A thoughtful consideration of the complexities of power.
A former senior adviser at the Department of State and analyst at the Defense Department argues for Shakespeare’s relevance in illuminating the workings of power.
As Cohen sees it, power infuses not only political life, but also universities, foundations, institutions, and business—wherever there is a hierarchical structure. Drawing on plays including Macbeth, King Lear, and the history plays from Richard II to Richard III, Cohen examines the arc of power: ways power is acquired, how it is exercised, and how it is lost. “Inherited power is the norm and is always perilous,” as Shakespeare shows, since the heir to power may be unequal to its demands. “Cunning and calculation and adroit maneuvering” is another path to power, as is seizure, which leaves the usurper fearful of rivals to a crown or a presidency. Cohen cites Julius Caesar and Macbeth as unhappy examples of the lust for power through seizure. Conspirators, Shakespeare shows, cannot succeed alone, but “must have a willing or at least a complacent victim.” Often, they ignore the consequences of their actions until it is too late. Cohen explores the exercise of power through inspiration (Churchill, JFK, Henry V), manipulation (Lincoln, FDR, Henry V once again), and murder, metaphorical—when a head is forced out—or bloody (Lenin, Stalin, Macbeth, Richard III). Innocence about the world, along with arrogance and complacency, combine to cause loss of power, which Cohen sees exemplified in the Henry VI plays, where a king is shown as out of touch with his country’s needs. In modern times, he ascribes the fall of Margaret Thatcher to the same forces. Sometimes, however, power is relinquished—with regret, or with dignity. For Cohen, Shakespeare underscores the connection of power to magic, theater, and charisma. “The exercise of power,” he writes, “is facilitated by trappings designed to impose awe.”
A thoughtful consideration of the complexities of power.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781541644861
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Basic Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
A powerful reiteration of principles—and some fresh ideas—from the longest-serving independent in congressional history.
Another chapter in a long fight against inequality.
Building on his Fighting Oligarchy tour, which this year drew 280,000 people to rallies in red and blue states, Sanders amplifies his enduring campaign for economic fairness. The Vermont senator offers well-timed advice for combating corruption and issues a robust plea for national soul-searching. His argument rests on alarming data on the widening wealth gap’s impact on democracy. Bolstered by a 2010 Supreme Court decision that removed campaign finance limits, “100 billionaire families spent $2.6 billion” on 2024 elections. Sanders focuses on the Trump administration and congressional Republicans, describing their enactment of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” with its $1 trillion in tax breaks for the richest Americans and big social safety net cuts, as the “largest transfer of wealth” in living memory. But as is his custom, he spreads the blame, dinging Democrats for courting wealthy donors while ignoring the “needs and suffering” of the working class. “Trump filled the political vacuum that the Democrats created,” he writes, a resonant diagnosis. Urging readers not to surrender to despair, Sanders offers numerous legislative proposals. These would empower labor unions, cut the workweek to 32 hours, regulate campaign spending, reduce gerrymandering, and automatically register 18-year-olds to vote. Grassroots supporters can help by running for local office, volunteering with a campaign, and asking educators how to help support public schools. Meanwhile, Sanders asks us “to question the fundamental moral values that underlie” a system that enables “the top 1 percent” to “own more wealth than the bottom 93 percent.” Though his prose sometimes reads like a transcribed speech with built-in applause lines, Sanders’ ideas are specific, clear, and commonsensical. And because it echoes previous statements, his call for collective introspection lands as genuine.
A powerful reiteration of principles—and some fresh ideas—from the longest-serving independent in congressional history.Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9798217089161
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our...
A psychologist and Nobel Prize winner summarizes and synthesizes the recent decades of research on intuition and systematic thinking.
The author of several scholarly texts, Kahneman (Emeritus Psychology and Public Affairs/Princeton Univ.) now offers general readers not just the findings of psychological research but also a better understanding of how research questions arise and how scholars systematically frame and answer them. He begins with the distinction between System 1 and System 2 mental operations, the former referring to quick, automatic thought, the latter to more effortful, overt thinking. We rely heavily, writes, on System 1, resorting to the higher-energy System 2 only when we need or want to. Kahneman continually refers to System 2 as “lazy”: We don’t want to think rigorously about something. The author then explores the nuances of our two-system minds, showing how they perform in various situations. Psychological experiments have repeatedly revealed that our intuitions are generally wrong, that our assessments are based on biases and that our System 1 hates doubt and despises ambiguity. Kahneman largely avoids jargon; when he does use some (“heuristics,” for example), he argues that such terms really ought to join our everyday vocabulary. He reviews many fundamental concepts in psychology and statistics (regression to the mean, the narrative fallacy, the optimistic bias), showing how they relate to his overall concerns about how we think and why we make the decisions that we do. Some of the later chapters (dealing with risk-taking and statistics and probabilities) are denser than others (some readers may resent such demands on System 2!), but the passages that deal with the economic and political implications of the research are gripping.
Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our minds.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-374-27563-1
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
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