Winter Reading

I just finished reading Bare Branches: The Security Implications of Asia's Surplus Male Population (which seems an appropriate title to occupy me in the winter). It is probably the most interesting and depressing book I've read in a long time. I think I've written before about my preference for light reads, especially those with happy endings, but I found my local library's "Request a Book" feature and thought this would be a good addition. I was a little surprised when it showed up on my account as a reserved book a few weeks later; apparently if you tell them it's good, they give you first dibs. Anyway, Bare Branches discusses the huge problems caused by India and China's overwhelming scarcity of females due to sex-selective abortions, infanticide, and neglect. The title refers to the resulting men who are left without wives and families, and therefore tend to congregate in groups that engage in dangerous behaviors like drug use, violent crime, fighting, and rebellion against the government. These bands of unattached men become particularly dangerous when driven to desperation by a failing economy. (Did you hear something? Oh, that was just the bell tolling DOOM.) So, an interesting read, and it made me want to find out more about how China has changed their family planning policy and whether India has become aware of the problem.