It’s been awhile since I read this, and I cannot remember whether I completed it or whether I stopped while only a few pages into the next volume. In either case, this is a haunting book in the truest sense, and the images of life and attitudes of his friends and family during the rise of Hitler came back to me as I read through Roth’s The Plot Against America. That is why this gets onto my favorites list.

If you want to understand US military and defense policy - as well as the professionalism and values of those who led the US military during the 1980s and 1990s - then this is a must read. Excellent work by the best journalist of military affairs of the past two decades.

A terrific ‘fly on the wall’ book about the decisions surrounding the Panama invasion up to the launching of the Persian Gulf War. Great insight into Colin Powell and others. Not as informative as Kitfield’s Prodigal Soldiers, but a dam good (and informative) read.

Started it, but events eventually caught up with both me and the book - will probably get through Woodward’s more recent - Plan of Attack—before I complete or revisit this….

I started this book and had to put it aside, but I plan to return to it soon. Rose seems to be the key to understanding and appreciating the Foucaultian perspective. It was his co-authored published papers that attracted me, and from what I can tell the book will be worth the effort.

Got diverted from this book by other projects, but will return to it. Written by a colleague at Queen’s University, it is filled with insights into Irish politics that I hope to explore more over the coming year.

It is on the desk (courtesy of a colleague) and I pick it up every so often to get more info on some part of Woodward’s story that has been quoted in the news. Will eventually give it a more thorough read….

The reviews were just too good, and the premise just too intriguing for me to not give this a read. It lived up to the hype…. With the exception of a conspiracy scenario that emerged near the end of the work (and thankfully was dismissed—I think) the work remained “believable” throughout. Roth rarely moved off the perspective on his contemporary narrator remembering the events of his youth during this ficitonalized history of 1940-1942, and his detailing of Newark, Jewish family life of the time, as well a major personalities and events of the time made it all the more credible. While the events that he described certainly did not happen, his treatment was such that I came away with little doubt that they could have. Besides the oddly inserted conspiracy scenario, the only other part that might seem too contrived to a cynic like me is the heroics of “Our Lady of the White House” that seems to save the day…. The writing was brilliant and it has quickly found a place among my favorites.

Actually, this is a “re-read”.

Without doubt, Seeing Like a State is one of the most significant books on politics and governance published over the past decade. I am reminded of Lewis Mumford at his best. When read the first time it changes your perspective, and so after a couple of years I am going to re-read it in light of what I’ve seen and read since Scott opened my eyes.

I suspect I will have to rely on secondary sources to understand Gadamer for awhile—this will take concentrated reading time, which I might not have at the moment. What I have read thus far, however, is more interesting than I initially thought it might be…