What a coincidence, I was in a production of this play in Stratford... but it was only a few years ago. In working on it, I don't quite see it as a problem play, though definitely a dark comedy.

As far as that particular moral dilemna, for many - at least in the West - it wouldn't be a dilemna anymore. But the scene between Isabella and Claudio is a powerful one.

It took me all of three days to finish World War Z, by Max Brooks. A couple of those days at the airport helped......

If you're a fan of the Zombie Apocalypse genre [am I the only one here?], this is a must read. I will read his companion book The Zombie Survival Guide, as soon as I get it back from a friend.

In the meantime, I'm reading Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World, by Paul Cartledge. It doesn't compare as a good read to Gates of Fire, by Steven Pressfield, but it is non-fiction where Gates of Fire was historical fiction. Good book nonetheless; it gives a great factual rundown on Persian and Hellene life and politics prior to discussing the battle at the Hot Gates.

I just finished John Grisham's, "The Innocent Man".

Good book, sad story about the innocent people that slip through the legal system. However I would much prefer if he stuck to fiction. I do very much prefer his works there.

You're not the only one here. I thought World War Z was great - and not just for the Zombie Apocalypse narrative. Much of that aspect of the novel is every bit as good as, say, Brian Keene's zombie books (without being quite as far-fetched as many novels of the genre, but I also really liked the narrative structure and the variety of voices. It was like a zombie book by Studs Terkel.

I read The Zombie Survival Guide before World War Z and enjoyed it quite a lot - though largely because, as an apparently straightforward "manual", it succeeded mostly because of its whimsical quality. If I'd read it after the novel, I might've been tempted to take it a bit more seriously (or expected more substance) - and may not have enjoyed it as much.

Have you, by the way, used the WWZ Risk Calculator? My chances for survival are, apparently, 41%.

How odd. I have that book sitting on top of my bookcase waiting for me to get to it. It may be waiting even longer if it is as disappointing as you say.

Currently, I'm reading Republicans and the Black Vote by Michael Fauntroy. It's a small, but deep book and does a great job of explaining how the GOP lost the Black vote and presents strategies how the two groups can come together again.

Since I almost always read two books at one time, the other is He Talk Like A White Boy by Joseph C. Phillips, a young Black conservative who used to play a part on The Cosby Show.

I'm always interested in how people think and particularly how people whose political disposition is 180 degrees from mine. Phillips goes a long way in explaining why he became a conservative. I don't get how he reaches some of his conclusions, but I can respect how passionately Phillips defends his position.

Zoinks 32% This test is a lie!!! I read World War Z a couple of months ago and loved every moment of it. It was an awesome book. I almost wish it could be a TV series (This American Life meets Dawn of the Dead). What I found most interesting was the way he made you feel so much pride in humanities ability to survive such trying times that never actually happened. Kinda like reading a book about WWII or something. An excellent book.

After staying at a hotel called the Galt House last week, I feel compelled to read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

The concept intrigues me, the challenge of reading the book intimidates me. Hopefully by the end I will have more than the question, Who is John Galt?

Well, I found it disappointing - but most of it was covering stuff I already knew (and which you probably already know). There are only so many ways one can say "Look - here's a Republican who says one thing and does another. And here's another one. And, hey, here's yet another. And another. And another. And, oh my God, another." I assume it's fairly encyclopedic (and doubtless a good source), but as a straight read, it's a bit... predictable?


The rights to the book have been acquired by Plan B (Brad Pitt's production company), after a fierce bidding war with Appian Way (Leonardo DiCaprio's production company). J. Michael Straczynski, who wrote quite a few of the "Babylon 5" episodes, is supposed to be working on the screenplay. No other details are available, but it's scheduled for a 2010 release.


By the end, my question was "Who the hell cares?" The Fountainhead is a bit more hilarious.

That's excellent news!

On a sadder note, my chances for surviving the Zombie Apocalypse is 34%. That's primarily due to where I currently live, so that should rise in a month or so.

I was recommended A People's History of American Empire by a friend. I was skeptical at first, as it's hybrid nonfiction/graphic novel, but I bought it online. Should be arriving at casa de ConservPat within the next few days.

CP

I get 29%. That's much, much too high a figure, given my total lack of survival skills.

For some reason, I've been able to fit in a bit more reading over the past week or so. I just finished John Dean's Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches. It concludes a sort of trilogy including his previous books, Worse Than Watergate and Conservatives Without Conscience. Taken together, they are a remarkably well-researched and extremely convincing indictment of the past three decades of Republican rule. They're also extremely disheartening and depressing. Dean tries to end on an optimistic note, but the best advice he seems able to offer is "Never vote for any Republican". As if the Democratic Party, especially in this election year, offered any better alternative. Our government is, indeed, broken. I'm less convinced than Dean that it can be repaired.

I've also been dipping into Richard Clarke's Your Government Failed You: Breaking the Cycle of National Security Disasters, but I need a bit of a break before I spend too much more time poring over government incompetence and mediocrity. So I turned back to fiction - sort of.

I'm now halfway through Don DeLillo's haunting Falling Man. It's the only one of his novels that I hadn't read and I'd been putting it off mostly because I wasn't sure I wanted to immerse myself in a novel centering around the September 11 attack and its aftermath. I should have known that if anyone could comprehend and evoke the impact of such an event on the American psyche (and without being in any way polemic), it is DeLillo. So far, the book is remarkable.

DeLillo has long been one of my favorite contemporary writers and I consider a few of his books - The Names, White Noise, Underworld - to be among the most beautifully written and well-observed novels of the post-war period. No one captures the absurd minutiae and casual pathos of everyday life like DeLillo does - and few are as good at delineating human relationships. I have a feeling that Falling Man will be right up there with his best. I'll probably post again once I've finished it. Meanwhile, I'm recommending the book without hesitation - along with any of DeLillo's other novels.

I've been reading like a fat man at a buffet since I got back stateside; I'm almost done with To Rule the Waves; How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World, by Arthur Herman.

Excellent historical narrative on many events that did indeed shape where we are today, as well as interesting reading, even for an Army guy. It also contains a virtual encyclopedia on the origin of phrases that we use everyday, all coined by salty Brit seamen.

In a few days I'll start either a book on Hirohito or Pat Buchanan's latest book on Churchill, Hitler and the unnecessary genesis of World War II.

Only 34% unless I get to my in laws home -- steel security doors. Plus weapons out the tush.

Anyone read Jerusalem Poker by Edward Whittemore ?
I want to get it but will need to order online as no one carries it. My workday is so long I rarely get to read anymore so larger works like non fiction are out for now.

I haven't met too many fat men that do much reading while they're at a buffet.

<crickets chirp>

So myself, I've mostly been re-reading Terry Brooks' Heritage of Shannara series. I plan to re-read the last half of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series before the final book (#12) comes out in Fall of 2009. They're good books, but it will probably take me that long to get through them all

I've also been hitting Wikipedia a lot lately to learn more about the American Revolution, various battles in it, and the political struggles that took place on both sides of the ocean. History is actually very fascinating when you're learning about the people and their stories. It wasn't so interesting in school, when the focus was on learning names and dates, with not a lot of context in between. Hearing Glenn Beck (AM Radio) on July 2 telling the story about the Battle of Lexington and Concord really brought it to life for me. Before, it was just another name I'd heard some time ago.

I took a breather from Shock Doctrine and finished off Michael Klare's Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet.

The book is useful for looking at current energy data on who has what. The authour also effectively describes the servicing side of oil contracting. Through Klare, we can understand how oil appropriation can go to developers and thus sidestep direct market bidding.

We also gain a much better appreciation of the geopolitical struggles which can underlie various discombobulated events. Best example is the Indian natural gas line which was diverted from the IPI (Iran) line to the Afghani TAPI line. As a compromise for taking a longer route, the negotiated premise for nuclear fuel was thrown into the mix.

Another good point about the book is that Klare is a diligent historian whose research into early 20th century affairs involving Britsih Petroleum and their withdrawl out of the middle east really formed the basis of foreign policy today. Klare the does the same for Africa and shows how simple changes of incentives can awash a continent in guns all for the sake of making the deal.

The book is a bit dry with all the graph data though. Very readable. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I'm currently reading Empires of Intelligence: Security Services and Colonial Disorder After 1914, by Martin Thomas.

The book is a history of Brit and French colonial rule in the Mid East and North Africa told from the perspective of the security services, and tells the story of their evolution and development as well. It starts off as if its going to be very dry and pedantic, but the narrative shakes itself off and loosens up a bit as it goes along. Interesting read thus far - the early tales of leveraging support of experts in the social sciences to focus and drive intelligence collection in those days makes for a good comparison to how we are currently using such support. The time period also traces the development of SIGINT and IMINT as companion disciplines to the traditional spectrum of HUMINT collection - the book describes challenges as the countries shift employment of the emerging intelligence disciplines from conventional high-intensity warfare of WWI to supporting suppression of dissent and counterinsurgency in colonial territories.

The book has already given me a very good lead on a document I had previously never heard of, Note du General Laperrine sur les territoires Sahariens, a 146-page report on tribal control policy/desert policing by General Henri Lapperine, submitted to the French War Ministry Africa Section on 27 July 1919. To put it in modern terminology, the report focuses on non-kinetic means of developing and maintaining local support to ensure political stability in tribal societies. I've managed to find a POC who is sending me a scanned copy, and I look forward to reading it once I finish the current book.

I wanted to recommend a few SF series.

Nancy Kress' Beggars in Spain and the two books after it are an excellent trilogy. As always, Kress manages to explore relevant ethics and morality through interesting SF novels. In this series, a genetic modification is found that can turn off the need to sleep. A small group of children born with this "genemod" are discovered to be smarter, more productive (no surprise there with all that extra time awake), and happier than the "sleepers." As they grow up, society rejects them. Throughout the books, Kress addresses the denetic stratification of society, the ethics of the social contract, and most importantly argues for a definition of community that is based on an interdependent ecology of people rather than on an objectivist libertarian idea of social contract.

Stephen R. Donaldson, best known for his Thomas Covenant books, is one of the most agile and interesting voices in the SF genre. The Gap series is his "hard" SF series, and it delivers in spades. A gripping, taut story about power and moral ambiguity, there are no heroes without major flaws, nor antagonists without redeeming turns. Unlike a lot of series where it's a slow downhill slide from the first book, this series only picks up steam as it goes. A terrific ride. Donaldson is one of those rare writers whose gift for the language is so masterful, every sentence is a pleasure to read.

For those who enjoy the alternate history genre - Harry Turtledove being the most famous name there - I recommend S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire series. It takes place in Oregon, and the impetus of the plot is that suddenly one night in 1998 all technology stops working, and gunpowder stops exploding. No one knows why or how, but the world thrust immediately into chaos of a medieval sort. I love post-apocalyptic stuff anyways, and this one is a lot of fun.

Turning to the master of the genre, I love Harry Turtledove's The Great War series. Turtledove is sort of a clumsy writer, but his plots are interesting and his suppositions about how history may have turned out are well researched and interesting. In this series, the basic idea is, how would WWI have been different if the South had succeeded in the Civil War and was now a separate nation. Of course The USA and the CSA end up on opposite sides, bringing the Great War onto American soil. In at the End just came out, and I haven't read it yet, but it sounds from the title like it might be the final book. This is a long series, by the way, so if you start in on it, expect to be occupied for a while.

I recently finished Blowback by Chalmers Johnson. I highly recommend it, it is a fairly unbiased look at American foreign policy since WWII and its effects globally.

Up next: The Israel Lobby, by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt.

CP

Currently slogging through Forever

I'm not sure if this is the right place to discuss the matter at any length, but I don't associate libertarianism, much less Objectivism, with social contractarianism. If anything, I've seen these groups flatly reject the notion of a social contract, often by pretending that it's intended literally and historically, as opposed to as a hypothetical used to justify a consequentialist model. Instead, they support a deontological ethical system based on natural rights.

Since I just got here, I can't create a topic, but if you'd like to continue this discussion, feel free to do so.

TC

I'm just finishing The War Nerd; interesting and light read.

Thanks for the word on Blowback, CP. I have the book, but haven't started it yet.

And thanks Quark, I'm going to look for Dies the Fire next time I'm in the bookstore.

I'm looking for Nation of Sheep by Andrew Napolitano, but it's either the most sold out or under ordered book around. I'll have to order it online when I get a new address shortly.

I've read most of his articles online, they make for entertainment certainly, but how do you find his historical/military analysis?

I haven't read any of his columns, but I am going to check them out. Hi book is more of a primer on global conflicts; basics but with the plain language and humor that the average non-intellectual will find entertaining and educational. He has a bit of bias, but it doesn't seem in your face.

DTOM if you like alt history I recommend another of his series - On the Oceans of Eternity. It's actually related to the Dies the Fire series, but from another angle. The same event that triggers the loss of technology also somehow sends the island of Nantucket back into the Bronze Age. The survivors have to make their way in the ancient world. I read this series first, but they are not dependent on one another. Of course there's the usual stretches - how convenient there was a blacksmith on the island at the time; an ancient historian, etc. But I don't mind that stuff. The stories are a lot of fun for fans of the genre. Oh, and be sure to check out the author's picture in the back of the books. This guy was definitely either in the AV club or playing D&D (or probably both) back in the day!

And I looked at War Nerd, now I'm gonna have to get it! The problem with this thread is I always end up buying stuff afterwards.

His articles are listed here

I'm getting started on The Time Traveler's Wife at the recommendation of a friend.
It is an interesting and gimicky premise. I hope for substance too. I trust the recommender.

Just finished The Winds of War by Herman Wouk, which runs 886 pages, over a period of about 8 months to prove that a person can get through big thick novels by reading them mostly in the bathroom. This elephant was consumed a very little bit at a time, oftentimes just a few paragraphs.

If you're into the writing style that shows and doesn't tell, Wouk will drive you to drink. Otherwise it was an interesting read for gaining perspective regarding WW II, way better than dry history texts.

Next up is Jimi Hendrix Turns Eighty by Tim Sandlin. It's a more consumable 308 pages long but doesn't have Jimi Hendrix in it. He's dead you know, but if he were to turn eighty, this might be what he would experience. It's supposed to be funny, and it is in a kind of predictable manner. There's a whole lot of shaking going on at the home. I'm giving it a chance because a friend recommended Sandlin, who got a good blurb from Christopher Moore. Moore's stuff is laugh-out-loud funny. Not sure which is better, Fluke or Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, both by Moore.

I read The Winds of War many years ago and the follow up War and Rememberance as well. I remember liking them quite a bit (being a WWII buff) as it was the first novel set during WWII I had ever read. I remember my favorite part of the book being a viewpoint from a (fictional) german general concerning comments/decisions about the war from the german perspective. I always wondered if he had interviewed a real general to pick up some of his viewpoints on the matter.

I myself have just finished reading Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell (I believe Mrs. Pigpen said she also had read it some time back). Its the true story of the battle in Afghanistan which took place in June 2005 that led to the largest loss of american soldiers in that country since the beginning of the War on Terror. It is a book that takes some time to get going as he spends some 200+ pages describing his background...where he came from and Seal team training. This is interesting stuff....especially the description of what it takes (what you have to survive?) to become a Seal. But nothing compared to his description of Operation Redwing which was the ill fated attempt to locate a notorious Taliban leader that goes severly wrong. The description of the ensuing firefight is some of the best writing I have ever read....certainly on combat, and had me tearing up just reading it. The story is riveting and heartbreaking, and I will only state further that I now understand a little more clearly the meaning of the word "Valor".

It also goes on to describe the incredible hardships that the author...the "Lone Survivor" had to endure in his attempt to escape capture and most probably execution by the Taliban. The book also describes the incredible choice made by a local Pashtun tribal leader to take in and protect Mr. Luttrell even at the risk of having his entire village wiped out by the vengeful Taliban.

I recommend it the book heartily.

Now its on to the classic WWII non-fiction title A Bridge too Far by Cornelius Ryan.

I've been mighty lucky for the past month or so. Since I'm retiring, I go into work for about 10 minutes or so.....which leaves me with a lot of time to work out and read. That life will end shortly when I start my new job.

Just today I started reading Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, by Herbert Bix. So far, very interesting. When I'm in the mood for something else, I'm trying to work my way through the publications of the Startegic Studies Institute.

Next time I'm in B&N, I will look for those titles Quark, thanks.

After going through all the available Michael Connelly “Harry Bosh” books I discoved the Lee Child “Jack Reacher” series. If you liked Bosh pick up one of the Lee Child books.

After approximately 3 months of reading, I have finally finished Ludwig von Mises' 900 page Human Action. I found it to be a fascinating read, revealing the economic theories of the Austrian School. Mises explains the proper role of economics -a branch of the science of human action, called praxeology. Economics is not political and does not place value on certain decisions. Economics only explains the consequences of human action. Value judgments should be saved for politics. The essential question of economics is whether policy a brings about the intended outcome b. If a brings about not b, but c - then that is not a judgment of value. For instance, the intention of minimum wage laws is to provide a 'living wage' for the nation's laborers and raise the standard of living of all. Yet economics reveals that a rise in the minimum wage does not result in an increase in the standard of living as it results in either unemployment or higher prices. These are not value judgments but an explanation of certain human action. I am further intrigued with Mises' use of the word catallactics to describe the market economy.

I also read French classical liberal Frédéric Bastiat's famous work The Law. I highly recommend this work for all lovers of liberty. I have just recently discovered Bastiat and I plan on reading his other works (though unfortunately they are few due to his early death). His writing is witty and is a powerful defense of freedom and justice.

My next book will probably be Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis which I bought on a whim during a bookstore browsing session. Its a whole lot shorter than Mises' book so I should finish it fairly quickly. I do not know what I will pick up after that. Any suggestions?

I read this book as well, and I also give it my highest reccomendation. I am studying Arabic in school as well as international affiars, so i have a particular interest in Muslim culture since Muslim nations are at the forefront of some many issues today.

It completely changed my perspective on Muslim culture and attitudes as well as the prospects for integration among Muslims and non-Muslims.

This book was well written, touching, and provided a valuable insight into a culture which, though in the limelight, is not well understood by the rest of the world.

I've also just completed The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The genre of the dystopia is big for me. This book fits in among others like 1984, Brave New World, Fehrenheit 451, etc. - all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

This novel was unique however in showing the feminist perspective, something you don't get from Orwell or Huxley. It's thought provoking, touching, and also haunting. Atwood took trends from our society today and carried them out to their "logical conclusions" which eventually, according to her, means the deterioration of identity, freedom, and expression. Is this a likely future? No, probably not. Is it fascinating nontheless? Absolutley. It forces us to examine certain aspects of our society that if viewed in the extreme (as in this novel), are really quite frightening.
I recommend the novel to any other dystopia fans who have read Orwell or Huxley and have enjoyed them.

I have just begun Poisionwood Bible by Barabara Kingsolver. It's about a missionary family who travels to Africa in the 1950s. I've enjoyed it so far. It really demonstrates how jarring it is to have a certain attitude and then get thrown into another culture only to have it completely challenged. She writes from the perspectives of all of the women in the family. The mother and her four daughters who have really just followed the religious father on his mission to 'save' the 'savages'. So, it's not about missionary work at all. It's really about observing another culture through ignorant eyes. At least so far that's the vibe I get from it. Haven't finished it.

After Posionwood, I will read Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Possesed. I read Crime and Punishment this year, and I loved it, so I decided I would read the rest of Dostoevsky's novels as well. Looking forward to it...
Has anybody already read it? What did you think?

The Possessed (often known as Demons in newer translations) is not my favorite novel by Dostoevsky. That would be Crime and Punishment, followed closely by The Brothers Karamazov, then The Idiot. It's just a little too one-sided against the revolutionaries, who are depicted (as the title, in whatever translation, suggests) as pure, insane evil. Nevertheless, it's a powerful novel.

And I quite liked The Handmaid's Tale, and the much-maligned film adaptation.

Odd John (1935) and Sirius (1944) by the science fiction pioneer Olaf Stapledon. The first is about a mutant super-human, the second about a dog with human intelligence. Both are remarkable for their ability to depict the feelings of a being alien to humans.

Ringwraith, could have also been transcriptions from the Nuremberg Trials too. The notion that Hitler simply wanted to united Europe rings more ironic today with the EU. Also the images of people are sharp. This Hitler is insane only some of the time, quite the boyish charmer other times and a calculating politician most of the time. It explains why people like Henry Ford might have been charmed over to the Nazi side.

The whole WW II thing comes clear from this novel. Granted it's one take among many, but it's the take that makes the most sense to me. Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor was the beginning of the end for both Germany and Japan. Makes a person wonder what would have happened had the Japanese settled for what they had, but then it looks so inevitable. Makes me wonder why this all started in the first place. Wouk explains that pretty well.

War and Remembrance is going into my queue as a necessary follow up.

As far as reading about current war, I'll have to take a pass. There's a reason I'm concentrating on comedic writing these days. It's an existential thing.

Just finished Malachy McCourt's History of Ireland. I was very happy with it. Not only did it give me an easy read on Eire's history through the ages, but also defined the Northern Ireland 'troubles' that had always sort of confused me.

Now I've started Patrick Buchanan's Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War.

On the recommendation of DTOM and others, I read World War Z. I also have the Complete Zombie Survival Guide.

I'm also reading The Atlantis Blueprint. Alternate interpretations of history like that are interesting to me. I've always wondered about certain common attributes of widespread ancient civilizations such as the building of pyramids, the number system (why do so many number systems use unique names for numbers up to twelve and then thirteen is a compound number?), the number of primary deities in polytheist pantheons, etc.

Now working on Surrender Is Not An Option: Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad by John Bolton.

Pilgrimage to Earth by Robert Sheckley and The Worlds of Fritz Leiber. Two collections by two of the greatest authors of speculative fiction.

I used to read voraciously; devouring at least a book a week, but for some reason I don't read as much anymore. Anywho, I bought a book called "Bungalow Bathrooms" by Jane Powell (OK, not the usual fare) because I'm looking for ideas for the tiny bath in my 1929 house. What a great book! Not only does it give great detail on the designs and materials used in 1920's/1930's bathrooms, it does so very thoroughly, with wit and humor. I learned more than I will ever need to know about the evolution of the humble toilet. The photos are amazing. When the process for making colored tile and vitreous china, people went ca-razy with color. There are bathtubs in lavender, blue and just about every pastel you can imagine. Tilework went nuts, too. The original all-white "sanitary" bathroom became a wildly colored room where creativity knew no bounds. In addition, the book provides info for "obsessive" restorers, or compromisers, and provides several pages of resources for those looking to restore or duplicate a period bath. The author has several other "bungalow" books that I might have to check out now!

Fiction-wise, I'm reading John Sandford's "Invisible Prey". I love the "Prey" series, and Sandford's writing style. Here is an excerpt I thought the politically minded might find funny (or not):

When they were finished, Lucas walked down the hall with Rose Marie, heading for the parking garage. "Wonder why with Republicans, it's usually f----g somebody that gets them in trouble. And with the Democrats, it's usually stealing?"

"Republicans have money. Most of them don't need more," she suggested. "But they come from uptight, sexually repressed backgrounds, and sometimes, they just go off. Democrats are looser about sex, but half the time, they used to be teachers or government workers, and they're desperate for cash. They see all that money up close, around the government, the lobbyists and the corporate guys, they can smell it, they can taste it, they see the rich guys flying to Paris for the weekend, and eating in all the good restaurants, and buying three-thousand dollar suits. They just want to reach out and take some."

"I see money for this, for my old company," Lucas said. He'd once started a software company that developed real-time emergency simulations for 911 centers. "We could make simulation software that would teach Republicans how to f--- and Democrats how to steal."

"Jeez, I don't know," Rose Marie said. "Can we trust Republicans with that kind of information?"

I'm enjoying The Art of Cross-Examination by Francis L. Wellman. It's a great book with a ton of hilarious and insightful examples from actual court cases. I highly recommend it if you are interested in the court system and case law in general. One particular example-when cross-examining a person that you are trying to prove is paranoid, just keep asking questions until you hit their pet cause. Kind of like dealing with a republican.

Search the Sky by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth. (First published in the 1950's, somewhat re-written by Pohl in the 1980's.) Satiric SF in the style of Galaxy magazine, as a guy goes from planet to planet and encounters various kinds of societies -- the one where the elderly rule, the one where women rule, the one where almost everybody has low intelligence, and so on. Not bad for light reading.

More relevant to this forum may be Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man (1999), by Susan Faludi, the author of the absolutely brilliant feminist classic Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women. This one is longer, and covers a huge amount of material, from the religious group "Promise Keepers" to male porn stars. It could probably use some editing, but it's a fascinating look at the changing nature of American masculinity since World War Two.