What I’m Crunching — May 31, 2026
I saw this one on the “New” shelf at the library and picked it up. It’s good so far.
From the Goodreads summary:
Everybody knows they the Cosa Nostra, the Medellin Cartel, New York’s Five Families, China’s tongs. This book asks the how have mafias helped define the modern world?
While the narrative begins deep in the past, the bulk of the story takes place after 1800. It is during the following two hundred years that the political, economic and social forces most relevant to the development of mafias took shape. The critical chapters centre upon the decades between the end of the First World War and the close of the twentieth century. In these years we see the rise of those figures most synonymous with the idea of the Capone, Escobar, Du, Lansky, Mogilevich, El Chapo and the Krays to name a few.
To understand these characters, and the gangs they led, Mafia will take readers on intimate tours of the locales that birthed their Chicago, Sinaloa, Istanbul, Shanghai or the East End. In the spirit of Simon Sebag Montefiore’s recent treatment of great families, or Sven Beckert’s history of cotton, A Global History explains how these organizations shape, as well as reflect, the construction of modern states, economies and societies that form our increasingly integrated world.
What I’m Crunching — May 24, 2026
I’m continuing slowly through this one in my nightly reading. The author is quite objective in his treatment of Wilson, pointing out flaws and virtues alike. I’m reserving judgment on whether I like Wilson, the man, until I finish this book.
What I’m Crunching — May 17, 2026
I’m continuing slowly through this one in my nightly reading. The author is quite objective in his treatment of Wilson, pointing out flaws and virtues alike. I’m reserving judgment on whether I like Wilson, the man, until I finish this book.
What I’m Crunching — May 10, 2026
I’m continuing through this one as our leadership team at church works through it together. These last couple of chapters have been slow. The narrative of the war stories didn’t really draw me in this week, but that’s OK. The leadership lessons within are valuable. Figuring out how to apply the principles in my areas of leadership responsibility is the fun challenge.
What I’m Crunching — May 3, 2026
This is the 10th biography I’ve begun in my journey to read one on each of the 45 U.S. Presidents. I’m thoroughly enjoying this stroll through the life of Woodrow Wilson.
A recent story told here was in the late 1890s, he and his wife Ellen wanted to build a home for their family; this had long been a dream of theirs. Woodrow was bring in a salary of $1,500 from his professorship at Princeton University, and was working on the side writing, speaking, and lecturing elsewhere. During the year of construction, he worked almost constantly, earning an additional $4,000. But, he almost worked himself into the grave. His wife Ellen wrote in a letter that he, “almost killed himself doing it!”
One notable trait displayed in each U.S. President I’ve read about so far is their inexhaustible work ethic.