« The World We Have Lost | Main | Queen fact of the day »
What I've been reading
1. Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class, by Robert Frank (the economist Robert Frank). The best statement of the Frankian world view; every book of his is full of ideas and there are very few authors you can say that about.
2. John Lanchester, A Family Romance. Imagine finding out your mother was once a nun and then that she led a life of lies. I would have liked this book much better had it not been fiction. It felt so real and even has good photos but I am disappointed to keep on thinking it is only a story.
3. Gunther Grass, Peeling the Onion. Why oh why oh why do I let myself be fooled. There is only one author I find flat out too obnoxious to read, and it is this guy. And that was before I learned of the whole SS business. I had heard this one is different, but it isn't. Or it is, but he's still too far over the line for that to matter.
4. Elizabeth Currid, The Warhol Economy: How Fashion Art & Music Drive New York City. The title says it all.
5. The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language, by Christine Kenneally. The early chapters have excellent material on the contributions of Chomsky and Pinker, but after that it bored me.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on July 26, 2007 at 01:41 PM in Books | Permalink
Comments
From the looks of this blog, you seem to be a smart guy, but are you really reading five different books every three days? Please enlighten.
Also, what is the status on the book forum?
Posted by: pk at Jul 26, 2007 2:41:51 PM
http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2006/12/how_to_read_fas.html
Posted by: cbisquit at Jul 26, 2007 2:53:24 PM
I like word origin study and theory, too. I also frequent the library, but because I drive 2+ hours a day, I use audio books to pass the time and read. It's slower than reading myself, but easier on the eyes. One thing I also like is courses on audio, and to that end I might recommend A history of the English language / Michael D. C. Drout. There was lots of stuff I hadn't heard of before, including phonetic theory and the influence of the Norse on the English Language.
Posted by: pawnking at Jul 26, 2007 3:04:36 PM
"I would have liked this book much better had it not been fiction." It isn't fiction - it is a memoir, ie a true story.
Posted by: Stephen Stratford at Jul 26, 2007 5:14:30 PM
Does anybody else think the New York art scene is lame.
it just tries to hard. it tries to be too trendy and too groundbreaking. to me, New Orleans, memphis, st. louis, chicago, etc, contain this country's real groundbreaking art scenes.
Posted by: thehova at Jul 26, 2007 5:39:47 PM
Why does Robert Frank sometimes go by "Robert H. Frank" and sometimes "Robert Frank?"
pk - you will find some of the answers here
Posted by: Biomed Tim at Jul 26, 2007 6:58:30 PM
Robert Frank has done a great job. Of course a lot the notions are fairly predictable. If he were to include
one of TC's better ideas the book and arguments would be much better. What idea of TC's? Some time aga TC
advanced the idea that the U.S. govt is very good at advancing the interests of elites. Absolutely, all theemprirical
data shows that indeed congress and presidency are creatures of special interests--they do not advance
the interests of well, the very people that are getting left behind. So, I know most of you dislike
change and belive all is well--the issue is chaning the process by which policies are made not policies per se.
Every policy of any meaning has been a sop to powerful interests and not plain folks. Hmm Prescription
benefits--for plain folks or pharamceuticals......Oh but if we enact a policy, blah, blah......Interests
gain in the short and intermediate run and middle class loses over and over.......
Posted by: Robert C at Jul 26, 2007 9:54:08 PM
A better book on language is the "Prism of Grammar" by Tom Roeper, it explores the process of children learning their first language and all the complexities they need to overcome. It also takes a big picture look at why the human language ability is important and what insights it provides for the nature of the human mind itself. It is a fairly quick read, and it really has an original perspective.
Posted by: Timothy at Jul 27, 2007 1:35:00 AM
The NY Times review of you mentions your reading strategy:
"The best sections of the book concern tactics for maximizing one’s cultural consumption, or what amounts to imitating Cowen. He lists eight strategies for taking control of one’s reading, which include ruthless skipping around, following one character while ignoring others, and even going directly to the last chapter."
Is this the kind of reading you're doing when you say "What I've Been Reading"? Lots of skimming/skipping around, or are you reading these books cover to cover? I don't find fault with the former, but I don't understand how you can get through so many books if you're doing the latter...
Posted by: fustercluck at Jul 27, 2007 9:30:05 AM
Robert Frank's book is available for free on his website. Go to the following page:
http://www.robert-h-frank.com/papers.html
And click on the link "Musings on Inequality"
It's a great book, I highly recommend it.
I assume that he wants you to read it for free, otherwise he wouldn't have posted it to his website.
Posted by: Half Sigma at Jul 28, 2007 11:39:20 AM
I come from asia, injoy 室內設計,work in a 搬家公司,other enjoy isecosway和科士威,good see U。
Thanks.
Posted by: jack at Jan 6, 2008 9:26:16 PM
