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As people reading about the past, we tend to silo things in our minds rather than understanding the larger picture along with the context that it exists within. Having spent a bit of time reading about Chinese history and in particular, the founding of the People's Republic, I'm very guilty of this.

Luckily, books like this come along that better illustrate the connections between actors on the world's stage. There's something here that I haven't gotten from other sources that I believe would help Americans make better sense of the world we live in and how our fingerprints have shaped it. Of course, this is a very small slice of history but if you find this scratching an itch, there are many more helpful sources for you to dig in with.

As people reading about the past, we tend to silo things in our minds rather than understanding the larger picture along with the context that it exists within. Having spent a bit of time reading about Chinese history and in particular, the founding of the People's Republic, I'm very guilty of this.

Luckily, books like this come along that better illustrate the connections between actors on the world's stage. There's something here that I haven't gotten from other sources that I believe would help Americans make better sense of the world we live in and how our fingerprints have shaped it. Of course, this is a very small slice of history but if you find this scratching an itch, there are many more helpful sources for you to dig in with.

Based on the title and the early framing, I assumed this would dig into a bit more of the Pakinstani intelligence agency that was supporting extremist organizations while the Pakistani government outwardly said that they weren't aligning with them. While this book has the most about this organization that I've been able to read so far, a lot of it ended up centered around American mismanagement of the war in Afghanistan. I think I made an accident of not reading Coll's other book, "Ghost Wars", prior to this entry but it's a very specific slice of history of the war in Afghanistan and didn't seem to make this entry harder to understand.

Overall, I struggled a bit with this book which might've just been issues with the way I was reading, feeling significantly more dense than other books that I've recently read. I wouldn't hold it against the book since it's billed as a very specific segment of time during the conflict, although it's very detailed and seemingly well sourced. I feel the wiser for reading this even if I was hopeful it'd have a bit more of other components. Perhaps some of the writing could be more digestible and some assertions challenged but I understand Coll is a very traditional journalist and historian. Sometimes, that's exactly what you need.

Related media:
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (Netflix)
"The Afghanistan Papers" by Craig Whitlock (www.goodreads.com/book/show/56898213-the-afghanistan-papers)

This is a fairly quick read that I found thanks to Obama's summer reading list. Wasn't sure what to expect when going in and didn't do much research, but what I found was a brush with grief and what it means to be an adult. Before you even know much of the setting, you feel the weight of Alfa being unable to perform a mercy killing of his boyhood friend. The storytelling is masterful, only briefly allowing you to stray from that enveloping grief.

This is a fairly quick read that I found thanks to Obama's summer reading list. Wasn't sure what to expect when going in and didn't do much research, but what I found was a brush with grief and what it means to be an adult. Before you even know much of the setting, you feel the weight of Alfa being unable to perform a mercy killing of his boyhood friend. The storytelling is masterful, only briefly allowing you to stray from that enveloping grief.

Based on the title and the early framing, I assumed this would dig into a bit more of the Pakinstani intelligence agency that was supporting extremist organizations while the Pakistani government outwardly said that they weren't aligning with them. While this book has the most about this organization that I've been able to read so far, a lot of it ended up centered around American mismanagement of the war in Afghanistan. I think I made an accident of not reading Coll's other book, "Ghost Wars", prior to this entry but it's a very specific slice of history of the war in Afghanistan and didn't seem to make this entry harder to understand.

Overall, I struggled a bit with this book which might've just been issues with the way I was reading, feeling significantly more dense than other books that I've recently read. I wouldn't hold it against the book since it's billed as a very specific segment of time during the conflict, although it's very detailed and seemingly well sourced. I feel the wiser for reading this even if I was hopeful it'd have a bit more of other components. Perhaps some of the writing could be more digestible and some assertions challenged but I understand Coll is a very traditional journalist and historian. Sometimes, that's exactly what you need.

Related media:
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (Netflix)
"The Afghanistan Papers" by Craig Whitlock (www.goodreads.com/book/show/56898213-the-afghanistan-papers)

A lot of the books about big tech are typically written by experts in one field or another, while this actually takes a moment to step back and provide an exhaustive view of the entirety of Facebook's history and its series of scandals. That gives you a top-down view to a tech company in which the leaders herald interaction above all else, stating that it "creates a better world" while at best, failing to understand the world beyond their bubble and at worst, cynically driving the worst interactions solely for the way in which it helps the bottom line.

The writing here is organized well, with each chapter providing a clear and well-written data point that can be independently worth another book unto itself. I'd say this is a great read for folks interested in learning a bit about the world we live in, the tools we use to facilitate it, and the people responsible for them.

Related media:
- The Facebook Files at the Washington Journal (https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-senate-hearing/card/AxUJ0Sioqe4Px8YzsGuc)
- "Mindf*ck" by Christopher Wylie (www.goodreads.com/book/show/52269471-mindf-ck?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=v31DGttMiT&rank=5)

A lot of the books about big tech are typically written by experts in one field or another, while this actually takes a moment to step back and provide an exhaustive view of the entirety of Facebook's history and its series of scandals. That gives you a top-down view to a tech company in which the leaders herald interaction above all else, stating that it "creates a better world" while at best, failing to understand the world beyond their bubble and at worst, cynically driving the worst interactions solely for the way in which it helps the bottom line.

The writing here is organized well, with each chapter providing a clear and well-written data point that can be independently worth another book unto itself. I'd say this is a great read for folks interested in learning a bit about the world we live in, the tools we use to facilitate it, and the people responsible for them.

Related media:
- The Facebook Files at the Washington Journal (https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-senate-hearing/card/AxUJ0Sioqe4Px8YzsGuc)
- "Mindf*ck" by Christopher Wylie (www.goodreads.com/book/show/52269471-mindf-ck?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=v31DGttMiT&rank=5)

Decided to go for it based on Obama's Summer Reading List. Reviews spoke about the great tension among revelations of power. That's a bit misleading. There's a really nice nuanced view of the way that power, economics, and gender impact the way we view the world and the "truth" as we perceive it. Even from my perch, I found this book to capture a bit of the chaos that you feel when wedged between situations or people.

If you look to the text for the surface level content, you're likely to be left wanting. If you are happy with something a bit more cerebral that might scratch on some of the anxieties that we feel regarding home, family, and sense of self, it can be a really nice and quick read.

Decided to go for it based on Obama's Summer Reading List. Reviews spoke about the great tension among revelations of power. That's a bit misleading. There's a really nice nuanced view of the way that power, economics, and gender impact the way we view the world and the "truth" as we perceive it. Even from my perch, I found this book to capture a bit of the chaos that you feel when wedged between situations or people.

If you look to the text for the surface level content, you're likely to be left wanting. If you are happy with something a bit more cerebral that might scratch on some of the anxieties that we feel regarding home, family, and sense of self, it can be a really nice and quick read.

Not peak Gibson but it was still a lot of fun. Has a fun merge of two different and interesting characters that cross in an exciting clash. The world building of Gibson is always lively and the wording concise with clever descriptions.

A bummer that the audiobook is typically unavailable, although I'm still aiming to finish this trilogy by the end of the year.

Not peak Gibson but it was still a lot of fun. Has a fun merge of two different and interesting characters that cross in an exciting clash. The world building of Gibson is always lively and the wording concise with clever descriptions.

A bummer that the audiobook is typically unavailable, although I'm still aiming to finish this trilogy by the end of the year.

Regardless of your politics regarding the Afghanistan War, this book should be an excellent primer for being informed on the issues with the war. It highlights a systemic failure across administrations of all parties, along with other participants who either played both sides or were similarly rudderless. I was absolutely gobsmacked throughout the whole book and believe it's likely a worthwhile read for any American wanting to get a sense of the world we operate within.

Related media:
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (Netflix)