Arturo Zendejas

Strange Fruit

Revisado: 12-16-24

Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant South
The bulgin’ eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burnin’ flesh
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather
For the wind to suck
For the sun to rot
For the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop

— Lewis Allan

Every American from all walks of life, from every corner of the country, should read James H Cone’s extraordinary book about a phenomenon too many people prefer to hide and not discuss—namely the lynching of Black Americans by Christian White Americans. We cannot heal as Americans if we don’t recognize and atone for this history. Nor can we dismiss this history and hide behind the claim that we (i.e., current generation) didn’t commit these horrific racist vigilante acts, and therefore bear no responsibility for our ancestors’ misdeeds. The events that led to the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement makes clear that we have not solved racism. I highly recommend this book if you really want to understand American history.

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Neoliberalism Not So Invisible Anymore

Revisado: 07-21-24

Invisible Doctrine is one of the clearest narratives I’ve read about the enigmatic story of how Neoliberalism emerged and shaped our culture and politics in order to benefit the few, that is, mainly the wealthiest in our society. Proponents of Neoliberalism concocted a language designed to pull the wool over our eyes by convincing us that we are the real beneficiaries of this ideology when in fact the opposite is true. Every student entering college should be required to read this book as an example of how a good narrative is written.

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Powerful!

Revisado: 06-27-24

Robert P Jones’s story-telling is one of the best I’ve encountered on the subject of race and religion in America. I enjoyed the audiobook so much I’ve decided to buy and read the hardcover version.

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Vision Undergoes Revision

Revisado: 02-17-24

Impressive research and analysis of Heidegger’s links to Nazism. I will never see MH the same.

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About time!

Revisado: 12-13-23

Finally a voice from a Christian evangelical who recognizes the hypocrisy & misguidedness of so many Christian nationalists.

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Required Reading

Revisado: 10-27-23

Author Stuart Stevens offers a compelling, easy to read diagnosis of our current national political landscape, especially that of the Grand Old Party. Trump’s GOP is not Lincoln’s party. It’s now an anti-democratic, pro-authoritarian party which seeks to rule the country like autocrats in Hungary, the Philippines, India, and Brazil (under Bolsonaro).

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Thought provoking

Revisado: 10-23-23

Couldn’t stop listening to audio version. The Maniac brought back memories of H.A.L. from 2001. We should worry more about the irrational & rational impulses of the technocrats and scrutinize the promises & algorithms they make—and regulate AI!

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Brilliant and Timely Narrative

Revisado: 10-21-23

Once again, Rachel Maddow has demonstrated a thorough grasp of how our historical past is prologue to the 2016 & 2020 presidential elections. Anyone interested in understanding how our politics today has become so polarized should read Prequel!

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Insightful

Revisado: 09-15-23

Taplin’s insightful description of Musk, Thiel, Zuckerberg & Andreessen and their technologies demystifies their projects’ value to society. I’ll never again see them the same way.

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Shedding Light On the Hidden World of Wealth

Revisado: 09-15-20

The world of wealth management for too long has enjoyed a mysterious existence inaccessible to most people. Wealth managers operate in two worlds, the everyday world of the 99% and the “lawless” world of the very rich 1%. Most of us who belong to the former world know little about the latter. However, thanks to sociologist Brooke Harrington’s book, Capital Without Borders, we learn a great deal about how the very rich manage their wealth and hide it from their spouses, siblings, and governments. Anyone interested or concerned with wealth inequality must read this fascinating book.

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