Welcome to Litsy!

Powerful book about the state of politics in the US. Being from Canada I can similarities with the current state of politics here.

20-25 Aug 22 (audiobook)
An examination of the increasingly polarised state of US politics. Klein had some interesting ideas as to how this had arisen, some of which probably also apply to Australian politics. Not so sure about his solutions.
I did find his narration difficult at times - very fast and not a lot of consonants!

Using data, historical trends, current events and past situations, Klein proposes various reasons as to why the US is polarized. I found it to be really interesting, readable and adjusted my thinking about political parties, media, and solutions. Great book and well written!

Sometimes fascinating. Sometimes maddening.

Ezra Klein is a political writer who looks at history, politics, the social and technological changes in society, and social science research to examine why we‘ve become so polarized. I‘ve read several books along these lines and got a lot out of this one. I don‘t agree with everything he says, and in fact he contradicts himself a couple of times, but if you‘re looking for a greater understanding of our moment, this is a great option.

Klein cogently explains how we‘ve ended up with the current polarized state of American politics. Insights into how each party has changed and role of identity in these changes. Looks at dynamics of power, the set up of our system and the consequences . I learned a lot about why this leads to a cycle of further entrenchment especially when the republicans party can maintain control without winning the popular vote and having outsized power.

Spending some time with this book. It might not make me feel better about the state of the world, but it might help me understand.

Trying to finish my audiobook without disturbing Lucy. Cats have it made.

#Audible
#CatsOfLitsy
#QueenLucyThe Valiant
#NeverDisturbTheKitty

I swore I would read lighter books this year, but it hasn't happened. This one is really interesting.

#Overdrive

Interesting and comprehensively researched but reading it in the middle of the pandemic makes you a) depressed and b) wonder if any of it will really matter.

Latest non-fiction read...

This is enlightening read. In Klein‘s estimation, polarization itself isn‘t the problem. The problem is polarization combined with our constitutional structure, which was not designed balance and manage partisan interests. All of this seems largely correct to me.