Author Sebastian Junger (of A Perfect Storm) lays out his personal experiences with PTSD and his efforts to overcome it but while in so doing learning a great deal about war, psychology, belonging to a group and society, and political viewpoints in our country. This book was an eye opening example of the usefulness of evolutionary psychology, transitions theory, and applied journalism to a VERY important challenge our country faces with 2 lengthy and on-going wars and many of our war fighters returning home with inadequate supports and systems to get them transitioned back into society in a healthy way. This book was informative for me and some of my own personal experiences and I have shared it as a resource for fire fighters, police officers, as well as leaders in organizations seeking to understand how individuals operate and don’t operate in a larger organization, especially during and after largescale disruptions and adversity like wars and natural disasters. I recommend this book for leaders and managers, change agents, and people interested in evolutionary psychology and how to cultivate and maintain a strong, tightly knit group or organization for an improved sense of belonging.
Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
Many of us learn ABOUT Nelson Mandela and he and his compatriots efforts to overcoming apartheid in South Africa but reading this autobiography brought a depth of clarity and understanding to me that I didn’t expect. Given these are his words, most of which were written secretly during this prison years, it speaks volumes to his leadership style, his priorities, his sense of purpose, and his visionary view of the future of he and his countrymen (including whites and other ethnicities). I read this book as a historical view for Southern Africa in preparation for my trip to Malawi to do business training and development. I figured it would provide me a general region wide view of the past 50 years from his eyes and timeline of events. It did help bring a lot of context for me but was also a lesson in overcoming adversity, extreme perseverance, collaboration among friends as well as adversaries, and personal discipline through many trials and challenge. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to expand on their first person accounts of leadership and change management, as well as those seeking to add to their understanding of African and world history.
Shantaram: A Novel
Shantram is an amazing book, vivid in its descriptions and captivating in its characters and their numerous adventures. Told from the perspective of Lin, a convict who escaped from an Australian prison, it chronicles his trials, adventures, and misadventures in the 80’s in what was then called Bombay, India, as well as several other locations. I listened to the Audible book, twice now, which is quite well produced. The narrator is obviously a voice actor with a diverse set of character voices and accents in his toolbox. This book is considered a top book for world travelers and vagabonders and for good reason. It explores many difficult subjects including extreme poverty, famine, drug use, organized crime, murder, but also many others including love, friendship, mentorship, philosophy, nationalism, and more. I recommend this book widely as a great novel and a serious page turner.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
This is the book that I say to myself “I SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN THAT!!!”. McKeown does a great job in distilling timeless principles like Pareto’s 80/20 Rule as well as newer fundamentals like Theory of Constraints, into a digestible and practicable set of principles that anyone can use in their daily and work life. This book has been out for a while and I continue to see it and the author referenced alongside other books like Checklist Manifesto, 4 Hour Work Week, and other easy reads for entrepreneurs and productivity focused people. I recommend this book for any professional seeking a set of principles by which to focus their work and lives on what’s truly essential (vs. focusing on efficiency - doing the wrong thing super well is a waste!).
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman lays out a significant body of research, application, and experimentation concerning cognitive biases, neurology, and evolutionary psychology. While the book is lengthy and can be dry at times, it is organized around specific biases, how they were identified, what the latest research suggests, and how one can work to overcome there ill effects in work and life. I love the “System 1” and “System 2” model, while he openly states is VERY imperfect, it does help the reader to differentiate the conscious, aware, slow and “thinking” brain from the unconscious, fast, and unaware parts of our brains. This book and associated research is cited extensively in many other books I’ve read across marketing, psychology, business, management, network theory, innovation, and much more. This is a centerpiece of cognitive theory and principles and I recommend this book widely to friends and colleagues.
Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae
Steven Pressfield does an amazing job displaying the figures and historical significance of this pivotal battle in Western History. I was completely drawn into the book, it’s imagery, and prosaic style. I have many more of Pressfield’s books on my future reading list!
The Clock of the Long Now: Time and Responsibility
Stewart Brand is one of the greatest thinkers of our time. Founder of the Whole Earth Catalog and the author of a host of other design and futurist oriented books, the Clock of the Long Now is a book fit for anyone seeking to understand underlying structures in our thinking, technology, and how those play out in the evolution of our societies. This book is great to understand some of the inherent drawbacks of the way we’ve pursued technological development, potential pathways for solutions, but also for a great exploration of Strategic Thinking in general, especially as it relates to design and societal ramifications of our technology. I recommend this book for techies but also for anyone wishing to expand their strategic thinking reading into a clear, outcomes oriented thought experiments.
Principles: Life and Work
Ray Dalio is the founder and long time CEO (now Co-Chairman) of his hedge fund Bridgewater. The first 3rd of the book describes his journey through writing and refining these principles over 30 years of operating his company. He had systematized and computerized the analysis and management of their financial portfolio and eventually, Ray figured out that he MUST systematize (and in some ways computerize!) the management system of Bridgewater. Principles is the public version of those principles. Ray does a splendid job in describing varying methods of using the book, reading the book, and integrating the methods into your work and life. It’s approachable to all readers, of all ages, of any discipline or career path. It’s clear, concise, organized, and very pragmatic. This book is now in my Top 10 books, for ANYTHING, and I’ll be sure to share these principles (and as he suggested, the ones modified to fit your personal and professional life) with my children. I recommend this book for essentially anyone in their personal and professional lives who want exposure to what principles are at a minimum but at the other end, for those who want a systematized practice for life and work.