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Age of Anger
- A History of the Present
- By: Pankaj Mishra
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 287
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 259
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Story4 out of 5 stars 252
How can we explain the origins of the great wave of paranoid hatreds that seem inescapable in our close-knit world - from American shooters and ISIS to Donald Trump, from a rise in vengeful nationalism to racism and misogyny on social media? In Age of Anger, Pankaj Mishra answers our bewilderment by casting his gaze back to the 18th century before leading us to the present.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing
- By AR on 04-28-17
- Age of Anger
- A History of the Present
- By: Pankaj Mishra
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
An excellent place to start
Reviewed: 09-08-17
More an argument than necessarily a history, this book nevertheless accomplishes a complex feat by providing context and even occasional empathy for the sources and products of our angry present. While not comprehensive (but then, no history that dips so close to the present can be), it provides a far more satisfying argument to the state of the present than those I had before, and has inspired me to dig deeper
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2 people found this helpful
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48 Laws of Power
- By: Robert Greene
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 23 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25,205
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 20,933
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 20,811
Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills 3,000 years of the history of power into 48 well-explicated laws. This bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other infamous strategists. The 48 Laws of Power will fascinate any listener interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.
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5 out of 5 stars
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You don't have to be a psychopath to like this.
- By Gaggleframpf on 02-25-16
- 48 Laws of Power
- By: Robert Greene
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
Surface Readings and Incoherence: Not my favorite.
Reviewed: 07-27-17
I picked up this book expecting a discussion of power: from where it is derived, how it is exercised, what of our assumptions about power have held up while others have not.
What I got wasn't that. What I got was an occasionally incoherent ramble (protect your reputation at all cost, no really; simultaneously do Anything to get noticed, doesn't matter if you look bad). When the book isn't being inconsistant, it's terribly shallow, using very flimsy great man readings of history to support its points (I'm sorry, suggesting I behave as Louis XVI only sounds good when you don't think about it). And all of this is framed by an opening argument that everyone does this, fighting for power is unavoidable, and so you should learn how to fight for it "properly", at least. Which felt manipulative and cheap, which I'm coming to realize isn't something limited to the opening of this book.
I may someday finish this book. But it seriously didn't impress me, and it would have to pause shortly after I finished listening and go "did we scare off the uncommited? sweet, here's some real analysis" to get me reading again. And even then I'd be pissed that wasn't at the front of the book.
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13 people found this helpful