Category Archives: Non-Fiction

Non-fiction works that allow me to explore new ideas, themes, or thoughts that I try to apply to everything else in my life.

“Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual” by Jocko Willink

Posted on February 10, 2020 by

There are nuances to leadership that everyone has to uncover for themselves. Leaders are different. Followers are different. Peers are different. Everyone has their own individual characteristics, personalities, and perspectives. I often tell leaders that what makes leadership so hard … Continue reading →

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“Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope” by Mark Manson

Posted on February 3, 2020 by

Today, much in our world appears to be fucked. Not Nazi Holocaust–level fucked (not even close), but still, pretty fucked nonetheless. Stories such as Pilecki’s inspire us. They give us hope. They make us say, “Well, damn, things were way … Continue reading →

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“The Body: A Guide for Occupants” by Bill Bryson

Posted on January 20, 2020 by

Memory is not a fixed and permanent record, like a document in a filing cabinet. It is something much more hazy and mutable. As Elizabeth Loftus told an interviewer in 2013, “It’s a little more like a Wikipedia page. You … Continue reading →

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“How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler” by Ryan North

Posted on January 13, 2020 by

Here is the bad news: the scientific method can produce knowledge that is wrong. Here is the good news: the scientific method is still our best technology for uncovering, verifying, and refining correct knowledge, because what the scientific method allows … Continue reading →

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“The Evolution of Everything” by Matt Ridley

Posted on January 6, 2020 by

Evolution is far more common, and far more influential, than most people recognise. It is not confined to genetic systems, but explains the way that virtually all of human culture changes: from morality to technology, from money to religion. The … Continue reading →

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“The Joy of Leadership: How Positive Psychology Can Maximize Your Impact in a Challenging World” by Tal Ben-Shahar and Angus Ridgway

Posted on December 30, 2019 by

The key, he learned, was leadership: the ability to influence the thinking and activities of other people in a shared effort to achieve goals and, ultimately, to realize a shared vision. Organizations that had good leaders—not just at the top … Continue reading →

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“The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom” by Jonathan Haidt

Posted on December 23, 2019 by

Because our library is also effectively infinite—no one person can ever read more than a tiny fraction—we face the paradox of abundance: Quantity undermines the quality of our engagement. Like a rider on the back of an elephant, the conscious, … Continue reading →

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