Non-Fiction – Page 25 – Ryan's Book Blog

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.

The Power of Habit

September 20, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

The power of habit was published in 2012 and outlines habits as consisting of three elements: a cue, a routine, and a reward. It gives some history as to when these principalities started being used by companies and gave some ideas as to how they are being used today.

The book also spends some time discussing how someone can change their own habits.

My thoughts

In general, I liked the book. I think some concepts were forced into the theory put forward but on the whole, It seemed like it was well written and gave some good ideas about how to go about change in life.

Recommendation

Not a bad book.

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.

You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!

July 27, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

This is a book about coping with Attention Deficit Disorder both as a child and as an adult.

You Mean I'm Not Lazy Stupid or Crazy — You Mean I’m Not Lazy Stupid or Crazy

My Thoughts

This book was a little hard to get through in that it assumes the reader to have A.D.D. I have not be diagnosed with it nor do I expect to be. However, it is interesting to see where the author took the book and what was important.

Recommendation

A good read if you have A.D.D.

Wait, What?

July 26, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Wait, what? is a book about asking questions. It seeks to teach us there is always a little more to know and little deeper to probe. Above all, there is no “right” answer.

My Thoughts

This book was hilarious. It was a very fun read and a reminder that it is ok to question. In fact, it is a good idea to question so you know what is going on. This is something I will try to remember and implement going forward.

Recommendation

Thumbs up! A great read.

Norse Mythology

July 11, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Released in 2017, Norse Mythology is a collection of exactly what you might think it would be. This is the mythology of Thor, Odin, Loki and all the others. Gaiman pens several of the legends and myths which have largely been forgotten in our day to day society.

My Thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised at this book. I really enjoyed it largely because I hadn’t heard these stories before. I did a little bit of searching and found his book has been well received by the mythology community so I feel like it is fairly authentic.

My introduction to the topic was back in grade school where we heard where we found the names of the days of the week. I remember that lesson really grabbed my attention. (Thanks Mrs. Sanders!) Still, it took 36 years to actually hear a real myth… Sad really. Like many American’s, I am familiar with Marvel’s version of the Norse Gods but it turns out, they are a little different.

Thor is not the brightest and Loki seems to be in the center of everything. Loki’s children bring about Ragnarok. Loki is the reason Mjolnir was made and why the handle is so short. Loki seems to be the reason just about everything happened.

Recommendation

A great read! Everyone should read it.

Everything is F*cked

July 10, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Mark Manson remixes; Jung, Nietzsche, and others to bring some idea as to why the world seems as messed up as it is. Released in May of 2019, the book has met with great success.

My Thoughts

This book had me thinking again about what is important and why do I do the things I like to do. I feel like I am a centered person. I feel like I’m fair and do things for the “right” reason. Particularly inspiring was the comment in the book about how children, adolescents and adults see morality. Children do it because they are told to and fear being caught. Adolescents see things as more of a transaction. Adults do things because it is the right thing to do. These aren’t new thoughts but they are worth repeating. It is scary how often I find myself falling into the adolescent or even childlike patterns of behavior.

Recommendation

A worth while read. If you haven’t read much philosophy, some of the ideas expounded upon could be new and even challenging for a religious person.