Non-Fiction – Page 24 – Ryan's Book Blog

Sapiens

March 15, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Published in 2014, “Sapiens” is written by historian Yuval Noah Harari that offers a sweeping overview of the history of humankind. Harari traces the evolution of our species from the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa to the present day, exploring how we became the dominant species on the planet, how our ability to create myths and shared beliefs allowed us to build complex societies and cooperate on a massive scale, and how our technological advancements have fundamentally altered the course of human history. The book challenges readers to think deeply about what it means to be human and offers insights into the ways in which our species has both succeeded and failed in the pursuit of happiness, meaning, and progress.

My Thoughts

What I enjoyed most about the book was that the author would present different sides of each point. For example, he started talking about the utopian concept of the prehistoric hunter gather life being better and fuller than life today. When he started down that path I remember thinking, “here we go”. However, he then balanced the comments with the perspectives of utilitarianism, stoicism, and the concepts of suffering as the Buddhists understand it.

I found some of it to be over generalized but I felt it was a good overview of the main topic.

Recommendation

This work would be a good primer for sociology or psychology classes.

Vietnam A History

March 9, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Published in 1983, Vietnam A History is a comprehensive history of Vietnam of the events leading up and through the war through the eyes of a WWII vet turned correspondent for several news outlets:

Paris correspondent for Time magazine.
Asian correspondent for Time-Life from 1959 to 1962,
The London Observer from 1961 to 1965,
The Saturday Evening Post from 1963 to 1965
The Washington Post from 1965 to 1971.
Diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Post in 1971 and 1972
Special correspondent for NBC and an associate editor of The New Republic from 1973 to 1975.
Columnist for King Features from 1975 to 1988
French newsweekly Le Point from 1976 to 1983 and for Newsweek International from 1977 to 1981.

My Thoughts

This book was a slog to get through. I found the writing to be plain and dry and the subject matter to be depressing and demoralizing. It seems like a good way to sum up the war in Vietnam.

I don’t know that I would have continued were it not good for my professional life to have more depth and understanding of the war.

I learned a great deal but feel I have to take a grain of salt with the content. I have respect for the author but it some of his comments made me feel like he was looking through a particular ideology. I intend to pick up another history to compare and contrast.

Digital Minimalism

February 23, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Published in 2019, Digital Minimalism is a call to remember what life is about and is an attempt to help people live their lives with more intention.

My Thoughts

Really, I think a lot of his ideas were pretty good and a lot was overblown. I arranged around my apps on my phone so I wouldn’t be as tempted to grab it and look all the time. I also got rid of my games. Surprisingly, I found myself looking for them a couple of times already…

Still, the goal is a good one. How to live our lives with some idea of what we are trying to accomplish is a good thing. Folks not just wasting time is a good thing too. However, I enjoy the distractions as well.

Recommendation

A good book, particularly if you are trying to justify not giving your teen a smart phone.

The Reader

January 30, 2020 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in 1995, “The Reader” captured enough attention to be made into a movie in 2008. It is the story of an ex-Nasi prison guard the life she tried to live after the war and the young man who fell for her.

My Thoughts

My thoughts are all over the place on this one. It was suggested to me by a helpdesk lady when I was asking about books to read. When I started the book, I was so racy I thought, “Was she coming on to me?” (Easy now Mrs. Robinson!) However, then I got further into the book… Fortunately there was no come on.

This was a pretty dark book which explores the inner psyche of someone who was forced to do something terrible, didn’t know what to do and was forced to live with it. We studied several studies in college which seem to show that most of us are capable of some pretty terrible stuff if we are put in certain circumstances.

Recommendation

I’m mixed on this. This was one of those books that we should probably read because it forces us to think. However, it will be very disturbing to some.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

January 16, 2020 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in 2003, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is an exploration of just about everything dealing with the dead, or at least dead humans. This is the book that started Mary Roach on the path of several 1 word titled books on very specific subjects; Spook, Bonk, Gulp, and Grunt. She threw in “Packing for Mars” in 2008, I’m assuming, just to spice things up.

My Thoughts

The author has a playful sense of humor which comes out in her style of writing. It feels like she had a lot of fun writing the book and I enjoyed reading it. I was surprised that it was written in 2003 as several of the facts presented seemed a lot more contemporary.

Recommendation

It’s worth the read.

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.

Brief Answers to Big Questions

December 9, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in October of 2018, just a few months after the author’s death, Brief Answers to Big Questions is a book from one of the most recognizable scientists of our time. Hawking shares his thoughts on; Space, AI, Power, Gene Editing, Earth, God, and others along with what made him famous, Black Holes.

My Thoughts

I didn’t know what to think about this one. However, I’m glad I read it. I enjoyed his view on a number of subjects and I thought he treated them with respect I hadn’t seen in some of his past writing. Most of the subject matter has been covered again and again but this work took them slowly and methodically as opposed to some quick sound bites.

Recommendation

It was worth the read.

12 Essential Scientific Concepts

November 20, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Scientist and Opra star Dr. Indre Viskontas, shares her knowledge in a series of 24 lectures about science. Her upbeat and detailed lecture style helps the subject matter become more accessible and entertaining to learners. Published in 2014, these lectures go a step further than most classrooms.

My Thoughts

This was a very well done lecture series. I consider myself to be fairly well versed in the basics of science. Yet, I found myself lost from time to time as she went a little deeper than I had heard before.

Some concepts need time to sink in and work through. I believe I went too fast through this lecture to really get everything out of it. It did spark some interest to go back some of the chemistry and theoretical physics which I haven’t refreshed in some time. I found myself very rusty in these concepts.

Recommendation

A good lecture. Not for the beginner.

Gulp

November 12, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in 2013, Gulp is just under 400 pages detailing the trip food makes through a human and the stops in between.

My Thoughts

Mary Roach is an engaging writer who makes snarky comments as she goes about her descriptions. In short, I enjoyed it. The subject matter wasn’t as new to me as perhaps I was expecting. There were some side information like Elvis’s colon which I hadn’t hear but that wasn’t really what I came for. Still, I felt the book was well done and I enjoyed it.

Recommendation

It is worth the read.

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

October 29, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in 2014, this 94 page book talks about; relativity, quantum mechanics, the architecture of the cosmos, elementary particles, quantum gravity, black holes and how we fit in.

My Thoughts

This book went by in a flash. The science part was good but I could have done without the narrative toward the end.

Recommendation

Interesting but I won’t be reading it again