The Archipelago: Italy Since 1945 - John Foot

 An excellent, well-written account of Italian politics and society post-war.  Covers the social conflicts between workers/Communist party and Industrialists/Christian Democrats/ex-Fascists through the 40s, 50s and 60s.  Also includes a specific discussion of how the Americans worked to influence the first post-war elections to ensure the Communist party did not win the national elections.  (Both of these preceding points seem to be mostly forgotten by most Italians I speak with, even the educated ones.)  Chronicles the continual ties between governments and the mafia.  Excellent account of the emergence of the Lega, which has been around as a separatists, racist party for decades.  The biggest surprise was the account of Berlusconi and the Berlusconi years.  Berlusconi was basically a Trump without Twitter.  Same use of media to bypass the party system and speak directly to an alienated popular base.  Same subversion of the party system to make it a one man show.  Same view of government as a tool for furthering his business interests and those of his close allies.  Same attempts to change the laws to avoid persecution for his corrupt business dealings.  

In the end, it is a pretty hopeless picture, with a cross-party group of elites at all levels of business and government, including the judicial system, that work to protect each other and maintain their positions of power.    

Allah n'est pas obligé - Ahmadou Kourouma

 Un livre par un auteur du Côte d'Ivoire.  Il raconte l'histoire d'un jeune enfant qui se joigne aux armées privées en tant qu'enfant soldat.  C'est un récit des événements de sa vie, mais il y a très peu de batailles.  C'est surtout une présentation des croyances, du zeitgeist, des gens qui habitent dans la région, et de ce point de vue, c'est très intéressant.  Ils vivent dans un monde ou la raison compte pour rien.  Tout est expliqué par la magie, par les croyances traditionnelles, par une sorte de folie collective.  Et ce n'est point un portrait romantique ou nostalgique de cette mentalité - cela ne mène qu'au désastre.  

J'aimerais explorer un peu plus cette littérature africaine en français.

The Myth of Capitalism - Jonathan Tepper

 A book that take down the myth of the American capitalist system as a system of competition and constant renewal.  He outlines how the actual American economy has become both monopolistic and monopsonistic with a small number of companies controlling huge areas of the economy, setting prices, wages and even what suppliers will be paid.  Innovation and new company creation are steadily slowing.  Smaller firms are more and more swallowed up by a few big ones.  The end result is lower wages for everyone, the disappearance of family farms and businesses and higher prices for everyone too.  This is actually the driving force behind growing income inequality:  wages shrink, prices go up, large corporations and big share holders grab more and more of the wealth. 

Since slavery the basic American economic model has been highly exploitative.  Then came colonialism/imperialism on the world stage.  Now they are back consuming their own people to get rich.  

Nothing is done because money runs politics.  Congress works for the wealthy shareholders and corporations by granting monopolies, increasing regulation that makes it harder for small companies to get started and changing laws that benefit large companies and the wealthy.  He underlines the importance of how government advisors and top administrators move back and forth between the private and public sector.  

This problem is particularly important in the U.S.  Canada and Europe are far more stringent in applying anti-trust and anti-monopoly rules.  The U. S. has given up on this.  

This book explains why Google and other large tech companies have been having legal problems and being fined large sums of money in Europe whereas nothing is happening in the U.S.  

Worth rereading for the details,

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe

 A reread from long ago.  A portrait of a lost era that quickly disappeared into the maw of commercialization of everything.  Kesey was a strange character - a bit of a prophet with a vision of a society with a freer, more open mind.  It is interesting that his later message was to move beyond acid and the other drugs, to find that open mind state without the drugs.  Of course, this message fell flat.  For most the attraction was the thrill.  

Also, always the same old things:  leader worship, in crowd and out crowd, conformity pressure.  The alternative vision that mirrors the same old same old....

Sadly, ultimately, the whole thing ended rather seedily - hiding from the law, seamy Mexico, in-fighting, even a bit of megalomania and paranoia.  A failed prophecy and a failed prophet.  

The WEIRDEST People in the World - Joseph Henrich

 A potentially fascinating book exploring the psychological and conceptual differences between the Western European psyche and culture and that of the rest of the world, and how this helps explain the rise and dominance of the West.  He looks at all kinds of things - individualism vs. social and familial integration,  social cohesion vs. individual perception and judgement, the locus of causality and guilt, and many others.

One interesting point that he makes is how the Catholic Church revolutionized social relations in the West by forbidding cousin marriage, thereby forcing people to reach out beyond their immediate familial circles to develop a wider web of relations.

Unfortunately, the book delves into the background, research and experiments a bit too deeply and it begins to drag.  I would like to read a version with the main themes and conclusions and a simple summary of the background related to each.  Because of this quality, I couldn't finish the book.

Try again, reading only the beginning and end of each section for the main points and themes.

Gli Zii di Sicilia - Leonardo Sciascia

 Quello che comincia come romanzo divertente si sposta lentamente in critica sociale di diversi aspetti della società siciliana.  Ci sono osservazione critiche sopra il ruolo della chiesa, del governo, della società sempre dominata di famiglie ricche e come continuano a sfruttare il piccolo popolo.  C'è anche uno sguardo al fascismo e l'oppressione politica nell'era del fascismo.  Ma per me, il più interessante e lo sguardo critico ai valori sociali della società americana, esposto attraverso la visita della zia che abita da anni in America - materialismo e soldi davanti a tutto.  Era un tema nella letteratura italiana di dopo guerra.   Si può vederlo per esempio, anche nel film di Fellini su i suoi primi anni a Roma, sotto l'aspetto della scomparsa della vita comunale e di quartiere negli anni 50 e 60.

Todo Modo - Leonardo Sciascia

 Corto romanzo di tipo critica sociale.  Esamina il rapporto corrotto tra la Chiesa, il mondo degli affari e delle grande imprese, e del governo sociale cristiano.  Da un certo punto di vista, espone il tentativo della Chiesa, ora forza metà spenta, di ritenere il possibile della sua importanza e del suo potere.

Interessante come documento sociale di un certo periodo storico.

The Scramble for China: Foreign Devils in the Qing Empire - Robert Bickers

 An account of the humiliation and exploitation of China in the late 1800s by England and America.

Goes a long way to explaining the current determination of the Chinese government to build a strong system of central control, project a strong presence in the world and to build a system of links and allies, and to remain at the crest of new technology, both civilian and military.  The current leaders have learned their lessons from history...

On Pandemics - David Walther-Toews

 A book about the current Covid Virus "pandemic" and how we ended up here.  Lightly written, easy read book with some wit.  There is an undercurrent of mockery or poking fun throughout the book for several reasons.  First, because scientists have been warning about the next pandemic for over a decade now and no one in positions of power was listening.  Second, many of the factors leading to modern pandemics are related to over-exploitation and destruction of natural environments, another problem that scientists have been warning us about for decades without much success.  Third, third world poverty, another much discussed but short on action problem, also encourages the kind  of human-animal interactions that lead to viruses jumping species.  Fourth, this cycle of viruses jumping species is an old cycle, repeated many times throughout history, often resulting from new modes of interaction between humans and the natural environment.

Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire - Kurt Andersen

 A great analysis of the roots of the current crazy political, social and ideological climate in the U. S., tracing it all the way back to the founding of the colony in Virginia as a 10 year long gold rush scam designed to attract immigrant suckers.  

The introduction alone is full of astonishing facts about beliefs and mental habits of Americans at large - left my mouth hanging.  One that sticks - by the author's estimation, at best 1/3 of Americans live in a rational, fact-based universe...

The chapters dealing with the 19th and 20th centuries are the most interesting in terms of explaining key moments on the road to the current state of society and critical thinking.  Too many things to discuss...

Worth a reread, especially the second half.

Pig Earth - John Berger

    A novel loosely strung together around a group of characters, the last generation of small farm peasants in the mountains of France.  The book's introduction is an essay on what it means to be a peasant, the world view of that way of life.  He does a good job of highlighting how their world and the modern industrial world are so alien to each other.  I find he has done a good job of getting into their shoes.  Especially interesting is the perspective on the place and role of tradition in this peasant society.  The role of continuity of place and also of habitation and family history.

Reread the rest of the series.

Le piccole virtù - Natalia Ginzburg

Piccola collezione di saggi in due parti.  La prima parte, che preferisco io, è una collezione di memorie - il suo esilio durante l'epoca fascista, la vita povera a Torino dopo la guerra - e di ritratti di persone importante nella sua vita.   Si trova un ritratto molto toccante di suo amico Cesare Pavese.  Spiega l'importanza di Pavese per i giovani autori, e anche nel ritratto molto personale si vede il carattero e i problemi che l'hanno spinto ad uccidersi.  Per me, è una spiegazione più verosimile di quelli che sono normalmente offerte.
La seconda parte, che non trovò così interessante, è fatto di qualche saggi critici sulla società contemporanea.  Li trovo un po' troppo didattici e moralisti.  Forse sarebbero più interessanti se fossero più brevi e più concentrati. 

Adua- Igiaba Scego

A novel by a Somali-Italian author, translated from the Italian. 
It portrays the life of a Somali woman who moves to Rome to become a film star, but ends up working in the porn field.
What is interesting is the portrait of Italy's engagement with Somalia and the Horn of Africa in the course of the 20th century.  There is a lot of exploitative history there, and historical ugly racism that is explored in the book.  Somalia was Italy's exotic East, same role as the Levant and North Africa played for France and Britain.

Peace and Good Order - Harold R. Johnson

Another wonderfully clear and concise book from this great author.  He has such clarity of thinking and of expression, no meanders, no bullshit.
This book is basically and indictment of the Canadian justice system in relationship to Canada's indigenous people.  Chapter by chapter he outlines the harms, both intentional and unintentional, that the system perpetrates (note:  many of the same things could be said  about the system in relation to white society...).  He also outlines the system bias that basically means even an increase in native lawyers and judges will not change the system itself nor the outcomes.  He also explores the cultural differences that ensure that the dominant system will never work for native communities. 
Johnson, in the case of the treaty for his people, also shows that native communities in fact have the right to maintain order and administer justice on the lands covered by the treaty.  He sees this as a possible solution or way forward.
Johnson also proposes a return to native traditional values and culture, and an education in these as one possible alternative to incarceration.  It seems like a good idea, but one potential weakness in the is that some native people may not want to return to this tradition viewpoint.  To me, it seems there is some kind of inherent conflict or inconsistency in wanting to live by a non-western set of values while at the same time benefiting from or keeping the fruits and products of that set of values - technology, entertainment, daily living enhancements...

Le Chagrin et la pitié - Marcel Ophuls

   Un film sur la France sous l'occupation.  Un film très controversé à sa sortie dans les années '60.   Il paraît que la France a la mythologie qu'en général elle n'a pas trop collaborée avec les Nazis au cours de cette occupation, tandis qu'il semble que la vérité est tout à fait l'opposée.  La collaboration était la politique officielle du gouvernement de Vichy.  Au commencement des hostilités,  le film donne les sens d'une élite française complètement démodée et hors de contact avec la réalité de la situation - perdue dans des illusions d'héroisme et gloire.

   Plein de personnages fascinants, surtout les anciens membres de la Résistance qui s'y sont mis au début du conflit.  Il y a aussi un noble très intéressant qui raconte franchement sa guerre en tant que membre de la Brigade Charlemagne, une brigade française qui faisait partie du Waffen S.S.   Quand on voit tous ces personnages, toutes ces expériences et perspectives diverses, c'est un miracle que la France n'est pas tombée dans un désordre social absolu après la guerre.  C'est peut-être l'accomplissement le plus important de De Gaulle à la fin.

   L'autre chose qui fait rire c'est les cigarettes.  Tout le monde est tout le temps en train de fumer....

White Fragility: Why it's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - Robin DiAngelo

    A patiently argued book.  As she points out in the book, as a race relations workshop leader, she has faced a lot of angry push-back around these ideas.

    For me, her main idea is that the nature of racism has changed.  Whites are still stuck in the image of racism from the 60s, deliberate acts and attitudes aimed at hurting and excluding people of colour - lynchings, exclusion signs, institutionally separate services.  DiAngelo's point is that the nature of currently troubling racism is much deeper, much more all-pervasive, much harder to pinpoint.  It is what is referred to as systemic racism.  And her idea that causes so much push-back is that, as whites, whether we wish it or not, we all benefit from this systemic racism.  Benefits accrue to us without us even trying.  Therefore we all participate in/benefit from racism.  (I say 'we', which is true, as she points out this white superiority and racism benefits all whites around the world within the context of different societies.  But most of her concrete examples are pulled from the U.S.)
     The type of racism she refers to includes more obvious things like segregation through such means as property prices, where the undesired group is shut out by economics.  This then creates segregation in available services, especially in the area of education quality.  She is also talking about media representation of racial groups and the stereotypes that influence our perception when interacting with members of other racial groups. 
      Notice she is careful to state that whites are also a racialized group, and that some people can hold prejudices and stereotypes that denigrate whites, but the difference is these groups do not have the social position and power to impose their prejudices and stereotypes on us.  They do not control the levers of power that make this racism pay or hurt.

      DiAngelo does not really offer much in the way of solutions.  Speaking up when other whites speak or act insensitively from racial stereotypes.  Raising awareness of one's own racialized stereotypes and ideas as they whisper away in our own heads.

The Book of My Lives - Aleksander Hemon

A collection of what read like short stories, but are actually short autobiographical pieces.  Somehow he sees how his life resembles fiction.  Some wonderful pieces on his early times as a newly arrived accidental immigrant in the U.S., stranded by the start of the war in Bosnia, that examine what it feels like to be a new immigrant, living with the "us" and "them".  A very sharp observer of people, their peculiarities and foibles.  You also get some sense of Slavic culture through the pieces about his family and his relationship with his father.

The Cockroach - Ian McEwan

Great impromptu spoof of the whole Brexit deal and the individuals and forces behind it.  Bit of a take-off on Franz Kafka.  Basically, cockroaches take over the bodies and minds of leading political figures behind Brexit.  Their goal is to create a world in chaos and disorder to promote living conditions more suitable to their continued reproduction and success - another way of looking at Brexit, Trump and Putin (amongst others) who strive to create legal, political and social conditions favourable to their own greed and desire for power

This Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality - Peter Pomerantsev

  A complex exploration of how our communication has moved away from facts and reality to the fantasy worlds of Facebook and Twitter.  Looks at social and economic causes.
Some interesting examinations of how totalitarian forces have coopted the language and gestures of the Left to counter their influence.
  Some scary case studies of how Facebook and Twitter have been used by would-be dictators and extremists to control people's perception of reality, to win elections and to create riots and commit murder.

  Worth rereading, as ideas are quite complex and wide-ranging.

Nothing is True and Everything is Possible - Peter Pomerantsev

  A very interesting book about how the modern Russian mafia state works, and how Russia has changed since the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of Putin.  What makes this book interesting is who's stories the author tells.  This is not an analytical book, a theoretical book, nor a look at well-known key figures.  The author tells the stories of regular, everyday people that he meets in the course of his ten years of working for Russian media. (His difference as a reporter is that he actually grew up in London but kept up his Russian with his dissident parents who had moved there.)
   Some salient points:
   The historical progression goes something like this:  The fall of the Soviet Union leads to the rise of two groups; mega-entrepreneurs who quickly become very rich, and a well-organized criminal mafia with roots in the Gulag system.  This leads to chaos.  The rise of Putin follows, and he uses the KGB structure to rein in/destroy/subsume the independent criminal mafia.  Putin uses his new KGB mafia alliance to destroy or rein in the mega-entrepreneur class.  Slowly the mega-entrepreneurs transfer their wealth to London and leave the country.  Huge amounts of money are extorted, profitable business are taken over, whole areas of the economy are taken over, and the resulting spoils are distributed amongst Putin's underlings.  Slowly the mega-entrepreneurs transfer their wealth to London and leave the country.  The government/mafia inserts itself into most of the economy.
    It becomes clear in the book that Putin controls all levers of power in the country - government, military, criminal organizations, media, the courts, the economy.  It would seem the only crack in the structure is when Putin is no longer, but the result will probably resemble a civil war amongst various underlings to capture the top position - which won't help the country at all; in fact, make everything worse.

   Like China, it would be very interesting to study this phenomenon of countries where revolutionaries have tried to destroy the organically rooted culture and replace it with an entirely new imposed ideologically based culture.  These types of radical breaks do something strange to the society.  It would be interesting to look at this from a sociological point of view.  I wonder if there are parallels to be made with various personal psychological issues and pathologies...