A young black professor at Berkeley named John McWhorter has written a very thought-provoking book with the double-meaning title "Losing the Race." Its subtitle is "Self-Sabotage in Black America." It is about fashionable but counterproductive attitudes that are holding back the progress of blacks.
Black radio talk-show host Larry Elder has written a new book titled " The Ten Things You Can't Say in America. It is not confined to racial issues, but includes such things as gun control, health care and gender bias. It is very readable, insightful and presented in Elder's usual take-no-prisoners style, using such old-fashioned things as evidence and logic. A lot of sacred cows bite the dust in this book.
Another talk-show host -- from television -- has written another wide-ranging book about contemporary American life. This one is titled The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and The Completely Ridiculous in American Life. " and its author is Bill O'Reilly from the TV program of the same name. The book is very much like the program. In the book, as on the air, O'Reilly hits the nail on the head a remarkable number of times and misses by a country mile a few other times. But, either way, it is always a good read.
"The Case for Marriage" by Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher is one of the most important books of our time. Contrary to what clever people say, the hard facts show that marriage makes an enormous -- and favorable -- difference in everything from income to health to the education of children and their general well-being. It makes a bigger difference than race or money or practically anything else. Shacking up or sleeping around just does not have the same track record, as a ton of evidence shows.
Yours truly also had a book published this year -- memoirs titled A Personal Odyssey. Since it is impossible to give an objective assessment of your own book about your own life, let me just suggest that you take a look at it and see what you think.
The same people who are interested in serious books are often also good candidates for a gift subscription to a serious magazine. That is especially so for conservatives who complain of widespread liberal bias in the print media, as well as on television.
Among the outstanding periodicals that will never be accused of liberal bias are City Journal, Conservative Chronicles, Hoover Digest, Insight magazine, The Weekly Standard, National Review, Commentary, Policy Review and The American Enterprise. Despite a liberal media, there is no need for either conservatives or liberals to hear only one side of the story, after you give them a subscription.
Happy holidays -- and easy shopping.