Books

This book is an amazing view into the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice John Paul Stevens served 34 years on the court, and wrote more than 1,000 opinions. He recounts many important periods in his life, and many important decisions on the bench. President Gerald Ford appointed him to the bench (and also said he was prepared to let "history's judgment" of his presidency rest exclusively on that decision), and President Barack Obama appointed his successor, Justice Elena Kagan. 

The Mueller Report, officiallly known as the Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election, is a long, but important read. The report discusses how the Russian government was involved with trying to sway our national elections. The report also discusses many allegations of conspiracy or coordination between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia. This report is a must-read for all Americans, as it shows how fragile democracy can be, but also how the United States of America's democray is strong, and able to withstand issues such as these. The separation of powers and three branches of government are essential in ensuring our democracy continues to thrive.

This book by Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg reviews his time as Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, as well as his service in the United States Navy, among other topics. Many points are covered from gay rights to war strategy. At the beginning, Mayor Pete talks of how a major snow event, and how the City government handled the snow event, could make or break a City and/or Mayor's reputation. Mr. Buttigieg analyzes his race for State Treasurer, as he ran unsuccessfully for this position prior to running for Mayor or South Bend. While at points the author comes off as afraid to literally get his hands dirty, there are other times where he talks candidly about his time in the service and how he was lucky to make it back. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in not only local politics, but also national & international politics.

I believe the Flint Water Crisis was a terrible tragedy that could have been easily prevented. The tragedy occurred because of a combination of ineptitude, neglect, and carelessness of our government leaders. This book summarizes the tragedy through Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha's eyes, the doctor that stopped the tragedy from continuing to evolve, and who was later recognized in TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world for her efforts.

This read intersects my two favorites topics: government and technology. Chapter after chapter is exhilirating for me, from the German Enigma machine to the Eastpointe-themed Project SHAMROCK. If you are a fan of intelligence work, technology, cybersecurity, or the history of the United States, this is a must-read! The book is not only well-written, but also keeps the reader engaged. 

Alysa and I were lucky enough to travel to Florida over the holiday break, and our favorite pastime is buying books, so of course I picked one up while in Florida. We came across a book of all inaugural speeches of all the Florida governors. As you can imagine, it is not the most exhiliarting of books, but it is interesting to see over time what was interesting to what Governors and the topics that were importants through decades and decades, such as education. Also, I decided to read this book backwards, and read the most recent inaugural address first, which happens to be Jeb Bush's 2003 inaugural. If you are a politico, I would highly recommend this book.