The Court and the World: American Law and the New Global Realities

Breyer, Stephen (Get this book)
A liberal Supreme Court justice takes on a conservative bugbear. Associate Justice Breyer notes that consideration of the decisions of foreign courts in Supreme Court opinions has recently "sometimes evoked strongly adverse political reactions," even though references to foreign decisions appear from the court's earliest days. The author attempts to allay such concerns by placing the court's modern engagement with foreign law in the context of a global economy. "The objections of critics," he writes, "do not reflect the reality of today's federal court dockets….It is not the cosmopolitanism of some jurists that seeks this kind of engagement but the nature of the world itself that demands it." Breyer argues that as American government and business become more closely enmeshed with foreign governments and with international organizations and commercial interests, federal courts cannot function effectively without taking perceptive account of the decisions and underlying reasoning of other nations' courts. A carefully reasoned plea for a continuing engagement of the American judiciary in establishing a worldwide rule of law.--Library Journal

$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America

Edin, Kathryn J./ Shaefer, H. Luke (Get this book)
An analysis of the growing portion of American poor who live on an average of $2 per day. Welfare in the United States has always been a divisive issue. Edin and Shaefer argue that this shift created a new class of poor in America that fights to survive on barely $2 per person per day because they cannot qualify for the new government aid programs or the assistance they receive is simply not enough to supplement their low-paying jobs.The authors share deeply human stories of the regular people trapped in poverty, typically through no fault of their own. Some are victims of abuse, others are forced to quit their low-paying jobs due to health concerns, and some simply cannot catch a break despite playing by the rules. An eye-opening account of t he lives ensnared in the new poverty cycle.--Kirkus

The Two-State Delusion: Israel and Palestine - A Tale of Two Narratives

O'Malley, Padraig (Get this book)
A thoughtful autopsy of the failed two-state paradigm. In a work of impeccable research, featuring extensive footnotes and employing interviews of both Palestinians and Israelis, O'Malley addresses the sticking points on both sides that form the "addiction" by each to an "ethos of conflict": the omission of the Islamist, Gaza-based Hamas from the peacemaking process, thus ignoring the "elephant in the room"; Israel's refusal to allow Palestinian refugees or their descendants a "right to return" after the wars of 1947-1949; continued Israeli settlements by a ultraorthodox minority bent on "messianic zealotry"; a highly problematic economic sustainability in Palestine due to the "asymmetry of power" with Israel; and the "silently creeping, inexorably irreversible changes in Israel's demographic profiles"—namely, fewer Jews and more Palestinians. Evenhanded, diplomatic, mutually respectful and enormously useful. --Kirkus

The New Spymasters: Inside the Modern World of Espionage from the Cold War to Global Terror

Grey, Stephen (Get this book)
Investigative journalist Grey has his finger on the pulse of all things espionage. While explaining the changes in the spying world since the end of the Cold War, he delves deeply into the strengths and weaknesses of the industry and discloses previously unknown events. The author has answers, but he also has many questions, all of them food for thought. A comprehensive, intelligent look at the evolving world of spies. --Kirkus

The New Spymasters: Inside the Modern World of Espionage from the Cold War to Global Terror

Grey, Stephen (Get this book)
Investigative journalist Grey has his finger on the pulse of all things espionage. While explaining the changes in the spying world since the end of the Cold War, he delves deeply into the strengths and weaknesses of the industry and discloses previously unknown events. Grey understands his subject intimately, and he sees the dangers of spies who might turn, go rogue, or actually influence their subjects. He alerts us to the problems with relying on human intelligence without signals intelligence (communications) and vice versa. Is it worth the trouble, and will it help? Grey believes that spying can be successful as a last resort; it's invaluable during war but often counterproductive in peacetime. The author has answers, but he also has many questions, all of them food for thought. A comprehensive, intelligent look at the evolving world of spies.--Kirkus

All in: How Our Work-First Culture Fails Dads, Families, and Businesses and How We Can Fix It Together

Levs, Josh (Get this book)
Using his personal experience as a jumping-off point, journalist and "dad columnist" Levs examines the need for more paternity leave in the United States. Through his straightforward analysis, Levs shows how the male-female dynamics at home have changed significantly over the past 50 years, while those same forces have not changed in the workplace. His scrutiny and evaluation of paid paternity leave leaves no doubt that the entire infrastructure needs a serious renovation. Well-documented and easy-to-comprehend data on why men need more paid time off to be with their newborn children.--Kirkus

Dealing With China: An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower

Paulson, Henry M., Jr. (Get this book)
In 2002, as CEO of Goldman Sachs, Paulson escorted Chinese leader Hu Jintao around the New York Stock Exchange to show him how private enterprise works. Four years later, as treasury secretary, he noted with alarm that China had become the world's second largest economy. How did that happen so fast, and how can we compete? Having written the New York Times best-selling On the Brink, Paulson brings not just his expertise but considerable sales clout to his latest endeavor.--Library Journal