On the nightstand

With all the WMD talk, economic downturns and day-to-day busyness, curling up with a good book is a nice break. So here are some I've been working through...

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone is the first book in the famed series of books by J.K. Rowling. Very entertaining and fast paced. Taps into that ackward kid in most of us!

The Future and its Enemies by Virginia Postrel is about how societies make progress. Postrel shows how reactionaries and technocrats usually on opposite ends of the political spectrum actually share in common a love for "stasis." But progress is made when there is "dynamism." Great examples from various aspects of life. Not sure I buy the whole premise and am not sure how it would apply to certain issues we face in our society and in the world. Certainly, for technological development, it makes a lot of sense. But not sure how it fits regarding social ills here in the USA, Third world poverty abroad and moral issues.

Legacy of William Carey: A Model for the Transformation of a Culture is about the effect one man had on the nation of India. Sometime we wonder if one person can make a difference. Here is a prime example of how one man with faith made a difference.

Serowe: Village of the Rain-Wind is a book of history by Bessie Head about the famed city in Botswana. It is a rare out of print book and I am able to read it because I went to the LA Central Library and was able to find it in the stacks.