STAN PERSKY, READING THE 21st CENTURY: BOOKS OF THE DECADE, 2000-2009

The first decade of the twenty-first century was noteworthy for war, terror, religious revival, economic collapse, and a technological revolution that prompted countless critical responses and gave rise to a paradox: writing flourished, but reading declined. Reading the 21st Century investigates the urgent themes, major works, and crisis of reading in an era of instant communication. Evaluating works by established (Philip Roth, J.M. Coetzee) and emerging (Javier Cercas, Chimamanda Adichie) authors, and showcasing reporters (Steve Coll, Dexter Filkins) who have written essential books about global issues, Reading the 21st Century introduces new ways of thinking about the world's most significant cultural, political, and moral concerns.

Stan Persky is a native of Chicago, IL who now makes his home in Vancouver, after stops in San Francisco and Terrace, BC. He is the author of Then We Take Berlin and Buddy's, as well as several books about politics. A former columnist for the Vancouver Sun and the Globe and Mail, he now teaches in the philosophy department at Capilano College in North Vancouver and contributes frequently to dooneyscafe.com.