So, I recently read W. E. B. Du Bois’s famous 1935 history of the Civil War era, Black Reconstruction in America. Like most leftists, I’ve read a million excerpts from the book over the years. Not to mention many other Du Bois texts – Dusk of Dawn is a personal favorite. But I hadn’t read Black Reconstruction until now. Let’s say a word or two about it.
Category: Books (Page 10 of 23)
These are posts about books from the blog Base and Superstructure. Occasionally I’ll read a book worth talking about, and write some thoughts on it. These cover a wide range of topics from the blog.
As we move into the fall, let’s move on to some fiction! And, of course, a bit more baseball, since there’s still more baseball to be played. I hope you enjoy this month’s list. And, as always, let me know what you’ve been reading!
So, we have one more reading list for the hot months! For this one, I’ve mixed in a couple of TV shows. Along with that, I’ve mixed in a novel, a non-fiction work, and a couple of books on baseball stats. I have to admit, I’ve enjoyed revisiting the baseball stats literature. You might see more of these books coming in the next months.
Enjoy, and let me know what you’ve been reading!
What are people looking for when they’re thinking about ‘summer reads’? How about you? It seems like most people take it to mean adventure stories or books to take with them on vacation.
I guess there’s some of that in my July list. But I can’t say I have anything too specific in mind when I’m talking about the summer. I suspect my summer reading isn’t that much different from other parts of the year.
Without further ado…
Recent Iowa City mayor Jim Throgmorton wrote a book about his time on the city council in Iowa City. He calls it Co-Crafting the Just City. I’ll get to why he called it that in just a bit. But for now, I’ll say it’s a rare kind of book. People don’t often write about the politics of a small U.S. city. And certainly not in the kind of detail one finds here.
As some readers know, I moved to Iowa City in 2007. And I served on the city’s Housing and Community Development Commission from 2019 to 2022 (the final year as chair). So, I know about many of the political debates Thorgmorton mentions. I followed most of them closely – some very closely.
Overall, Throgmorton does a fine job listing the basic issues at play. He does so, of course, from his own (in some ways limited) perspective. That’s to be expected. I’ll sketch out some of the book’s goals and insights into Iowa City politics.
