Books are the medium that
Books are the medium that have the longest memory. Tattered remains of ancient texts are still with us today. The ideas they contain can persuade and move people to fight and die for them. The feelings and emotions they emit can bring the strongest man to tears. This year’s crop of books covered the lives of great Presidents, and they went to the darkest parts of the human mind. Here are the TAM Awards for Best Non-Fiction Books 2001.
1. The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon
The book’s subtitle is “An Atlas of Depression,” but it’s much, much more. His study of melancholy emerges from his own breakdowns. The science, politics, history, and sociology of this mental illness is covered in rich, sympathetic detail. The National Book Award winner is both enlightening and deeply moving.
2. John Adams by David McCullough
McCullough revives the reputation of our second President. He tells the story of a patriot with an incredible mind who sacrificed much for his infant nation.
3. When Character was King by Peggy Noonan
Noonan offers this gift to the Gipper. The book gets to the heart of what made Reagan great: it was his steadfast character and his faith in the goodness of the American people. It’s totally sympathetic, yet honest in its approach.
4. Big Issues by the editors of Forbes ASAP
This collection of essays examine life in our new digital age. Peggy Noonan predicts a terrorist attack on New York City while Tom Wolfe writes about biotechnology and the death of the soul.
5. Friedrich Hayek by Alan Ebenstein
This is the first biography of the most important economist of the 20th Century. Ebenstein does an adequate job of covering the important parts of his life and offering the reader a sample of the rich thought of this great classical liberal.
