Summer Reading?

Since I'm actually taking a few days vacation soon, I thought I would add my list of Summer Reading to those Marigolds provided us here earlier.

1. The Apology by Plato. Plot: Socrates defies the mob. Makes good argument. Gets the death sentence.

2. The Bacchae by Euripides. Plot: King defies god. God takes over his mind and gets him to dress up like a woman. God gets the king's mother to rip her son apart. King's mother takes king's head to king's grandfather. The god wins in the end. (Such shocking, degenerate violence! What will we tell the children?)

3. Dying to Win by Robert Pape (2005) Short version: Everything you thought about suicide bombers is wrong.


4. Geschichte der Opposition in der DDR 1949-1989 by Ehrhart Neubert (1998). Short version: democratic opposition gets oppressed for decades. The democrats win in the end.

5. Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal by J.K. Rowling. A friend just told me that the Harry Potter books are now available in ancient Greek. Gosh, I hope they aren't as violent as those by that Euripides fellow.

6. Perils of Dominance by Gareth Porter (2005). No, it's not an S-and-M book. Short version: Foolish Presidents thought they were going to kick booty in Vietnam, no problem. Foolish Presidents lose war.

7. Power and Mission: Was Amerika antreibt by Detlef Junker (2003). Short version: Americans think they're so virtuous they know how to run the world. They're whacko with that notion, but hopefully the rest of the world can stop them from doing excessive damage.

8. Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right by Sara Diamond (1989). Short version: Yes, the Christian Right is a scary bunch.

9. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. Plot: Martian imperialists invade Earth. Martians lose.

10. The Wrong War: Why We Lost in Vietnam by Jeffrey Record (1998). Short version: Foolish generals thought they were going to kick booty in Vietnam, no problem. Foolish generals lose.