#NotBookRelated I am in a taxi in France where someone left a New York Times on the backseat. I enjoy the article about Trump as a bystander while thinking he rules the world but it‘s in fact so sad. European leaders being so weak, Putin doing whatever he likes and Trump, well …
I recently subscribed to SK‘s Substack, and it turns out I have a few gift subscriptions. It‘s a one-month subscription. Anyone interested? I have five to offer, so I‘ll set a deadline of noon tomorrow (1200 CT on 30 May). If more than five people are interested I‘ll do a drawing. Simply comment below if you‘re interested, and I‘ll let you know if you‘re a winner! Feel free to repost, but only comments on this post will count.
pickI finished this on audio and…holy crap, Sarah Kendzior is so spot-on about everything. Her predictions from Trump‘s first term have all come true, everything she was worried about has come to pass. We should call her Cassandra. I need to find everything she‘s ever written now, and you need to read this book! I subscribed to her Substack a few months ago, and I just upgraded to paid when I finished this. Seriously, read it.
Keep going everyone!
pickDespite #DannyBoy‘s best efforts, and the weight of the real-world insanity, I finally finished this amazing book. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to understand what is happening and how we got here, although be cautioned that Russell Vought and Co seem to be using this as a how-to guide.
pickA fast, informative read that speaks to the way in which we describe, label, & investigate political movements/actors & how the media covers them. What is most interesting is the argument we don‘t have the right vocabulary to accurately describe what we see happening in the US (and other places too) and because we don‘t the media inevitably risks normalizing things. It‘s a sobering look at the importance of language & reporting on current events.
pickThis book came out in 2020, before the violence of January 6, and provides a clear-eyed and methodical look at the attempted autocracy of the first Trump administration. Gessen examines the normalizing of the unthinkable, the ways in which Trump strips words of meaning and drags the media along in his wake. Vital reading for anyone interested in understanding how we got here and what is likely to come next. I wish I'd read it sooner.
We were without power for five nights after the bomb cyclone hit western WA. Treated myself to a visit at my favorite local indie. I‘ve earned it.
pickThis book feels like old news now, but still so important to read. The authors lay out the warnings of a democracy in crisis, and all the moves to power that authoritarians make: Trump met (and continues to meet) each one of them. They discuss how these events unfolded in other countries, America‘s political history, and why democracy is so fragile. Voting and institutions alone will not save us. Highly recommend.
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(edited) 4d
For the United States cabinet, the first openly gay member confirmed by the Senate was Pete Buttigieg, who served as Secretary of Transportation from 2021 to 2025. However, the first openly gay person to serve in a cabinet-level position was Richard Grenell, who served in an acting capacity. 4d