Tremayne

This book lacks intellectual depth in its narrative.

Reviewed: 05-23-24

This book lacks intellectual depth as is expected of a journalist trying to be a narrator of current events. I don’t recall reading Frank Bruni’s work in the past, but based on the intro I expected a different book. I expected a book with more connections to what to expect in the future or an examination of how such grievance becomes part of a society’s identity rather than a book of complaints about society’s shortcomings from one individual’s narrow-minded perspective.

What this book offers more than anything else is the author's belief that the left is solely responsible for all grievances felt by individuals within the United States. It’s subtle, and there is an attempt by the author to achieve balance, but 50% of the way through the book, you realize that the truth is that this author thinks that “we” brought the collapse of the United States on ourselves with our petty grievances, and the intellectual left is to blame.

There is almost no consideration that some of these grievances, even if overstated, are not completely without reason on the left and the right. There is almost no energy given to the idea that some folks' grievances on the right might be misplaced and aligned with some of the fears of the people of the left and vice versa.

I am technically a member of the left, but I disagree with it on many social, economic, and geopolitical issues that form the basis of its social media persona—the one this book attacks. It’s a caricature of the far left and not representative of the normal middle of the left.

The ultimate difference, however, between me and Bruni is, I believe, that I am Black. My understanding of our history is not a set or series of throwaway acknowledgments of past mistreatment or injustices; I am the living embodiment of that history. I can’t throw it away, and that grievance is attached to my existence, not because I can’t let it go, but because society still operates by it.

Contrary to what Frank Bruni believes, I do not expect modern-day whites to solve any of the problems caused by the prior days' whites. I am much more interested in figuring out how we solve our historical problems and improve lives, rather than trying to sell ourselves that those problems are no longer relevant. He clearly believes my grievances are without any merit, though he does not say it directly in this book.

I do not think I can finish the last few chapters of the book because he and I are on opposite sides of the spectrum as it relates to our understanding of grievance and why it is so destructive as a political force. I believe he considers himself a person of the left, but this book is a representation of how far apart we, as citizens of the United States of America, are from our perspective. We do not see the world in the same way at all. We are going to have to be very strong as a country and support our founding structure and ideals, or we will lose everything. I never thought I would see the day as a person born in the early 1980s, but this book more than any other than I have read, has convinced me how broken our society truly is. I recommend this book only if you are interested depressing read that provides no additional understanding of our current predicament whatsoever. Do better, Frank. Good luck to you all in the collapse.

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6 people found this helpful

One of the most important and insightful

Reviewed: 01-14-23

One of the most important and insightful books I’ve e er read. I spent my childhood and early adulthood; born in the north east to Southern black parents, wondering why people that look like me all lived in the same place in different degrees of poverty. This book helped me connect the first dots on my journey of understanding the world I was born into. The book is well written and well performed and has no wasted chapters. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how and why ghettos came to exist and why they still do.

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The best breakdown of Value 3.0 Investing

Reviewed: 11-24-22

The author breaks down the philosophy and provides historical concepts that have helped me streamline by business evaluation process. I feel 1000 times more confident in my approach after reading this book.

I have read all of the value legends and books about those legends and his philosophy is makes total sense against that historical perspective. Definitely give this one a read.

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2 people found this helpful

Must read for anyone interested in understanding America at its core

Reviewed: 06-11-21

The Souls of Black Folk is the most insightful reading I have completed thus far on my quest to better understand my own history and the story of how we ended here in 2021. Dubois fills in the gaps between the civil war and 1898 masterfully. Reconstruction is the most impactful failure this country has ever experienced, especially for black America. There is a direct line between modern human suffering in black communities and the abject failure of this era. At times, other than Dubois’ writing style, you could believe his words are describing a much more recent history. Give this title a read, you won’t regret it.

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Wonderful

Reviewed: 03-31-21

What a great story. For those of us that experience the world of automobiles and racing as an integral aspect of our humanity, this book captures all of it. This was the most joy I have had listening to an audio book in some time. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a keen sense and appreciation of modern history, and a love of cars and auto racing. You will not be disappointed.

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Strong white history of slavery and freedom in Colonial Virginiania

Reviewed: 11-17-18

This book is a strong history of the path to slavery in Colonial Virginia. However, it lacks almost any contextual connection to the deeper roots of slavery in North America. This book seems to be written almost as a comparison between the servant class in colonial America and the negro slave, rather than a book on ideas of freedom within a slave state. It’s a great build up to the question the book was meant to answer but is less effective at answering the burning question. How dehumanization takes hold and the idea that freedom and democracy was for white men and never meant for the wider brown world. These are the forces that continue to apply pressure to the darker skinned to this day. I still recommend this read.

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1 person found this helpful

Ethical leadership and evaluations on judgement

Reviewed: 04-28-18

Where does A Higher Loyalty rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is definitely the best book I have read this year and is certainly in the top 3-5 of all of the 30 or so audiobooks I have listened to on audible.

Have you listened to any of James Comey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were many moments. His conversations with President Obama were particularly moving. The two men, very different at the edges, share many similarities at their core. These conversations to me, prove that ethical leaders can work through the most difficult of problems and find solutions, even when they disagree vehemently.

Any additional comments?

This book is required reading for anyone that cares about our Democracy or the office of the president. The role of the president has somehow been diminished to a point that the American people are comfortable with their leadership espousing anti-democratic values and initiatives. James Comey's experiences throughout his career exemplify why we need moral leaders as a counterbalance, even against those who know for sure they are making the right decisions. I am a lifelong Democrat and did not read this book for more Trump bashing, but for additional perspective on our times. This book delivers at the highest levels. I was captivated for all 9 hours! You will be as well.

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The best book on America’s polarization by far

Reviewed: 04-06-18

The authors are well researched on the history of American politics, as well as Europe and South America. Many democracies have dealt with the struggle to maintain norms of forbearance and like principles and expectations. You know all of the stories from history, i.e. Nazi Germany, what the authors do here is put it into incredibly clarifying context. I recommend this book to anyone, Republican or Democrat, that loves our democracy and wants to know how and why we got here. More importantly, the book helps define actions we can take to help ensure we don’t succumb to our current challenges. Very well done guys!

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