What I’ve been reading
1. Rwanda, Inc., by Patricia Crisafulli and Andrea Redmond. The positive story on that country, though I don’t buy it, given that the broader region still is not close to peace. Governance problems will do them in.
2. Bernard Bailyn, The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America: The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675. It is stunningly good, not just “stunningly good for a 90-year-old.”
3. Bee Wilson, Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat. The first 61% of this book, as measured by Kindle, is fascinating and superbly original. The rest is a well-done retread of other intelligent popular food books. That is for me a high ratio of excellent to good.
4. Kevin Powers, The Yellow Birds: A Novel. Everyone else loved it, though for me it was too impressionistic. Call it my fault.
5. Benoit Peeters, Derrida: A Biography. An excellent book, though I find it hard to care. Easier than reading Derrida, and the author doesn’t make the mistake of trying to tell you what Derrida is all about.
I have not yet seen a copy of Erik Angner, A Course in Behavioral Economics, but perhaps it is of interest.