Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House

Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House by Rachel Maddow

Spiro Agnew had to resign the Vice Presidency due to a bribery scandal. However, his story has become nothing more than the answer to a trivia question due to Nixon's Watergate downfall a few months later. The irony was that Agnew was the more serious crook. He was receiving envelopes of money in return for Maryland government contracts. These bribes continued even when he was in the white house. He used this to help sustain a lifestyle beyond his means. Nixon downfall, on the other hand, was caused primarily by actions to cover up the bad activities of those around him.

In this book, Agnew is portrayed as somebody that would make Trump look like an upstanding citizen. He was tapped as Nixon's VP to help get the vote of racist southerners. He did not have a huge amount of political experience and was willing to speak his mind in any uncouth manner. He was not in Nixon's inner circle, and not much involved in the administration. He was caught up in a Maryland bribery investigation. Initially the administration tried to call off the investigation. Agnew's camp went on the offensive and tried to attack the press and Department of Justice leakers. He also tried to use the constitution to prevent an investigation while he was a sitting VP. Eventually, it became too much. He pleaded no contest, though continued to maintain his innocence.

Was Agnew the prototype for Trump? I wonder if a lot could be traced back to Nixon's TV debate with Kennedy. Had Nixon become too paranoid after losing the election due to bad TV performance? He surrounded himself with many people for the purpose of getting elected rather than actually governing. Agnew was one of those "bad decisions."

The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection

The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection by Tamim Ansary

This book explores and social science from a very long view. From early cave paintings to nuclear warfare, this covers the highlights of humanity. How have people organized themself and how have they interacted with each other. It covers just enough individual points throughout the world to tell a full story.

Board Games in 100 Moves

Board Games in 100 Moves by Ian Livingstone and James Wallis

This book is a history of board games filled with beautiful photographs of the games. The history of board games goes back millenia. Archaeologists have have found cuneiform instructions for an ancient game in Ur. There are boards for ancient Egyptian games (but no rules). Games that are still being played mostly originated after the time of Christ. Chess went through a few variations in India and Persia before going ot Europe and settling on the modern version today. Go is an old game from China. The 1800s were when board games really started to take off. Some were simple "luck" games. (There was a popular goose game that served as the basis for others.) There are many stories of games that seemed destined for the dustbin only to take off. (Scrabble and Twister are two examples.) Monopoly was based on a previous anti-capitalist game. (Her patent was bought out before publishing Monopoly.)

There are many cases of innovating concepts spawning derivatives. There was an "educational" game boom. Moving forward games (like goose game) were popular. Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering both launched a whole slew of similar games. A number of "war" games became popular. In post-war Germany, however, cooperative games were more popular. Party games have also come in many varieties.  Today, many new games are created via kickstarters. Some games are purely based on luck and can be played in a few minutes, while others take multiple hours-long sessions to complete. Despite the popular of electronic entertainment, board games continue to be increasing in popularity.

How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America

How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America by Heather Cox Richardson

I was expecting a more thorough analysis than what this book contained. The thesis was that southerners advocated for something closer to an oligopic leadership. A few wealthy white plantation-owning men would control the country. Their friends and relatives would have leadership position. A few select white males would have a chance to obtain some say in the country. Others would be excluded. They used the name of individual rights to push this narrative before the Civil War. After the war, they continued to do their best to exclude the others. Donald Trump is the culmination of this quest to provide narrow elite control.

The ironic part of the story is that the south did not win so much as the north lost by misjudgment. the northern Republicans hoped that by granting statehood to western territories, they would extend their dominance over the southern Democrats. Alas, those westerners did not do as they were expected. The western territories extended the right to vote to women before they became states. (Alas, observers were shocked when Utah women, after receiving the right to vote, voted unexpectedly for the polygamist candidate.) Once states, the western states were likely to align themselves with the southerners instead of the northerners. Their style of "independence" did not match what those of the north expected.

I do wonder about the counterfactual. Where would the south be if they had won and remained a separate country? Slavery was already on its way out throughout the world. The plantation economy was also going out in favor of industrialization. Would the south have later petitioned to rejoin the US? Or perhaps they would try to stay independent. Was "losing" the best way to keep the southern ideology in place?

American Challenge

American Challenge by J. J. Servan-Schreiber

In 1967, the French were worried about the economic dominance of the United States. America seemed to dominate industrial production and innovation. Only small scraps were left for Europe. Often these "scraps" were offshoot of American companies, with small manufacturing operations in Europe. The first bits of the European Union had been started, with the treaty of Rome. However, there were challenges of agreement and enforcement, together with worries of external domination.

The author presents predictions for the future as well as an action plan for France. A "Federal EU" is detailed as a better plan. There is discussion of politics with criticism of both the right and left, with a desire for an "innovative left". Technology predictions were in some ways correct and others way off the mark. A chapter was devoted to supersonic transit. It was taken as a given that Boeing's SST would end up dominating the earlier-released Concorde. (Instead the SST never was produced, and the cancellation nearly destroyed Seattle.) The importance of computers and the knowledge economy was fairly accurate. However, it has failed to result in a massive reduction in individual working time. Instead, it seems that Americans work even longer than before. There was also a prediction that America, Japan, Canada and Sweden would be the few "high income post-industrial economies" by 2000. Europe was predicted to be in the next rung below. Well, by the time 2000 rolled around, most of Europe was fairly intermingled with the big 4. The big miss was Asia, with many east Asian countries (other than Japan) moving up the charts.

The book could easily be rewritten today from an American point of view with China substituted. There is worry today that China is dominating production. There is hope that more automation and more local production will help take back some of the Chinese dependency. America still does have a lead on research and knowledge. However, there is concern that some of that is ceded to China. Today, Americans complain of significant Chinese government supports. In this book, the French acknowledge significant American government investment in key industries. (Though the difference is the French thought they should also have government support rather than fight against it.) 

It was interesting in this time that Russia was already somewhat of an afterthought. There was earlier thought that the USSR would pass the USA economically. However, buy 1967 that economic growth had already appeared to be a mirage. The Vietnam War seemed to be the last standoff between the two powers before they concentrated on other things. 

The Culture Transplant: How Migrants Make the Economies They Move To a Lot Like the Ones They Left

The Culture Transplant: How Migrants Make the Economies They Move To a Lot Like the Ones They Left by Garett Jones

The prosperity of nations can be correlated to the people that live there. Immigrants to nations bring their standards of prosperity, whether they are colonizers or line capitalists. There is a strong correlation between Chinese immigration and prosperity in Southeast Asia. Northern European colonies tend to do better than Southern European ones. That is pretty much this book. The author quotes a number of papers and spends a lot of time talking about details. He attempts to take academic work and present it to a popular audience, but chances are this will skew just a little out of the academic realm. The details are explained by something he calls SAT score (State history, Agricultural History and Technological History). Looking at the state in 1500 has surprising predictive power. It also is somewhat depressing. Are we doomed based on what conditions were like a half-millennia ago? 

Still Born

Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel

What is motherhood? This book explores the lives of a few 30-something women. They have been devoted to their professional achievements. However, they find themselves drawn towards children. One goes through some challenges to conceive with her husband. Their doctor informs them that their child will likely not live and advocates an abortion. She decides instead to give birth at term (via a C-section.) She wants to see her baby for a bit before she dies. However, the baby lives. It has a condition that results in limited brain function. However, the baby is able to make more progress then expected. The mother has conflicting emotions. She expected the baby to die, not to live. She was prepared for that, but not taking care of it. She found others with children with similar conditions and works through therapy. The baby does make progress, but she has seizures that destroy the progress. They have a nanny that likes to be with young children (in part because she cannot have them of their own.) The mother has struggles with her family and the nanny. What are the boundaries? What about sex life with her husband? It is only through working through the challenges that she can repair her relationships and grow.

The narrator is a friend of the mother. She has a separate interaction with her neighbor. The 8-year-old child is often acting violent and screaming. The mother seems to do nothing. The narrator ignores this at first, but then befriends the family. The mother's husband had died in a car wreck. He swore a lot and that seems to be where the kid got it from. He claims to hear voices and is struggling with his demons. The narrator is able to help be a positive influence with the family, and is able to help calm the child after an exceptionally violent incident (after his mother talked about him going to other family members). She takes him in for a night and helps him board the bus away.

The focus is on the two women exercising their maternal instincts. However, there are also stories of mothers reclaiming their personal life. The mother of the violent child is finally able to go out and enjoy a night of clubbing after getting assistance with her kid. The narrator's mom resumes her life and interests that she put on hold after becoming a mother. What is the appropriate balance? Is the best mother self-sacrificing? Or does it require a mixture of self-interest? The case of the cuckoo is given as a bird that puts its eggs in another's nests to raise. The other bird cares for the bird that is not it's own. Is the bond of blood or the time together more important?

The Rise of Rome: The Making of the World's Greatest Empire

The Rise of Rome: The Making of the World's Greatest Empire by Anthony Everitt

The early history of Rome is a mixture of legend and actual history. This book covers it all from Romulus and Remus up until Julius Caesar. The book presents the legends with the history to tell the full story. There is acknowledgement that some parts are likely not factual. However, there are other "legendary" bits of history that have been uncovered as truth. There is often a bit of truth mixed in with the legend. Even if if it is not truly historical, it does provide a window into what they thought of themselves.

As the history of Rome does get more historical, it appears there are a number of lucky breaks. Rome had a persistence and a refusal to play by the common rules of battle. That allowed them to snatch victory from seeming defeat. Rome had a revolving leadership, which would result in turnover from incompetent to visionary rulers. This helped them manage to prevent Hannibal from destroying Rome. Through history, Rome had institutions that we would recognize with a great deal of "rule by the people". However, strong rulers were able to take advantage of this, thus leading to the taking of power by Caeser.

Field Notes from a Fungi Forager: An Illustrated Journey Through the World of Pacific Northwest Mushrooms

Field Notes from a Fungi Forager: An Illustrated Journey Through the World of Pacific Northwest Mushrooms by Ashley Rodriguez and Libby England

This book claims not to be a field guide, but it is pretty close to it. Each mushroom is beautifully illustrated and described in details. There are hints as to which mushrooms are to be consumed as well as those that should be admired from a distance.

The German Genius: Europe's Third Renaissance, the Second Scientific Revolution, and the Twentieth Century

The German Genius: Europe's Third Renaissance, the Second Scientific Revolution, and the Twentieth Century by Peter Watson

Germans had a huge influence on the arts and sciences. This book goes through them in excruciating detail. Just when it feels it is about to end, it goes on again. It is written well, but the details feel like an encyclopedia. Mahler, Nietzsche, Marx and Freud are a few mentioned. Gauss and Engels are consigned to an appendix of lesser known Germans. It is interesting to read an intellectual history from a German perspective. Hitler seems to have stunted our opinion of Germans as a whole, but we still have respect for the individuals.

Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer)

Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer) by Stan Cox

Air Conditioning has caught on in a big way. It has allowed people to live comfortably in hotter areas. It has also contributed significantly to global warming. People can live in hot areas without using compressors to cool the air. India has had hundreds of millions of people live in hot climates. Most Sub-Belt cities (even Phoenix!) were settled before air conditioning. However, living conditions were different. Rather than having buildings sealed off, they were left open with features to allow for natural cooling. Schedules were adapted to the heat. Shade trees were valuable coolers.

Today air-conditioning is omnipresent in new construction. Even in the Seattle metro, air conditioning usage has crossed the 50% mark. This is in a coastal area, filled with trees with an the average yearly peak temperature is in the 70s. Yet people have invested in air conditioning for those odd peak days. To make the air conditioning more efficient, some of the "natural cooling" is sacrificed, requiring the air conditioning to run more frequently. (We are lucky to have our "air conditioning" in the form of big shade trees.)

Air conditioning also impair the social environment. Air conditioners are loud. They warm the outside air. They encourage people to be inside in their climate controlled environment rather than outside catching a cool breeze.

Air conditioners are huge greenhouse gas emitters. They consume a large amount of power. This is primarily produced by burning fossil fuels. Other sources, such as nuclear, solar or wind do not emit CO2 in production. However, they do require significant energy to produce. In addition, the refrigerants are orders of magnitude worse. We have gone from flammable (ammonia) to ozone-depleting (CFCs) to significant greenhouse gases. There are alternatives that are not as bad, but they are also not as efficient. 

Some work has helped to make air conditioning more efficient and affordable. However, this is often subject to rebound problem, with savings resulting in more cooling. Window units can be more efficient because they focus the heat on a single room for a short time. However, as more rooms are cooled, energy consumption goes up.

There is contradictory research on the improvement of workers in cooled environments. Productivity is low in super hot environments. However, things get fuzzier down in the 60s and 70s. People are in general fine with a temperature that more closely represents outdoors than an absolute low temperature. (I recall working in China where the building was heated or cooled to make it "comfortable" but not super hot or cold.) In India air conditioners were advertised as improving performance in bed. (I feel it should be the other way around.) Server farms produce huge amounts of heat and demand cooling. 

There are some hopes for improvements in technology. However, the best way for humans to survive is by not living in places hotter than they can handle.

The Important Trial of Thomas Spence

The Important Trial of Thomas Spence by Thomas Spence

Thomas Spence was tried and convicted for publishing "revolutionary" texts. Today, we would hardly bat an eye at most of his concepts. He supported divorce (as a way in making marriage better.) He also advocated land reform. He would have local government units own the land. The revenue of the units would be from the rent paid by those who worked the land. The book includes his complete constitution. It included a form of representation as well as speech protection and law enforcement. His radical texts were too much for 200 years ago. Today, the work can be found on Marxist web sites. Conditions have changed today. However, if you consider the rents to be "property tax", it is not too far from what we have today. (Though without restrictions on multiple ownership.)

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlanger

Do plants have intelligence? Previously, we thought of humans as the only thinking beings. Today, we acknowledge some animal intelligence. What about plants? This book explores some ways in which plants show intelligence. Maybe they "see" light? They seem to alter their growth based on the light presence. There are also social behaviors seen with plants. They will work to support their kin, possibly at the expense of others. There are a plethora of examples that explore different types of plant intelligence. It is an intriguing, if fringe topic. However, many other areas of mainstream science were once fringe. There does seem to be some possibility. Alas, the delivery is quite muted and lacks the revolutionary enthusiasm.

Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance

Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance by Mustafa Akyol

Many Islamic states still have a "religious police" that enforce certain interpretations of Islam. These interpretations are grounded in historical precedent and are not necessarily appropriate for today's world. There are rules that were very progressive when written that have been interpreted in more regressive ways. (Inheritance is an example.) Some states continue to have the death penalty for those leaving Islam. The author compares this to a state of Christianity a few centuries ago. There were previously witch hunts and inquisitions to ensure people remained faithful. Today people are free to convert to other sects or leave Christianity. Those that remain are more likely to be people of faith than those that are coerced. Islam is now going through some of those same steps.

The Ecological Design and Planning Reader

The Ecological Design and Planning Reader by Forster O. Ndubisi

This is a collection of essays on "Ecological Design." The general idea is sound. We should pay attention to the ecology and consider our development as just one part of the ecosystem. The implementation is where issues come. In one essay, it is mentioned that no place has fully implemented "smart growth". Instead, interested parties have just picked the pieces that interest them. Similar issues can be seen in other ecological developments. The Woodlands Texas is given as an example. Natural storm systems are in place with a large park area. This is an environmental win in one area. However, it also involved cutting down forest for large lot suburban development. Large roads criss cross the area, with many cul-de-sacs preventing alternate travel. Freeway travel is the primary way to and from the area. A large amount of land is used and will be difficult to return to natural conditions.

Problems occur in other areas of attempted ecological development. A golf course may maintain part of the original ecosystem. But it also requires a large amount of built up space. A subdivision may follow the contours of the land, but be car centric with huge lots. Is something ecological if it is just a playground for the rich? Once land is allocated for urban or suburban uses, it is almost impossible to get it back to a state of nature. Even "smart" development could be negative if it is not done in a scalable way. Our current political boundaries were set in the "foot and horse" travel era, and don't work well for the car era. It is too easy to jump to a different city or county to sidestep any building requirement.

Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World

Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World by Anupreeta Das

Bill Gates is super rich. He also has a personality that is not very easy to get along with. Luckily, he has minders that help his public persona. Alas, this doesn't help prevent his private affairs or personal interactions.

This book uses Gate's career to explore the role of billionaires in society. The author occasionally tries to be objective, but very clearly has an agenda. She feels that billionaires have too much power and that society enables them. She would much rather have a wealth tax to enable greater government spending, rather than enable the very wealthy to control the agenda via philanthropy. This would be a terrible idea. Government and philanthropic work each have their place. Governments are beholden to short term political expediencies, while individuals can focus on longer-term goals. Individual philanthropists can also spend vast sums on items that are of interest to them. Some might turn out to be greatly beneficial, while others may be flops. Governments would have much more difficulty starting programs that do not have popular support (and have difficulty stopping those that do.) Big philanthropy is a needed force with big government.

The book also explores the rise of Microsoft and some of its anti-competitive behavior. Gates was "self made", but had received opportunities from his upbringing. His parents' connections helped to get Microsoft's initial contract with IBM. He went against the grain to encourage charging for software. This caused ire with the existing computer science community, but did start an entire new industry. Gates then used the dominant position to force companies to pay for Windows whether they installed it or not. Later, Microsoft competed with Netscape by providing a browser free with Windows and making it the default. These behaviors hurt competition and caused stagnation. (Web browser innovation stagnated once Internet Explorer dominated the market. Innovation only returned once Firefox and Chrome launched with enough financial muscle to compete.) 

What should be done to optimize the benefit to society?

Nodding Off: The Science of Sleep from Cradle to Grave

Nodding Off: The Science of Sleep from Cradle to Grave by Alice Gregory

Sleep is important. It is also not well understood. At different ages, we need different amounts of sleep. We also have a circadian rhythm that does not quite match the length of the day. Luckily, we use cues, such as sunlight to help judge when to sleep. Unlikely, artificial lights messes with us. Learning and idea consolidation takes place in sleep. Sleep may help prevent aging. Teens tend to have their clock shifted later. Young adults then tend to have the clock shifted back. 

There are different stages of sleep and different types of sleep disorders. Bodily movements are usually shut down during sleep. However, there are some conditions that lead to it not being shut down properly. Sleep apnea can make it difficult to sleep. We can force ourselves to go without sleep, however, it is not good. Are reaction and mental acuity are greatly diminished. Some people have gone long periods without sleeping, though it is difficult to understand what the precise limit is. Sometimes people can't sleep well simply because they worry about not being able to sleep. 

The book is well organized by age range, however, it is a bit verbose.

Short and Tall (Cork and Fuzz)

Short and Tall (Cork and Fuzz) by Dori Chaconas and Lisa McCue

Cork and Fuzz get into arguments because the older one is shorter than the younger one. The story wears a bit thin.

Shut the Door!

Shut the Door! by Robert Lopshire and Maria Karipidou

A kid leaves the door open, and all sorts of animals enter one at a time. He takes one out, but then another comes in. Finally he gets them all out and cleans the house. Then his mom comes home. She left the door open and all the animals come back him. It has a nice bit of light humor.

Grumpy Monkey

Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang and Max Lang

Everybody thinks that Jim Panzee is grumpy. However, he is convinced that he is not. He keeps changing his appearance after people identify some part of grumpiness. Finally he gives up and hangs out with a friend who is grumpy - because he danced with a porcupine. The book is pretty good until that final part. Skipping the porcupine part would have made it better.

On the Night Before Kindergarten

On the Night Before Kindergarten by Rosemary Wells

A little anthropomorphic animal kid is worried about going to kindergarten the next day. He has a dream about some things that can go wrong. His parents parents calm him. However, during the day they worry about those concerns. It is all fairly bland.

Click, Clack, Surprise!

Click, Clack, Surprise!/Ready-to-Read Level 2 (A Click Clack Book) by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

This is yet another Cow and Duck book. Little duck has a party and tries to bathe like all the other animals. At first he is cleaned. However, by the end, he is doing dust and mud baths and gets quite dirty. It feels rather derivative.

All the Birds in the Sky

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

The book starts off sounding like a light-fantasy childrens. Book. The narration sounds like children book narration. The girl can talk with animals. Then it seems to pivot to young adult. The girl is in middle school. She is obsessed with nature. There is a boy that is obsessed with technology. Both are loners. They end up becoming friends.

Then the novel goes off the rails.

They try to identify people by shoes. They identify one as an assassin. It turns out he is an assassin. And he wants them dead. He tried to get her to kill him. He has a super-computer AI in his closet. They both get framed and ostracized. He gets sent to military reform school. She and his AI help to save him. She gets invited to witch training school. And that is just the first section.

The book migrates further in time. She is a witch that helps people to feel better (but is careful not to aggrandize herself.). He is a tech-bro who continues to work to spread humans to other planet. They finally meet after 10 years. The book moves to a near-future San Francisco. The locations all seem fairly well placed. The technology is moving towards a conflict with magic and destruction of the world. The girl and boy have a major falling out, but get back together and make appropriate sacrifices to save the world.

I wanted to like the book. It started out fairly relatable. However, the scenario was just a bit too carried away to be believable. They were living in something that was very much like our world, but felt too different from it. 

Song for a Whale

Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

A deaf girl lives in a hearing family and goes to a hearing school. Her maternal grandparents were deaf, so her mother can sign well. However, her father struggles with signing. She is interested in electronics and repairing old radios. Her grandmother has not been herself since grandfather died. 

Then one day, they learn about a whale that communicates on a different frequency. The girl becomes keen to help the whale. She sympathizes with challenges communicating with other loved ones. She plans to create a song on the frequency of the whale. However, her parents do not want her to go see the whale. However, she learns that her grandmother had planned to go on an Alaska cruise before grandfather died. this cruise happens to go right to the area where the whale is. They hatch a secret plan together to go and visit the whale.

They both have a great time on the cruise. Grandma comes out of her shell and starts to become more social - even launching some deaf karaoke. They make other friends on the ship (that they communicate with by writing.) Then they hear bad news. The whale crew plans on tagging the whale without playing the song. There is also a chance they will not even see the whale. The girl plots to build her own whale speaker by using some electronic junk they can find. Eventually, she throws it out into the ocean. She jumps into the ocean as the whale coms to see her. Afterwards, grandma is doing well, and the girl's parents finally allow her to go to a deaf school. 

The book keeps you engaged, while building up plenty of sympathy for the main characters. The novel presents deaf communication in a matter-of-fact way. She is just thinking and communicating. We learn at times that they write things down to help communication. However, for the most part, she just communicates. The cruise part, on the other hand is a little off.  While there are some Alaskan cruises from San Francisco, most are from Seattle or Vancouver. A San Francisco cruise would be longer, making it unlikely to be completed in a short time. These are also less likely to go to additional locations within Alaska.  It would also be a major Jones act violation to exit the cruise the Alaska.

The Efficiency Trap: Finding a Better Way to Achieve a Sustainable Energy Future

The Efficiency Trap: Finding a Better Way to Achieve a Sustainable Energy Future by Steve Hallett

The problem with chasing efficiency is twofold. First, the rebound effect may result in efficiencies being consumed by greater use. Second, we often focus on efficiencies in one area, neglecting the greater expenses in another. Refrigerators have become increasingly efficient. However, they have also become larger. Lighting is more efficient today than it was a 100 years ago, yet we spend much more on lighting. A hybrid car gets more miles per gallon than a gasoline powered car. However, it also requires much greater energy to produce and maintain. (The rare-earth metals needed for the battery are especially problematic.)

The primary topic could be covered in a short article. The rest of the book is primarily blather. The author also takes a very condescending tone towards anybody that he disagrees with (especially Republicans). This reduces the appeal of what should be good for a general audience.

The book does make an interesting point about energy. We have a fixed amount of fossil fuels that will produce a fixed amount of greenhouse gases. Even if we slow the rate of use, we will still have the same climatic impact. Hydro is pretty much tapped. Solar and wind require huge amounts of resources to produce and only produce limited quantities. Coal usage did decline, resulting in impacts on the British empire. Nuclear may have potential. However, it is super expensive now and hasn't become cheaper. The final solution proposed is "small scale" local power generation.