It made me think. It made me question things I hadn't questioned before. It made me feel complicit, whI really don't like this book.
But 5 stars it is.
It made me think. It made me question things I hadn't questioned before. It made me feel complicit, where I've only before felt admiration and pride.
Is win-win culture a farce? If we sit down to think about massive "successes," might they have created more problems than they solved? Are the heroes behind them actually worthy of society's worship?
While it may not be impossible to "do well by doing good," this book sure makes me think that those who manage to achieve that are a rare exception to the rule - certainly not the norm our culture seems to think it is.
At the end of the day, I still can't forgive Giridharadas for not offering a solution to what seems like a broken system. He wrote about how it's unfair to expect critics to come up with solutions - but I'm not convinced. This book is a fierce criticism of Capitalism, but he doesn't preach Socialism or Communism as the answer. He made me think, but I haven't figured out how that thinking is supposed to change my behavior. So while I respect his gumption and desire to spread this train of thought, I'm still inclined to admire and stand behind those who are fighting for or building towards something they believe in.
That said, I do so now with a much more critical eye than before.
And maybe that's exactly it. Maybe the only reason this book had such an impact on me is *because* he didn't pitch a broken solution. Because a working solution doesn't yet exist. Will it ever?...more
An instant classic. I'd never appreciated a history book until I read this one, and it has me hungry for more. The way Harari crafts our current knowlAn instant classic. I'd never appreciated a history book until I read this one, and it has me hungry for more. The way Harari crafts our current knowledge of the history of the world, interwoven with the implications it has on the modern world, is endlessly captivating. He does a fantastic job providing objective (inasmuch as that is possible) observations and commentary that prompt the reader to dwell and think hard about what s/he is learning. Every chapter resulted in some mindblowing nugget of information that has the potential to shift how you see the world and what you value.
Above all, Sapiens did an excellent job of reminding me how little we truly know about the world. Much like the classic thought-exercise of "imagine you are a tiny dot... in your city... in your country... in the solar system... you are inconsequential" -- that can be extended to our belief systems as well. Our existence on this earth - nay, the existence of our species on this earth - is such a tiny speck in world history. How do we *know* that human beings deserve superior (human) rights to other animals? Are technological improvements really better for human life satisfaction, or was the world a better place in the caveman-days? How can a Republican or a Democrat be so utterly convinced in his or her belief system for the human race to the point of truly, wholeheartedly believing that someone else should be torn down for believing otherwise?
I'm not saying it can't be fulfilling to seek answers to these questions - but it's useful to remember that nobody really has this all figured out....more
Very well-written and well-researched dive into the anatomy of a habit. Duhigg covers both "good" and "bad" habits, why they exist, and most importantVery well-written and well-researched dive into the anatomy of a habit. Duhigg covers both "good" and "bad" habits, why they exist, and most importantly crafts a framework with a step by step guide on how to change them. It's no quick-fix - the steps take diligence and hard work - but I can see this being absolutely invaluable for anyone getting overwhelmed by bad habits (or addictions), and still super useful for someone who's simply looking to level-up their habits and routines. He spends a lot of time discussing real case studies, which help drive the points home. There's also some interesting discussion on society's perception of habits, habits in organizations, and habits in the world of advertising which added some welcome interesting dimensions to the book....more
Fascinating book, can definitely see potential here to influence change someone's way of thinking about the world. It didn't quite strike home with meFascinating book, can definitely see potential here to influence change someone's way of thinking about the world. It didn't quite strike home with me, but that could be mostly because I'm unfamiliar with the topics Harris covers in the depth that he seems to assume the reader has some background knowledge in. All in all I'd say it's a potentially eye-opening read if you want to stretch your thinking on topics like consciousness, meditation, religion, and fulfillment to some degree. ...more
Decent read, but I can't help but feel like I didn't learn anything new. McKeown heavily cites many notable works that I'm fairly familiar with, rangiDecent read, but I can't help but feel like I didn't learn anything new. McKeown heavily cites many notable works that I'm fairly familiar with, ranging from Daniel Kahneman's psychological theories, to The Power of Habit, to commonly cited HBR articles. While he does a good job of condensing them and illuminating their main takeaways, it felt more like a literature review than a fresh take or new set of insights.
It was still a worthwhile read. It's well-written, and a deluge of practical examples from a third party helps drive home the abstract concepts in those more-scholarly cited works. When reviewing my notes for the book, I realized it did get a little circular in its points -- ideas were (perhaps excessively) rehashed throughout the book, and the (pleasantly short) chapters tended to hammer home the same points over and over.
I can't help but think that for a book about Essentialism - cutting things down to the core - this book covered an awful lot of breadth. The constant framing of "this is essentialist behavior" and "this is nonessentialist behavior" sometimes seemed forced and more suitable to a broad strokes "this is a good life practice" vs. "this is a toxic life practice."
My biggest question about the book is who its intended audience is. The theory makes a lot of sense if I'm someone who knows what I want to do and what my "life purpose" is. Then I need to cut the fat and go out and do it. But what if I'm still exploring? McKeown seems to encourage exploration prior to committing to things for the long-run (his claim is that Essentialists spend a lot of time considering options to make sure they choose the right ones to commit to), but I didn't get the sense that I was being granted permission to spend years exploring my likes/dislikes/life desires/etc - which I feel might be necessary to accomplish what he pitches....more
Manson's writing style started off by rubbing me the wrong way, but was easy enough to warm up to over time. There's definitely a fair amount of repetManson's writing style started off by rubbing me the wrong way, but was easy enough to warm up to over time. There's definitely a fair amount of repetition through the book, but it's sprinkled in between relevant, entertaining stories and anecdotes, so it ends up flowing pretty well.
At first it seemed like I wasn't going to take away anything new from the book, but Manson ended up hitting on a few lesser-explored nuggets, ranging from defining ideal life values & metrics that serve as first principles to hitting the nail on the head exploring social concepts like that which he calls "echo bullshit."
Overall there might not be anything extraordinarily unique about the psychology in the book, but his untraditional approach to it certainly has to ability to make things click when they haven't before....more
Fascinating, modern take on our distraction-filled world. Newport does kick off by transparently stating many assumptions he's making about the practiFascinating, modern take on our distraction-filled world. Newport does kick off by transparently stating many assumptions he's making about the practicality of his theories - and to what kind of person they may and may not apply - so this book and the core of its message may not be for everyone. That said, the tangential topic that it covers - modern day distractions - is so relevant to everyone that I can't imagine a reader not walking away with at least a few "oh wow he's right" moments, perhaps profound enough to take a long look in the mirror and make some changes in how you go about your daily life....more
It's not always easy to take Grant's advice. But when you give it long enough to play its course, it seems to have this uncanny way of consistently paIt's not always easy to take Grant's advice. But when you give it long enough to play its course, it seems to have this uncanny way of consistently panning out.
Give & Take convinced me that doing good and giving without any kind of expectation of return would be a sound life strategy, even for the selfish. The fact that it meshes with an other-oriented approach to life is gravy. It gave me a rigorous framework for believing in the previously woo-woo concept of karma. If you believe in Grant's studies, there's no reason to not be a "Giver," whether or not you consider yourself selfish, selfless, or some mix of the two.
If nothing else, the concept of Giving has become so ingrained in my daily life that I now find intrinsic joy in doing so. I could spend the next 50 years following Grant's advice, and wouldn't be at all disappointed to find that he's wrong, that the giving didn't result in some sort of return on the investment for myself. There's obviously a fine line to walk - as Grant describes, excessive Givers can be stomped on and left for dead by vicious Takers - but I've found that line easier and easier to balance as I've taken more and more care to pick and choose the right kind of people to involve in my life....more
I write this review over a year after having read the book, and I do so because it has been hands-down one of the most influential in my life to date.I write this review over a year after having read the book, and I do so because it has been hands-down one of the most influential in my life to date. It taught me that the best approach is always no-excuses. I can always do better. If something fails, it's my fault. If someone doesn't act the way I expected them to, I could have done better. If society tells me I can't do something, tells me I'm not good enough, or rigs the system against me - well then it's on me to fix it and prove it wrong.
Because after all, if Jocko can do it in the heat of a battlefield where lives are constantly made or lost, in the worst and most unfair ways possible, all in the blink of an eye - then why can't I do the same in the cushy atmosphere of day-to-day civilized society?
There's some practical limitations to this philosophy. It doesn't mean systems can't be broken. It doesn't mean someone else can't be at fault as well. But when you get down to it and view life from your own day-to-day lens, swallowing pride and any sense of entitlement goes a long way to building success, respect, friendships, and a whole lot more.
Decently useful and entertaining read. While the concepts it covers come off as somewhat trivial at times, there's enough nuggets that you'll surely fDecently useful and entertaining read. While the concepts it covers come off as somewhat trivial at times, there's enough nuggets that you'll surely find something useful if you're in the midst of making design decisions on a website. Krug has an enjoyable writing style that makes it an easy read, so worth a shot if you want to breeze through some fundamentals on web design....more
Enjoyable, insightful read. Well-researched, so it feels like it has a lot of credible weight behind it. I found the individual-level insights compellEnjoyable, insightful read. Well-researched, so it feels like it has a lot of credible weight behind it. I found the individual-level insights compelling, and the macro-level ones less so. The humor is welcome, albeit a bit quirky. I intend to try applying some of the ideas in my personal life.
That said, I do think it's a little drawn out; could definitely communicate the five highlights in a more concise long essay....more
Insightful read - super useful crash course in personal finance. As usual with Robbins' books, very inspiring and thought-provoking. While he clearly Insightful read - super useful crash course in personal finance. As usual with Robbins' books, very inspiring and thought-provoking. While he clearly has very strong personal opinions on the "right" way to do things (from a financial perspective), he does a decent job of displaying contrary opinions, and interweaves the finance with personal life, goals, desires, etc. extremely well....more
Excellent book. Admittedly I read this at a point in my career (early) where I'm probably not quite ready for it. I'm sure the concepts hit home much Excellent book. Admittedly I read this at a point in my career (early) where I'm probably not quite ready for it. I'm sure the concepts hit home much harder for someone who's seen domain driven design (or the lack of it) in the real world across a variety of projects.
Nevertheless, it's a great guidebook to writing stable, extensible, and understandable software. While it doesn't presume a whole lot of prior knowledge, it dives pretty deep into technical concepts, design patterns, and the like - dives that are probably more useful the more you know to start with.
Would definitely recommend this to everyone from the junior developer looking to hop a few years of experience to a super senior developer looking for a strong foundation to tackle daily software design challenges....more
Useful, practical book if you're looking to start a deep dive into pytest. Having limited experience writing tests in python, this was easy to follow Useful, practical book if you're looking to start a deep dive into pytest. Having limited experience writing tests in python, this was easy to follow and understand, and seems to have covered all the questions I would have had about getting going with a testing framework....more
Solid, broad coverage of an introduction to Ethereum at a pseudo-technical level. Great starting point for building a foundation for understanding bloSolid, broad coverage of an introduction to Ethereum at a pseudo-technical level. Great starting point for building a foundation for understanding blockchain beyond the more-trivial Bitcoin - the author explains concepts ground-up and lays out context well. Reading this in early 2018, definitely felt a little behind-the-times in some places, but that's of course to be expected in a super early fast-growing space like this....more
Awesome story. Extremely inspiring, and very timely with the international Russia news in early 2018. It's horrifying to think that the culture that IAwesome story. Extremely inspiring, and very timely with the international Russia news in early 2018. It's horrifying to think that the culture that I'd assumed died with the end of the USSR has lived on into the 21st century, resulting in such obvious torture and murder of innocent lives. Not to mention the terror it inspires and influences on those who try to get through their daily lives in Russia's world. Bill Browder is a hero, as is Sergei Magnitsky; I hope they both find their rightful place in world history books....more
Awesome read, highly recommend. It was a little dense and dry - like a textbook - so it took a while to read, but the information is gold. Norman doesAwesome read, highly recommend. It was a little dense and dry - like a textbook - so it took a while to read, but the information is gold. Norman does a great job of covering the role of design in an end to end business, even leaving nuggets of wisdom useful in other disciplines as well. Fantastic introduction to design....more
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