Writers with courage and a fresh "take" recommended

Becoming acquainted with new writers is fun. Today's spotlight is on three writers I discovered recently on C-SPAN. They are -
Cass Sunstein, John Brady Kiesling, and Sarah Chayes.
Note that I am not recommending these books because I have read them, but because of how interesting and compelling the authors' ideas and personalities are. Their subjects are ones in which I have long been interested, i.e., communication, diplomacy and the Middle East.
Myths about truth abound - I first recommend a new book "Infotopia - How Many Minds Produce Knowledge", by Cass R. Sunstein, a professor at the University of Chicago. See also Wikipedia. Professor Sunstein's research indicates that discussion is not always the best way to reach actual truth. Discussions among like-minded people, for instance, tend to reinforce the bias of the group. Surveys' truth depend upon the amount of information the responders have to use in giving their answers. It turns out that the new "futures markets" actually get at the truth most effectively. Amazing. Some "Infotopia" book reviews:

• PrawfsBlawg - 10/03/06. "Quick Review of Cass Sunstein's Infotopia on Blogs"


• Powells.com - Synopses & Reviews, comment


• Oxford University Press - Description, Reviews, Author Information

Diplomats insisting upon truth-telling may not fare well in the current administration. And quirky, smart idealists, such as John Brady Keisling, may be forced to give up their careers rather than conform. Keisling is a shy man who found his voice. Thus the second book I recommend is, "Diplomacy Lessons: Realism for an Unloved Superpower", by John Brady Kiesling, a former State Department career diplomat. Here is more:

• calendarlive.com - (from WaPo) "Ex-diplomat saw Iraq as 'I quit' issue"


• Metta Spencer's Weblog - quote from a post on Stanley Hoffman's foreign policy book reviews, "As Hoffman writes, “Kiesling argues that US insistence on expanding its own nuclear arsenal destroys any effective nonproliferation strategy.” And the war on terrorism “has turned the most powerful nation into the most frightened one.”


• Washington Post - writer Bob Thompson talks about two interesting authors, Sarah Chayes and John Brady Keisling.

A woman telling truth to power in Afghanistan is at risk. The third author is obviously very courageous, because she has done just that and "lived to tell the tale." After seeing C-SPAN's book TV airing, I am also recommending Sarah Chayes' book, "The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban". More information:

• Powell's Books - Synopses & Reviews, comment


• New York Times - review by David Rhode

Tags: bush iraq afghanistan islam republicans terrorism security war books news and politics writing foreign policy communication
My "creative post" today at Southwest Blogger is about a wishing well.