What are you reading these days from the above catagories?

I just finished Robert Wright's "Nonzero" which argues through an analysis of game theory the inevitable forward directionality of both biological and social evolution. I found it to be the best argument that I've heard yet for this theory and a profoundly moving concept. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the future of humanity.

I just started in on Tom Paine's Age of Reason. I also picked up a compilation of some of his political writings. I've been meaning to read some of his stuff for a while now.

I've also been reading an microeconomic textbook off and on by David Colander. Most textbooks are as boring as can be, but this one's different. It's got a casual tone to it, and he can be pretty funny sometimes. He's a professor at Middlebury College where I went to school for a while.

Good to see someone rading microecon textbooks. It can be a bit much some time but I believe economics is a valuable lends in analyzing the functioning of society. I'm biased though as I am a 2nd year economics student.

I've been reading "The Rise of American Democracy," a new nook out by Sean Wilentz. It's over 800 pages long, and I just reached page 400. It's been slow going so far, but now that I'm done with finals and I've finished my creative writing course, I hope to finish it within a week. It's really well written and interesting. I'm way too ignorant of American History, but I'm learning.

I am about to crack open Barbara Ehrenreich's "Bait & Switch" her follow-up to the best seller "Nickel & Dimed," which I finished a couple of weeks ago. N&D was so good that I was chomping at the bit to get at B&S.

In N&D, Ehrenreich works at minimum wage/low paying jobs to see if she can make it, i.e., pay the rent, keep the lights on, put food ont he table. What she rights is not pretty. Very powerful and very moving and shows the dark side of capitalism.

In "Bait & Switch," from what I understand, she tries to find a white collar job and chronicles the inanities of the job search process.

Ten minutes ago, I started reading "The Days of the French Revolution" by Christopher Hibbert. I really don't know much about the French Revolution, other than what I learned from reading Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." I've been meaning to read up on it for a while now.


I really didn't know what was supposed to be the best book about the French Revolution, so I went to Amazon and picked the first book. Is there a better way to do that? I'm probably gonna read some more history books in the coming months, and I really don't know how to find out which books are considered the "standards." Does anyone have any advice?