Anybody who knows me in real life knows I love books. Reading is my best escape route…to escape from the real world and to indulge in a world where I am intellectually stimulated and pampered. I enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction books, depending on my mood. Below are short reviews of the books I’ve read recently.
1) All Men Are Mortal by Simone de Beauvoir. This is an existentialist novel. The story is about an immortal man who’s been living for hundreds of years, and no end in sight. Can you think of a more horrible fate? It’s a hopeless situation. There are a lot of historical facts in the novel as well. If you are the kind of person who likes to lament your short time on earth, read this book. It will change your view. I need no convincing. As I always say: “All good, and bad, things come to an end. And thank goodness for that!”
2) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. This a a story about an orphan who worked her way to independence. Nothing new, right? Yes, for the most part, the story is predictable. What I find intriguing is the unconventional way the author built her main characters. They are ugly, mediocre, and not very bright. In other words, they are just like you and me! How refreshing is that? Hardwork, perseverance and determination are what contribute to one’s success. Of course, good look and intelligence also help, but not all of us can rely on those. In short, this story gives hope to plain and ungifted people everywhere.
3) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. This is not your normal self-help book. Extremely well-written and full of powerful real-life examples, the book moves you to action. I usually don’t take self-help books seriously, but this is an exception. The seven habits are 1) Be proactive, 2) Begin with the End in Mind, 3) Put First Things First, 4) Think Win/Win, 5) Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, 6) Synergize and 7) Sharpen the Saw. The habits are organized in a way that you learn to deal with yourself first (Habits 1-3), and then learn to deal with others (Habits 4-6). Habit 7 is the renewal process. You can read about all the best habits in the world, but you are not getting anywhere unless you continuingly practicing them.
4) The Feiner Points of Leadership by Michael Feiner. This is a business book written by a businessman who knows how the real world works. The book is quite easy to read, entertaining, and useful. The 50 laws that the author represented in the book are mostly common sense (e.g. The Law of Personal Committment, The Law of Feedback, or The Law of Ownership). Unfortunately, common sense is desperately needed in the corporate world, which is mostly about quick fixes and the bottom-line. Here’s a novel idea: The next time you want someone to do something for you, do something for him or her first. Be a better leader, a more productive employee, a more useful member of society, then see how people respond to you.
5) The Element by Ken Robinson. This is a non-fiction book about education. The author claims that most of us don’t know what our talents are. We end up working in some field that is not a good fit and hate our job. Many of us die without discovering what we love. Sadly, the education system cripples our ability to discover what we love by forcing us to learn things that we don’t care about instead of encouraging us to use our creativity and imagination. some people are lucky enough to stumble into something they actually love. They are said to be in their “element”. They are happy and excel at what they do. What about the rest of us who are not so lucky? Keep trying. Aim high. Continue to use our imagination and creativity. Perhaps one day we’ll find our true love.
6) Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. This is a story about suicide and mental conditions. I have always fascinated by insanity and insane people. Are they really insane, or are they just different? How do you define insanity? Being different from what we consider “normal”? One day I’ll get to the bottom of this. Anyway, the story is about a young woman who decides to end her life because she is bored. Life become too routine and boring to her, so she decides to end it early, while she’s still young and pretty. As fate would have it, she doesn’t die right away. She is saved on time, but too late at the same time. That is, the doctor tells her that she will live for a short period of time and will die of a heart condition, which is caused by the drug-overdose attempted suicide. During this period, she suddenly has a strong desire to live and start to discover that she has a lot to live for. That’s the irony of the story. There’s a surprised twist at the end. Not a bad story. Very entertaining and deep at the same time.
7) Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes is my all-time favorite sleuth. He is smart, eccentric, and kind. Since he’s a private detective, he can take justice in his own hands. That is, he can decide whether or not the “criminal” should be punished. Dr. Watson, his sidekick, adds an interesting dimension to the story. He “humanizes” Sherlock Holmes and dramatizes his adventures. The Sherlock Holmes stories are not always about hideous crimes. Sometimes they are just sophisticated tricks that people play on each other. The stories are not so much about sensational dramas; they are more about mind games and fascinating exercises in logic. That’s the beauty of it. It’s very intellectually stimulating and emotionally satisfying.
8) Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. This story needs no introduction. It’s one of Dostoevsky’s most well-known novels. What I get out of this story is that your conscience is the worst punisher of your crimes. You can fool everybody but yourself. When you carry a terrible secret, it consumes you until you break down. That’s why for most criminals, it’s a relief to finally get caught. Then they can begin the healing process and have some closure. This principle applies to all kinds of misdeeds, not just hideous crimes. This is why I believe that unjust people are never happy. On the contrary, the just are happy regardless of their conditions or how they are perceived by others. They know in their heart that they are good, and there is nothing that keeps them up at night.
9) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. This is a fascinating book. It may change the way you think about success. To me, the conclusion of the book is not surprising (i.e. intelligence is not the only contribution to success; hardwork, luck, and even your heritage play a big role as well). However, how the author goes about collecting “evidence” in the form of real stories is fascinating. Even if you don’t agree with the author’s arguments, you’ll be entertained by the stories and the way he tells them.
10) The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee. This book is about cancer, a biography of cancer, as the author calls it. It’s a page-turner. I’m amazed by the author’s ability to make an extremely complicated and technical subject so interesting, so fascinating. He “humanizes” the subject with his story-telling technique. After reading this book, I have a much better understanding of cancer, and how to deal with it if/when the time comes. This is not as morbid as you think. We all know that we’ll die one day, either through illness, such as cancer, or accident. Knowing how to deal with this reality is winning half the battle. The best time to read about cancer is before you get it, not after.
11) Going Solo by Eric Klinenberg. This book is about the new social phenomenon: the rise in the number of people who live alone. This is not only about the people who are never married or married late, but it’s also about people who are divorced or widowed/widowered. With advances in medical technologies, people are living longer, and women usually outlive men. As a result, many people find themselves living alone, by choice or not, for some extended period of their life. The author doesn’t avocate one lifestyle over another. Rather, he only describes the situation and explains why societies have become the way they are. Whether you are single or not, you’ll find this book interesting and informative.
12) Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. This is a novel with a lot of historical facts. It’s a story about a couple of identical twin brothers who are the sons of an Indian nun and a surgeon, an unlikely and secretive union. This is a story about brotherly love, growing up in Ethiopia, betrayal, and forgiveness. Although the story summary sounds commonplace enough, the details are powerful and fascinating.