The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement

The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement by Jean M. Twenge

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Trying to review this book, I actually don't care whether the data is skewed or factually incorrect, or if the authors are getting to the wrong conclusions at times, or all the time; what it did for me is make me think about my thoughts and actions, and how I perceive myself and others and the world. There is clearly an increase in selfish behavior among children, youth and adults, regardless of if you believe there is a narcissism epidemic or not, and everything possible should be done to try and curb that trend.

There are good suggestions in each chapter on what can be done, and while it sometimes can seem daunting, nothing really is overwhelming or impossible. Small steps to take, and little by little we will make the world a more selfless place.



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Do The Work

Do the Work by Steven Pressfield

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


To be honest, I chose to read and finish this one now to get closer to my Goodreads challenge. However, I've wanted to read it for a very long time. And I'm glad I did. Although this should be read while having a project in mind or working on, because it will help you along the way.

Do the Work talks about overcoming Resistance. And the only way to do that is to actually start. Do the work, get started, and follow along on the ride. It will be rough, there will be a lot of things working against you, trying to make you stop, telling you you're not good enough. And it will succeed, if you let it.

Steven Pressfield's writing is quick and easy to read, but harder to put in practice. But for anyone doing it, they will be better off in the end. Read this, and follow through, and you will be good to go.



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Turning Pro

Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm hesitating between 3 and 4 starsl for this one, as I'd ideally put it more at 3.5, but this will do. Turning Pro is the state where you decide that you don't want to be an amateur anymore in whatever creative endeavor you are undertaking, but actually want to be serious in your commitment. It reads similarly to the War of Art, short chapters of personal stories interspersed with recommendations/statements of how a true pro acts.

It's a quick read, and a fair amount of stuff to pick up from. But it's too similar to The War of Art for me, and feels mostly like a continuation that isn't too particularly necessary to read or know. At the same time though, it's something that's definitely worth reading if just as a push to actually take the step and turn pro.



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The Wisdom of Teams

The Wisdom of Teams by Jon R. Katzenbach

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


What is it that makes teams strong? According to Katzenbach and Smith, it's an emphasis on performance. That's the essence of the book in a nutshell.

So why should you read it? The Wisdom of Teams shares a number of stories and experiences from companies of different scale, and how they managed to progress through the different stages of groups and teams to become high-performing teams. Overall, the main point that is being made is that groups don't become high-performing on their own, and especially not if the focus is solely on the group becoming a better group. When clear performance goals and challenges are given to a group, that is when individuals can take the step up and form real teams.

It feels like the book could've been shorter. Although there are a number of suggestions and recommendations on what to do and how to form teams, and some really good lists, I think there's just too much text and not enough benefit from reading it all. Focus on setting performance goals, and you can help groups turn into teams.



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Between the World and Me

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I should start this by saying that not growing up in North America, I have been spared of a lot of the race issues, and as such I am probably ignorant of a lot of the more subtle undertones in the book. Regardless, there is so much here to read for anyone that I can definitely recommend it.

Ta-Nehisi writes to his son, and it reads as a biography of his own life growing up as a black man. There is a lot of anger in the book, but it is understandable, having the feeling of not being in control of his own body, and that at any time, his life can be taken away from him. It's a sad state that the US is in, where a large portion of the population has been dehumanized and lives in constant fear.

The book is a quick read, but a very good one. There is a lot to learn from and reflect on, and think of how we can contribute to a better society for us all.



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The Timeless Way of Building

The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher W. Alexander

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


While I'm not a student or master of architecture, this book still had a lot of insights to bring to me. I was suggested to read it by a coworker as it forms the basis of design patterns in computer science as well. As such, it does a great job at introducing the concept of patterns, searching for "the quality without a name" in architecture, and discovering and forming a universal language for how to design everything from the smallest corner in a room to entire neighborhoods and cities.

There were some great points in the book that can anyone working in a professional environment can relate to and which made me think, such as knowing how to speak to people without the same experience and knowledge. Do we speak to them in a language they can understand, or do we try to appear advanced and knowledgable while speaking over their head and level of understanding?

In terms of style and quality of writing, someone else described it as "not a masterpiece", and I think that's very accurate. While I really enjoyed reading reading the book and how the build-up went, there were a lot of unnecessary commas used throughout the book. Each sentence, felt split up, kind of like this, and it got really annoying. But that doesn't detract from the overall feel I got of the book, that there definitely is a better way of building and designing, and that it perhaps is time for us to pay a bit more attention to how things make us feel rather than just some standardized design and architecture.



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The Dorito Effect

The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor by Mark Schatzker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Reading Fast Food Nation made me not want to eat fast food; reading The Dorito Effect almost made me want to stop eating food altogether. Although it also did make me almost drool while reading it.

The basic premise of the Dorito Effect is looking at why food tastes so bland and is lacking nutrition. Mark Schatzker goes on a deep-dive investigation, and it turns out that the problem is with the way we are raising animals and growing produce. He focuses on chicken and tomatoes, and it's scary to see what's going on.

The strong focus on yield over the last couple of decades has completely neglected everything else and we are now suffering from it. Instead of micronutrients, taste and flavor, we have large yields that consist basically of water, carbs and fat. Is it a wonder that we are not healthier than we used to be?

Luckily there is a way back, and there are steps being taken to improve the situation. There are growers that are slowing things down, and we as consumers should also look at not buying just the cheapest thing that's in the stores.

The book is really well written, with lots of small bits of humor here and there. The whole thing ends with a delicious dinner of all properly grown ingredients, and an appendix with recommendations on what to eat to feel better. Read this book, it will make you a more informed consumer.



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Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness

Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness by Frederic Laloux

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


How are companies and organizations structures and organized? How should they be organized? With the evolutionary changes over the course of human history, from hunter-gatherers to the Industrial Revolution to modern society, what should a modern company look like?

Frederic Laloux has examined a number of highly successful companies from what he calls the "Evolutionary-Teal" perspective, and how they function and manage themselves. Three main points stand out: self-management/self-organization, wholeness and evolutionary purpose. These three traits create a completely different culture in organizations, where employees feel they're living a full life and truly enjoying what they do. In addition, these organizations are happier, faster and performing above average compared to their peers.

There is a lot to learn from the book, showing the structures, processes and practices of these organizations. There are plenty of practical examples on what they're doing, how they solve their problems, and even how to transform an existing organization or start up a new one. While not an exact step-by-step, you can still draw a lot from it.

I'm not one for using much hyperbole, and I'm hesitant to say that a book or anything else will change your life, and I will not say it for this one either, but I will say this: this book *should* change your life. Read it, and learn from it.



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An Apple a Day

An Apple a Day by Joe Schwarcz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Eat this. Don't eat that. This is dangerous. That will give you cancer." How many times have we heard amazing advice about this type of food, that type of vegetable or another type of grain? And how much of it is really true? Each chapter of An Apple a Day by Joe Schwarcz looks at some food, supplement or molecule and the truth behind it. He also looks at a whole bunch of these dietary recommendations and suggestions, and dispels a bunch of myths on what we should and shouldn't eat.

Schwarcz refers to a wide range of scientific, peer-reviewed studies on both fruits and other additives and their conclusions, and there's a lot to take from it. He also looks at some more questionable suggestions by people with some questionable backgrounds and credentials, and although it gets to be a bit of badmouthing at times, it's still some good debunking of what they're proclaiming as the latest miracle drug or cure.

What's the conclusion of it all? Eat properly and healthy, avoid processed foods. While I wish there had been a bit more analysis on the recommendations and what could be done (it's just the last chapter), there's still a lot to take away from it. Easy read, short chapters, and good amount of information to take away from it. Read it!



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Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City

Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City by Guy Delisle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I picked this one up by recommendation and for the sake of nostalgia; having lived in Israel for a number of years, it's always interesting to see and read what other people think about a culture that's very different from what we're used to.

Guy Delisle spent a year in Jerusalem, and the book is basically his experience from it. His wife is with the MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders), and he acts as a stay-at-home dad with their two kids. He explores Jerusalem and the rest of Israel, and finds a few strange things here and there. In particular, it is very interesting to read his perspective on the whole Israel/Palestine conflict.

It's written in comic form, and even though he doesn't necessarily try to be funny, there is some humor in there. Either way, it's a quick read, and well worth picking up to go through.



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When Strangers Cooperate: Using Social Conventions to Govern Ourselves

When Strangers Cooperate: Using Social Conventions to Govern Ourselves by David W. Brown

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book was written 20 years ago, and it feels like it shows when reading it. As an example, the Internet is portrayed as something new and possibly interesting coming up.

When Strangers Cooperate talks about how social conventions can help govern our actions and make us behave better and cooperate more. He provides a couple of examples, such as queuing up in a line when we are more people waiting. There's also a good critique of what people might respond in return, with a focus on liberty and individuality.

It feels like something is missing though, as there isn't really much of a conclusion (a short paragraph at the end) nor much on how to actually go about with it. The suggestion is that conventions are good, and that there should be more of them. Sure, sounds good, but not worth writing and reading a book about.



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The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses

The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I actually finished this book a month ago, but didn't know what I thought about the book until I went through it again. Now I know.

The Lean Startup helps startups go from idea to product through experiments that generate validated learning. How is this done? Through a repeated series of steps through the Build - Measure - Learn feedback loop. With the assumptions that are inherent in the product, decide how to test it, build something that tests it through the minimum viable product (MVP). The goal is to learn as quickly as possible, adjusting and moving along to experience growth. Eventually the next step becomes to accelerate and grow.

There is a lot of useful information in the book, but a lot of it has to be weeded out through the endless stories of Ries' experience. While it is great to be able to one's share experience and learning, in this case it gets to be a bit too much. Read it and be prepared to learn a lot, but you need to weed out a bunch too.



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David and Goliath

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Why did David beat Goliath? Why do seemingly smaller entities beat larger ones, in war or other situations? How can apparent disadvantages be turned into advantages?

I think that's the premise of the book. And there's some information about how the smaller ones can choose not to play by the rules of the other, and thus create advantages to their own. But then Malcom Gladwell goes on to tell a bunch of other stories that don't really seem to convey any sort of message, except for the unexpected things happening. They're interesting to read and quite capturing, but I always felt that it wasn't really adding much to the actual story...

The inverse U-curve, stories about discovering treatments for leukemia, the Three Strikes Law and Martin Luther King are good reads and well written, but it still feels like something is missing in the end. Should you read the book? Sure, but don't expect too much from it.



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Brida

Brida by Paulo Coelho

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


A girl in search of her path in life, a man in search of his soul mate, a confused but supportive boyfriend, and a witch. The start of a bad joke? No, just the main protagonists in Paulo Coelho's book.

The scene is Dublin, Ireland, and Brida is a young girl who realizes that she has been a witch in her previous lives. Somewhere along the way there is the struggle to find your soul mate. To help her along the way are two teachers following different paths - the Tradition of the Sun and the Moon. It is a confusing read, with a lot of seemingly random things happening and Brida just following different suggestions by her teachers. Does she know what she wants to do? Not really, but somehow you get the feeling that she is at least moving forward in her quest.

In the end, it turns out that the teacher is the one who learns something new, Brida finds her way forward, and everyone ends up quite happy. There are some nice quotes and moments, but in the end, I wouldn't recommend this one. Read other books by Paulo Coelho instead.



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Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty

Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty by Muhammad Yunus

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If you think there is no good left in the world, you should read Banker to the Poor. Muhammad Yunus takes us through his experience, going from a university teacher to a worker at the grassroots level, lending money to the poorest of village people, to help them get started through offering microcredit loans.

It's a fascinating story, of how an initial $27 helped 42 people get their life back on track again, to break free from the vicious circle of poverty. The Grameen organization has now spread and grown to more than just a bank, and reading the book gives a lot of hope, of how one man desiring to do good can actually accomplish it despite everyone and even the system working against him.

The only thing that made me uncomfortable while reading the book was how everything seemed to flow and progress so smoothly. Setbacks and negative experiences were dealt with in one paragraph, and the following success was given much more space. It would have been interesting to read a bit more about the problems and reflections on those experiences. All in all though, it's a very good book and well worh reading.



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Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Fire, water, wind and earth - the four elements, and four different ways of filling our stomachs. Michael Pollan takes the reader on a tour of his investigation of and experimentation with food, and it is a fascinating and captivating read.

Reading about barbeque, slow-cooking meals, baking bread, and making pickles/cheese/bread through fermentation with the help of some experts in their fields brings some saliva to the mouth. There's a lot to digest (pun intended), and there's a lot of science to back up the many interesting claims and points that he raises, such as the pros and cons of pasteurization.

What I didn't like was the deep forays into his experiments, which made the book a lot longer than it needed to be. While it can be interesting to read some experiences, when they take up more than half the book, it feels like it could be cut down a bit. Limiting that to some extent, this is still a book that is well worth reading and might make you want to try out some recipes and change your eating habits too.



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User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product

User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product by Jeff Patton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Writing stories is simple, but not easy. In User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product, we get the rundown on why doing it is a good idea, and how to do it. While it feels like story mapping is something we can just step up and start doing after hearing about it, having a guideline such as this by Jeff Patton is very helpful.

The first few chapters explain the basics, on how to get the big picture, plan for small releases and quick learning, and are really all that is needed to get started. However, reading through the latter parts of the book help understand some of the pitfalls, and guidelines on how to have a successful process. Of course, story mapping is something that might only come naturally after having done it many many times.

I like the way the narrative is written, although at times it can get a bit too jovial in the narration. Overall though, it strikes a good balance in being informative and entertaining, and is definitely worth reading if you're interested in how to develop better products.



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To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism

To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism by Evgeny Morozov

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Whatever your thoughts are on technology and its use to solve problems, To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism will change your mind. And if it doesn't change your mind, it will at least make you start thinking about the Internet and blindly applying technology as a solution to every problem we face and experience.

Unfortunately I read the book over too long a period of time so my memory is quite disjointed. Evgeny Morozov spends a great part of the book looking at various ideas on how technology has been used to improve certain areas of life, and then looking at the implications of it. We realize that just because technology can help us solve a certain apparent problem (e.g. preventing jumping the turnstiles at the subway), it doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good idea. Somewhere we also need to raise the understanding and awareness of the citizens, so that they don't just become people mindlessly following whatever the latest technology fad allows or prevents them to do.

There is also great critique of the quantification of self and self-tracking, gamification, and the application of morality to technology restrictions. The style of writing can be a bit hard to read at times as there is a lot of negativity going on, but I feel that Morozov still manages to keep a positive tone, and suggesting a fair amount of alternatives. While not necessarily solutions, they're at least raising awareness of the issues involved. Should definitely be read!



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Zorro

Zorro by Isabel Allende

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have been fascinated by the story of Zorro ever since watching the TV series in the early 90s, so when the opportunity came to read a book about him, I did not hesitate to pick it up.

While it is always fun and exciting to read the stories of heroes and how they came to be, Diego de la Vega's striving for justice does not come out as too heroic or over the top. We get to follow his struggles as he grows up, caught between two parents and cultures, not knowing where he really belongs. As he travels to Spain to continue his education, while always proficient in his undertakings, he also has his occasional shortcomings. However, his desire for justice is always his guide.

The narrative is well-written and captivating, and leads you along the way through his life without ever feeling boring. Knowing that at some point he will return and take on the double life of Diego and Zorro, it is still an interesting and compelling read, wanting to know how he gets there and what happens along the way. Recommended!



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Thinking, Fast and Slow

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


We know already that our eyes can deceive us, but in Thinking, Fast and Slow we also learn that our minds can deceive us!

Kahneman talks about the two different types of minds that we have - the fast-thinking one (System 1) that makes quick decisions and rationalizes it; and the slow-paced one (System 2) that does rational analysis. However, sending things "back" to System 2 is a costly effort, and it is very easy for us to forget to do that, leading us to oftentimes make decisions that seem irrational on a deeper analysis.

Each chapter is relatively short, with some very good examples backed by research. It becomes a bit overwhelming to think of how many ways there are that we make mistakes in our thinking and planning and decision-making, but by just being a bit more aware of it, we can avoid many of the pitfalls.

I think even if we just learn a little bit, slow down and think about what we decide and why, we will be smarter for it. And hopefully we will be able to make just a tiny bit better decisions!



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