Bob's selection is a challenging read about the strengths and weaknesses of the Xi Jinping regime in today's China. Xi has rejuvenated China with "a world-class military, a game-changing economy with world-class technology, and a global footprint that matches and perhaps even exceeds that of any other country." China has filled the void left by the US "America First" policy by expanding its influence across the globe. Xi's authoritative communist system of government and abundance of trained engineers enables China to dominate in new technologies like renewable energy, high-speed rail, and electric vehicles. On the other hand, the state operated entities are often inefficient and result in overcapacity. China excels at getting large projects done but still lacks innovation due to governmental restraints. The author states that Xi's quest for greatness remains largely unrealized due to a lack of social norms, political values, and cultural dynamism to attract large segments of the world's population.
The book is filled with acronyms, and you need a key to follow. For example, the PRC, China, has a party CCP, with a 7-man politburo PBSC, a youth group CYL, a consulting group CPPCC, security group CSRC, inspectors CCDI, tech group CAC, and finance group APPCL, not to mention a bunch of ministers MPS, MOF, MEP...working with state run companies SOE's and NGO's, using a world bank AIIB, working on the long-term trade expansion plan BRI.
Heather Cox Richardson's book is a history of civil rights in America. The book contains important historical events in our nation's quest towards the goal of "...all men (and women) are created equal." The country has experienced resistance that has often taken us backwards from this goal including Jim Crow laws, the KKK, immigrant discrimination, and the current MAGA movement. All Americans should be aware of our underbelly as well as our inspirational leaders. True democracy is difficult and it requires informed citizens. We must resist the elite Christian nationalist authoritarians of Trump and MAGA. We are at a crucial time in American history where we still have a chance to preserve the American ideal based on norms, laws, and equal opportunity for all. "We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the best hope of earth."
Ann Pachett's latest novel follows three separate timelines. The current timeline includes Daphne, her sister, her mother, her older husband, and her stepfather Eddie in New York City. The past story includes the same characters, minus her husband, surrounding a car accident 45 years prior. The third story comes from a novel involving a horse named Whistler that saves author's life.
Daphne saves her stepfather life in the past and is saving him again by attending to him in the present. She is a selfless person that is there to help someone in need from Eddie, her mom, and her husband; just like Frank and Whistler.
John's selection is the second in the three-part Millennium (magazine) series written by Stieg Larsson. It follows our only perfect 5, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Lisbeth Salander proves to be the ultimate bad-ass by taking on men that abuse women with her own sense of moral justice. Although she is small in stature, she makes up for it with an unbridled fierceness. She takes on the nickname "Wasp" by sparing with heavyweights in the gym and has no fear. In this installment, she has a woman love interest, the villains turn out to be her father and half-brother, she has a macho boxer friend, and a comrade in arms in the persistent journalist Mikael Blumkvist. The middle section did drag on a bit where most everyone is convinced that she is mentally incompetent and is the killer. Yet she battles on independently, and despite being shot three times and buried alive, she somehow survives to get justice.
Larsson died before publishing the third book of the series; however, he had envisioned a total of 10 books. The series has continued through 8 books with the help of ghost writers. I find these books, although quite long, very exciting and true page turners. This series (circa 2005-2007) reminds me of several other long page turners such as "Clan of the Cave Bear" (1980), "Pillars of the Earth" (1989), "Century Trilogy" (2010), "Harry Potter" (1997-2007), and "Hunger Games" (2008-2025) to name a few. I am sure each of you can think of your own personal favorite series that you could add to the list.
