A review by dfolivieri
Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together by Van Jones

I'm a huge Van Jones fan. He embodies most of the political ideals I strive for: intelligent analysis of the facts, dedicated work on the ground to improve people's lives, a real desire to find common ground across the aisle, excellent facial hair, a belief in the power of democracy to change people's lives, a deep seated love of the musician Prince, a commitment to putting the common good above your personal objectives. That said, a lot of this book felt overly optimistic. While Jones wants us to come together over the issues that those on the right and left can agree on (educating more young people in computer programming, reducing our incarcerated population, taking care of wronged coal miners), I just don't see this as likely to happen. His policy proposals at the end of the book are nice. I want more of those and more specifics. I also found it fascinating how carefully he studied Newt Gingrich and how the two of them came to respect each other.