Authors: Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
At the outset I must warn you that I am a big fan of the original Freakonomics book. I joyfully read it cover to cover in a couple of days and was amazed at the author’s rigorous analysis on questions that most people would have considered too not worthy of asking. They continue in this vein, with their third book in this series with the desire to make all of us readers, Freakonomists.
This book continues the same collegiate reporting style that makes you feel that you are listening to a friend telling you a story. So the good news is that you will plow through the book. Unfortunately the material is, to a large extent, recycled. I have previously read about the Nigerian Scammers, King Solomon’s self-selection process, David Lee Roths M&Ms and several other anecdotes in other books.
The authors hint that they might be tiring of this Freakonomics gig as well and throw in a chapter in the end about how it is “good to quit”. I do hope that they take a lesson from this and come up with something different and better the next time around.
Author: Carlotta Gall
I have been following the news on Afghanistan for more than a decade. Of late, I must confess that whenever I see a headline about Afghanistan, the news seems the same: suicide bombs, land mines, ambushes, kidnappings and senseless killings. The war has gone on for so long now that many of us are desensitized to the shocking reality that the Afghans and our troops are dealing with on a day to day basis.
I would not have chosen to read this book, if it didn’t come with strong recommendations. I was in the middle of a heated discussion with a bunch of Indian Expats on whether the long-standing enmity between India and Pakistan was a widespread belief across a broad base of both countries. Needless to say we are unlikely to find out the answer to this question. However, one of the positive outcomes of this debate resulted in my getting a recommendation for this book.
Carlotta has spent a good chunk of her life in war-torn Afghanistan and Pakistan and you can feel the authenticity in this book. I can’t imagine why someone would choose to spend more than a dozen years on the ground and watch the mayhem up close. Whatever her reasons were, it has resulted in some very detailed accounts of the war and provided us with a unique insight into the many different personalities and the twists and turns along the way.
In hindsight it is easy to see why some decisions of the early Karzai government weren’t the best for the country. While it is easy to dismiss many of the fighters as warlords, it is also important to realize that they provided the leadership fabric for Afghanistan. Disarming the mujahiddeen resulted in creating a leadership vacuum in the country and there was no-one to resist the resurgence of the Taliban in 2006. The author does not mince words in highlighting the role that Pakistan’s ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) has played in supporting the Taliban and providing them with an unending supply of new recruits. It is clear that the madrassa’s along the Pakistan/Afghanistan border are the hotbed in which the suicide bombers and new recruits are entering the Taliban. What is not clear in the book is “why?”.
I found an interesting paper on “Understanding the Taliban Insurgency in Afghanistan”. by Thomas Johnson and Chris Mason in Orbis. The authors claim this is a result of the “charismatic mullah movement” that is typical of the region — one that the British dubbed the “mad-mullah movement”. These mullahs are charismatic preachers who are able to convince the local population that they have mystical powers and can foment a rebellion against the military power or easier still “America”. Mullah Omar is at the top of the pyramid and rules with an iron fist. Since most of them are uneducated in everything but religion, their recourse is Shariah Law.
The Taliban started out as peace-keepers, a much needed presence to bring some sanity back to a country that was being ravaged by multiple warlords. However, once they became powerful they quickly learnt that brutality would help them get compliance with their decrees. The book has a rare interview with a Taliban commander where he openly declares that they could control a village simply by killing two villagers and making examples of them. The book also highlights the terror that the Taliban instill in the villagers with the “night letters” that they drop on them. Their common theme is that the Americans will eventually have to leave, but we will remain and come back to haunt you.
The war in Afghanistan does not seem to be ending any time soon, but the book has to come to a close. Carlotta chooses to end on a positive note by highlighting how some of the villages are taking back their authority and openly resisting the Taliban. For the sake of the Afghans and the rest of the reason, I really want to believe that this is true.
Author: Sudhir Venkatesh
I have to confess that I am a huge fan of Sudhir Venkatesh. Just the thought that a nerdy Indian kid can associate with dangerous drug dealers in the Chicago Housing Projects and live to tell the tale is something that I would never have thought possible. The fact that Sudhir has been able to do this for a decade is simply stunning. In this book he draws amazing insights into how a drug gang is run and the parallels with a modern corporation.
Sudhir exposes all of this in a style that shows that he is a born storyteller. He pays attention to minute details that draw you into the scene and make you feel like you were there watching the whole thing unfold. He also comes across as very balanced in his reporting of the various activities in the Projects.
JT is the leader of the “Black Kings” drug gang that operates in the Chicago Housing Projects. After a chance encounter, he practically adopts Sudhir and over the course of the next several years introduces him to many of the characters you will find in this book. Sudhir spends a good deal of time eating JT's Mom’s fine cooking and JT takes him on many of his operations. You get a sense of a “day in the life of a gang leader” and you come to appreciate that it is a lot of hard work.
Sudhir is clearly fascinated with JT and the book almost glorifies his leadership style. I can’t help think about the prospect of a Gang Leader academy using this book as a textbook on leadership. Regardless of whether you plan to operate a gang some-day, this book is worthy of the few hours that it will take for you to read it.
