Best American Political Writing 2004

Rating:
Summary: Not what I had hoped.
Review: Be aware that this book is not from the same publisher as the well regarded "The Best American Series" by Houghton Mifflin. I had hoped for equal, in-depth and fair analysis of political issues that would increase my political IQ. Instead I felt that each essay was based more on opinion than facts, although selective facts can be used to support just about any opinion. And I don't think they were chosen with balance in mind. There is only one article which is negative about the Bush tax cuts but not a corresponding positive article. There are 6 articles on Gay Marriage however.

If possible, look closely at the sources of the articles (listed in the table of contents) and read the brief descriptions by the editor at the beginning of each article before buying this book.

Rating:
Summary: Something for everyone
Review: I know what they say about yesterday's newspaper, but these pieces from 2001, beginning with that mind-bending election and with a special section on September 11, are a slice of history such as we hope not to see again. And besides, many are think pieces from magazines like "The New Yorker" and "The Nation," "Vanity Fair," "salon.com" and "The Atlantic Monthly."

The book is divided into six parts, each followed by a "National Conversation," with column-length opinion pieces. Election 2000 includes five pieces from the likes of Vincent Bugliosi (liberal) and Charles Krauthammer (conservative); Politics in the Bush Era features Margaret Carlson and Nicholas Lemann, with columns from Molly Ivins and Paul Krugman. Lani Guinier and Frank Rich sound off on (Not) Politics As Usual, then Barbara Ehrenreich and David Brooks give their View from Main Street. The second half of the book concentrates on September 11 and the War on Terror and we hear from Richard Perle, Fouad Ajami, Richard Rodriguez, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Henry Kissinger. Among others. The writing is lively and forceful, of course, and if the predictions are sometimes wrong, it's nice to know such opinionated people aren't right about everything. For political junkies of all persuasions.

Rating:
Summary: A Brief View of Politics in America
Review: This book is a collection of essays written by different people in journalism and politics. The book does a good job of representing both liberal and conservative views. I'm not so sure that the collection of essays is necessarily the best political writing of 2001. It is a collection of political writing mostly of the best-known journalists and political commentators on the largest stories of 2001. The book is divided into several sections starting with the result of the 2000 election and the Supreme Court decision and ends with a section on the events of September 11th.
The first section of the book as I mentioned before is about the 2000 election debacle. This book has essays that represent different viewpoints. The journalistic views of the events are represented as well as liberal and conservative viewpoints. The most well written article in the first section I feel was Vincent Bugliosi's "None Dare Call It Treason". This article first appeared in The Nation.
The next section of the book is about the pre September 11th politics of Bush's presidency. The best article in this section of the book is an article entitled "How Jeffords Got Away" by Douglas Waller that first appeared in Time. This article was especially interesting because of the political maneuvering that was recounted that lead to the defection of Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords from the Republican Party.
The third part of this book is about criticism of how business was being done in Washington. I feel that the most interesting part of this section is an excerpt from the book The Radical Center by Ted Halstead and Michael Lind. The excerpt is called "Digital Disjuncture" and is about how the way things in Washington are run prevents the government from fully and properly adapting policy to new technological and social changes.
The forth section of the book is about the experiences and views of ordinary citizens. There are two especially interesting pieces in this section of the book. The first is an excerpt from the book Nickel and Dimed called of course "Nickel and Dimed." "Nickel and Dimed" was authored by Barbara Ehrenreich. In this excerpt Ehrenreich recounts her experiences working as a low wage worker in several parts of the country. The other interesting piece in this section of the book is "One America, Slightly Divided" by David Brooks which first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly. David Brooks tries to explain the differences between Red America and Blue America. Brooks explains that the differences aren't as big and divisive as is often portrayed in the media even though there are some distinct differences.
Section five of the book deals with the events of September 11th. This section begins with President Bush's September 20th speech to congress then goes into some pieces about September 11th from a fairly wide variety of writers Some of the pieces deal with America's collective reaction and what makes America a great nation. Other pieces deal with the intelligence failures how they happened and how to keep them from happening in the future.
The last part of this book is about America's future after September 11th. This part of the book deals mainly with strategic concerns and includes an excerpt from Does America Need a Foreign Policy by Henry Kissinger. The excerpt is about policy in regards to the Persian Gulf region.
This book has many big names and a few not so big names in it. Even though there is much missing from this book in my opinion it is still a good read for those interested in politics.

Rating:
Summary: Nice to know some still care
Review: This book is filled with topics that should be at the forefront of the national conversation but are falling on the deaf ears of an apathetic populace. Doesn't anyone care anymore? This is the important stuff, folks. Hard facts and important ideas on the issues that are vital to our future are being drowned out by the legions of bickering, partisan loudmouths with an axe to grind. This book is one of the dying breed that is not for only conservatives or only liberals but for AMERICANS, lest we forget we're all in this together. Highlights for me included the essays, such as Paul Kruger's "For Richer," that reveal how the interests of the wealthy have hijacked our government to a degree never seen before and why our politicians play along, despite overwhelming public opinion against it and the damage it does to our country. Also recommended is Robert Kuttner's reminder of all the promises George W. Bush made to us during his campaign opposed to what he's actually delivered. There could hardly be more distance between the two. Since it helps to know something about your reviewer, I'll tell you that I'm a Democrat, but you'll find a mix of serious conservative, liberal and independent voices here, though not from the extreme fringes. There's no shortage of other books you can look to if that's your thing. Left, right or center, you will find that the writers whose essays make up this book care deeply about which they write and that's what we could all use a lot more of; more caring and less squawking. If you care about your country but are tired of the shrill war of words and conspiracy theories that pass for political writing these days, this book is a beacon in the dark night.