Non-fiction
GROWING PAINS
by Gwynne Dyer (Scribe, $37)
Gwynne Dyer, whose thoughtful columns on international affairs have appeared in many New Zealand newspapers, sees the emergence of Donald Trump as “a giant orange canary”, warning that those who lost out in the current economic climate are angry and looking to dangerous populists for answers. In this book, subtitled “The Future of Democracy (and Work)”, Dyer argues that the underlying cause of this discontent is not globalisation but the rise of automation and that the answers lie not in simplistic slogans about immigration, but in innovative approaches such as a universal basic income. Thoughtful and thought-provoking. (JE)
HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN? A CAUTIONARY TALE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
by P.J. O’Rourke (Grove Press, $23) It’s a question often asked since Trump’s rise. Satirist O’Rourke offers a convincing explanation that is also extremely funny. His serious point is that those who have lost out are angry — not only that the ruling elite aren’t fixing things; they’re also smugly complacent, so the discontented “turn for help to the big, stupid bully at the back of the classroom”. As for his less serious points, well, in writing about the anti-elite uprising, O’Rourke notes that Canada elected a dashing but inexperienced leader called Justin. “I haven’t googled ‘Canadian politics’ (who would) but I’m assuming it’s Bieber.” (JE)
ORIGIN STORY
by David Christian (Allen Lane, $40)
This is as big as history gets: the story of everything from the Big Bang to the birth of the stars, our solar system, life on Earth, dinosaurs and finally, 13.8 billion years later, us. On the plus side, this approach shows how everything is connected. The negative is that it’s a lot to jam into 300 or so pages. The birth of the universe proceeds languidly enough but the more recent past is a mad dash through the rise of agriculture, cities, empires, the industrial revolution, etc., etc. Big and bold but also breathless. (MF)
CIVILISATIONS: HOW DO WE LOOK AND THE EYE OF FAITH
by Mary Beard (Profile Books, $40) Celebrity historian Mary Beard wrote this as a companion to the recent BBC television series Civilisations, of which she was a presenter. It’s a sort of miniature coffee table book in two parts, with photos of ancient works of art (under the heading How Do We Look) and religious artwork (The Eye of Faith), accompanied by thoughtful essays about how such artefacts have been viewed during the centuries. Easy to read and, as you’d expect from Beard, offering fascinating fresh perspectives on sculptures, paintings and buildings you probably thought you already knew all about. (JE)
PLUNDERING BEAUTY: A HISTORY OF ART CRIME DURING WAR
by Arthur Tompkins (Lund Humphries, $??) From the ancient Romans to Isis, conquering armies have made a habit of destroying or plundering art — to show who’s boss, to boost the conqueror’s prestige or just from good old greed. Written by a New Zealand District Court judge, this is an illustrated look at some of history’s more egregious cases of art crime during conflict. It tells of artworks lost and found, and some lost forever, and also charts the change — in theory, anyway — away from the time when winner take all was the recognised rule of war. (MF)