Some good books I've read lately

 

Andrew Marr: A history of Modern Britain

Andrew Marr is a writer for the Daily Telegraph and his experience as a journalist shines through here. Not just because of the amount of detail involved in his commentary of post-war Britain - though that is thick enough - but simply in the fluency and lucidity of his work. Whilst many history books seem to naturally fall into disjointed sections - as though history could be chopped into small, disconnected pieces - Marr seems to effortlessly take the reader on a non-stop, six hundred page journey through time. It starts with Clement Atlee and Labour's ambitious, almost innocent, plans for a new nation through the return of Churchill for the last stand of the true Conservatives and onto the great depression, the massive impact of Margaret Thatcher and all that came after.

It's politically as neutral as possible and all the better for it. A great read for anyone remotely interested in learning more about modern Britain.

The Portable Atheist - edited by Christopher Hitchens

In this book, Chris Hitchens presents a wide selection of writings by atheists. This includes a mix that runs from Karl Marx all the way to Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins. Each piece is readable as a stand alone chapter and that does indeed make the book portable. However, now that I have read several works by Christopher Hitchens, I'm starting to find his pomp and unassailable arrogance a little overbearing. This book is no exception, since Hitchens writes his own introduction for each section. No doubt this collection of literary blasphemy is valuable and enlightening, yet somehow it made me want to take a break from Chris' work and read some of the more down to earth yet equally informed works of his younger brother.

Londinistan - Melanie Phillips

Phillips is a writer for the Daily Mail and is Jewish. I mention her ethnicity simply because it's clearly so important and influential to her. Throughout this book Melanie presents a polemic yet often highly convincing argument for the dangers of Islamic growth in the UK. Apart from detailing important incidents, Phillips also presents her opinions on the causes of Islamic terrorism in Europe by covering the growth of individualism in Britain combined with post-war guilt and a rise in political correctness.

She also donates a lot of space to linking the Israel-Palestine conflict to our domestic situation and the antisemitic rhetoric of several key Muslim leaders, which does indeed make for shocking reading.

Although Phillips and I have similar views on many issues she covers in her book, I did not find her arguments convincing at all times, most notably when she argues that Israel is an innocent party in the Zionist conflict. Phillips is at her most convincing and informative when discussing domestic issues such as the rise of home grown terrorism. A very interesting and readable book.