Thus far in January, I have read 4 physical books and listened to 5 audio-books. In this post I will share: a) the titles of the books I have read b) the biggest takeaways from each book and c) who I would recommend the book for.
Physical Books
1. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
“There's something so universal about that sensation, the way running unites our two most primal impulses: fear and pleasure. We run when we're scared, we run when we're ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time.” - Christopher McDougall
This was my FAVORITE book of January!
This book is the result of the author, Christopher McDougall, wondering why exactly running causes so many injuries. The book states that up to 80% of people who run get injured every year. It seems rather peculiar that running - which was a very natural and necessary movement for our evolutionary ancestors - can wreak such havoc on our bodies.
This lead McDougall to study a group of indigenous people of the Americas living in Mexico known as the Tarahumara. This group of indigenous people is renowned for their ability to run extremely long distances. The Tarahumara run 60 miles or more at a time for fun! Their endurance capabilities are of superhuman proportions. To the Tarahumara, running is not a means to be more physically fit; it is a spiritual celebration of life. In addition to the culture of the Tarahumara, the author studied their dietary habits as well as the bio-mechanics of their running form.
Along with the anthropological account of the Tarahumara, McDougal also investigated the world of ultra marathon running (races that are longer than 26 miles) in the United States. He met an interesting cast of characters with unique personalities and an uncommon obsession for running extremely long distances.
All of the side stories culminate into a final 50 mile race between members of the Tarahumara and some of the best ranked ultra marathon runners from the United States.
This book was extremely well-written, humorous and wide in its scope. It covers topics from Native American anthropology to human evolution to the running shoe industry to plant-based diets and much more. Most importantly, this book explains why running is an integral part of who we are as human beings. The ability to run long distances makes humans a very unique species. To deny yourself the joy of running is to deny an opportunity to feel a sort of meditative bliss as you bound across the earth.
I recommend this book to: While I believe runners would love this book, I don’t think someone must love running to enjoy this book. It was so funny, well-written and interesting that anyone could enjoy it. This book not only inspired me to run, but it also satisfied my wide-ranging curiosity. More than anything, this book provides sound philosophical and scientific reasoning as to why humans need running to feel complete.
2. On Becoming a Person: A Therapists View of Psychotherapy by Carl Rogers.
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change” - Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers was a psychologist who was a proponent of the “humanistic” movement of psychology (similar to Abraham Maslow, if you have heard of “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”). The humanistic movement of psychology focuses on celebrating the unique aspects of the individual while promoting both self-awareness and mindfulness. Roger’s view of therapy is that his patients must be encouraged to be honest and unapologetically themselves if they are to make lasting changes to their behavior. This has implications for relationships in our business and personal lives as well. Rather than trying to forcibly change someone’s behavior, it is more effective to encourage them to be honest with themselves and their emotions. Only when someone’s actions are in alignment with their values will they feel capable of change.
I recommend this book to: Anyone who is interested in psychology. It was a helpful reminder that I do not have the power to change anyone. All I can do is provide an environment where people feel safe to change on their own volition. I think this book could also be helpful for people in business, as management and sales roles require a deep understanding of human psychology.
3. The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
“Perhaps some of us have to go through dark and devious ways before we can find the river of peace or the highroad to the soul's destination.” - Joseph Campbell
This book was a fascinating comparative study of religious stories and mythology across different cultures and how these stories have similar themes and structures. Campbell was a professor of literature who specialized in mythology and religion. Campbell selected stories from the ancient Greeks, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism (as well as other religions/cultures) and analyzed how the moral lessons behind them are similar. The “hero’s journey” is representative of the spiritual despair and triumph that accompany the psychological development of the human lifespan. I personally loved to see how different cultures interpret the hardships we face as humans and how we psychologically overcome them. It is so fascinating to me how these stories carry such moral weight and provide helpful instructions on how to live a virtuous life. Campbell also makes the case that mythology is an integral part of every culture. These spiritual stories provide the ethical framework on which the political, economic and justice systems are based.
I recommend this book to: People interested in religion, mythology and psychoanalysis. While Campbell mostly speaks on the religious and mythological aspects of the texts, he also includes interpretations of the stories from famous psychologists such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, as well as philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche.
4. The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James
William James (1842-1910) is my favorite philosopher and psychologist of all time. James is widely considered the father of American Psychology due to his colossal 1400 page work, Principles of Psychology. James is also a member of the philosophical movement known as pragmatism. The school of pragmatism encourages people to adopt philosophical outlooks that provide positive practical value and instruction for leading a moral life.
James’s philosophy has been of tremendous value to me during times of severe anxiety and pessimism. James reproaches pessimistic philosophical outlooks that are based solely on “logic”. From James’s point of view, praising logic is a fatally flawed endeavor, for no human can be entirely logical because their biases greatly influence their judgement. James chooses not to be overly concerned with the semantics of his argument; in his opinion, being only concerned with the mechanics of an argument obscures the true purpose of philosophy. Philosophy is valuable for people so long as it provides a general framework for living a more peaceful and moral life.
I recommend this book to: Anyone who is interested in religion, philosophy and metaphysics. It is not a “light read” by any means; it requires a lot of focus and attention to understand James’s arguments. However, if you are really interested in these topics, I think it is totally worth the time to read James.
Audiobooks
1. Crucial Confrontations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler.
2. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
This book was part memoir, part manual for overcoming the challenges of writing. I found Lamott’s advice really helpful for getting over three issues I have faced since starting my blog: writer’s block, envy and hopelessness. For me, writing is an extremely bloody internal battle between perfectionism and the need to express myself. I oftentimes have a hard time sitting down to write because I fear failing or having my writing turn out poorly. From this book I learned a few helpful tips for overcoming the obstacle of writer's block:
Find a group of writers. Having a community helps to make the struggle less isolating. It is better to suffer in a community than to suffer in silence!
Write a certain number of pages every day. Even if the pages are crappy, just sit down and write! Sure, you may have some days where the writing is worthless. But you may also write something beautiful and lasting and respectable. The important thing is to stay in the habit!
Realize that writing is not for fame or glory, but for self-understanding. I dream of being a famous writer, but I need to understand that that totally obscures the purpose of writing. I write because it helps me understand myself. Writing for fame and fortune veils the beauty of the art form.
I recommend this book to: Any aspiring author.
3. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
This book is an extremely informative study of influence. The book answers questions such as: Who has influence? How do they get it? Are those who have influence exploiting benevolent human tendencies in order to achieve personal gain?
I feel like I need to put a disclaimer on this book summary: this book is POWERFUL and could easily be used for human manipulation. It was not my intent to read this book in order to manipulate people and I am not recommending that you use it for that purpose either. I read the book to arm myself with knowledge about the tactics people will use on their quest for power. Cialdini explains that certain environmental or psychological triggers cause people to unknowingly comply with the wishes of marketers, salespeople and other authority figures. Cialdini explains that there are 6 factors of influence and dedicates a chapter to each. The 6 principles of influence are: reciprocity, authority, consistency, liking, scarcity and social proof.
I recommend this book to: People interested in psychology and marketing. I also believe that people who work in the corporate world can benefit immensely from this book. These tactics are constantly being employed in the workplace and it is important to know how to defend against them.
4. Principles by Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio is a famous hedge fund manager and founder of the investment firm Bridgewater and Associates. This book is largely an explanation of Ray’s moral, operational and investment principles and how he came to form them. It is part biography, part instruction manual for running a company. Ray shares how he structured his company as an “idea-meritocracy” , meaning that ideas could only be adopted if they were unanimously regarded as sound, sensible, and beneficial for the company.
I was fascinated by the way Ray emphasized the importance of data-driven decision making. It can be easy to let our emotions dictate our decisions, but utilizing facts and analyzing historical trends will help us make the most effective decisions in business. Ray also understood that to let the best ideas rise to the top, he could not be a tyrannical leader who demanded his employees to blindly follow his commands. He welcomed criticism from everyone in the organization, no matter where they stood in the organizational hierarchy .
I recommend this book to: Anyone who is interested in finance, economics and entrepreneurship.
5. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
Journalist Mitch Album interviewed two different spiritual leaders from two vastly different communities. The first was a protestant minister who was a recovering drug addict in a poor section of Detroit, Michigan.The second was the rabbi of his synagogue from Albom’s childhood. The story is heavily focused on Albom’s interviews with his rabbi, as the rabbi asked Albom to write his Eulogy. Even though the subject of this book is very solemn, this was a very light-hearted and uplifting read. It explores topics of faith, unconditional love and community.
I recommend this book to: People who are spiritual or open minded about spirituality.
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