Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World by Tom Zoellner

This book provides a comprehensive guide to the modern history of uranium since the discovery of radium to present day. It shocked me to learn that radium was, and in at least one place still is, used in spas as treatment for ailments (try the Czech Repulic where the first major Uranium ore mine was discovered). This book takes you through the windy road that Uranium has taken since those early days of discovery where scientists overexposed themselves, through the uranium rushes of the late 40's and 50's. Then throughout the world from europe, who was forced by Russia in it's oppressive manners to Australia, where the aboriginals eventually came to play an important role, to the United States where a rush on any ore is a crazy ride in it's own right for many people.

Topics covered in this book make you question the current state of the world in terms of who has the ore and how safely its being guarded. Whether you believe in the proliferation or the non-proliferation, the hard facts on the ground are so astounding that you might want to rethink building that bomb shelter or accept the fact that anything is possible in our world. This ore, once thought of as a waste rock, has become one of the most important elements of modern history in so many ways it is both a harbinger of the apocolypse and the savior of the human race at the same time. It's a hypocracy that has yet to sink in.

Overall this book was an entertaining read, though I felt the tempo slow down at times when I would have preferred to continue the mood, specifically when going from the news reports and atmosphere of the world after Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the mining stories in the United States in the aftermath. Overall I recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding Uraniums impact on the world and it's possible future implications.

The Assult on Reason by Al Gore

Al Gores latest book, The Assult on Reason, is a sobering assessment of the detrimental trend in public media, politics and general American interest in the grander view of our worlds current state of affairs. Al Gore outdoes himself with eloquent arguments supported by fact and reason and founded in many of the logical arguments of our forefathers. Interspersing political issues with the broader world outlook, the truly profound and important issues in our world are covered in great detail.

This book begins with the almost disgusting obsession the American press has with the sensational news bites of the day. As I laughed at the anictodes provided in the first few pages, I realized they were more depressing than funny. Moving onto the countries founding principles and the hope that America once was for the world Gore continues by pointing out the misdirection and manipulation of our public at large by the past administration. Finally, looking beyond our current state of affairs he looks offer solutions to the grander issues at stake.

This book was thoroughly fascinating, it kept my attention, kept me at the edge of my seat eager to read page after page. If these were the closing arguments of a court case I would feel obligated to pass a guilty plea against the Bush administration on the whole for their selfish intentions and immoral methods, if not illegal. Clearly, Bush is the antithesis of the what the founding fathers had in mind. I highly recommend this book for all who are interested in sound logical reasoning on where we are as a nation and where we should direct ourselves in the future (also favorable to those who disagree strongly with the G-Dubya adminstration).

Made to Break by Giles Slade

Made to Break by Giles Slade is an interesting account of the history leading up to the modern throw away culture of American consumerism. While most people would assume a book about consumerism would be packed with horrifying facts and statistics, this book really focuses more on the evolution of consumerism through industrialization, war, business strategies and general economics. The facets of capitalism that are explained within this book are extrodinary and at times seem to trail off into tangents that are besides the point, though the side stories are fascinating and entertaining.

Giles opens with a few alarming statistics about todays production of waste and then dives immediately into the history. From bottle caps to pantyhose and onto cars and appliances Giles covers just about all the consumer products, business scenerios, political environments and consumer psychology there is to discuss on the topic. Weaving this intricate and seemingly disparate set of variables into a cohesive story of the evolution of mass production. Giles concludes by discussing todays biggest polluters and the efforts attempting to curb the mounting pollution issues.

I found this book to be fascinating more than anything else. Though so many names and stories were dispersed throughout, most the stories are all vivid in my mind and will be hard to forget. If you're interested in the history of consumerism, this book covers many aspects and combines them nicely. However, if you're looking for something that inspires action, this book is probably not what you're looking for. Although, 'how we got here' always helps when determining a course of action for 'how we fix this'. One will definately come away with a clearer understanding that the world isn't full of evil but more that social evolution has simply led us down this path. Happy reading.