Short Essays for Inquiring Minds
Composed of over fifty compelling essays, my latest book ranges across science, history, politics, economics, and popular culture, linking today's headlines to the deeper currents of history.
Complex subjects such as pandemics, artificial intelligence, trade wars, and presidential leadership are unpacked through human stories and memorable anecdotes: how a teenager wrote the first COVID tracker, a forgotten tariff on chickens that shaped America's automobile industry, how a botanist discovered viruses in mottled tobacco leaves, the logical theorem a popular game show and artificial intelligence share. Technical ideas are explained without jargon, and historical episodes—from the Spanish Flu to the Berlin Airlift—are connected to choices facing Americans today.
Thoughtful, timely, and unsettlingly relevant, I believe Short Essays for Inquiring Minds is ideal for readers who value curiosity over certainty and facts over ideology.
"An impressive range of subjects, a touch of Ken Burns, and more than a touch of sardonic wit." U.S. Review of Books