Psychology

Background

Written by Galit Atlas, PhD, Emotional Inheritance is a book about the psychological damage that can be inherited across the generations or even from those around you.

My Thoughts

I can’t say I cared for it at all. She makes the case that we unconsciously pick up our family’s emotional baggage and it can carry on over the generations. Her parents immigrated from Iran and Syria to Israel in the post WWII formation so she had some interesting stories to tell about family issues. I have read a few books about epigenetics in that area and wasn’t too surprised that she wrote in with an opinion on it in USA Today. However, I thought she played pretty fast and loose with some of the ideas and downplayed the good that can come from opposition. Of course, everyone should be in therapy if you buy in to everything these folks are telling us. I’m just glad to see the rise of the term “post traumatic growth” in some of these publications. It reminds me of the emotional equivalent to George Carlin’s take on strengthening the immune system.

Recommendation

Skip this one.

Background

Written in July of 2021, The Life Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit is a book describing how we are all full of it.

My Thoughts

This was a decent read. I didn’t have any life changing moments while reading but I can say it primed me to be a little less full of myself and more inclined to listen closer to what people are saying. As the Savior said, “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” (Matt 5:37)

However, we all like a good tale as well. John Petrocelli does a good job in rating what a person says as Bullshit (and uses the word frequently) by giving in an index of so many flies. (1 through 3.) A BS fly index of 1 would just be someone trying to sound like he saw the game last night when really he has no idea what he is talking about. Still BS but harmless. However, he rated the Mao’s “great leap forward” (resulting in 30 million to 55 million deaths) with a BS index of 3. That’s a pretty big jump in my estimation and I felt like there could be a little more gray in the scale.

Recommendation

I liked it but I won’t be reading it again.

Background

Written in April of 2022, “Inspired. Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul” is a book about how creativity works, how you can build it, and why that might matter.

My Thoughts

Creativity has been a flighty mistress throughout most of my life. I once really thought of myself as an artist, but these days, think of myself more of a technician. Modesty aside, there isn’t much I can’t do. However, how much can I do well? That’s always the question.

I took a creativity class back in the early college days. I really enjoyed it and still have the book from the course. (One of very few…) However, this book wasn’t looking so much at the practical. Rather it was focused more on the process of how creativity works.

Recommendation

I liked it and would recommend it. However, it didn’t have a ton to offer in terms of practical use.

Background

Published in March of 2022, Tranquility by Tuesday is a book on finding calm with practical step by step ideas.

My Thoughts

Another fix it quick book on inner peace. However, I did like the list she came up with.

1. Give yourself a bedtime. (Good advice)
2. Plan on Fridays. (I haven’t managed it yet.)
3. Move by 3pm. (Done)
4. Three times a week is a habit. (Interesting thought. Could be translated to be kind to yourself.)
5. Create a backup slot. (Again, good advice)
6. One big adventure, one little adventure. (Hard to do but why not?)
7. Take one night for you. (Never going to happen with kids, church, work, and a spouse. Maybe when I’m quite older.)
8. Batch the little things. (Good advice)
9. Effortful before effortless. (Do the hard things first, again, good advice.)

Recommendation

Not bad as these books tend to go.