David Harvey - The Enigma of Capital

David Harvey, who is, along with Fredric Jameson, one of my favorite academics, here presents his analysis of the recent financial crisis and offers a theory that attempts to explain the crisis-prone nature of capitalism in terms of the inner contradictions of the system.  At the center of his argument is the "surplus absorption problem," in which the surplus generated by capital today must be reinvested into new lines of production in order to maintain an increasingly unrealistic 3 percent annual compound growth.

While the argument is complex enough that I don't want to try and represent it here, the book is surprisingly accessible and the ideas in it are presented relatively simply.  Some familiarity with the vocabulary of academic Marxism is helpful to understand Harvey's argument, but it is much easier going than Jameson, for example.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the present financial crisis and why we desperately need to be shrinking our economy, not growing it.

Clash of Civilizations over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio

In this second novel by Amara Lakous, an Algerian now living in Italy, a dozen denizens of Piazza Vittorio in Rome weigh in on whether or not Amadeo, believed by almost everyone to be a native Italian but actually an immigrant from Algiers who speaks Italian better than the Italians and knows the streets and byways of Rome better than an Italian taxidriver, really murdered the crude and offensive Lorenzo Manfredini, known as The Gladiator. The foundation of the novel is the universal plight of immigrants, but the Italians even distrust and dislike other Italians from different parts of the country. The voices are wonderful - sharp, humorous, arrogant, wacky - the characters are lively and the unfolding resolution of the murder mystery is unexpected and interesting. This was easy and pleasurable to read, but also thought-provoking and sad. Very highly recommended!

La's Orchestra Saves the World

Alexander McCall Smith is the "Bestselling Author of THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY" and many other books. This book's jacket describes La's Orchestra as "heartwarming" and I suspect all of his books would fit this adjective...while this would usually be a red flag for me, this book was recommended by Linda's sister Karen, who likes to have fun but is serious and levelheaded! And, as advertised, the book was really good. Set in the 1930's, the book focuses on La (short for Lavender), who is serious and thoughtful. Rather surprisingly, she marries young, but is soon widowed. She moves to the English countryside in a kind of defiant rebellion against her London life and, when war breaks out, establishes an amateur orchestra.

While there were moments of "heartwarming", it was more a sober book, dealing with the limited options for women at that time, how the British coped with war, and how one person touches others. Sober but ultimately fairly optimistic. I read that Smith is an amateur bassoonist and "Not content with merely founding the Really Terrible Orchestra in Edinburgh (which brings really great fun to its audiences), McCall Smith has established an opera house and opera training center in Botswana". A very interesting man, evidently with limitless energy, as in his "real" life, he is a professor of medical law at Edinburgh. Quite a worthwhile read, I thought.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a swashbuckling adventure set in 1792 during the French Revolution. As hundreds of French aristocrats lose their heads to the guillotine, a band of intrepid English gentleman makes it their sport to boldly rescue these victims and hustle them to safety in England. The mysterious leader of this gang is the wily Scarlet Pimpernel, who signs his notes with a little drawing that same "humble wayside flower."

The main character is a beautiful Frenchwoman, Marguerite Blakeney, "the cleverest woman in Europe," who languishes in her marriage to a dandified fop, Sir Percy Blakeney. The story charts her disillusionment with her husband and involvement in the revolutionary and counterrevolutionary schemes that surround the Scarlet Pimpernel and his 19 loyal devotees.

The language is beautiful, the plot is exciting, and it has a satisfactorily happy ending, which apparently had not yet gone out of fashion in 1905 when the Baroness was writing. Highly, highly recommend.

*Note: I know Dad read this fairly recently but couldn't find the link - if you wrote about this, Dad, please include the link to your review here and I will comment on yours. Otherwise, feel free to add your thoughts here!*