The Father of Spin, Edward L. Bernays and the Birth of Public Relations by Larry Tye

Edward L. Bernays was not really Edward L. Bernays, he didn't have a middle name, Louis. This book dives into the life of a man who touched every American in one way or another, though most have no concept of him. He got his start in theater which influenced his methods in Public Relations, a field which he controversially is said to have fathered. After reading this book, I tend to agree that he infact is the father of public relations.

From the corporations to the governments he influenced this book is a great primer on one of the most prominent people in public relations in the modern era. It details everything from his business dealings to his influence in government and geopolitics to his personal life and the inter-personal relationships between he and his daughters and wife and the lack of a non-business related relationship with anyone else.

His connection to Sigmund Frued and his disconnect between his father are thoroughly explored and help the reader understand this interesting mans background and motivations. He is one of the most interesting people I've ever read about and possibly the most self promoting man on the face of the earth. Born in 1891 and dying in 1995 the man lived more than a century and met more prominent figures in the last century than any other person I've read. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how the world of public relations got its start and the enigmatic man behind, or in front, of the curtain.

The Great American Stick Up by Robert Sheer

This book was a great read that depicts the roots of the current economic collapse which began as a birthchild of the husband wife duo, Phil and Wendy Gramm back in the Reagan era. The book dives into the intricacies of the deregulatory ethos of the Reagan republicans which spread into the following administrations and finally really took hold at the end of the Clinton administration (with Clintons help). From Enron to Lehman Brothers, this book explains the intimate relationships between the treasury, the fed and the major financial institutions which helped conceal the flow of money. The real tragedy is that our tax payer dollars are being funnelled through government into the large financial institutions which ultimately has landed in the laps of the ultra-rich. Even today as the government continues to pass tax cuts for the rich and the disparity between wealthy and all the other classes grows even bigger, there is no true power able to champion the moral cause for the majority of the American public, the middle class. The book, unfortunately, does not end on a positive note as there is nothing positive to be taken from the amazing story thats unfolded within its pages. I highly recommend this book!