Four New Books: U.S.A.I.D. Dismantling, Philosophy of Life, Palestinian Exile, Parisian Family History
The New Yorker's Briefly Noted section reviews four books. 'Into the Wood Chipper' by Nicholas Enrich (Summit) details the systematic dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.) by the Department of Government Efficiency, based on internal records and firsthand observations. Enrich, a former senior official placed on administrative leave in March 2025 after criticizing funding cuts, describes the disruption of disease response and the resulting human toll. 'Transcendence for Beginners' by Clare Carlisle (New York Review Books) explores how to make sense of a human life, drawing on thinkers from Spinoza to Proust and her own experiences, concluding that love is an element of reality. 'Paradiso 17' by Hannah Lillith Assadi (Knopf) chronicles the life of Sufien, a Palestinian displaced by the Nakba, moving from Palestine to a Syrian refugee camp, then Italy and the U.S., offering a nuanced portrait of a flawed individual. 'The Monuments of Paris' by Violaine Huisman (Penguin Press) blends memoir and fiction to reckon with the influence of her father Denis and grandfather Georges, a Jewish cultural official who lost his position during the Nazi occupation, reflecting on emotional inheritance.
Key facts
- Nicholas Enrich wrote 'Into the Wood Chipper' about the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D.
- Enrich was placed on administrative leave in March 2025 after circulating an internal memo critical of funding cuts.
- The Department of Government Efficiency hollowed out U.S.A.I.D.'s operations.
- Clare Carlisle's 'Transcendence for Beginners' asks how to make sense of a human life.
- Carlisle is a professor of philosophy and biographer of Søren Kierkegaard and George Eliot.
- Hannah Lillith Assadi's 'Paradiso 17' follows Sufien, a Palestinian displaced by the Nakba.
- Sufien moves from Palestine to a refugee camp in Syria, then Italy and the U.S.
- Violaine Huisman's 'The Monuments of Paris' focuses on her father Denis and grandfather Georges, who lost his position during the Nazi occupation.
Entities
Artists
- Søren Kierkegaard
- George Eliot
- Spinoza
- Marcel Proust
- Celia Paul
- Jonathan Lear
Institutions
- United States Agency for International Development
- Department of Government Efficiency
- Summit
- New York Review Books
- Knopf
- Penguin Press
- The New Yorker
Locations
- India
- Manchester
- Palestine
- Syria
- Italy
- U.S.
- Paris
- France