After decades covering defense and foreign policy stories in Washington, journalist James McCartney devoted his retirement to writing a book about what he had learned about the military-industrial complex. No small surprise, the MIC is alive and well — nearly 55 years after McCartney, as a reporter just starting out, heard President Eisenhower’s historic 1961 speech that carried his blunt warning about the danger and long term ramifications of an unchecked MIC.

Sadly, James McCartney passed away before he could complete the book, but his wife, Molly Sinclair McCartney, took over where he left off, finishing the book now published and titled “America’s War Machine: Vested Interests, Endless Conflict” (St. Martin’s Press, October 2015). Molly Sinclair McCartney is a noted journalist in her own right, having reported for the Miami Herald and the Washington Post.

William D. Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, reviewed the book on Huffington Post, describing it as a “crisp, clear analysis of the state of the MIC more than 50 years after Eisenhower and his advisors coined the term. The authors deploy dozens of examples to make their case that unfortunately, the MIC is alive and well, with an outsized role in determining not only how much to spend on the Pentagon, but also on whether the country is at war or at peace.” Read the full book review here.

Molly Sinclair McCartney will discuss “America’s War Machine: Vested Interests, Endless Conflicts,” at 2 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Manatee County Central Library, 1301 Barcarrota Blvd., Bradenton and at 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at Florida Veterans for Common Sense, Firehouse, 2070 Waldemere St., Sarasota. The book is available on Amazon.com.