…I don’t read as much non-fiction as I do novels, so this is far from a comprehensive list of the year’s best, but–hopefully–there are enough recommendations here to interest someone.
Honorable Mention: “Raw Deal: How the Uber Economy and Runaway Capitalism are Screwing the American Workers” by Steven Hill…I just started this book, but I feel confident in its beginning. Sure, liberal economics books are a dime-a-dozen—so are conservative economics books, by the way—but what separates this from the pack is the way it’s picking up on a very real threat to full-time employment. The “contracting economy” may be the biggest driver of American underemployment and wage decreases in our lifetimes.
Runner-Up: “Dead Wake” by Eric Larson…I had absolutely no interest in a book about the sinking of the Lusitania. The fact that this book made me care is a minor-miracle and testament to how well it’s written. By exploring the root causes of what drew America into WWI (and the climate of that time) it tells an absorbing narrative that shouldn’t be too surprising given this author’s past, excellent work.
5. “The China Mirage” by James Bradley…A thorough exploration of American/Chinese relations and why the relationship has always been a complicated one. By following mistakes made early on by Teddy Roosevelt and people who made a fortune during the Opium Wars (like FDR’s grandfather), the book sets the tables for a history of diplomacy you’ve likely never heard before. Also, in going in-depth into the “China Lobby” (which supported the doomed Chiang Kai-Shek and indirectly got America involved in the Korean and Vietnam Wars) the book gives an early example of how a foreign lobby steered America’s agenda…usually for the worse.
4. “Silver Screen Fiend” by Patton Oswalt…This one may seem like an odd duck when stacked next to the historical books that make up the rest of this list, but it’s also an enjoyable, breezy read about “movie addiction” which could just as easily be any pop-cultural addiction like music or TV. It’s also about Oswalt’s stand-up comedy and early career working on MadTV (perhaps too much about those things), but since I’m a huge fan, I didn’t mind. Even if you’re not that familiar with Oswalt’s comedy, a quick 200 pages of a comedian talking about films and stand-up is about as fun as a non-fiction book can get.
3. “America’s Bank: The Epic Struggle to Create the Federal Reserve” by Roger Lowenstein…Most people don’t care at all about The Federal Reserve, and a very vocal minority actively hates it, but this book lays out the case for exactly why it’s so necessary by detailing the world before the Fed. The book’s early chapters read like a dystopian nightmare–as most history does, please thank your stars you’re alive in 2015 no matter how you feel–where there were hundreds of currencies issued by independent banks that could close their doors overnight. A dedicated group (including a horrified German banker who couldn’t believe the world’s soon-to-be-top economy used a Wild West banking system) fought to rectify this problem even though American politicians couldn’t even say the words “centralized bank” without fear of a public backlash.
The majority of this book is set almost exactly 100 years ago, but the issues it raises—wariness of federal power, rich interests vs. a struggling poor class, an extremely contentious presidential primary between establishment Taft and “populist” Teddy Roosevelt—are the same we grapple with today. The author may be a little too conservative–his prior bibliography is a good case in point–but that presence is minimal on this book, which is loaded with “who knew?” facts like the Titanic sinking during that presidential election, and may have even impacted the primary by way of diminished spirits. And this is the one told most like a straightforward story, a warm and invitingly old-fashioned one.
1. [Tie] “ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror” by Michael Weiss and “The Looting Machine: Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers, and the Theft of Africa’s Wealth” by Tom Burgis…I just couldn’t decide which one should take the top spot. One about a topic that has been covered extensively in the press, and the other about a topic that is too rarely mentioned. These two books almost give a full picture of why the Middle East receives so much more attention than the media’s borderline-negligent coverage of African affairs.
Sure, there have been plenty of books about the Islamic State, but “ISIS” is the best account yet. It is a full, top to bottom history that explains things the mainstream media never talk about, like why Bashir Al-Assad is helping ISIS to co-opt the more legitimate Sunni insurgency that was going on before they even showed up. No one should sound off about “what we need to do about ISIS” before reading this book.
Then there’s “The Looking Machine,” which perfectly explains “the resource curse,” and why Africa’s natural resources may be the very things keeping it from political stability. The book also explores China’s shady (and growing) role on the continent, and why this may not be much better than the French/British colonialism they so recently escaped.