‘In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir’ by Dick Cheney

If this book were read by an intelligent person who spent the last 10 years on, say, Mars, she would have no idea that Dick Cheney was the vice president in one of the most hapless American administrations of modern times. There are hints, to be sure, that things did not always go swimmingly under George W. Bush and Cheney, but these are surrounded by triumphalist accounts of events that many readers — and future historians — are unlikely to consider triumphs.

This is not surprising. The genre of statesman’s memoir rarely produces self-criticism, or even much candor. Apparently, the point is to redeem your large advance from the publisher with a brisk, self-complimenting account of your life and times, with emphasis on your moment in the limelight. There should, of course, be a dash of “news” and a few frank passages about your true feelings — about others, not yourself.

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Book Reveals Out-of-Control Government Spending and Tax Laws Spur Huge Underground Economy

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The United States has an “underground economy” – in which no taxes are paid – that already amounts to more than $1 trillion a year and is growing fast, according to a new book, which notes that this underground economy is now greater than the total economies of all but fifteen other countries. Author Peter Rush, a public affairs expert, former journalist and small business owner, places the blame for this mammoth tax evasion squarely on the United States Congress and

Reading ‘The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China’

Title: The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China: Including The Art of War