Summer Reading, before the world implodes

I’m off on vacation — literally, not just the “I’m not blogging so much” kind of digital vacation I’ve been occasionally indulging in — and as I pack a bag full of non-work goodies to read, I thought I’d make a few recommendations:

If you haven’t, you absolutely must read “The Invisible Army,” by Sarah Stillwell in the New Yorker. It’s a deeply reported expose of the exploitation of third-country nationals on US army bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s also beautifully written, and parts will break your heart a little.  And did I mention it prompted Congressional hearings?  Yeah.  It’s so important, I’m going to read it again.

I’m about to start Anna Clark’s “How to Write About Africa,” as I’m bringing along several issues of the Boston Review, which is a new fave. Clark is a Fulbright Fellow working with Kwani? in Nairobi, and the piece is bound to be fascinating.

I’m also bringing, “All the men in this village are liars,” the first book from Megan K. Stack, whose essay on donning the abaya and taking it off as she moved in and out of Saudi Arabia for work, in the LA Times, several years ago I still remember vividly. The first 70 pages of the book, about reporting the war in Afghanistan, blew me away; can’t wait for the rest.

And here’s a final thought: While I’m gone, my country might erase itself, at least fiscally speaking. The leaders of both political parties are locked in a stalemate over a problem that seems to me more politically crafted than anything else. Why do I say this? Because I’m nostalgic for my favorite places in Africa, where governments vary from efficient to dysfunctional — but none of them are viewed by my own as “mature democracies.”

Guys, take a look at our Mature Democracy.  I dare you not to label it dysfunctiona.  And next time an American tries to lecture you about good governance, dare them the same.

Over and out.