Biography – Page 11 – Ryan's Book Blog

Leonard

August 28, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Leonard is the biography of Leonard Nimoy written by William Shatner and David Fisher (who helped Shatner with a couple other projects). Published in 2016, it is written from the perspective of William Shatner and largely about their shared experiences.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed the book. My love for Star Trek notwithstanding, I learned a great deal about someone who, I admit, I really didn’t know much. I particularly enjoyed the stories be brought to life with the energy of Bill Shatner.

Recommendation

If you like Star Trek. It was well worth the read.

Lincoln on Leadership

July 17, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Originally published in 1992, Lincoln on Leadership is a compilation of the leadership styles and theories acted out by Abraham Lincoln.

My Thoughts

Great book full of practical and actionable thoughts and theories. Some of it can be conflicting yet, when taken through the lens of true Christ-like love and compassion it is easy to see what “should” be done.

Recommendation

One of the best books on leadership I’ve read.

Brute

July 17, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Brute is the biography of 3 star general Victor “Brute” Krulak by Robert Coram. It takes him through his entire storied life and career and highlights his impact on the United States Marine Corps and America as a whole.

My Thoughts

Tradition, honor, integrity, and being “squared away” have always been hallmarks of the Marines. None more so than Brute Krulak. His stories are legend and those stories impact both the morale and behavior of Marines today. (Even reading the book made me want to lose weight…)

However, he was a hard man both willing to embellish and outright lie when it suited him. I didn’t like that. I much more preferred the straight-shooting from other leaders like Grant and Lee. I much prefer the truth over what someone might want to be true.

Recommendation

A great read and imperative to understanding the modern Marine Corps.

The Moment of Lift

June 29, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Melinda Gates published this book in April of 2019. She takes us through her journey in creating the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and finding how best to help.

My Thoughts

I can’t say I really enjoyed this book although I do believe it was an important read. I felt she addressed some important issues surrounding poverty and gender inequality around the world. She also did a great job addressing the biases inherit in trying to help others while being an American billionaire.

I have tremendous respect for what both Bill and Melinda Gates are doing with their foundation. I didn’t know that Warren Buffet matched their endowment until I read this book so I have a newfound respect for him as well. The fact he was willing to hand over that much money is a testament to the thorough job the Gates Foundation is doing. Sometimes the worst thing someone can do is give another person money. Poverty is a much more complicated problem.

Recommendation

It is a hard book to read due to the unpleasant realities in the book. However, it was well written and left me with a little more hope that someone is taking these issues head on.

The Beautiful Ones

December 30, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in 2019, “The Beautiful Ones” is the unfinished biography of Prince. As the introduction explains, Prince passed away before it was finished but not before he had written a good deal of the content and explained some of the vision for it.

My Thoughts

The introduction felt as long as the book itself. I am not a fan of Prince in general and have paid little enough attention to his work. I didn’t know much about his life, who he was or what he stood for. Now I know a little bit of it.

I did unintentionally buy an album once thinking it was the 1989 Danny Elfman soundtrack to Batman. Unfortunately, I didn’t look close enough to the catalog and it was the soundtrack that Prince did for the same movie. It wasn’t that bad and it would have been work to return it so… That experience and this book will likely bookend my time thinking about the artist formerly and currently known as Prince. I’m ok with that.

Recommendation

Much like when I read Sting’s biography, I now think less of the artist.

Inside the Five Sided Box

October 4, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Ash Carter has been around government since he wrote a review of Ronald Regan’s “Star Wars” program. He rose to be the Secretary of Defense for Barak Obama and has been an influential figure throughout his long career. This book was a review of his thoughts and experiences as he went through all the major events impacting our government.

My Thoughts

This was a well written biography but it was a little daunting to get through. At just under 500 pages, it took me a bit more than my usual read. However, I have found myself quoting it at work more than a few times. I didn’t fact check the claims made but they do seem to ring true.

Recommendation

If you have interest in contemporary American history, I would recommend this book.

How to Stay Human in a Fd up World

September 30, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

A relatively new book, this was published in July of 2019 by Tim Desmond who was one of the organizers of the “Walk on Wallstreet”. He currently leads a team at Google helping others with emotional support.

My Thoughts

This book wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. As an “esteemed Buddhist”, I felt Mr. Desmond had a lot of anger still left in him. Perhaps it was simply rhetoric to connect with the younger audience but it wasn’t what I was expecting.

Recommendation

I would pass on this one.

Beyond Charlottesville

September 13, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Beyond Charlottesville is a book by Terry McAuliffe who was governor of Virginia during the time of the tragic events in Charlottesville VA and had to deal directly with the build up and aftermath of those events. This book gives his perspective as to what transpired and the actions his administration took before during and after the events.

My Thoughts

Terry McAuliffe is a politician and I can’t say I believe everything in the book. In fact, I found myself wanting to fact check several of his statements and realizing there was no way to do so. However, if I take the book at face value, I believe he did all that could have legally been done. I learned a lot from the book.

Recommendation

If you have interest, it is worth the time to read it. I would recommend it be balanced with supplemental reading about the event as this account seemed to be fairly one sided.

Thank You for Being Late

September 7, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Written in 2016, this book as about modern life and the breakneck speed that everything seems to be changing. Three time Pulitzer Prize winning Journalist Thomas Friedman shares his perspective on how quickly things have changed and his quasi-biographical observations of how to deal with it and what else might be coming down the line.

My thoughts

I started reading this because my boss’s boss’s boss made an off handed comment about it. Now that I’ve read it, the comment didn’t make any sense. But that’s motivation for you…

The book was very interesting as it seemed to catalog the technological growth throughout my career. There were a number of antidotes that I felt could have easily been my experience. I don’t know that I agree with all of the observations but I do agree that we haven’t seen anything yet in terms of technology and general disruptions to our lives in general.

Recommendation

It is worth the read.

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World

August 16, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in June of 2019, this book only came out a couple of months ago. It is a series of stories and thoughts from a young father to his son.

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World

My Thoughts

This book was hilarious. As a father, I can certainly related to most of the frustrations and ironies of becoming a young father in this time in world history. Much is expected…

Mr. Backman is Swedish, so there are a few things which are a bit different but really it’s all the same game. We (fathers of the world) are all tasked with raising the next generation with more expectations than any time before us.

Recommendation

A great book for the new father. Not for someone who is sensitive to strong language.