Non-fiction
This is a great book about L. Ron Hubbard and the religion of Scientology. It is fascinating, surreal, and a downright scary read. In fact, based on their attacks of other people, I chose not to post a public review of this book. I don’t like the author’s attempts to equate Scientology with other religions, but he does raise some thought-provoking questions about how we can define religion. Definitely worth reading, especially if you have never read anything else on the subject before . . . stranger than fiction.
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief available on amazon
I became interested in survival books after finally reading Emergency (a decent read but more of a memoir than survival book). After researching other books on survival tactics, this was the first choice on my list and I was not disappointed. A great book to keep around as a reference and just go through. Tons of information in it, including color pictures of dozens of plants. The most interesting tidbit I picked up: You will die if you only eat rabbits. It’s called rabbit starvation . . . not enough nutrients in rabbits to sustain human life.
The more I read about it, the more sure I am that college is the wrong choice for most graduating seniors. Dale dropped out of college after a semester and wrote this book to encourage others who want to pursue alternative routes. Some great advice, and its extremely practical. This $10 book could save you, or whoever you give it to, thousands of dollars. Other books that are in the same vein that I love:
- The Personal MBA – Best there is for business
- The Higher Education Bubble (Encounter Broadsides) – Short, but a good argument from a financial standpoint
- In the Basement of the Ivory Tower: The Truth About College – One of the books that started this movement
- The 4-Hour Workweek – Great advice on learning, finding mentors, and more
- The 4-Hour Chef – Great advice on learning quickly, meta-learning
- Mastery – Great work on apprenticeship
Some great tips on being a writer in the real world . . . my favorite is write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open. Worth reading if you have any interest in writing and a must read (along with Bird by Bird) if you have writer’s block. King claims that he never plots his books out, just creates interesting situations then follows the characters where they lead.
I loved A Sense Of Where You Are so much that I picked up a few other McPhee books. This one follows the action of a single tennis match, and McPhee inserts biographical details along the way as the action plays out. It’s amazing how detailed McPhee is . . . I have watched less than 20 minutes of tennis in my entire life, but with his descriptions it is like being on the front row and not missing any action. The short biographies of Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner are very detailed and offer a glimpse into sport, race, and politics through the action of a single tennis match.
One of the best books I’ve read on any subject. McPhee tells the story of Bill Bradley’s basketball career at Princeton and recounts what it took to get there. An inspirational tale about a young man who changed others around him, knew his highest calling wasn’t basketball, and did everything it took to be the best. There is really no excuse not to read this – its short, easy to read, and it will be one you share with others again and again.