Reviews and Comments

A few chapters in and I'm already learning things.

Not having read any 20th-century Chinese history, I had thought that the "Cultural Revolution" was the founding of Communist China. Not so; it was launched by Mao well into his own reign, for the purposes of "reigniting" the spirit of revolution. It got a lot of people killed.

Interesting that a sitting leader would choose to mobilize the masses explicitly because he doesn't trust the bureaucracy he ostensibly governs.

A few years ago I had read "The Three-Body Problem", one of the most well-known instances of Chinese Sci Fi that has permeated the west. That book starts with a fairly brutal depiction of the Cultural Revolution. I was curious, because I had heard that books critical of the government were sensored in China. Now I understand that criticism of the Cultural Revolution is mainstream - in fact, the event disavowed and criticized by Mao's first successor, Deng Xiaoping.

All in all, I'm liking the book so far. I know practically nothing about Chinese history and covering a broad swath of time through the lens of individual leaders and characters seems a good jumping off point.

Sometimes change seems to happen rapidly, but often it is the result of long, careful organizing by interest groups. This book looks at the role organized campaigns have played in impacting supreme court decisions.

Before reading "Engines", I had no idea that the current interpretation of the Second Amendment to support the individual liberty to bear arms was a modern interpretation that came into prominence in the 90s. Prior to this, activists planned to shape discourse, get professors with alternate perceptions in schools, develop a broad swath of lawyers and judges. The justices who repealed of Roe didn't emerge from nowhere; they existed in judicial societies, were educated by communities, sponsored and supported by interest groups.

There are other books that explore similar topics. ("Inventing the Future" by Srnicek and Williams documents the organized rise of Neoliberalism, another book I reccomend). The point is, major changes come with decades of work, not simply an election cycle, and not even simply in the ballot box (although voting is critical).

What happened this week was a tragedy decades in the making. It is also evidence that well-organized initiatives, even those holding a minority opinion, can bend the course of history.

Grieve, get angry, read a book, strap in, join a group, and get ready for the long haul. A better world is possible, we just have to plan for it.