this book as pretty good, although I would say for a reader who is pretty familiar with Objectivism, most of the chapters have the effect of preaching to the choir. This book is more of a polemic of a government run healthcare system as opposed to discussing how Capitalism can save the healthcare industry. Nevertheless, I found the discussions on the faults of the various other prominent Universal Healthcare Systems such as Canada's Medicare, Britain's National Health Service and Germany's Krankenkasse to be very informative. Thanks again to Diana (or Paul?) Hsieh for recommending this book on the FIRM website.

Old Soldiers Never Die: The Life of Douglas MacArthur by Geoffrey Perret -- This book was excellent! This is a must read for anyone who wishes to learn more about one of the greatest generals in the United States history. To my understanding, this is the current authoritative biography on General MacArthur. It clears up a lot of false accusations against him made by the anti-war intellectuals who wrote extensively on him in the 1970s. This is probably one of the best biography books that I have ever read.

I will post a second installment of this later.

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