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40 reviews for:
Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics
Charles Krauthammer
3.84 AVERAGE
40 reviews for:
Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics
Charles Krauthammer
3.84 AVERAGE
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Krauthammer is an excellent writer. His essays are intelligent, witty, and mercifully concise.
He obviously writes well and I loved the essays about his dog, but so many of his views are opposite of mine that I struggled to rate this one.
I should have paid more attention to this man when he was alive. My grandparents always enjoyed reading his articles and watching him on TV.
This book of essays went down smoother than I thought it would. My favorite part is the first collection, the "Personal" section. Krauthammer covers everything from chess to baseball, from dogs to music.
This isn't a book I would read again, but it might be one I refer to again. The writing is crisp and fresh and witty. Occasionally I had to snort with mirth.
Charles Krauthammer, 1950-2018. Rest in peace.
This book of essays went down smoother than I thought it would. My favorite part is the first collection, the "Personal" section. Krauthammer covers everything from chess to baseball, from dogs to music.
This isn't a book I would read again, but it might be one I refer to again. The writing is crisp and fresh and witty. Occasionally I had to snort with mirth.
Charles Krauthammer, 1950-2018. Rest in peace.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Charles Krauthammer is the smartest man in America. This is a book filled with something we rarely see today - not just facts, but wisdom. Written with felicity and clarity. This book is easily worth more than two years of a typical college education.
I read political books but I don't usually review them, for the same reason that it's not good to talk about politics or religion. But I wanted to share my thoughts about Charles Krauthammer's book, Things That Matter.
The book is a series of essays Krauthammer wrote from the early 1990s to the present. There's some overlap, and some of the essays are out of date (talking about world politics in the pre-2001 era isn't particularly helpful, in my opinion). Krauthammer talks about the Israel question and pretty much gets it right, except that he overemphasizes the issue of "peace without land" in a situation that's much more complex than just this one issue.
I enjoyed the book in part because Krauthammer writes extremely well. His writing sounds like he's talking; that dry wit that comes across in his TV appearances. For example, "We [the U.S.] have this content practically to ourselves. And we share it with just two neighbors, both friendly, one so friendly that its people seem intent upon moving in with us." He uses big words, some of which I had to look up: irredentism, hemoclysm, epater des brourgeoise.
Some of the essays are personal; I liked the ones about dogs. His favorite dog is the intelligent border collie, a close relative of my favorite dog, the Australian shepherd. His essay on the problem of changing the breeding requirements of the border collie to make them "prettier" for showing is spot on. Other essays are on a variety of subjects: Washington, D.C. memorials, polygamy (if we approve of gay marriage, is approving of polygamy next?), Social Security as a Ponzi scheme, end-of-life counseling, and more.
Even if you don't agree with him on some or all of the political subjects, it's worth reading to see how a brilliant thinker can get it right - or wrong, depending on your political stance.
The book is a series of essays Krauthammer wrote from the early 1990s to the present. There's some overlap, and some of the essays are out of date (talking about world politics in the pre-2001 era isn't particularly helpful, in my opinion). Krauthammer talks about the Israel question and pretty much gets it right, except that he overemphasizes the issue of "peace without land" in a situation that's much more complex than just this one issue.
I enjoyed the book in part because Krauthammer writes extremely well. His writing sounds like he's talking; that dry wit that comes across in his TV appearances. For example, "We [the U.S.] have this content practically to ourselves. And we share it with just two neighbors, both friendly, one so friendly that its people seem intent upon moving in with us." He uses big words, some of which I had to look up: irredentism, hemoclysm, epater des brourgeoise.
Some of the essays are personal; I liked the ones about dogs. His favorite dog is the intelligent border collie, a close relative of my favorite dog, the Australian shepherd. His essay on the problem of changing the breeding requirements of the border collie to make them "prettier" for showing is spot on. Other essays are on a variety of subjects: Washington, D.C. memorials, polygamy (if we approve of gay marriage, is approving of polygamy next?), Social Security as a Ponzi scheme, end-of-life counseling, and more.
Even if you don't agree with him on some or all of the political subjects, it's worth reading to see how a brilliant thinker can get it right - or wrong, depending on your political stance.
By God do I love the way this man wrote - just a brilliant way of telling a story.
I had heard such wonderful things about this book and there WERE some useful insights in it. As a conservative I’m pleased to hear conservative ideas explained thoughtfully and well. That said, the author seemed very pleased with his own thoughts and more “declarative” than “engaging.” It made me appreciate David Brooks’ tentativeness and gentle speculation even more. If you see high levels of personal confidence as a plus in a writer, you might like this. Otherwise, not especially recommended.
Although he's been writing for more than 30 years, Pulitzer-winning columnist Charles Krauthammer had never collected his work into a book until the release of Things That Matter, a collection that covers much of that career and many of the diverse subjects to which he has put his mind and words.
Krauthammer has pretty much always been a foreign-policy conservative, but he began his writing career as what he calls a "Great Society liberal" and only began to move rightward in the mid 1980s. Most of the columns collected in Things come from this later period of his work, a decision probably made in light of the general theme of the collection. Krauthammer writes mostly about politics, but he has a wide range of other interests from baseball to science to music to math and Things includes several of these columns. He'd originally intended to collect nothing but such non-political columns, but as he reflected on the idea of the book, he came to understand that unless the politics of a society function properly, then even the best cultures and civilizations are endangered. Since he now sees some of his earlier political positions as wrong, he doesn't include them here.
Obviously, people who don't share Krauthammer's more conservative leanings might not enjoy Things as much as those of us who do. But his writing is elegant, fun and he offers over and over again concise and clear lessons on how to construct an argument to present one's position. With a previous career in psychiatry and medicine, he values precision in language and straightforward linearity in communicating his thinking. It may be that someone who disagrees with Krauthammer's ideas will still disagree with him after reading his position, but they will know better why they disagree and will have sharpened their own arguments by measuring them against his.
I'd demur from Krauthammer's suggestion that unless a society gets its politics right -- in other words, operates a government which both protects and empowers its citizens -- nothing else really matters. I think that the two interweave a lot more than that and politics by itself can't be "right" in that sense unless people are right. A society of people taught respect for each other and themselves from their early days is a society much more likely to accept a rule of law designed to foster the same thing. Laws and policies may prohibit certain behaviors and have an effect on people scared of punishment, but how much stronger a society in which people are eager to do right instead of just not do wrong.
That minor shade of disagreement aside, Things That Matter is an excellent sampling of the later period of one of the best columnists writing today, whether a reader shares his ideas or not. One hopes he does not wait another 30 years for the follow-up.
Original available here.
Krauthammer has pretty much always been a foreign-policy conservative, but he began his writing career as what he calls a "Great Society liberal" and only began to move rightward in the mid 1980s. Most of the columns collected in Things come from this later period of his work, a decision probably made in light of the general theme of the collection. Krauthammer writes mostly about politics, but he has a wide range of other interests from baseball to science to music to math and Things includes several of these columns. He'd originally intended to collect nothing but such non-political columns, but as he reflected on the idea of the book, he came to understand that unless the politics of a society function properly, then even the best cultures and civilizations are endangered. Since he now sees some of his earlier political positions as wrong, he doesn't include them here.
Obviously, people who don't share Krauthammer's more conservative leanings might not enjoy Things as much as those of us who do. But his writing is elegant, fun and he offers over and over again concise and clear lessons on how to construct an argument to present one's position. With a previous career in psychiatry and medicine, he values precision in language and straightforward linearity in communicating his thinking. It may be that someone who disagrees with Krauthammer's ideas will still disagree with him after reading his position, but they will know better why they disagree and will have sharpened their own arguments by measuring them against his.
I'd demur from Krauthammer's suggestion that unless a society gets its politics right -- in other words, operates a government which both protects and empowers its citizens -- nothing else really matters. I think that the two interweave a lot more than that and politics by itself can't be "right" in that sense unless people are right. A society of people taught respect for each other and themselves from their early days is a society much more likely to accept a rule of law designed to foster the same thing. Laws and policies may prohibit certain behaviors and have an effect on people scared of punishment, but how much stronger a society in which people are eager to do right instead of just not do wrong.
That minor shade of disagreement aside, Things That Matter is an excellent sampling of the later period of one of the best columnists writing today, whether a reader shares his ideas or not. One hopes he does not wait another 30 years for the follow-up.
Original available here.