Insane Clown President: Dispatches from the 2016 Circus by Matt Taibbi

Insane Clown President: Dispatches from the 2016 Circus by Matt Taibbi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 For me, this book was a modern day horror story. As someone who has lived through 16 presidential election cycles, I could never imagine the events and results that took place, many if not most, with the complicity of the American voter. Taibbi does not present a pretty picture of Donald Trump or many of his supporters. If you are a Trump supporter, this book will not interest you in the least…

From the Taibbi book..

"The country, in other words, was losing it. Our national politics was doomed because voters were no longer debating one another using a commonly accepted set of facts. There was no common narrative, except in the imagination of a daft political and media elite that had long ago lost touch with the general public.

What we had instead was a nation of reality shoppers, all shutting the blinds on the loathsome old common landscape to tinker with their own self tailored and in some cases highly paranoid recipes for salvation and/or revolution.

They voted in large numbers, but they were voting out of loathing, against enemies and against the system in general, not really for anybody. The elections had basically become a forum for organizing the hatreds of the population. "


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The Last Days of Night By Graham Moore

The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 I have been reading more historical fiction lately. If this was not the best book I have read in that genre, it was one of the best. The book centers around the legal battle between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse regarding the patents and use of the electric bulb. The story is told from the perspective of a young and inexperienced attorney who is George Westinghouse's advocate. It shows his struggles dealing with the egos and personalities involved with this case. And just to throw in another complication, young Paul Cravath, the attorney for Westinghouse, finds he has challenges outside the law with Agnes Huntington, a beautiful opera singer who he falls in love with.

There was not a dull page in this book. The story moved along very quickly and the characters were very interesting, particularly the eccentric Nikola Tesla. There was also a surprise ending that I did not see coming. Just when you think you have all the answers – – the questions change…

I got this book from the library but it's well worth the investment to buy it. I look forward to reading other books by the author.


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