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This book is a masterful historical analysis of the inexorably connected spheres of racism, wealth, and finance, as well as a compelling example of the folly in attempting to disconnect economic analyses from historical realities. Baradaran details the challenges of running Black banks as a commercial entity that need to remain a going concern while serving a smaller, financially risky customer base and trying to serve a social purpose. That financial risk is rooted in the US's history of slavery and racism, which is laid out in its economic context here.

For those hoping for an exhaustive, focused account of the Black banking sector you will likely want a bit more on that topic after reading the book. I myself was hoping for a bit more here, but thankfully Baradaran cites lots of useful sources to follow up on.

Overall this is an essential book for those hoping to understand and improve the economy and economic and social justice in the US.

Most histories often look only at great powers, and histories of the colonial period in America are no exception. Spain, Britain, France, and more recently the Iroquois feature prominently, with only passing mention made to most other actors prior to the formation of the US. Stephen Warren presents a wonderfully researched, unique view into this world by focusing instead on the Shawnees, who took up migration wholeheartedly with the rise of these different powers and were constantly interfacing between these different, conflicting groups.

Warren blends archaeology, the written historical record, and modern oral history to present one of the most complete looks at a Native American tribe that I've seen. The interactions between technology, culture, climate, and politics that are mapped out and explored here are extremely insightful and leave one with a much richer view of the complex web of relationships that developed prior to 1800. If you're at all interested in this are of history I highly recommend it.

The kernel of this book is a compelling idea - that "meritocracy" is an unattainable ideal and the belief that we've attained it leads to horrible outcomes. Unfortunately Sandel stretches this book beyond that, claiming with at best circumstantial and often purely imagined justifications that the idea of merit itself is responsible for white America's current ills.

I say white America because Sandel doesn't address the radically different patterns that exist outside of the US and western Europe, and within the US anyone other than white people. The fact that non-college educated Black people, for example, voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election? Or that when included with white voters the fact that non-college educated people only preferred Trump by 7%? Not mentioned.

Beyond these cherry-picked stylized facts, Sandel conflates the current meaning of "merit" with its philosophical ideal, continuing to lump in issues with the current merit dogma with issues of income inequality. That's not to say there's not some relationship, but Sandel's assertion that this is the direct cause of massive income inequality in the US is made without any evidence beyond armchair reasoning and strains credulity given the voluminous research on the problem that he could have read/referenced.

There's a lot more I could complain about, but suffice to say that once you've digested the core point of the book you can probably stop reading. I'm sure Sandel has given recorded talks on the book which will probably convey the point better than the book itself and will avoid many of the more problematic claims it contains.

Daniel Richter delivers an extremely well-researched, insightful look at an area that I've called home for my whole life. While other books do a better job at illuminating the indigenous perspective than this one, Richter is unequalled at bringing the direct source material into the text, explaining the background (such as in the format of Calvinist conversion speeches), and clearly stating where direct evidence doesn't exist. As such, it provides the most unfiltered look at this pivotal era that I've ever encountered.

This book hit me more emotionally than others on the topic because he spends a lot of time laying out the history of places where I spent my childhood - Philadelphia - and my adult life - greater Boston. Being confronted with the meaning of street names in Natick and the origins of a 1600s church that is on my normal run route was deeply meaningful to me. I think this would still be very interesting even if you don't have direct experience with those places, but on my run tomorrow I will be able to name specific people who walked there four centuries ago, the horrible injustices that created the spaces I now enjoy, and how I can repay and honor those communities that have now moved to other parts of the country. Highly recommend