#Some featured book reviews
The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World by David DeutschMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The book opens with an innocent remark that knowledge creation is a product of human creativity as opposed to empiricism or inductivism and takes off from there. The author defines a good explanation as the one that can be tested and is hard to vary. E.g Scientific theories. With the example of change in seasons, the author differentiates between the scientific explanation(tilted axis) and the ancient myth(something about a God being angry...Not testable, easy to vary)
The central theme is that we are at the beginning of infinity, that anything not prohibited by laws of physics will come to be(rather can be). That knowledge has no bounds. And all problems are solvable. It is an optimistic view and the author doesn't shy away from accepting that. Rather he proudly declares that pessimism is what hinders the creation of knowledge, if optimism overestimates our capability to overcome problems, pessimism make sure we never do.
The author goes on to say all our problems come(or came) from ignorance. As an example, what keeps humans from dying from extreme conditions which would easily have killed our ancestors is the knowledge that we have not just created but passed on over generations. E.g Knowledge to create fire.
Essentially information/knowledge is passed on in two ways: Genes (biological replicators) and Memes(ideas that are replicators). And so begins the commentary on culture, creativity, creation, objective truth(or beauty)etc
Honestly, it is impossible to write the gist of the book. I lack the intellectual depth to thread all the ideas together.
It was a fun read and yet another book that I will be reading again.
View all my reviews
Steve Jobs by Walter IsaacsonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
When you really like a book this good you wish you had read it earlier.
Steve jobs was a genius, innovator, a creator with an honestly earned reputation of being an asshole.
For years now he has earned a god like reputation among entrepreneurs or should I say hip engineering grads. Growing up in 60s meant drugs and music was part of the hip culture that he partake in for a while. Soon after that began his search for meaning and spirituality in early college years, his trip to India for that same pursuit and finally dropping out of college as well. Luck, destiny or will-whatever it was led him to finally start Apple and the rest is history.
His obsession for delivering what people didn't know they wanted(once asked whether he will do a market study he replied with a Ford's response to the same question, ' If I had asked people what they wanted they would have asked for faster horses.") distinguished his company from other contemporary companies and competitors.
His power to get the best out of people by pushing them to extremes is also well documented in the book. His colleagues refered to it as his reality distortion field that means people agreed to do things that they deemed impossible when they talked to him, and the field seems to work on Jobs himself when he wanted to shut off from something he didn't want to deal with. Whether it was his troubled relationship with his abandoned girlfriend and her daughter Lisa, or whether it was dealing with cancer later in his life, he had inhuman power of will to ignore things he didn't want to confront.
I now understand why people worship him. It is because he was unlike most people. 'He wasn't smart. He was a genius.' concludes the author.
I am impressed by how the author manages to narrate a complex and layered story without losing any details.
This is my 2nd Walter Isaacson book and I have already added his other works to my virtual library. Really enjoyed reading this book.
View all my reviews
The Psychology of Money by Morgan HouselMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The title is enticing so I gave it a read. It has some good points and also good selection of examples to justify them. In general a good book but it talks mostly in context of investing. Put shortly, it is one of those books you know are full of good advices just not completely relatable yet.
View all my reviews
Educated by Tara WestoverMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Tara Westover has accomplished that which not many authors can- She has given voice to something that is deep within each of us. The exact story is not relatable to every reader but there is a portion of it that one will be able to relate in some way. Her story is a portrayal of how as an adult she had to wrestle with the beliefs she had as a child. The difference between her story and that of ours is that in her case her parents took the shape of an adversary but in our case, it can be anything- The society, our friends, acquaintances or the people you have grown up or identified with and most of the times it may just purely be battle in one's mind.
I can't possibly say that my story is in any way as harsh as her's but I could feel the emotions throughout the story because I have had the same crisis of identity for a long time. To find someone having fought a similar battle is reassuring.
The way story proceeds is worth reflecting on, how we constantly negate and unlearn things and how incessant unlearning can sometimes strip you of your identity but the important lesson is growth is a process of unlearning and relearning and if that stops too soon in one's life it becomes a hindrance, a roadblock.
View all my reviews
The Start-Up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career by Reid HoffmanMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Its one of those books that is relevant only when you reach a certain stage. Not that you can't understand the principles put forward but it's just you can't appreciate it as much as you would at the time when it becomes relevant.
The key concept portrayed in the book is that one's personal career is very much like a startup. The job guarantee is gone and the world is changing rapidly. Great concept as it answers lot of insights about agility, risk taking and anti-fragility.
Overall a good read. Has some great suggestions that one should keep in head during professional journey.
View all my reviews
Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter IsaacsonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A must read.
While reading the book I felt as if I was a mute spectator of Einstein's journey from beginning to end.
One has to appreciate what walter Isaacson has done to narrate his life to the truest possible knowledge (the bias and misinformation nevertheless finds a way in biographies of great men). Either the author is ridiculously amazing or I just found my favourite genre.
And obviously I can't help but marvel at what a remarkable life Einstein lived. One can argue his monumental contribution to science ended in 1915 and for the rest of his life he shiftes towards politics and philosophy while simultaneously fiddling with the equations to churn out something as marvelous as his theory of relativity failed continuously. But then again more than his theories his curiosity, respect and awe towards nature and her mathematical manifestations and most importantly how his mind worked are what one can (only try to) re-enact in one's own life.
This book is definitely one of the best I have read and I know I will be referring to the highlights every now and then.
View all my reviews
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The story unfolds with these opening words
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...."
Revolving around the time of Revolution in France and threading the story with happenings in two cities at that time- Paris and London it captures all emotions prevailing in that time- Love, hate, poverty, power, mistrust, bloodshed and so on.
To present such a sad story with a dispersion of humour and wisdom all through it truly justifies the Author's fame and respect.
Given how developments in 20th century has led us (me more so) to falsely think people living a couple centuries before that were very removed from us in almost all aspects. Well this clears that misconception. The characters are very much relatable even the lifestyle,save few gives and takes, is very much similar.
Easily the best book in fiction I have ever read.
View all my reviews
The Stranger by Albert CamusMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
While I was reading this book I kept drawing its comparison with the movie "The Big Lebowski". In the movie, the protagonist much like the one in the book deals with extraordinary situations in a manner as if they are ordinary. This casual attitude towards anything life has in store makes it an interesting read.
The story revolves around the guy who lands in trouble because he shot someone dead. His attitude towards what lead him to do that and what happens after is absurd as is of "The Dude" from The Big Lebowski.
Here's how the author himself summarised it (though it might sound quite exaggerated on finishing the book):
"In our society, any man who does not weep at his mother's funeral runs the risk of being sentenced to death."
View all my reviews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An emotional account of a free black man taken into captivity and his long journey to buy his liberty back. The book keeps one hooked to the story of main character while learning about the ill fate of many others at the hands of evil men.The narrator however does justice with the fact that not all masters were evil some treated their slaves with utmost love and care but having seen the tradition of slavery ever since they were born they could never see that taming a man like an animal,even if so with all love,is wrong.
With the exception of few men who were of the view that slavery should be abolished but were considered naive and laughing stock by their fellow free men.
With the exception of few men who were of the view that slavery should be abolished but were considered naive and laughing stock by their fellow free men.
The Old Man and the Sea-Ernest Hemmingway
This book shows the importance of hope in life. The book centers around an old fisherman who has always been unlucky compared to other fishermen. Yet he went everyday fishing and hoping best for him. The fate leads him to a marvelous adventure yet he returns with nothing. But the pursuit of that hope alone left him satisfied.
The Prophet-Kahlil Gibran
There are some books that you just fall in love with and for me this book was definitely that kind. The prophet gives the insights about almost all spheres of life in the form of prophetic sermons. The prophet who is about to leave his people is called upon by his followers one last time to hear from him the words of wisdom that they will live with and pass on. They ask him about different parts of life and each question is answered in one chapter. What is astonishing about this book is how elegantly yet concisely the author has managed to finish the book.
Must read book, if you ask me.
No comments:
Post a Comment