Selected Writings

The selections that follow have been excerpted from fourteen books published between 2015 and 2022. I placed emphasis on original research, thought and creativity in this process. At the same time, I did not change the wording of the chapters to include updates or recent events. I withdrew my first two books from circulation because I felt that growing political polarization had complicated the issues Political Participation and Values for the 21st Century intended to address. A topic more easily tackled turned out to be A Short History of Switzerland (2018), which has now progressed to its fifth edition. The next publication, Mobilizing the Fringe (2019) had its origins in a collaboration with one of my mentors, the late Chris Bradshaw. He acquired a variety of environmentalist credentials and ultimately served as president of Canada's Green Party. In 2020 I launched the Decades series with The 1980s, followed by The 1970s and The 1990s. That fall I also sought to put Charles Darwin's work in context with The Age of Darwin (2020). 2021 marked the twentieth anniversary of the 911 attacks, so I actioned the occasion with the brief volume Autumn 2001. Then I decided to cover another popular decade, The 1920s (2021). At year's end I completed 2009 - the Last Good Year? This year I researched and wrote The 1900s (2022), to complete the series of 20th century decades. By the summer I also completed On Germany: a Subjective History. Excerpts from the recent publication Reclaiming Values form the final chapter of this collection. The hope remains that these selections will stimulate appetites for more detail, spurring sales for my lesser-known titles.