Some books that I’ve read recently…
Revolutionary Iran – The subtitle is A History of the Islamic Republic and the author is Michael Axworthy (2013). A pretty heavy subject but really interesting. It generally supports the view I’ve always held, that the orientation of the U.S., Israel and Iran as adversaries runs contrary to the status quo of history. And that eventually the antagonisms between them will resolve to a more comfortable equilibrium. Beyond that, much as Islam has been misused in other settings, the Islamic Republic has a ripe history of episodes where its leadership has compromised its religion in order to maintain power and control. Either way, this book serves as a great one volume serving of Iran’s modern history
Just Mercy – The subtitle is A Story of Justice and Redemption and the author is Bryan Stevenson (2014). Mr. Stevenson is a preeminent lawyer in the field of civil rights, specifically with respect to representing the indigent and those on death row across the country. Having seen him speak before, the book well captures his tremendous gifts as an orator and teacher. And every time I see him speak or read his work, I am reminded of why I have always held reservations about capital punishment and a general empathy for the poor and disenfranchised.
