The book is an eye opener to the lengths to which corporations and government have gone over the last several decades to hide the potential harm various environmental threats pose to the public. From smoking and second hand smoke to climate change and pollution, a few key people have misled the public for decades with funding from a variety of benign sounding organizations. The book exposes research done without invoking the scientific method, funding sources and special interest groups and corporations who benefit from the misleading information and studies that result. This book was a difficult read but an education and a cautionary tale --- making the point that people should look for the qualifications of those who are presented as experts and also that we need to look at who is backing them.

I have been fascinated by what people bring away from listening to political debates and sermons. This book explains why we believe what we believe.
.Haidt discusses how we supply convenient rationalizations for what we already want to do. He puts forward a Moral Foundations Theory, explaining what liberals and conservatives value.
Wisdom, Haidt writes, "requires us all to take the logs out of our own eyes and then escape from our ceaseless, petty and devisive moralism."
The observation was made that people on the right are called 'conservatives' because they are more reluctant to change, and prefer instead to 'preserve and conserve'. People on the left are called 'progressives' because they are more open to change and often wish to hasten it.
What the author doesn't discuss is how these groups can be brought together and come to appreciate those who see reality from a different perspective.
This book was not an easy read but it was valuable for the insights gained.

Excellent story that takes place in the 1600s in Amsterdam. It is well researched and offers a view of a world where map making was limitied to men. There were specific rules that must be followed, limitations on colors used, and many restrictions in a tightly controlled society. The main character is a young girl who starts as a colorist who is not content with her role. She is very talented and wants to create maps and bring her talents to the attention of those men who value map making and the collectors who want what she offers.
There is innocence, ambition, and lies. There is also romance, intrigue, infidelity, mystery, and murder. There are many unexpected twists and turns throughout the book.