Dream With Your Eyes Open: An Entrepreneurial Journey by Ronnie Screwvala
The author started out convincing Indians that they needed toothpaste before branching out into media production. The book is filled with the standard "Here is what I did to succeed in business. You can do it too". There did not seem to be much original about what he wrote. It may be more interesting to those that are familiar with the media empire that he created in India.
Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn't, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies by Michael Albertus
Control of land has historically meant power. Land reform can do wonders for well being and productivity if done right. However things can go horribly wrong (as in the case of collectivization in the USSR and China. There of principles in play from the left and right. People must have control to make decisions for their land and reap the rewards from those decisions. However, they should also be in a position where they can make decisions that will provide for the long-term benefit of the land. The book explores a number of cases where land reform has succeeded and failed. Bolivia is praised for the gender balance and equity in land distribution. Mexico failed because it was primarily a means for the political party to maintain power. South Africa returned land to blacks. In the process, the white owners were compensated. The black farmers would later need to rely on the previous owner's skills to help farm the land. Did the program benefit anybody? In Canada, land was made available in the prairie for male farmers. This disenfranchises females and even lead to a gender imbalance. Did it also reduce crime by providing a positive outlet and since of responsibility for the males? In Brazil, the desire to provide land has lead to rapid destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
Land reform is complicated. It can provide significant benefits for society if done right. If done wrong, it can hurt the economy and social structure and cause environmental devastation. There are also challenges involved when multiple groups with different concepts of land ownership lay claim to the land. In places like North America, Africa and Australia, recent European groups have claimed land that was often claimed in common by aboriginal tribes. Is there a good way to right the wrongs done in the past? Is it even possible? The land of today is much different from that of previous times.
The book starts to explore a very complicated topic. The author even dives down into other classifications, such as gender, ethnicity, and class. This opens up many more complications and makes ideal solutions even more challenging. It is also complicated by the urbanization of society. The solutions for land appropriation for farmers are very different than for those in a city. How should land be allocated in our modern society?
The Melancholy of Untold History: A Novel by Minsoo Kang
There was a lot of potential in this book, but the execution was not quite there. The book has a few parallel interwoven storylines. In the modern times, there is the story of a male history professor and his female protegé. They have a professional relationship and each have great relationships with their significant others. After the professor's wife dies in a helicopter crash, his protegé comforts him and they begin an affair. This seems to get broken off when her boyfriend calls with great remorse to report a minor indiscretion. We learn of the tragic backstories of these four characters as well as the work of the professor.
He has determined that the "golden era" of history was not as it seemed. In fact, the kingdom was faltering at the time and the leader appeared to perpetrate a grand fraud to make things look good. There is another thread of historical times. We see the grand fraud. There was a great "new city" created. Workers and artisans were recruited from all over the country to work on it. However, instead of the expected visit from the emperor, troops appeared and rounded up and executed everyone involved. Later the emperor is deceived by his consort as to the fidelity of his general. This ends up leading to a the general rebelling and aligning with a queen of another kingdom. The queen's armies end up sneaking away during the heat of conflict and are able to take the empire. Afterwards, the emperor, general, consort and queen meet together and realize that they are another incarnation of the endless cycle of conflict that must be ended through reconciliation if they ever desire peace.
The third thread covers the mythological conflict. Two male and two female deities are having a get together. A naked sky baby appears and asks for some food. They refuse and the baby goes off in a huff. He ends up finding peaches and sharing with a dragon. A peach pit lands and grows a tree. One of the original four finds it and wants it. Another decides he wants it also. A third comes and argues with them. They get mad and continue to argue. Meanwhile the fourth comes, takes the peach and flies of. Finally the other three agree to share it, but it is gone now. They all blame each other and start the big conflict. They later appear in different forms as humans and animals to continue the conflict through history.
The book had interesting exploration of myth and history. The stories felt compelling, but did not quite make it together. The mythology was too vulgar and the modern times felt seemed to be lacking a bit of connection to the past. There was plenty of potential. Perhaps future in-universe books will help realize this potential.
The Korean War: A History by Bruce Cumings
While subtitled "a history", this book is just as much a meta-history of the Korean war as a history of the conflict itself. There is a significant review of past writings about Korea. It explores how the war was perceived at the time and how perceptions have changed, especially after Vietnam. The actual western "Korean War" is placed as one small chapter in an ongoing conflict between Korea and Japan, with significant Chinese, Russian and American involvement. Korea itself has had well-defined boundaries for centuries. The division between North and South Korea, however, the divicsion between North and South Korea was based on an arbitrary line created by Americans. The North had been dominated by anti-Japanese freedom fighters, while the south had more collaborators. The sides both were filled with corruption and committed numerous atrocities during the conflict. Neither side could really lay claim to the title of "good guys". South Korea has looked into the atrocities with a truth and reconciliation commission. The North remains autocratic and continues to be officially at war with the South. The goals of the Koreans are not the same as the goals of other countries in the conflict. The western forces had little respect for Koreans themselves, and ended up fighting an indeterminate conflict that gets lost between the "success" of World War II and the "failure" of Vietnam. Korea continues to live with this small episode in the ongoing conflict.
If You Live To 100, You Might As Well Be Happy: Lessons for a Long and Joyful Life by Rhee Kun Hoo, translated by Suphil Lee Park
People are living to be older and older. What should they do with the lives? The author has had a positive experience doing things that bring joy. You wont make the olympics in old age, but you can still find joy in working out. Other pursuits can continue to carried out late in life. It is also important to build up relationships and act on needs to maintain the relationships. things will change. Younger generations will do things differently. Getting caught up in changes can make it difficult to appreciate the positives of the moment. Forgiving others can help you live a positive life. The advice here seems very similar to what is given in Christian work. Maybe the secular approach is easier to sell.
Between the Waves: The Hidden History of a Very British Revolution 1945-2016 by Tom McTague
Europe has had an interesting history with the European Union. It has always thought of itself as somewhat separate from the rest of Europe, but still part of it. This book explores the political history of Britain and the EU, culminating in Brexit and the messing separation. David Cameron's legacy was destroyed by the Brexit vote. His successor, Teresa May fell out of power after the messy separation. However, these were only the final players. Many PMs and MPs were involved in European relations. I recognized many of the modern names, but not so many of the earlier ones. The book helps provide a thorough understanding of the political situation that led to Brexit, but it takes a long time to do it.
Book Wars: The Digital Revolution in Publishing by John B. Thompson
I was only able to find a paper copy of this book on the digital revolution in book publishing. The author his plenty of knowledge on the topic. Alas, the book is very repetitive. (The last two chapters both rehashed the same topics that had been previously discussed earlier.) The most interesting parts are the detailed company case studies. The author provides detailed case studies for various start ups and their approaches. The digital revolution has changed the way books are written, produced and distributed. It has enabled crowdfunding, publishing on demand and self-publishing. Audiobooks have also exploded in popularity. Amazon has established a dominant position as a seller of physical books, audiobooks and ebooks. It also had detailed knowledge on customers and their preferences. Inkshares, Unbound, Smashwords and Wattpad are all explored in the book. However, since this book was written in 2021, Unbound has gone bellyup and not paid it's authors. Smashwords has been acquired by Draft2Digital. Does leave Amazon as the best self publishing route? Ebooks rose significantly in popularity and then leveled off. What will the future be? Will paper books continue to last a long time? The book was written before the rise of AI. How will this impact publishing? Will it be even more difficult to get through the noise?
King Sejong Invents an Alphabet by Carol Kim, illustrated by Cindy Kang
From boyhood, King Sejong loved to read. He wanted his subjects to be able to read and write also. However, it was difficult because they had to use Chinese characters. He invented an alphabet that represented how sounds were made that would be easy for everyone to learn. After many centuries this caught on and became the official alphabet of Korea. The book tells the simple tale and then has a brief historical explanation at the end. There is also a small explanation of the alphabet (though I wish there would have been more.)
The Wounded Generation: Coming Home After World War II by David Nasaw
In my mind, American history went from the Great Depression to World War II to the 1950s. This misses out on an entire half-decade of history in the late 1940s. This was a time of transition from active combat to peacemaking and rebuilding abroad. Millions of troops also had to be returned home and reintegrated in society. Those at home had to rapidly adjust to the many changes. This was not an easy process. Just the logistics of getting troops home was a huge challenge. The troops also suffered from many physical and mental injuries. The mental part was barely understood and people were often expected to just get over the trauma. Southern black troops had to return from places where they were considered normal people to places were they were treated as sub-humans. Families had big adjustments as people that were gone for years are now back home. There were significant divorces and challenges adjusting to this new reality.
The book can get a little confusing as it pivots from discussing conditions as they were experienced at the time to reanalysis of conditions based on modern understanding. However, it did bring out some interesting points. Family life was starting to disintegrate. The seeds of the 1960's civil rights movement and counterculture appear to have been sewn during the war. The southerners still held significant influence as they tried to maintain their white supremacy. The many veterans benefits were actually a compromise. There was a desire to extend many of these programs to everyone, but this was quashed in part to appease the south. Black veterans supposedly had access to these programs. However, states controlled implementation leaving those in the south with little opportunity. Nearly a century after the civil war, the experience of slavery was still spreading its claws.
The post war boom was also not something that was expected. Many expected a recession after the war. It was hard to find jobs for those returning. Most women returned to the home (often willingly), freeing up jobs for returning veterans. Veterans were supposed to be entitled to their previous job. They also received benefits such as tuition coverage and living allowance or unemployment benefits. (These plans were slowly rolled out and changed over time. Initially, only those that were in school could get college help, but later it was expanded to everyone for 4 years of school.) There was post-war labor unrest that eventually calmed down and led to the post-war boom. There were huge shortages of housing after the war. It took a few tries before a boom in production took place. The divorce boom preceded the baby boom. The path from the end of hostilities to economic boom was far from foreordained, with many veterans suffering in both the short and long term.
Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty, translated by Arthur Goldhammer
I found this book much better than Piketty's Equality. Here he provides much more convincing analysis and thought on the concept of capital and his proposed fixes to the existing system. He is quite observant of the flaws in the current system as well as challenges of implementing changes. The communist system failed because the elimination of capitalism resulted in the loss of signals in the market. His proposal is to still allow wealth and accumulation, but to tax it in order to prevent excess. There is some detailed analysis of capital's use and flows. Those with little or no capital have difficulty accumulating more, while those with greater amounts can expect greater returns. Most places have a "wealth tax" that only applies to owned property. He would like to expand it to all types of capital. He wants this to global in order to reduce the incidence of scofflaws. There will be other challenges. What if wealth is entirely tied up in illiquid assets with inflated values? Will this further retard the accumulation of wealth, as only those with the means can manage the overhead of the tax and ways to avoid it?
The wealth tax is the conclusion to the book. However, there is plenty of discussion of experience with capital historically. War and inflation has wiped out savings many times in history. Governments have also come in and taken it away. The levels of accumulation now are some the greatest of all time. Will it last? The description and arguments are well thought out. He continually points out that many of the proposals should be made politically rather than by economists. The discussions are good, even if the final proposal has some flaws. His experience as a Frenchman who had some training in the United States provides a unique perspective.
The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk
The title of this book implies something more groundbreaking and controversial than the simple history that it is. While the book is somewhat long, it tries to cover too much ground. It presents a history of the Native American encounters with Europeans in the United States. This includes a number of very different groups with different interactions. There is little background of the different tribes, making it somewhat difficult to separate one from the other. This is especially problematic during discussions of different interactions by different groups. Having more background would help understand the differences. This may be too broad of a history to take on in one book. It would be helpful to break it up into smaller sections in order to provide an Indian history where the encounter with the Europeans is only part of the story.
A Map for the Missing: A Novel by Belinda Huijuan Tang
Tang Yitian is a Chinese man from a small village currently working as a young professor at Stanford. He receive a call from home that his father is missing. He rushes back to China to see him. The novel combines his search with flashbacks to his earlier life. In this trip back he finds out more about his father and family and helps to reconcile his family relationship. He discovers that his father and brother likely had dyslexia which made learning difficult. This coupled with the cultural revolution made his father disdain learning. (His grandfather was an academic, which made life difficult during the cultural revolution.) Yitian tries to hunt down his dad, and later learns that his dad has alzheimer's and wandered off. Yitian enlists the help of an old friend and learns what became of her life in the process. Through flashbacks, we learn of the test and the experience that led him to enter the university in China and the impact it had on his family. His brother also died via meningitis liked contracted from their visit to the city. Other details of his life are gradually unfolded. In the end he appears to reconcile with his family and the small village life as he discovers that his wife is finally pregnant back in California. In hunting down his dad, Yitian finds that his dad had been trying to purchase history books to help reconcile with his son, completing the family reconciliation. Yitian's life is very different from that of a villager, yet there are still common bonds. While the novel is set in China at the precipice of great change, the feelings of belonging and being separate can be easily applied anywhere.
The Science of Abolition: How Slaveholders Became the Enemies of Progress by Eric Herschthal
Science and technology became adopted by abolitionists as they advocated the end of slavery. With technology it would be possible to do more with fewer people. Equality and freedom override ideas of "inferior blacks" that had been used to justify slavery. However, slaveholders still clung to views of inferiority to justify slavery. Eventually the abolitionist science prevailed. Despite appearances of objectivity, science is spun to support an individuals beliefs. Interestingly, there were some black scientific organizations that produced research in isolation of the white establishment.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny: A Novel by Kiran Desai
Two South Asian Indians knew each other at a young age. Their lives diverge as they go about many things, however, they end up back together. They spend much time in America where they have experiences straddling the two cultures. They have different relationships and have excitement in newness, even if it means walking around naked. However, they also need to occasionally hide from others in part to adhere to some classical standards. The book seemed to go on forever, with similar things repeating themselves over and over.
We Survived the Night by Julian Brave NoiseCat
This is an autobiography of the author that includes a history of his family, tribe and other NorthWest Indians. His father was prone to outbursts and left him and his mother when he was young. His mother was attracted to Indians and later helped introduce him to his tribe and parents. He spent time on the 'res with other Indians and became a part of his culture. He wants to marry another Indian due to the legal regulations in Canada. He travels between the US and Canada (Indians have rights to travel between the two.) The Indian schools were a negative experience in the life of the tribes that tried to suck the "indian" out of the Indians. Luckily some of the language and culture survived. Life is still not easy for those that remain on the tribe. He had a conflicting experience with his dad. He was at time, the greatest and at other times the worst. He was able to use his Indian heritage to obtain opportunities, but also suffered. He rare refers to himself as "native american". It is usually Indian or the specific tribe. He is leftist, but is primarily interested in Indian rights. Indians tend to focus more on their needs, which cross party lines. They want the government to back off, which aligns with Republicans. However, they also want support for their land and culture, which aligns more with Democrats. They have advocates in both parties, but still struggle to be heard. The book provided great insight into the needs of the first inhabitants of the Americas through an interesting (if not fully typical) life story.
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 2 by Beth Brower
I liked the first book. It left on a cliffhanger. Alas, this book just did not stick as well as the first one. There is more involvement with the tenant and plans to gradually work out a solution through some of the problems with the relation that is occupying the house. He reluctantly asceeds to her greater involvement. She also begins to be involved in the social scene, and gets scolded for being noticed a bit more than she should.
Creation Lake: A Novel by Rachel Kushner
A woman works as a freelance spy. She infiltrates a group of French activists that have been known to be violent in their activities. She tries to gain confidence both physically and romantically. Much is spent on her describing her backstory and her concerns with her job. The climax involves a big ag fair in town. A French official is planning to visit. She is asked by her contact to help knock off the official. She tries to encourage some to take a gun, but they refuse. The official eventually is lured into an "accidental death" through some unstable logs, which seems a good solution for all. While this could be a big spoiler, the "climatic" part is almost an afterthought. I missed it the first time through. The story and narration are in a conversational matter-of-fact tone. It is hard to get involved with the novel.
A Brief History of Equality by Thomas Piketty, translated by Steven Rendall
Piketty sees the world as moving towards a state of more equality, using the definition he gives. The argument is filled with contradictions and redefinitions. There are various ideas that make sense, but are not carried out well. Including negative externalities in calculation of wealth seems like a smart move, but it becomes challenging in practice. Equality across different groups seems like a noble goal, but how far do you go in defining groups. Is equality a good thing? There is conflict between equality and freedom. People are richer with more material possessions, but are they happier? If what matters is relative difference, wouldn't equality just make everyone feel "blah"? The author is an advocate of reparations. Would these benefit the people paying or the people receiving? He gives the example of "reversing" the suffering of Haiti by returning payments made to France. Would you also make Russia pay back payments made by Finland? What about Germany's payments after World War I? Making payments can encourage thrift and hard work. Receiving payments can end up causing harm and hurting the economy. (Even in rich economies, natural resource abundance can have negative impacts. Would loads of cash in previously disadvantaged groups result in short term boost of "others" and along term negative for the community impacted? You don't often hear of dynasties started with lottery winnings.)
The author also criticizes the conservatism and slow change of current institutions. A drastic change would be a preferred way to launch communism. Alas, the track record of this has not been good. If we enable more dramatic changes, what is to say it would happen to the left? Trump is an example of taking power to change in the opposite direction.
Cause and effect are also uncertain. Does equality lead to economic growth? Or does growth provide the ability to provide more societal benefits for all? What is the end goal for growth and equality?
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
This author is passionate about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. He does a great job in sharing that passion. Rather than jumping right into it, he starts with his background growing up in Egypt and eventually making it to North America. The Middle East is filled with dictators and many abuses of human rights. The west claims to be better and generally does so at home. However, it treats others differently. Euphemisms such as "collateral damage" are used to minimize the deaths of others. He criticizes those that support Israel as well as the inaction of political parties. The Democrats get the most condemnation. They seem to focus on "not being Republicans", but then do very little to actual benefit those in need. This sounds very familiar and is similar to what I recently read about Native American Advocacy.
The Israel/Palestinian situation is a textbook case of the futility of revenge. Gaza's attacks on Israeli civilians immediately pivoted sympathy towards the Israelis. The Israeli counterattacks have then lead to greater sympathy towards those in Gaza. So perhaps attacks do work if you know your enemy will just attack back. I wonder how much of this all would be resolved if the rest of the world would just back away. Other Arab countries started attacking Israel from the start. Western support Israel (especially after holocaust guilt.) Now many aid workers and international organizations supporting Palestinians. Each external party has their own goals and they are not necessarily in sync with those living there.
The author is careful not to present extremist advocacy. There is no "Palestinians should expel all Jews". Instead, it is just Israel should not kill Palestinians and should treat them like normal people. This is an easy sell. However, is it a long term solution? How do we get "good government" in areas that have not previously had it?
Before We Lost the Lake: A Natural and Human History of Sumas by Chad Reimer
Sumas lake was a variable lack in southern British Columbia. It would grow and shrink with the season. It had a large fishery and the wetlands provided for lush vegetation and wildlife. The Semá:th had lived in this area for many years and lived of the fish and waterfowl as well as plants. The lake also had less-desirable residence, such as strong mosquitos at times of the year. Eventually white farmers moved into the region. The lake was seen as a detriment to farming and hard to categorize as water or land. There were many plans to drain the lake. However, these were primarily set to be privately funded and they kept falling through. The railroad seemed the most likely to do it, but they couldn't justify the expense. Eventually it did fall on the government. The lake was drained and area could be farmed. This lead to ecological harm as well as put areas downstream at great risk for flooding. The Semá:th were also harmed. However, it did open a great deal of farmland and enabled both pasturing of animals as well as crops such as berries. Was it worth it? The book paints a great picture of the history of the region and provides a fairly objective look at the positive and negative aspects of the drainage project.
In Covid's Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us by Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee
This is a liberal Democrat criticism of the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a deeply disturbing of policies that focussed on the short-term good of the elites, while paying lip-service to the concerns of the marginalized. There was an established body of research regarding pandemic response. Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions had minimal effectiveness. School closures created much more harm than good. (I even recall reading from public school and health experts at the start of the pandemic that school closures should not be implemented - shortly before they were implemented.) Some limited control of the spread of the virus may be possible very early in an outbreak. However, by the time it is present in the population, it is probably too late.
Alas, early in the pandemic officials lost their mind. A paper in Britain painted worst-case scenarios an advocated lock downs. China showed how super stricts lock downs contained the spread of the virus. (Alas, China only provided a censored version of data on their lockdowns and its effectiveness. They also had a much more draconian approach to lockdowns than would be bearable in an open country like the US.) American officials advocated for these lockdowns. Personally, I thought it was a stupid idea. But, hey we were among the first to have schools closed and be required to work from home. It was a great time for a Hawaiian vacation. Then isolation was great for introverts - especially during the cold time of year. Even if it seemed horrible for society, it was something that I personally didn't mind. Perhaps this was what contributed to the stupidity. The elected officials would easily work remotely and liked it. If they wanted to have a social event, they would sneak out and do it (like when California leaders went dining in violation of their own lockdown.)
Even worse, critics were silenced and contrary opinions were attacked. "Facts" were controlled based on political expediency. Masks were said to be ineffective when there was a shortage. Then they were mandated for all, even in conditions were they did not provide benefit. Mention of a Chinese lab origin was not permitted. Criticism of lockdowns and social distancing measures was treated as "anti-science" and not open to debate. Trying to prevent immediate COVID-19 deaths was the prime motivator, with little consideration given to anything else. The public health experts were given full control without considering others. The result was actually more deaths and various significant negative outcomes throughout society. Those most disadvantaged ended up with the worst outcomes.
The teacher union advocacy was prime indicator of nonsense. Some unions would go to the extent of calling it racial genocide to force teachers to return the the classroom. This help contributed to longer school closures, especially in blue states where the union welded more power. This left children without any real education. Yet teachers could seemingly show up and zoom and get their paycheck. (Where were the demands for certifications for remote education.) The poor students were hit the worst. They did not have an environment at home where they could learn. Even worse, many of these parents were "essential workers". With no school and no day care options, grandparents would often care for children. This meant they could not isolate and would be more exposed to the virus. By forcing more "isolation" of populations less at risk, we forced less isolation of those at risk. This is the exact opposite of what should be done.
The short-term approach to the pandemic was witnessed in the criticism of Sweden. They actually followed the longstanding pandemic advice and did not impose large-scale closures and lockdowns. They did encourage voluntary measures, especially among vulnerable populations. In the short-term they did have a surge in deaths. However, over the long term, they had a lower excess mortality rate than other countries. They also had much more positive educational and psychological outcomes for the country.
A long term approach seems obviously simple. Isolate vulnerable populations. Let others continue their lives and build up herd immunity. Ensure other aspects of life are not severely impacted. Alas, the short term focus ended up dominating, to the detriment of the long term. The lack of adequate data exacerbated the problem. Stories would come out with 10-20% death rates, making this seem dire for the population. Alas, the denominator of this group was people with comorbidities who required intense hospitalization. Many others were asymptomatic or only had minor symptoms. With these in the group, the actual impact was closer to that of a bad flu season than the end of humanity.
Is there any hope for pandemic handling in a democracy? How much did the silencing of dissent make things worse? I wonder how much this lead to mistrust and vaccine hesitancy. What will happen the next time?
Sweet Valley Twins: Teacher's Pet (Sweet Valley Twins Graphic Novels Book 2) by Francine Pascal, adapted by Nicole Andelfinger, illustrated by Claudia Aguirre, colors by Sara Hagstrom, letters by Warren Montgomery
Two twins are in a ballet class. One feels that the teacher never notices her, even though she is a good dancer. The other twin ends up getting the lead role in the performance of a play. The first twin gets jealous. She also skips out on things like helping out another girl. They go through many twin fights and eventually come to some sort of truce. At the day of the performance, the girl in the lead fakes a sprained ankle to let her sister take the lead. Then she is "miraculously healed" and can act in the minor role. They all end up happy together. There is some relatavle experiences with sibling jealousy, even if the final resolution is a little bit far fetched.
Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language by Adam Aleksic
TikTok and short form video of accelerated the changes in language. Subgroups often adopt their own slang internal to the group. This will sometimes "Escape" the confines and become widely accepted. The original group may feel it "lost" its language and go on to something else. The cycle has gone on for some time, with African American Vernacular providing many words that came into modern usage (such as "cool") We see more and more new terms rise up and spread quickly due to the widespread reach and repetition of video.
Wag the Dog: A Novel by Larry Beinhart
This was originally called American Hero and later reissued as Wag the Dog after the name of the movie based on the book. This is something about politicians staging a "fake war" to help get re-elected. However, this part barely appears. Instead, it is mostly about a detective and a movie star. It rambled on and tried to blur the line between fact and fiction.
