Published in Sep of 2006, “The Religion of Small Societies” is an attempt to understand the spirituality and mysticism of cultures who predate or are outside of the mainstream religions.
The Religion of Small Societies
My Thoughts
This book had some interesting insights into cultures I didn’t know about or really thought about. We, as humans, are very good about building patterns and beliefs. It was interesting to hear about what others really do believe and why they do the things they do.
Recommendation
Unless you are interested in anthropology, I’d skip this one.
Published in 2017, this book helps the aspiring leader along in their journey. Can leadership be taught or are you born with it? For this book, the answer is it is something you can learn.
The Leadership Challenge
My Thoughts
This was a good book that put some science into what I thought of as common sense. It was a good reminder on several fronts and a wake up call on several others. I believe I am a better leader due to reading this book.
Published October of 2020, Chris Wallace writes about the development and the use of the atom bomb. He takes us through the process of the arms race and tells the story from multiple people and their points of view.
Countdown to 1945
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed the book. Chris Wallace didn’t spend a lot of time giving his opinion, rather he told the story from what others had written about their personal thoughts and insights. I also thought the addition of the survivors from Hiroshima gave good depth to the story.
Recommendation
I think this story is an important one to get our collective minds around. It was worth the read.
Published in 2018, this book talks about how China has backed themselves into a corner and how the author really didn’t see a good way forward for them.
China’s Great Wall of Debt
My Thoughts
If true, this was a very disturbing book. The notion that China was on the edge as much as it seemed could have huge ramifications in the near future. This is particularly true with the COVID-19 pandemic going on now.
Published in 2018, Ketotarian is the name of someone who wants to live the majority of time in a perpetual state of Ketosis. This book expounds on why this might be a good way to go if you are looking for an alternative of the standard American diet.
Ketotarian
My Thoughts
This book didn’t have any revelations other than some self-righteous justifications from someone who progressed from vegan to keto. I read the book as I have been trying to follow a keto-friendly diet for the past month or so. I haven’t really drunk the Kool-Aid but I have lost some weight.
Recommendation
It wasn’t bad if you are interested in the subject matter.
Published in 2017, Jacob Bannister tells the story of one of those larger than life people, Winston Churchill. We are taken through his life and share in his rise in power to one of the main figures of World War II.
Churchill
My Thoughts
I found this to be a very interesting read. I knew of most of the stories in the book but I believe this one did a great job of bring the character of Churchill to life.
First published in 1992, this book became a best-seller both in English and in several other languages. You’ve likely heard of this book because everyone has heard of this book. The author explains how we all give and accept love differently and it is worth the time and effort to learn your partner’s “love language” if you want them to feel loved.
The 5 Love Languages
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed the book and put it to instant use. My sweet wife knew something was up as soon as I started but she seemed happy regardless.
Recommendation
Everyone who is in a long term relationship should read this book!
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.
Sapiens
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.
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.
Digital Minimalism
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.
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.
Stiff
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.
