Don’t Read the Typical Worthless Crap!

This summer, don’t waste your time and aging neurons on brain cartoons. Fire up the Kindle and keep Alzheimer’s at bay with these superb selections from the BTW Book Club:

• Caught in the Middle, by Richard Longworth. A cogent look at the rise and fall of the Midwestern economy. That “fall” might mystify many Twin Cities people—our economy is still pretty strong, despite the specter of recession. But even with the recent strength in grain prices, the rural economy of the entire Midwest has never really recovered from the farm crisis of the 1980s; and Rust Belt cities like Cleveland and Milwaukee, though stable, aren’t what they once were. This book addresses the question: Can the Midwest come back?

• Freedom From Fear, by David Kennedy. The oldest book on this list—a winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2000. A history of the USA during the Great Depression and World War II. The ’30s and ’40s built the foundation of American economic might in the 20 years of the post-war era. Here’s an excellent summary of how that happened (it wasn’t inevitable).

• Nixonland, by Rick Perlstein. The newest book on the list—so new, I haven’t read it yet. This is going to be the cornerstone of my summer reading program. The prosperous liberal order that was built during the ’30s and ’40s collapsed in the late ’60s. Richard Nixon, a borderline-brilliant, borderline-bonkers product of postwar paranoia and 1950s conformity, presented an image of stability—part conservative, part New Deal. This review of Nixonland will give a taste that should leave you hungry for more.

• The Box, by Marc Levinson. Yes, I admit it: I’m a shipping container geek. I can’t be the only one! The humble yet mighty steel box may not have been solely responsible for globalization, Wal-Mart, cheap (but decent) consumer goods, the deep decline of Liverpool and (at least during the 1970s) New York City, and the rebirth of the railroad business, but it was certainly a major factor. A fascinating, skillfully told tale of entrepreneurialism and easy-to-understand economic history that will make you understand our current world in a deeper way. (Inexcusably, this superb book is out of print. Head over to the library—or a used-book Web site.)