Weekly “what are you reading” thread #25

This week I am reading mostly documentation for a regulatory exam, which I guess technically qualifies as literature. It's about import-export controls, citing statutes to completion, and creating viable paths forward for traded goods. The exam is something I plan to take next year, and has a low passage rate. I think I've got this though, as it has no prequalifications. I'm getting it to further my career aspirations towards business development.

For books more germane, I've been both reading the Bible, which my grandfather takes time to educate me on topics he finds interesting, and I've been struggling through The Old World and Its Ways by William Jennings Bryan. For my time with the Bible, I struggle with contextualizing and reconciling what the Bible says with my beliefs, as well as others interpretation of it. I'm not a biblical literalist, as I think anything that's been in the hands of man for 2000ish years is corruptible. But I at least try and read it cover to cover, as not only does it give me insight into others, but it makes my grandfather happy.

For the Bryan book, I'll tell you that it's fascinating that a presidential contender went to Europe and relays his ideas to a reader in the 21st century. It's like having a one-way conversation with someone, which I know sounds asinine but that's just how it's written. You can imagine him sitting in a train coach speaking of his travels as you look out at the country side of an unknown land. Very little of the book is bitter, which surprised me given what I know of his history as someone who lost multiple presidential races and a movement known as Free Silver. He does however decry the conditions he sees in the rural areas as being miserable, and cites Europe as a powder keg of conflict. He also goes on to speak on the weakness of Austria-Hungary, bringing to the forefront conventional wisdom that would foreshadow the abject disaster of the First World War.

Overall, fascinating stuff.