JUNE 2010 READING SCHEDULE
DIGGING DEEPER meets every Monday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Mandolin Café, 3923 S. 12th St., Tacoma, WA.[1] ...
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June 7 & 14, 2010: DIGGING DEEPER CXXV: Remnick on Obama
David Remnick, The Bridge: The Rise and Life of Barack Obama (Knopf, 2010). — "[A] detailed . . . account of Barack Obama's historic ascent. As a piece of 'biographical journalism,' the book succeeds ably enough . . . Remnick's interest is ultimately limited to a study of Obama's relationship with blackness, and Obama as the student and fulfillment of the civil rights movement—it's a rich vein . . . Remnick is in deeply respectful court scribe mode, but he does shine in his treatment of more peripheral characters such as Jesse Jackson and Hillary Clinton, both of whom emerge as figures of Shakespearian psychological complexity. A well-researched biography that pulls many trends of Obama-ology under its umbrella . . ." —Publishers Weekly.
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June 28, 2010: DIGGING DEEPER CXXVI: Douglas Rushkoff's Life Inc.
Douglas Rushkoff, Life, Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation and How to Take It Back (Random House, 2009). — "[D]escribes how [the corporation] has infiltrated all aspects of American life. . . . The author bemoans extreme networking (called buzz marketing) . . . Rushkoff recommends that we fight back by 'de-corporatizing' ourselves. His suggestions include thinking locally by participating directly with our neighbors in community activities . . . This is an excellent, thought-provoking book."
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Since July 2004, United for Peace of Pierce County’s “Digging Deeper,” a Monday-evening book discussion group, has examined more than 295 books. (Summaries of many of them have been posted online on the website Scribd.) Topics discussed have included the Iraq war, Peak Oil, climate change, torture, the corporation, Islam, Iran, U.S.-Iran relations, Barack Obama and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., the writings of Robert Baer, parallels between the U.S. and ancient Rome, Israel/Palestine, sustainability, war and human nature, the nature of money, September 11, energy geopolitics, the debt crisis, American immigration policy, the 2000, 2004, and 2008 presidential elections, financial crisis, the politics of assassination, and Saul Alinsky’s life and writings, as well as abiding themes of war, peace, and social change. Occasionally the group has spent several weeks reading longer works, like Daniel Yergin’s The Prize or Robert Fisk’s The Great War for Civilisation — Participation is free and open; anyone interested is welcome. Try King’s Books (218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma) or other local bookstores for copies of books. More information: contact Mark Jensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or see www.ufppc.org.