We Are Not Saved

Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid

By: Meredith Angwin Published: 2014 496 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

A deep dive into the convoluted nature of the electrical grid with a particular focus on how attempts to make it more effective through competition have failed. Beyond that Angwin describes how the challenge of integrating and encouraging renewables has turned a convoluted problem into an impossible one.

What's the author's angle?

Angwin is a blogger (her newsletter is titled "Electric Grandma") who has dedicated her energies to the very narrow focus of the power grid and related issues. Before retiring she worked with the utilities as a chemist. Since then she's been a consumer advocate, primarily in the northeast where she has been closely involved in the laws and regulations for many years.

Who should read this book?

This is a book for infrastructure nerds. Particularly if you're interested in the fragility of infrastructure or the challenge of grid management in an era of intermittent renewals.

An initial caveat:

I read this book a year ago...

Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution

By: Carl R. Trueman Published: 2022 208 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

The long philosophical journey that took us to the current prioritization of expressive individualism, and how this journey eventually carried us to a strange new world, where expressive sexual/identity politics seem normal if not inevitable.

What's the author's angle?

Trueman is a Christian, and this book is written towards a religious audience.

Who should read this book?

Trueman's previous book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self is one of my all-time favorite books. (You can see a review here.) This covers basically the same territory, but in a shorter, more accessible format. If you've read his longer book, you can probably skip this one, but if you haven't then I would recommend this book to anyone trying to understand the modern world.

Specific thoughts: It is indeed a strange new world

How much of the mania is inherent to crypto and how much is just SBF?

Cryptomania: Hype, Hope, and the Fall of FTX's Billion-Dollar Fintech Empire

By: Andrew R. Chow Published: 2024 416 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

The 2020-2022 crypto boom. Three groups stand out. The scammers, as represented by Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). The idealists, as represented by Vitalik Buterin and the victims as represented by African NFT artist Owo Anieti.

What's the author's angle?

Chow definitely thinks that there was a crypto bubble that popped in 2022 with the implosion of FTX. Whether he thinks crypto is a bubble in its entirety is less clear. He's definitely not a crypto booster.

Who should read this book?

I mostly read it to partake in some schadenfreude at SBF's expense. It delivered on that. If you have similar desires I would recommend it, but it also did a great job of outlining the craziness of that era.

What Black Swans does it reveal?

The collapse of FTX played out over a much shorter time period than the collapse of, say, Enron or Lehman Brothers. If crypto gets more entrenched into the world's financial system while maintaining this quality of rapid volatility, that would be bad.

Specific thoughts: Owo vs. SBF

Should I translate someone's glee at the murder of Charlie Kirk into an actual willingness to commit it?

Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1)

By: Chinua Achebe Published: 1958 209 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

The main character is Okonkwo, and saying that he's complicated is to put it mildly. He's desperately afraid of failure, which in his case means following in the footsteps of his father. On top of the complexity of Okonkwo there's the additional complexity and richness of the Igbo culture: its customs, its gods, its method of delivering justice, etc.

Into this rich and (for me) strange world, the Europeans arrive. Though not till around the 2/3rd mark. The consequences are perhaps not as bad as you might fear, but they're bad enough.

Who should read this book?

I quite enjoyed the book, and it was certainly different from my normal fare. Also it reads quickly. Finally, it's widely regarded as a modern classic. I'm not sure I have a good reason why you wouldn't read this book.

Specific thoughts: The flattening of colonialism

Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina

By: Chris Frantz Published: 2022 208 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

The life and musical career of Chris Frantz and his wife Tina Weymouth. With particular attention paid to his antagonistic relationship with David Byrne, the front man for Talking Heads, a band they were both members of.

What's the author's angle?

Frantz seems to be going for three things here. First it's an ode to his wife. Second it lays out his side of the fight between him and Byrne. Finally it's a snapshot into the origin of punk in the late 70s.

Who should read this book?

If you're a huge Talking Heads fan. Or if you really want a behind the scenes look at what it was like to be in a band in the late 70s. Otherwise I would skip it.

Specific thoughts: The fact that he's stayed married for all these years counts for a lot.

Regretting Motherhood: A Study

By: Orna Donath Published: 2017 272 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

Donath interviewed 23 Israeli women who regretted motherhood. In most, but not all, cases these mothers asserted that they still loved their children, they just didn't like the responsibilities and restrictions that came with being a mother. In some cases they only realized this after having children, in other cases they knew they would regret motherhood, but reported feeling forced into it by societal, patriarchal, and pro-natal pressure.

What's the author's angle?

This book belongs to the "unsilencing" genre. Donath is "unsilencing" mothers who regret their motherhood. Whether they are actually being silenced just in Israel in 2017, or everywhere even now is a good question, but outside of the scope of this review. Donath herself does not want kids, so she's not an unbiased observer of things.

What's my angle?

This was recommended to me as a counterpoint to Hannah's Children by Cathrine Pakaluk (see my review here). I am definitely more Pakaluk's side than Donath's, but it is important to see what the opposition is saying. Nevertheless I was biased going in, and I remained biased all the way through.

Who should read this book?

If you're trying to gain a broad perspective on mother's feelings about motherhood, then this book definitely lays out one side of the debate, and you will have a broader understanding after reading it. Otherwise I would skip it.

Specific thoughts: Where will the fertility rate naturally settle?

Perhaps it's not how fast technology moves, but where it's impact is felt? Also S-curves...

The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command

By: Andrew Gordon Published: 1996 708 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

An incredibly detailed examination of the battle of Jutland, combined with an equally detailed history of naval command, and its failings in the lead up to the battle.

What's the author's angle?

Gordon's target is excessive signalling. And he's written a very long book to demonstrate just how bad it was.

Who should read this book?

You have to be pretty committed to WWI naval history or military minutia before this is the book you should be reading. But if you are, it's excellent.

Specific thoughts: Militaries acquire bad habits during peacetime; it's hard to know which of these habits might end up causing great harm

Cheap Sex: The Transformation of Men, Marriage, and Monogamy

By: Mark Regnerus Published: 2017 280 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

A data-driven look at the modern dating and "hook-up" culture. As you can tell from the title, he argues that sex has become cheap, not so much in dollars and cents, but in the level of commitment it requires. He points to three reasons for this change: the pill, porn, and dating apps.

What's the author's angle?

As I was reading this book, I was trying to remember where I had heard the name Regnerus before. It took me a while to get around to looking him up in Wikipedia, at which point I was reminded of the "New Family Structures Study". He was the lead author on this study which claimed that children raised by a parent who had been in a same-sex relationship had worse outcomes than those raised by heterosexual parents. If you guessed, based on this, that he's a conservative, then you would be correct. However, that didn't really come through very much while reading the book.

Who should read this book?

If you want data to back up the online arguments you've been making. Or if you're looking for a better understanding of the underlying reasons for the continued decline in fertility.

What Black Swans does it reveal?

Most of the trends he described are continuing to worsen. Sex just continues to get cheaper. As bad as it is already, it's not crazy to imagine that VR, AI, and sex bots might really cause the bottom to drop out.

Specific thoughts: Differing views of sex