All the Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer (La Grolla)

This book digs into the overthrow of the Mossadegh regime in Iran by the British and American security services in the years leading up to 1953.  It's a fascinating, complex story that the author turns into a well written and researched thriller.  The restaurant offered great food and service but also lots of noise.  Our next book is David Grann, The Wager.  Also considered were Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon and Ann Patchett's Tom Lake.  We plan to meet on December 13 and Don will bring a list of books for the following month.

Don Fraser by Iric Nathanson (The Great Wall)

The bio of Don Fraser was welcomed by all of us because he played a key role in Minnesota politics for many decades and became an important force for an internationalist foreign policy in the U. S. Congress.  The book covered the important events in Fraser's life but the account seemed one dimentional.  As an introvert, Fraser was a strange and unexpected political phenomenon.  And he sometimes made     questionable career choices, like returning to local politics as Mayor of Minneapolis after years of thinking and working at the international level. But we enjoyed the book and loved the food and service at the Great Wall.  

Our next book is Kinzer's, All the Shah's Men.  Also considered were Patchet, Tom Lake, Orwell, 1984, and McLean, A River Runs Through It.  We plan to meet on Wednesday, Oct. 25.  Peter suggests the next book.

Crooked Path to Abolition by James Oakes (Gus Gus)

The book was an interesting and important topic which focused particularly on Lincoln's evolving understanding and attitude toward abolition.  He was against slavery from his early years, but wanted to deal with it in a step-by-step manner, and as his presidency developed, he became more radical in his thinking.  The problem with the book was the author's need to record every twist and turn on that crooked path.  The end result was a tedious and confusing account.  We decided that he needed a better framework with a consistent look at the big picture.  

The next book is Iric Nathanson's biography of Don Fraser.  Other books considered were Sturdevant's bio of Her Honor, Rosalie Wahl, Werle's Stassen Again, and Milikan's Union Against Unions.  Next meeting is Sept 27.