Social Analysis

In this summary, we will analyze, discuss, and summarize the key points in The Myth of the Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan. Most people would agree that democracy is broken yet we all know that it is the best governmental system we have. Despite it being the best system, we are facing an unprecedented crisis.

There is no doubt that the economic crisis of 2008 was one of the worst in recorded history. It was scary times. What is even scarier still is the fact that it's only a matter of time before another crisis will occur. In Thomas E. Wood's book Meltdown, he makes the case that the US Government was to blame for the 2008 meltdown and asks how the government can insure it doesn't happen again. In this edition of Summary Shorts, we will analyze and summarize the ideas put forth in Meltdown and learn how a future financial crisis can be avoided.

Though written around 1513, more than 500 years ago, Italian diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince is still very influential. Listeners turn to it for its direct advice on the question of how to attain - and retain - power. Machiavelli's answer, in brief: use any means necessary to make sure the state survives. Given the changeable nature of politics, the strong ruler that Machiavelli describes may need to lie or cheat, deceive and, if necessary, resort to acts of violence - all the while maintaining an "image" of goodness.

Peggy Orenstein’s Boys and Sex provides an open and incisive look into the sexual experiences of boys and the challenges that come with being a sexually active teen. She goes deep into the teenage psyche to uncover what they think about rape, consent, porn, homosexuality, hookups, and much more. A must-listen for every teen and their parents!

In Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope, Pulitzer Prize winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn take a personal and harrowing look at the pervasive problems of poverty, drug abuse, and rising death rate in America through the stories of the people in America's forgotten towns. What they discover is a problem that goes far beyond unemployment or personal choice: they discover America's great social depression.

In Infinite Powers, Strogatz attempts to show us the link between the universe and calculus. Everything human civilization has created has been based on some form of calculus, including cellphones, radios, HIV drugs, and human genome technology. Strogatz makes a compelling argument that without integral and differential equations, there would be no modern civilization. Infinite Powers is a classic description of the history, development, and future of calculus, as well as the phenomenal mathematicians who mastered it.

Note: This is a summary and analysis of Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope and not the original book. If the world is statistically better off than ever before, then how come everything feels so f*cking terrible? This is the question Manson attempts to answer in his latest best-selling book, Everything Is F*cked.

In Digital Minimalism, author Cal Newport explains how you can experience a massive positive transformation in your life by ruthlessly cutting down on the time you spend online. Learn how to ditch the screen and get your life back.

In Winners Take All, Anand Giridharadas bursts the great myth that large corporations are the key drivers of social change and poverty reduction. He provides critical evidence that shows just how self-serving these large donations are, highlighting the behind-the-scenes machinations that keep the system skewed in favor of the wealthy. Giridharadas pulls no punches as he exposes the inner workings of what he calls MarketWorld, a reference to the philanthropic individuals and companies that make a killing off the misery of poor people.

Author and culture critic Ben Shapiro tells in no uncertain terms how Americans are ruining their nation by forsaking the values and virtues that their Founding Fathers believed in. If the people don’t stop being angry and ungrateful at the country that has offered them so much, then the struggle for America’s soul will be lost forever.

Tucker Carlson’s Ship of Fools is a collection of essays presented as a call to change the elite power structure that has grown beyond its usefulness in America. As conservative as Carlson is, he laments the loss of classic liberal values such as worker’s rights and international peacekeeping. The liberal position, he argues, was critical for maintaining the checks and balances necessary to keep a functioning, middle-class society. Carlson argues that we, as America, need to take back our democracy and demand accountability from the "fools" in charge.

Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger is a timely and thoughtful exploration into the history of women’s anger and oppression, the revolutions it has led to, as well as the current momentum all of those things in the wake of Donald Trump’s election...Rebecca Traister offers not only a guide for navigating your own anger in a system that was meant to suppress it, but also a guide to the history of feminism, oppression, and social justice movements from abolitions and women's suffrage to the tides of political change today.

This is an audio summary of Bob's Woodward's best-selling book that explores the detailed inner workings of Trump's highly unorthodox, and often toxic, White House. It is intended as a companion to, not a replacement for, the original book.

In his thought-provoking and deeply moving book, Matthew Desmond tackles the issue of poverty in America through the lens of eviction. Desmond's Pulitzer Prize winning book follows the personal lives of several families and individuals struggling to survive in Milwaukee during the Great Recession. (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.)

PLEASE NOTE: This is a summary and analysis of the book and not the original book. Author and physician Atul Gawande analyzes the diverse and problematic landscape of end-of-life care. By providing examples of the good and bad, Gawande shows that we as a society can do much better for the elderly and dying.

Steven Pinker wants to prove that we are living in a world that is better off than it has ever been, and it will only continue to get better. In Enlightenment Now, Pinker argues that the best tools we have come from the 18th century ideals of reason, science, progress, and humanism, and we can leverage them in very 21st century ways by using data to tell the story of our modern world. (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.)

This is an audio summary and analysis of Hans Rosling's groundbreaking book, Factfulness. Intended as a companion to the original book, this summary includes a synopsis of the original book, Rosling's original quiz, an editorial review, background on the author, and more.

This is an audio summary and analysis of Daniel Coyle’s The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups. Author Daniel Coyle shares the secrets to creating a successful organizational culture. Drawing from various examples, Coyle shows that everyone from companies to comedy troupes can have success with three simple conditions.

Please note: This is a summary and analysis of the book and not the original book. Renowned professor of psychology Jordan B. Peterson draws from science, tradition, and his varied clinical experience to explain what it takes to live a rich, meaningful life in his book, 12 Rules for Life. In this enthralling title, Jordan Peterson distills life’s most important lessons into 12 digestible rules that anyone can use to better their life and the lives of the people around them.

This is a summary and analysis of Unconventional Medicine, author and alternative medicine expert Chris Kresser’s call to action for revolutionizing a health care industry that is corrupt, dysfunctional, and unequipped to properly address the chronic disease epidemic.