Though endlessly arguable, a well-written book whose premises and prescriptions bear consideration.
A lively series of thought experiments on how to create a more just and equitable society.
Ghodsee, a professor of Russian and East European studies and author of Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism, observes that there are many built-in aspects of modern society whose ancient roots yield “decidedly inegalitarian and sexist” results. Against these, she proposes “utopian” solutions, which many readers may dismiss as impractical. The author argues vigorously that they are not. Housing is created with the presumption that someone—usually a woman—will do the cooking, cleaning, and routine maintenance behind closed doors. But what if communities were developed with private residences for sleeping and relaxing but with communal cooking spaces? The idea of private, enclosed homes is considered “normal,” Ghodsee writes, but “we might be more flexible than we imagine.” One knock-on effect is the communal raising of children, freeing mothers from the “disproportionate burden” they bear while also reimagining the nuclear family to incorporate a loving community. Borrowing from the language of economics, Ghodsee considers children as a “public good”—i.e., a source of future support for previous generations, whether childless or not, and therefore worthy of attention and public investment, since “current citizens will (if they live long enough) depend on their contributions to society.” Further proposals include the decommodification of education and the establishment of controls so that anyone, regardless of their career path, would enjoy a living wage: “What if we were all less worried about the future because we lived in societies where one’s ability to have a decent life had little relationship to one’s profession?” Though Ghodsee’s proposals are decidedly utopian, readers who think deeper about them may agree that reshaping society is not such an unworkable thing after all.
Though endlessly arguable, a well-written book whose premises and prescriptions bear consideration.Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9781982190217
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.
Documenting perilous times.
In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668052273
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
IN THE NEWS
PERSPECTIVES
An incisive, urgently relevant analysis of—and call to action on—America’s foundational ideal.
An examination of how the U.S. can revitalize its commitment to freedom.
In this ambitious study, Snyder, author of On Tyranny, The Road to Unfreedom, and other books, explores how American freedom might be reconceived not simply in negative terms—as freedom from coercion, especially by the state—but positive ones: the freedom to develop our human potential within sustaining communal structures. The author blends extensive personal reflections on his own evolving understanding of liberty with definitions of the concept by a range of philosophers, historians, politicians, and social activists. Americans, he explains, often wrongly assume that freedom simply means the removal of some barrier: “An individual is free, we think, when the government is out of the way. Negative freedom is our common sense.” In his careful and impassioned description of the profound implications of this conceptual limitation, Snyder provides a compelling account of the circumstances necessary for the realization of positive freedom, along with a set of detailed recommendations for specific sociopolitical reforms and policy initiatives. “We have to see freedom as positive, as beginning from virtues, as shared among people, and as built into institutions,” he writes. The author argues that it’s absurd to think of government as the enemy of freedom; instead, we ought to reimagine how a strong government might focus on creating the appropriate conditions for human flourishing and genuine liberty. Another essential and overlooked element of freedom is the fostering of a culture of solidarity, in which an awareness of and concern for the disadvantaged becomes a guiding virtue. Particularly striking and persuasive are the sections devoted to eviscerating the false promises of libertarianism, exposing the brutal injustices of the nation’s penitentiaries, and documenting the wide-ranging pathologies that flow from a tax system favoring the ultrawealthy.
An incisive, urgently relevant analysis of—and call to action on—America’s foundational ideal.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9780593728727
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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