E. J. Ford

Graeber's "Debt" raises questions about the received wisdom of economics. When did we all become entrapped in debt and financial obligation? Why are the standards of debt different for the wealthy than for the poor? "Debt" does an amazing job of laying bare the inconsistencies and contradictions of our economic system.

Grover Gardner does a great job of conveying the emotional content of an intellectual argument. Proficient reading of non-fiction is about drawing the listener into the argument, which means understanding the argument and following the rhetorical rhythms. Gardner does an amazing job!

Debt is not a permanent condition nor is it necessarily a moral failing. With all of us in debt, this knowledge is uplifting!

I wish there were more books from the modern anthropological literature available as audio books!

An excellent account of the challenging and demanding course of training for America's top special operations warriors. Training, deployment, field operations, it's all here, culminating in the terrifying Battle for Mogadishu during the 1990's. In descriptions of his professional life and training, Wasdin's tale is always interesting.

However, Wasdin's fascinating story is undercut by ill-informed observations about American foreign policy, an appology for the abusive relationship he had with his stepfather, and an odd, late-in-the-book conversion on the part of the author to the pseudoscience of chiropracty. Having left the military, Wasdin's second career is in this field and he even cheapens the work by providing a plug for his business and a testamonial for it. A weird detraction from the SEAL team story.

This book is worth the listen if you want a convincing story about the rigors of SEAL special operations training and deployment. Just skip the material after Wasdin's recovery from Mogadishu!