Book of the Year! Wilful Blindness by Margaret Heffernan

Simply, a cracking book and one that explains more about what has really being going on in these past few years than any economist has provided.  Written with a clarity, but fueled by anger, this book cuts through our most deep seated assumptions about our smartness and intellect. We, as humans, repeatedly fail to spot the obvious and speak the truth.
She writes "...our blindness grows out of the small daily decisions that we make which embed us more snugly inside our affirming thoughts and values. And. what is most frightening about this process is that, as we see less and less, we feel more comfort and greater certainty. We think we see more -  even as the landscape shrinks."
Heffernan is a good journalist and writes about specific case after case, ranging from the denial from the Catholic Church in child sex abuse to the arrogance of Alan Greenspan. By doing so, it becomes clear that our cognitive lapses are not just adhoc and confined to those of us in the slow lane, but endemic to the human experience. Powerful people frequently believe their own myths and models they create for themselves and impose on others. They are not sensitive to the impact they have. So, when a BP senior manager demands a 25% cut on a processing plant already cut back to the bone, resulting in multiple deaths, Heffernan argues that he could and should have known. Willful blindness.
Should be compulsory reading all members of a Board.