I turned to this book on the advice of a real non-fiction book worm, wanting to give more depth and context to my attempts to better understand the revived antisemitism in the world. And it did. It is a shocking history of persecution, discrimination and organized slaughter. One that started long before the Holocaust, longContinueContinue reading “Phyllis Goldstein – A Convenient Hatred: the History of Antisemitism (2011)”
Category Archives: Books 2014
De Prijs van een Slecht Geweten – Arend Jan Boekestijn (2010)
Boekestijn, a historian and former liberal MP, is on a mission. He is specifically interested in the (potential) damage aid does to poor countries and he formulates a detailed list of policy recommendation, making this book a great attempt to really influence the debate and policy on a practical level. Which to a certain extentContinueContinue reading “De Prijs van een Slecht Geweten – Arend Jan Boekestijn (2010)”
The Years of Lyndon Johnson, the Passage of Power – Robert Caro (2012)
Hands down the best political biography I’ve read. The book gives great insights in the man and the President Lyndon Baines Johnson was, telling the story of a turbulent era in US history through a new lens – ranging from the Cuba Crisis to the Civil Rights Act. In essence it’s a lesson on howContinueContinue reading “The Years of Lyndon Johnson, the Passage of Power – Robert Caro (2012)”
De Kracht van het Paradijs – Jonathan Holslag (2014)
The latest book by the Belgian prodigy (32 year-old professor of International Relations in Brussels). His analyses are stronger than his solutions and the book as a whole is somewhat chaotic – large parts of the book deserve better editing – but as an overview of Europa as an idea it’s a tour de forceContinueContinue reading “De Kracht van het Paradijs – Jonathan Holslag (2014)”
Herman van Rompuy – Europa in de storm (2014)
Insider’s account of Europe during the crisis, with Luuk van Middelaar probably as Van Rompuy’s ghost writer. Only for the political gourmets.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage – Haruki Murakami (2014)
Liked it, but not as much as many of his other books, especially A Wild Sheep Chase or Kafka on the Shore.
Next Europe – Joop Hazenberg (2014)
Fine overview of the EU, with a dash of investigated journalism. It stands out for its optimism about the European project and the author’s strong belief in the possibility of top-down change.
Het kleine koude front – Michel Krielaars (2014)
Taught me some valuable lessons on the trouble Russia is in, Putin’s role and the Russian character. Terribly difficult country.
G-Zero – Ian Bremmer (2013)
Ian Bremmer is the new star of international relations, his book is clever, easy to read and has a clear concept. We live in a wold where no G-20, G-3, G-8 has the power to push through decisions. We are all on our own and should prepare for wheeling and dealing with our neighbours on a permanent basis.
Yasmine Reza- Heureux les heureux (2014)
Delightful little book consisting of intertwined stories about people struggling with modern life, ranging from banal (quarreling in a supermarket) to somewhat stranger (a youngster taking himself for Celine Dion) – that made me laugh and think at the same time. Reza is an interesting writer – I really liked her previous book L’aube, leContinueContinue reading “Yasmine Reza- Heureux les heureux (2014)”
The Officer – Robert Harris (2013)
Stunning, delightful book. Loved every page of it. It’s exciting to read and the sheer injustice inflicted upon Dreyfuss made me mad – 120 years after the whole episode started!
Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse 5 (1972)
A shock. Has all the ingredients to be an awful boy-goes-time-traveling-ferrytale , but it is nothing short of a fantastic book. Having read quite some war novels, this one took me off-guard with its beautiful and intense description of a tormented and harsh life after the US bombings of Dresden. Will never forget the refrainContinueContinue reading “Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse 5 (1972)”
Why Nations Fail – James A. Robinson & Daron Acemoğlu (2012)
It’s subtitle reads The Origins of Power, Prosperity an Poverty. And that’s exactly what I took from the book. Help is needless if a society doesn’t have working institutions, rule of law and respect for private ownership. I read the book while in Mali, a country which proves the book’s thesis to be right.
John Williams – Butcher’s Crossing (1965)
An instant hit at its reissue – and rightly so. It’ the perfect depiction of buffalo’s on the prairies of 19th century America – it made me, more than ever, wanted to live that life. Wouldn’t it be amazing to ride a beautiful horse amidst the galloping buffalo’s?
Henk Wesseling – De man die nee zee (2013)
Dutch biography on Charles de Gaulle. Probably not the best, but served its goal: to better understand the greatness of the man and the way he inspired France (by saying no).
Thinking Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman (2011)
Brilliant. If I had to choose one book to take with me to a deserted island, this is the one. It’s insightful, erudite, innovative (at least to me). It took me a while to read, because every single page is interesting and makes one think. For example; we all suffer from focusing illusion: nothing inContinueContinue reading “Thinking Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman (2011)”
Karl Ove Knausgard – Father (2009)
First in a series of 6 – describing in detail the author’s life. Almost on a daily basis. Liked the serenity and the beautiful sentences, but am not tempted to read the other 5 volumes.
Antifragile – Nassim Nicholas Taleb (2012)
An eye-opener on how systems should work to be able to confront the future (not robust, but anti-fragile), from a man I regard as a kind of a hero. Completely independent, extremely smart, but also horrible a presenter and storyteller, as I learned first-hand during a workshop on this book. Anti-fragilty is now part ofContinueContinue reading “Antifragile – Nassim Nicholas Taleb (2012)”
De Fatale Staat – Paul Frissen (2013)
Theoretical book that reminded me of the books I read as student political sciences – eloquent and painted with broad strokes.Revived my interest in complexity. Main notion is the political necessity to learn to reconcile with tragedy.
Todo lo que era sólido – Antonio Munoz Molina (2014)
Essays on Spain in times of crisis – have enjoyed the beautifully written, dense Spanish sentences, again demonstrating the uniqueness the baroque writing of Spanish authors. Molina is clearly a leftist, blaming the capitalist conspiracy for Spain’s trouble.
Stiekem kan hier alles – Eefje Blankevoort (2007)
A book on the surprisingly modern and liberal lives of ‘normal people’ in Teheran that gave me a peek behind the façade of religious conservationism as created by the secret police. Of great help to better understand the country during my trip in Iran.
Revolutionary Iran – Michael Axworthy (2013)
Great book on the interesting history of Iran, its politics and the role of Shi’ism in shaping modern Iran.
The One Thing – Gary Keller (2013)
A present form a friend who believes I’m in desperate need of focus. Though I think a permanent focus is an overrated asset, structuring priorities and getting things done is the number one motivator. This book is a helpful summary of the many management books on the topic.
The Great Escape – Angus Deaton(2013)
Insightful study into the reasons why nations prosper and why some don’t. And proves the case of the pejorative effect of aid. A must read for anyone working in developing countries or with international NGO’s.
No Place to Hide – Glenn Greenwald(2014)
Profoundly influenced my view on privacy vs security. Made me stop with Facebook, mistrust governments even more and strengthened me in my stance that big solutions, using a lot of data, are dangerous. A must-read for anyone interested in the consequences of living in a data-controlled world.
Pascal Mercier – Nighttrain to Lissabon (2004)
One that I wanted to read for a while. This is the kind of novel that makes fiction worth reading, yes even an unique experience. It’s with a great deal of jealousy that I read about Amadeu Ignacio who works at daytime and writes at night. Like the protagonist, Gregorius, he barely sleeps. They don’t feelContinueContinue reading “Pascal Mercier – Nighttrain to Lissabon (2004)”
The Rational Optimist – Matt Ridley (2010)
Absolutely delightful book. This is how one should live – technology, science and human creativity will solve our problems. I am a convert, cynicism is the easy choice, to be a rational optimist is the inspiring way to live.
Fire and Ashes – Michael Ignatieff (2013)
One has to admire the man’s courage – not a lot of people dare to write about their failures. And that makes this book such a pleasure to read; his cunning account of his attempt to become leader of Canada’s liberal party and after that, premier. As we know he never made it to theContinueContinue reading “Fire and Ashes – Michael Ignatieff (2013)”
Remainder – Tom McCarthy (2005)
The book’s protagonist wants to recreate his memories, in the sense of actually rebuilding them, and spends all his money and time on it. As it gets more and more real, it also gets more violent. Highly original.
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared – Jonas Jonassons (2009)
A worldwide best seller, I found it a mediocre book, too childish. I only finished it because of the interesting historic bits.
PEPIJN VAN DIJK 