an incredibly detailed look into 20th century singapore and how decolonialism unfolded in this unique part of the indopacific. LKY was truly a remarkaan incredibly detailed look into 20th century singapore and how decolonialism unfolded in this unique part of the indopacific. LKY was truly a remarkable, generational leader and helped
some notable highlights about LKY: - while clearly a liberal socialist, he was very aware of the dangers of communism and presented a first-person account how their cells operated (oftentimes with chinese middle and high schoolers) and how he dealt with them - the difficulty of pulling together a multi-ethnic coalition, especially in the midst of decolonization (and how those ethnic tensions ultimately split them away from malaysia) - the long tail influence of british education on colonial leaders and LKYs double-world experience in UK for school and as a native Singaporean who was able to understand both of the worlds he walked in - while somewhat skimmed over in the book, LKY builds a political party machine that is still dominant today. a world class exercise in institution building - how the turmoil of malaysian unification, decolonization, and communist unrest, along with LKY childhood experience of japanese occupation, shaped LKY and Singapore's approach to media control and policing...more
Given I previously read Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore Story and Caro's LBJ, Vogel's biography felt like a light breeze!
A rich history of a generational leaGiven I previously read Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore Story and Caro's LBJ, Vogel's biography felt like a light breeze!
A rich history of a generational leader who set China on its trajectory today. Many of Deng's core convictions - science&technology as key drivers of economic development, which is the party's justification, policy experimentation and experience as ground truth, and the central importance of the party to the nation - are still true of China's policymaking today. Finally read this book after seeing it recommended from a variety of sources and was not disappointed!
An authentic first person account of how many of the political personas during WWII shaped and crafted defense funding and science policy. While many An authentic first person account of how many of the political personas during WWII shaped and crafted defense funding and science policy. While many know Bush for his Endless Frontier memo, the opinionated policy paper that designed our current science funding infrastructure, I think his autobiography reveals the more personal virtues requisite in a leader: humility, trust, and communication. An insightful read into a leader, teacher, and mentor. Kudos to stripe press for bringing another lost classic back to print...more
I haven't been getting a lot of sleep the past couple weeks and part of it is because I couldn't put this book down at night. It is an incredible histI haven't been getting a lot of sleep the past couple weeks and part of it is because I couldn't put this book down at night. It is an incredible historical overview of a time when it felt like we could do anything, where one office in the US government, led by one man, was singlehandedly inventing new materials and then building from scratch the industry needed to mass produce incredible technologies, like nuclear reactors and submarines. Ultimately, it is the story of a man who, through sheer conviction and force of will, brought these things into existence and the philosophy that guided him. Seeing Rickover's incredible determination in every page and the bureaucratic imagination he used to accomplish his goals inspires higher vision in one can accomplish and many lessons for how to operate effectively in bureaucracy. Some quick notes on what stood out to me about rickover (stay tuned for longer reflections!): - demanding perfection, even when placed in seemingly menial positions e.g. when he was in charge of all the electronic components that went into naval vessels, he reorganized the entire office and made the navy's electrical wiring much more efficient, practicing the same principles he would later use at Naval Reactors. - education as the means to reform minds: a constant focus on building new schools, new ways of teaching and ensuring that what mattered was taught, both in sub school and in nuclear reactors. 80% of his testimony to congress on three mile island talked about the importance of training. While others focused on money or regulatory structures and authority, Rickover focused on how to create institutions for proper training. - radical responsibility: he made sure everyone underneath him knew exactly what they were responsible for and made sure everyone above him, especially congressional appropriators, knew that he would take responsibility for what happened under his command. Even under the navy's practice of constantly rotating officers (a terrible practice they continue to this day) and a host of other incentive misalignments, he stayed with naval reactors for the majority of his career and refused to leave, because he held himself responsible and knew that no one else would. - setting a higher vision: I don't know how but Rickover seemed to always have a higher vision for what could be and worked to manifest that. He almost singlehandedly crafted the US nuclear industry and built competent institutions that last to this day, quietly building and operating nuclear reactors while the civilian side has faltered.
Maybe I'm diluting my recommendations because I give most books I read 5 stars (I'd like to think its a sign of good taste!) but I can't recommend this book enough for anyone who wants to see what it takes to build new technologies and build institutions that endure....more
This was a paradoxically difficult book to read. While the bureaucratic intrigues and maneuvers were a well-paced and immersive narrative, reading aboThis was a paradoxically difficult book to read. While the bureaucratic intrigues and maneuvers were a well-paced and immersive narrative, reading about LBJ's life and how he "won" in politics increasingly leaves me cynical and with a bad taste in my mouth about DC.
The benefit of reading biographies is they add strands of color to historical narratives. Seeing how LBJ intersected with what I knew of the histories of FDR's legacy in public power, Eisenhower, civil rights, and the fillibuster, added another dimension of understanding to popularly held versions of those stories.
Ultimately, LBJ's story captures a tension that we still discuss today: is it better to be idealistic or is it better to be effective? Many of LBJ's liberal counterparts spent decades fighting for civil liberties and never won. LBJ, a man of ruthless ambition and truly no moral direction, was the one who bent the south to his will and passed the first civil rights bill (albeit a weakened one, that took another decade to remedy). But my hope stems from the belief that we are not bound by past stories and that it is possible to be effective, clear-eyed about the compromises needed to make change, and still hold convictions of what is right and worthy of our efforts. ...more
For me, this book somewhat unexpectedly is the story of a self-made man in Texas, who loved the land and shied away from public office, but who ended For me, this book somewhat unexpectedly is the story of a self-made man in Texas, who loved the land and shied away from public office, but who ended up, by dint of his unimpeachable integrity and love of state, as one of the most sucessful political leaders in Texas history, serving as Speaker of the Texas House, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor. His name was Coke Stevenson.
Stevenson's path collides with Lyndon Johnson's in the 1948 Senate Election in Texas, as Johnson seized his last remaining opportunity to climb up the ladder to the Presidency. Caro carefully details every day of the election campaigning and the subsequent aftermath of the election controversy. The picture that emerges from the pages of this book is a stark contrast between the traditional form of small-town campaigning which suited Stevenson's quiet nature and Johnson's introduction of poll-driven, media-saturated campaigning, along with aggressive "attack politics"; between a man of conviction and ideals who believed in the informed voter versus one ultimately driven by deep childhood insecurity and ruthless pragmatism.
Despite Johnson's incredible campaign expenditures and ad saturation, he still lost to Stevenson in the end and resorted to blatant election fraud, which crossed even the loose moral boundaries of Texas politics in the 20th century. In the end, Johnson won his senate seat by stalling out legal proceedings to uncover the fraudulent vote count, but this "dark mark" on his legacy was one of many small cuts to the veneration and trust placed in the office of the presidency.
Caro's book provides an incredible review of the tactics used by power-hungry men (and those who choose to aid them) and provides useful context for today's world of American politics....more
I never fully appreciated the role food plays as an anchor for the often displacing experience of being a second generation immigrant kid growing up iI never fully appreciated the role food plays as an anchor for the often displacing experience of being a second generation immigrant kid growing up in America. Certainly a book that made me reflect more on my upbringing, as well as the definite, undeniable future where my parents age and grow sick. Given my current incompetence at cooking, what will connect me to them when they are gone?...more
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