Consider a book-Books worth reading

This is a re-read for me, but I got much out of it this time than the last. I picked it up because I wanted a fresh look at the human side of the French Revolution in light of the political unrest  (protests, riots, murders, etc.) that have marked the 2nd half of 2020 in the USA. In some ways, it's relieving to see the differences between pre-revolution France and USA 2020. The differences between rich and poor are nowhere near as pronounced and social mobility is much, much higher. On a more doer note, the similarities are disturbing. Most disturbing of all is the similarities between the french revolution leaders and the leading voices of the would-be 1519 revolutions in 2020. Specifically, the need for equity over equality, vengeance over reconciliation, and the identification of problems over the proposition of solutions. This ideology is what lead to the reign of terror.  With that preface, I can't recommend this book enough right now as a cautionary tale. It's ever mo...

Engagement magic is straightforward and applicable. Maylett lays out what he views as the five keys for engaging "people, leaders, and organizations." The breadth of potential audience circumscribed by that description is perhaps the book's greatest weakness and it’s unique value add. It is as if the book can't decide if it wants to be a book about building a career for individuals or about building an engaged company for managers. At the same time, it’s a book about the relationship between employees and their company, so perhaps that division is justified if distracting at times. The argument rests on two pillars: first, engaged employees are simultaneously more satisfied (generally happy), and more productive; second, the responsibility for engagement is a "50/50 proposition between managers and employees". MAGIC is an acronym that describes the five necessary elements for engagement. Meaning. Autonomy. Growth. Impact. Connection. If an employee feels ...

Kaplan's thesis is  “Europe defined the 20th century; the Indian Ocean will define the 21st.” He makes an interesting and largely compelling argument.  My first note is that Kaplan is not an armchair journalist who lives in a library. He draws from personal experience traveling through the countries in the greater Indian ocean he outlines. His experiences range from sitting down with radical political leaders in countries of the middle east or crossing the disputed borderlands between Thailand and Burma (Myanmar) on a rainy jungle night. Second, Kaplan brings an even-handed approach to the discussion. I didn't detect the kind of overt political tones that emerge from the pages of the New York times or the Wallstreet journal's editorial section. Kaplan seems to have his own ideas and defends them eloquently. Except for an odd preference for Obama era foreign policy, his political allegiances don't overly taint the narrative. The crux of the argument is Ch...

I think my disappointment with this book can be mostly explained by my high expectations. I heard rave things about it from a variety of people I admire and I was expecting some grand new ideas. But In the words of Jim Rohn, “You've got to be a little suspicious of someone who says, ‘I've got a new fundamental.’” The book is implicitly about nature vs. nurture. Dweck adds nuance to the conversation by sidestepping the question of “how much is nature and how much is nature” in favor of “how much do you believe isn’t nature?” She neatly demonstrates across a variety of settings that the more you believe you can change (growth mindset) the more successful you will be. It doesn’t matter how much is nature, believing that you can do it anyway seems to make a real difference. The basic idea is at least 2000 years old “If you can believe, all is possible” (Mark 9:23) and more recently “If you can dream it, you can become it” (Walt Disney). I think Dweck’s rise to prominence o...

This book seems extraordinarily well researched. The writing is good and there are several very thought-provoking pieces of insight. My biggest problem with it is that Charles Mann lacks the proper credentials to write it and I lack the expertise to judge if he did a good job with it. I can at least weigh in on the areas that touch my expertise. The economics portions are reasonably accurate and thorough. He misses the mark on a few occasions but there is enough correct and balancing information to make it a good effect. The descriptions of the economic effects of the silver trade regarding monetary policy are apt. The economic arguments regarding slavery are apt, I can't speak to the takedown. I also can't speak to the ecological and agricultural arguments. Sorry, I wish I could be more helpful! I'm planning on learning more about the subject, maybe I can update it once I'm in a better place to judge. in the meantime, here's a more expert review .

My feelings about Glen Beck are mixed in the political arena, but this book isn't about politics; it's about people.  Dreamers and Deceivers is a fun read.  In order to gain the maximum benefit from the book, you have to go in knowing that it's not history, it's historical fiction. The distinction between the two can often become blurry, and certainly, this is more based in fact than say, a good GA Henty novel. Just for fun, I compared the historicity of Beck's Turing story to "imitation game" with benedict Cumberbatch. Can you guess who won? It wasn't close. Beck was way more historical in his take. Ultimately I think he did a good job fusing entertainment with history: better than most. The fundamental appeal of Dreamers and deceivers is hidden knowledge. Basically, read this and you'll know some fun details about historic events that you can use to impress your friends at dinner parties and could even be useful to illustrate points in present...

I read this because people I admire talked about it (Elon musk, Orson Scott Card, Ben Shapiro). It's classic science fiction in an ancient context. It was published in the 50s, 15 years before the earliest start trek, 25 years before star wars, and 35 years before Enders game, all of which are ancient history. In many ways, it belongs to the era of   Edgar Rice Burroughs'  Prince of Mars or even H.G. Well's War of the Worlds more than it does modern science fiction. That being said, there are some truly brilliant ideas explored in the text. First, the book doesn't follow a protagonist, which means no character development and no human story. Instead, Asimov overtly follows humanities' story, jumping from viewpoint to viewpoint and century to century in galactic civilization. In some ways, it reads more like a collection of short stories in Sanderson's Cosmere or perhaps even something from the MCU, but the novel still manages to drive a narrative crafted aro...

Getting things done is an encyclopedic volume of how David Allen  thinks personal organization should be done. In honesty, I found it so dry that I didn't even finish it! In my inspirational vs informational quadrant, the GTD method falls squarely into informational. This isn't to say that the information is bad, merely that it's unreadable. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I would have actually read it as opposed to listening to it. The overall theme is laudable. The point of the system, as he explains it, is to make your mind like water. When something is thrown into it, it causes momentary ripples but quickly returns to a placid surface. To accomplish this he describes a six-step system.  First, find a  trustable system  you trust to capture every action that might be accomplished into your life.  If you can't rely on your system, you will constantly fret about things you might be forgetting. He talks about a filing cabinet or an app. ...

This book was thoroughly thought-provoking. My Lukwarm rating isn't because I think the writing or the material was "meh". The problem is, it lacks a conclusion. The good bits. The first 16-17 years of the book are an excellent read. It gives some real perspective in to the importance of a deep and broad education in terms of empowering the little guy. It also highlights the importance of the community. Every time Tara would recount one of her nightmarish scenes I was screaming in my head WHERE IS HER BISHOP!?/Hometeacher/ young woman's leaders/ neighbor. It was good to hear how she got out of a bad situation and how she stood up for herself and then made such strides in educating herself. It was fantastic to hear about all the help she received from various people including her bishop, once she got out of her home. What it's not.  I've listened to a few interviews and read a few reviews and many of the interviewers and critics who haven't read th...

I wonder why I'm still reading Gladwell. The short answer is he gets me thinking. Please see this post for a more thorough breakdown of my thoughts on reading or now reading this author. This book certainly falls into the same category. Beyond the usual tropes of confusing correlation and causation, and the predictably good storytelling there are a few basically correct and simultaneously good conclusions to be drawn from this book. People aren't very good at interpreting what strangers are thinking or who they are. We are much worse at it than we think. (contrary to the authors earlier assertions in Blink ). Nevel Chamberlin's confidence that Hitler was "trustworthy" is a good case-in-point. Gladwell also drew in some statistical evidence from criminality cases etc. Certain types of people are intrinsically more suspicious. This might be due to personality, this might be due to profession. Most people tend to error on the side of trust( Type II error),...

Darren Hardy is an interesting guy. I first learned about him when a friend alerted me to his "Darren Daily" morning motivational videos. The videos are OK— nothing to write home about. He isn't exactly brilliant and a lot of the videos come off as over-the-top but those videos, in turn, alerted me to the book. The book is Darren at his best. It was carefully considered and well written. It's worth having a closer look. The foundation of the book is simple; it's in the title. Small steps, when done consistently make a world of difference. Darren doesn't claim to bring any new information to the game. Indeed, he quotes Jim Rone when he warns “Truth is not new, it’s old. Be suspicious of the guy with ‘new antiques.’” Instead, he claims to be bringing a new strategy. As a strategist, I think that claim is far too generous. A strategy is quintessentially insight about information and that’s not what Darren offers. From my perspective, what he offers is m...

I can’t give any kind of summary of this book that hasn’t been given before. It’s been widely dissected, superimposed, and even applied. Instead, I’ll just copy and paste a general outline with some of my thoughts and favorite quotes as sub-bullets. I hope it’s helpful. ·        Part 1: Fundamental Techniques in Handling People Principle 1: Don’t criticize condemn, or complain Principle 2: Give honest and sincere appreciation “Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise” I found this principle the most useful. Carnegie reiterates it throughout the remainder of the book. If I have one takeaway from this book, it is to praise everyone for everything that is praiseworthy. Look for the good in people and point out every bit of it you can see. Principle 3: Arouse in the other person an eager want This is a cute idea, and it’s the crux of the sale; but it’s not somethin...

I picked this book up because I've been wanting to read something by Voltaire ever since I heard Hugo throwing his name around in Les Miserables. Since then, the desire to read Voltaire has been stocked by  Tolstoy ,  C. S . Lewis ,  Ben Shapiro , and Stefan Zweig. He's a classic author that merits some attention. I must say this is not what I was expecting. I listened to the whole thing in just a few days, it was only a few hours long. I think the simplest way to describe it is  The Alchemist  in Satire. Here's a more broken down version. Candide grew up in a castle in Germany with the core philosophy that "this is the best of all possible worlds" caricaturized by the statement "Observe, that the nose has been formed to bear spectacles-this we have spectacles." obviously confusing cause and effect. the rest of the book revolves around this premise. His adventures include getting kicked out of the castle for kissing the resident Princess (He'...