Book & Podcast Reviews
Knowledge worth sharing
In the spirit of curious exploration, these reviews highlight books and podcasts that have helped me expand my knowledge across various disciplines. Some challenge assumptions, expand perspectives and some are deeper explorations on famous figures through biographies.
Confronting Evil
I came across Confronting Evil by Bill O’Reilly after hearing him discuss it on a recent episode of the James Altucher Show. The conversation piqued my interest enough to pick up the audiobook.
The Undoing Project
I’ve read several of Michael Lewis’s books, but it wasn’t until I listened to a recent interview with Richard Thaler that I discovered The Undoing Project. I suspect many people may not even be aware of who Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky are.
No Rules Rules
No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer has appeared in my recommendations several times over the past few years, but despite adding it to my wish list, I only got around to reading it recently.
Make Your Bed
Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven was probably a long-overdue read for me. Not because I’d failed to appreciate its message, but because I’ve been listening to McRaven’s 2014 University of Texas at Austin commencement speech for years as part of my morning training routine.
Unreasonable Hospitality
Unreasonable Hospitality had been sitting on my Audible wishlist for months, but after hearing Will Guidara interviewed on a recent My First Million episode, I finally decided to give it a listen. I ended up finishing it in less than a day (albeit at my usual 3.5x listening speed)
Billion Dollar Loser
You’d be forgiven for wondering, while reading Billion Dollar Loser, whether it’s a book about a company or a cult. By the end, I concluded it might have been both, at least as far as Adam Neumann himself was concerned.
Behind The Cloud
I suspect many people know little about Salesforce as a company, yet probably use its services daily, either directly or through businesses built on its platform.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
There are some autobiographies I believe everyone should read, and The Autobiography of Malcolm X firmly belongs in that category.
Elon Musk By Walter Isaacson
I suspect many people will skip over this book because of their feelings about Elon Musk, be it his political leanings, outspoken nature, or public persona in recent years. That’s a shame, because Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson is an excellent read
Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness Of Crowds & Confusion de Confusiones
Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay is a book I’d heard referenced countless times but had never got around to reading. When I saw it available on Audible, I decided to finally give it a listen. This edition combines Popular Delusions with Confusion de Confusiones (translated as Confusion of Confusions)
Pryor Convictions and Other Life Sentences
Brilliance comes in many forms and is often subjective. For many comedy lovers, though, Richard Pryor earned that title within the world of stand-up. He may not be listened to as widely today as he was a few decades ago, but that takes nothing away from his status as one of the greatest comedic minds of all time.
Brief Answers to The Big Questions
Listening to Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking, I couldn’t help but think that as a society we’re doing ourselves a disservice by failing to inspire more young people to pursue the sciences.