Joe Lawrence > Recent Status Updates

I love the calm, historic feeling of this. People: Painters, authors, pastors. Places: the church, the home, the school. It's brick and ideas, steeple and canvas.

Every book I read about him makes me want to know more.

Noticed humor, romance and vile judgement this time around. I remember it feeling atmospheric, bittersweet and poignant. Age brings out other notes.

I think I'm all set on true crime for the rest of my life after this.

Can't look, can't look away.

How are humans capable of this.

"Fraser's up. Easy out."

She still remember's that. Now she's naming names. It's not justice but it's still comeuppance.

Caroline Fraser is merciless and vengeful. It's a literary chokehold.

Good book if you want to learn random stuff like the fact that AI doesn't know why humans prefer ice cream to melted ice cream.

Sometimes I think this is the most powerful book I've ever read and the rest of the time I know it.

"Love goes very far beyond the physical person of the beloved. It finds its deepest meaning in his spiritual being: his inner self... Had I known then that my wife was dead, I think that I still would have given myself undisturbed by that knowledge to the contemplation of her image and my conversation with her would be just as vivid and satisfying. Set me like a seal upon my heart: love is as strong as death."

I retract my earlier statement. This isn't an audio ready book. The performances pf the dialogue seem like some of the best in this decade, but zooming through with audio is too fast for me and doesn't let me analyze anything.

One of those books that's super fun to listen to, but probably would be just as good for different reasons in print.

Damn, Obama really thinks highly of Rahm Emanuel

Nearing the end and realizing that Obama accentuates and omits strategically and I'm considering reading a modern history book and also a politically conservative book to counter this work of propaganda.

"Reggie flashed a wide grin. 'I gotta say, Boss. That was some gangster shit back there.'"


-- It's quotes like this that bring Obamas swagger back into the mix. The thing is, his integrity is unbeleivably high and so when he says he'll tell the press this or that, even heads of state rush to do what he says or else. His radical candor, integrity and calm under pressure opened doors that others couldn't.

"Backing out is not an option. We may not change public attitude in these regions overnight, but if we don't squarely address the sources of tension between the West and the Muslim world, and describe what peaceful coexistence looks like, we'll be fighting wars in the region for the next 30 years."

I never tire at Obama's generous characterizations of talented folks in government. He oozes admiration.

"I gotta be honest, I don't how it could have gone better." - John McFall after the London G20 Summit

He is elected and then saves the auto and financial sectors without blinking. If this were fiction I wouldn't beleive it.

Now it suddenly feels like watching CSPAN

Where the story really starts: he is elected.

He leaves out his fatherhood!

Or else he wasn't a father to them. He basically says they were born and then they're older. Even when he describes being with them it's just an adjective and an emotion and ge moves on... back to tuxedos, cigarettes, and fake laughs with people he just met.

Beginning to see why some people didn't like this book.
It's mechanical, mindless logistics, vote counting and shameless self-promotion. He admits travel and speeches were boring and tiresome-- so too for the reader.

When he tries to seem relatable he does a pretty good job, but sometimes I'm dumbfounded. He selects aids by choosing who else likes to smoke in the car. He said he never tried in school and spent most of his time drinking.

I know politicians are supposed to lie to seem relatable, but this is bogus. He tries so hard to cover for the fact that he was a nerd.

He makes me so proud to be an American

Already crying and not done with the preface

This text is throroughly profound. It's breathtaking.

I read a couple chapters as required reading in college but DAMN, I had no idea!! Why is Thomas Paine a household name and not MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT?

Then the book ended and the great American novel rolled on as it rolled 172 years ago.

Chapter 72 is a standout in what otherwise is a borderline uninteresting section ch62-94.