Feature

Dylan Ratigan's 6 favorite books

The passionately anti-"bankster" MSNBC host recommends authors who propose solutions for how Americans can improve their lives and nation

How by Dov Seidman (Wiley, $28). When we look at the challenges facing our nation, how we go about addressing them is usually considered the question. The premise of Seidman's 2007 book is that "how" is the solution — that the way we relate to each other is the determinative variable in the way those challenges will be resolved, in the prosperity of the country, and in the quality of our lives.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $30). If Seidman is saying that how we work at our challenges is the answer, Kahneman's current best seller says, Here's how. Kahneman is a psychologist, and he asks us to understand that our brains have two systems for solving problems, and that we each need to recognize when the rational side is being overridden by the system driven by emotion.

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson (Crown, $17). This autobiography by the founder of Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines is an exhibition on how — not how to make money but how to create a life based on entrepreneurship, adventure, problem-solving, and audacity.

Republic Lost by Lawrence Lessig (Twelve, $27). This book describes the single biggest barrier to America's achieving a quality "how" — the corrupting influence of money on our political system. Professor Lessig is wonderfully articulate in detailing the scope of the problem and advancing a potential solution.

The End of War by John Horgan (McSweeney's, $22). A reason for hope: Horgan's assertion is that the history of humanity is not a history of war — that war has been used as a problem-solving technique for only about 10,000 years. Because the existence of an anonymous "them" is a precondition of war, he also argues that the world's increasing interconnectedness will soon render war obsolete.

The Shadow Effect by Deepak Chopra et al. (HarperOne, $15). Chopra speaks to the need for each of us to resolve what's unresolved in our own lives before we can address unresolved issues in our communities and nation. If we do the first, achieving the larger objective will come naturally.

Dylan Ratigan's best-selling Greedy Bastards is an indictment of the "banksters," "corporate communists," and other "vampires" who are "sucking America dry."

Recommended

The Mandalorian's best Star Wars Easter eggs
The Mandalorian
Feature

The Mandalorian's best Star Wars Easter eggs

The daily gossip: March 22, 2023
Gisele Bündchen
Daily gossip

The daily gossip: March 22, 2023

6 books to read if you already miss The Last of Us
Fly agaric mushrooms
In review

6 books to read if you already miss The Last of Us

The daily gossip: March 21, 2023
Jamie Foxx
Daily gossip

The daily gossip: March 21, 2023

Most Popular

DeSantis' no good, very bad week
Ron DeSantis at a podium
Behind the scenes

DeSantis' no good, very bad week

Russia's spring Ukraine offensive may be winding down amid heavy losses
Ukrainian tank fires near Bakhmut
Attrition

Russia's spring Ukraine offensive may be winding down amid heavy losses

Essential molecules for life may have been 'delivered' to Earth from space
Asteroid Ryugu.
alien invasion

Essential molecules for life may have been 'delivered' to Earth from space