Play the Game of Life
Ryan Petersen's Blog

Uggh, I deleted my wish list by accident...will update again soon.

Currently Reading:

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Books Reviewed in 2006:

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs - A+
Hilarious and heart-warming are probably the two adjectives used the most by reviewers of this boo. Followed closely by "sad," not because the story itself is particularly sad, but rather because of the desperation felt by Burroughs and his clan of insane family members. Growing up in such an atmosphere can only lead one to creative genius or lifelong agony. Fortunately for us all, the former seems to have won out. Can't wait to see the movie!

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins - A
A wonderful application of pure reason to the debate over whether or now there is a God in the traditional, supernatural sense of the word. While I agree with his basic point that believe in the supernatural by necessity defies reason, and that invoking God as an answer for the unknown does not in fact solve anything, I believe that Dawkins skirts far too easily over the possiblity of a form of God that does exist within the bounds of the natural. Not a being opposed to science and reason, but discoverable with these very tools. As Dawkins readily admits, the world at the level of quantum mechanics is so exceedingly strange that, for me, ruling out the possiblity of a field of intelligence connecting us all to everything seems premature. But yeah, traditional scripture- and faith-based religions only divide and mislead us. I appreciate his firm stance against these forces that have wrought so much evil and hatred upon this world.
Greate quote: "I must respect the other fellow's religion only in the sense and to the extent that I respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart."

The Double Helix by James Watson - A-
The story behind the discovery of DNA from its unliekly discoverer. I use the word 'unlikely' because as Watson himself says, he barely knew any chemistry and seems to have just happened upon the solution in time to beat the far more qualified researchers competing racing to uncover the correct model. He makes it sound like anybody can just wander into a science lab, take a look over the scientists shoulders, go find some competing scientists working on similar problems, then bring their approach to those other problems back to the intial lab and voila, you'll get the Nobel prize. Obviously it doesn't work so well unless you are a genius of Watson's caliber.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer - A+
Adventure writing at its best from one of America's finest young authors. If you've read this and liked it, check out "Under the Banner of Heaven" reviewed below.

Mastery by George Leonard - A+
Perhaps the finest of the dozen or so books in the inspirational/motivational genre I've read this year. Especially important is the concept of enjoying life on the "plateau" as essential to walking the path of mastery. I have atained mastery in very few areas of my life, however in the one area that I believe I am traveling the path of the master--language acquisition--this pattern is readily evident. I go for months at a time without noticing any improvement at all, but I keep studying and practicing the languages because I truly enjoy the process, without any need to see progress. Yet inevitably every few months --sometimes more, sometimes less--I come to an unexpected breakthrough where I am suddenly much more fluent than I was. And I am again returned to a (slightly higher)plateau. I hope to apply this and other lessons from Mastery to other areas of my life, including personal fitness, scholarly pursuits, and of course running my new business.

Personal History by Katharine Graham - A
The finest autobiography I've come across. tthe long-time publisher of the Washington Post fills this book not with self-inflating antecdotes of personal glory but rather with heart-felt introspection into her own life accompanied by genuine insight into some of the most important events of the 20th century. Few people are capable of being so self-critical even in private, much less sharing her errors, prejudices and weaknesses with all the world.

1491 by Charles Mann - A
This book is just loaded from cover to cover with exciting "new" revelations about the Americas before the arrival of Columbus. The quotations surround "new" because many or most of these facts have been accepted by archaelogists for 30 years or more, yet still have not made their way into mainstream textbooks. For example, many of us carry the absurd notion that there were three major civilizations in the Americas before Columbus, the Incas, Aztecs and Mayas. The fact is that all of these groups had important predecessors dating back thousands of years, many with equally stunning advances in culture and civilzation. In fact, the Incas only reigned for about 70 years before the arrival of the Spanish, having themselves recently defeated a rival group on Peru's coast and looted them of all their gold, silver and, more importantly, finest artistans. For me, the most important part of the book deals with the myth of the American wilderness. We often maintain a quaint image of the Americas as an land of incredible natural bounty untouched by the hands of man. Yet these images couldn't be further from the truth. Archaelogical evidence shows that the enormous herds of buffalo that roamed the American west only came after the farming people's of the region had been wiped out by European disease. The same is true of the now-extinct passenger pigeon that in the 18th century appeared in flocks so thick they could black out the sky. These birds did not form a part of the native diet, and in fact only multiplied to such an extent after their natural predators--the Native Americans--had been removed from the land. Virtually no untouched virgin forests existed in North America since the very arrival of people from Asia, which itself may have taken place as many as 30,000 years ago--well before many parts of the Old World were settled. Early colonists report being able to ride at a full gallop from Georgia all the way to New England--the reason being that they were riding through well-maintained orchards planted by the natives! In fact, more wilderness was found in the Americas in the 19th century that at any time in the last several thousand years. It's time these widely accepted facts were taught to all American high school and college students instead of carrying on the myths of Native "savages"--whether noble or not--who did not alter their natural environment in any way.

The Fallen Idol by Graham Greene - A-
A clever story of innocence as a small child who witnesses a murder finds it impossible to partake in a cover-up.

The World As I See It by Albert Einstein - B+
A collection of Einstein's writings that is at times moving and enlightening, and at others boring and out of reach.

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard Feynmann - A+
My new favorite genius, Feynmann seems to have brought a completely unconventional approach to just about everything he did. This collection of speeches and other short works compiled over his career gives a great overview of one of the 20th centuries great minds. His defense of science in the face of attacks by religious fundamentalists is eloquent and timely. The central tenet of the division between religion and science is this: religion demands unquestioned faith in the truth; science demands relentless questioning accompanied with an outright refusal to acknowledge anything with 100 percent certainty.

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene - A+
Discovering Graham Greene has gotten my heart racing about a fiction author in a way that I haven't felt since I first found Steinbeck at age 14. Played out in historic marvelously described backdrops around the globe, each of Greene's stories provides a stimulating treatment of the tipping scales of good and evil, corruption and honesty, love and apathy. The Heart of the Matter follows an honest policeman's free fall into corruption and adultery in a British colony in West Africa. Simply outstanding story telling.

The Power of Gold by Peter Bernstein - B-
Great subject and at times excellent story-telling, but Berstein jumps around so much that you get the impression he didn't use an outline when he wrote the thing. Still, gold is so interesting that it can keep you entertained.

Success Intelligence - B-

Blink by Malcom Gladwell - B+

Self by Yann Martel - A
A moving fiction/autobiography that successful blurs the lines between the sexes as the narrator convincingly transforms between man and women. As powerful a fiction writer as you'll find, Martel spins Self into a beautiful tale of a life of tragedy and joy, love and despair.

The Quiet American by Graham Greene - A+
Set in French-controlled Indochina (Vietnam) in the early 1950s, the Quiet American is the story of an English journalist's relationship with an America agent who covertly supports a rebel force. The anti-colonial resistance movements provide a vivid backdrop for Greene's thrilling story of love, war and revenge. Fiction at its best.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - A
The classic self-help book provides loads of practical advice. Although there is nothing here you won't find in any of the other dozen self-help books I've reviewed this year (after all, all synthesize Carnegie's work to one degree or another), its a very useful refresher nonetheless.

1776 by David McCoullough - A+
History at its best. In hindsight, the American Revolution appears but a foregone conclusion, however the reality on the ground in 1776 shows that it was anything but. The Americans were outmatched, beaten repeatedly by British forces with superior tactics and supplies. Yet they displayed a resilience and boldness of leadership that would ultimately win the day. My only wish is that the book would continue through to the end of the war, but alas, the author's aim was merely to present the events of one year.

The Southwest Airlines Way - A
Southwest Airlines is one of only three brands that I am truly loyal to (the others being Google and New Balance). Aspiring leaders in all fields can benefit from the principles of organizational relations developed by Southwest. At the heart of the business model--far more important even than its low cost operating methods--are the relationships between team members. And this book provides a wonderful, well-researched overview of the techniques used to develop and build on these vital relationships.

How to Have a Beautiful Mind by Edward De Bono - B
Simple reminders for improving your ability to relate with other people.

Small is Beautiful: A study of economics as if people mattered by E.F. Schumacher - A
Quantitative economics simply can't account for the true value of things. It's impossible. Beauty, quality, love, joy and hundreds of other vitally important entities simply can't be measured by numbers. Yet economists pursue and implement purely mathematical models of the world as if they represented reality. Not even close, says Schumacher, and the more we try, the more we deceive ourselves. As Einstein said, "Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted."

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Roger Pirsig - A++
The mind-expanding story of a former "mad man" who discovers himself while expounding on the nature of "quality" during a cross-country motorcycle trip. And he practices what he preaches, as this is one of the finest works of art that I've discovered to-date. Not to be missed.

The Fabric of the Cosmos - by Brian Greene - A
Reading this book, and discovering the implications of the latest physics experiments, will cast doubt on your very perception of reality. While it eventually becomes difficult to focus as the reader is swept away in the latest wild (and as yet untestable) theories about the nature of reality, those conclusions that are backed by undeniable experimental evidence are breathtaking in their own right.

For example, Einstein's theory of relativity (familiar to many but intuitive to almost no one), demonstrates unequivocally that two people can have radically different, even diametrically opposed, view points and both be 100 percent accurate. Apply that the next time you get in an argument.

Furthermore, all "moments" in time--past, present and future--coexist simultaneously. To demonstrate this, Greene shows that in your current list of what exists right "now" in the world, imgaine that there is an object (Greene uses Chewie, the wookie from Star Wars) in a distance gallaxy, billions of light years away. As long as that object remains at rest relative to you, you are both co-existing at the exact same moment in time. But should that object move toward you at a mere 6 miles per hour, its list of what exists "right now" over here on planet Earth would actually be pushed back 150 years. Accelerate in the opposite direction and the presidential election of 2150 would have already been determined in his list of what exists right now, today. Of course, it would still take billions of years to transmit this information to him through the universe, but we are still left with the realization that all moments in time exist simulatenously.

This notion makes me realize just how pertinent the "great quote" picked up from Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha earlier this year: "The river is everywhere at once, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall and at the ferry, at the rapids, in the sea, in the mountains, everywhere at once, and that there is only the present time for it, not the shadow of the past, not the shadow of the future....And when I had learned it, I looked at my life, and it also was a river, and the boy Siddhartha was only separated from the man Siddhartha by a shadow, not by something real." Perhaps there is more to this than even Hesse could have realized.

There is nothing terribly new in the portion on special/general relativity. Einstein's theories and acknowledgement (at least amongst physicists) of these implications have been around for almost 100 years. More spectacular is Greene's account of recent experiments in quantum mechanics that demonstrate a.) particles do not occupy a single place in space, but in fact are everywhere at the same time; b.) future events can impact the past; c.) our universe is non-local--particles can be instantaneoulsy connected across vast distances in time and space.

The book concludes with an overview of string and M-theory, which if confirmed would show that there are more dimensions than the three plus time we are accustomed to. According to M-Theory, only gravity can pass between the dimensions, as the other forces/particles are restricted to the realm we can perceive. It is hoped that huge new linear accelerators (atom smashers) may confirm one or more of these theories--or (more likely) open up entirely new avenues of thought about the nature of reality.

As shown, the book presents some of the most intellectually stimulating material imaginable, but does so in an easy to read manner that the average person with an interest in science, religion and reality in general will find managable. Green does Einstein justice by making the information "as simple as possible, but no simpler."

Losing My Virginity - by Richard Branson - A-
The founder of the Virgin empire, Branson must something of a role model for any entreprenuer. This is the in-depth story of the life of the man who must be the least risk averse businessman on Earth. Looking at his lifestyle, you can see he is clearly worshipping the god of achievement. Throughout his life, and particularly after acquiring his fortune, he has taken on adventures that seem to have no other purpose but just to say you did them, such as breaking the speed record for crossing the Atlantic by boat and attempting to be the first to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air baloon. While I find some of that to be rather foolish, I appreciate his informal and creative approaches to business that have brought him tremendous success, time and again defying nay sayers and beating the "odds."

How to Know God - by Deepak Chopra - A-
A nice presentation of the different models for God, all of them equally valid, that individuals may encounter on any quest for spiritual enlightenment. If you beleive in God already, and are willing to subject your beliefs to some deeper introspection without regard to a particular religion, this book will be very useful. If you have ruled out the possibilty of a God, you won't derive anything to convince you otherwise here. In fact, the athiest approach is just as correct as any other, as God can only exist for you if you belief in him. The most correct answer for "Is there a God?" would therefore be, "Depends who is asking?"

Re-Imagine - by Tom Peters - A-
A great coffee table book about the transformations necessary for modern businesses to thrive in the new competitive environment. The book's layout is fun, with lots of graphics, side notes, antecdotes, comparison lists and other cool additions you wouldn't expect from a "business" text. The content is interesting and at times inspiring, though Peter's writing style occassionally strikes me as a bit too informal. He tends to misuse (and overuse) the ". . ." too much for my taste. But his message is clear: If businesses and individuals fail to adapt to changes wrought by the information technology (the Web!) and globalization (billions of new capitalists in India/China!), they are in for some very difficult times in the decades to come.

Crucial Confrontations - A
Few things could be more valuable than a set of tools for effectively dealing with disappointment in your life. Crucial Confrontations presents a powerful framework for talking with those who have failed to meet expectations for any reason, and shows that such challenges actually represent a tremendous opportunity to build your relationships. This is a book that I will return to often in my life.

Learned Optimism - by Martin Seligman - A+
In this, one of the most important books of the 20th century, Dr. Seligman provides an extremely compelling case for optimism as a tool not only to achieve greater happiness, but also as a means to ensure you live a healthier, more productive and ulitmately more successful life. The research presented here shows without a doubt that being optimistic boosts your immune system, improves athletic, academic and professional performance, makes you more enjoyable to be around and generally results in a higher quality of life. And best of all, Seligman shows that anybody can learn to be more optimistic by simply disputing the pessimistic statements we routinely make to ourselves to explain discomfort and disappointment. This should be required reading in every school, household and workplace in the world.

Against the Gods - by Peter Bernstein - A
A wonderful synthesis of the history of risk and a beautiful demonstration of the notion that most of mankind's truly world altering achievements are possible only after major changes in societal perspetive. That is, we often fail to take what in hindsight appears to be the next "logical" step in the progression of an idea because it does not fit with our current worldview. Only when our worldview changes do these ideas become obvious and appear as forgone conclusions. This concept is best illustrated by looking at how close the Greeks came to discovering the laws of probability, yet how far short they fell because the very notion that the future can be predicted violated their fatalistic worldview. This is my kind of history, starting deep in ancient history with the discovery of numbers and bringing us all the way through to an overview the latest risk management tools used in the stock market (deritivatives, futures).

A Life on the Edge - by Jim Whitaker - A
Jim is about as down-to-earth as heroes come. The first American to climb Mount Everest, he refuses to be defined by his accomplishments, but rather continues to strive to add more value to the world. In addition to being one of the most accomplished mountaineers in the world, Whitaker was also the first full-time employee and long-time CEO of REI, the cooperative that rewrote the rules on outdoor equipment retailing. I admire him more for his attitude on living everyday to the fullest, enjoying the outdoors (his "church," and mine), and spreading the message of peace throughout the globe. I first heard of Whitaker after listening to this speech he gave to a group of entreprenuers sponsored by Guy Kawasaki. It's hilarous and inspiring at the same time, highly recommended.

Metamorphisis by Franz Kafka - B-
The strangest book I've read in years, it starts out in hilarious fashion as a traveling salesman wakes up one morning to find he's been transformed into some kind of giant insect. The book recounts the sad story of the total disintegration of his already disfunctional family over the next few months. They extend him just enough love to keep him alive, as they recognize him as their brother/son, but not enough to overcome their fear of his grotesque appearance. As such, they never realize that he can in fact understand everything they are saying to him. Strange, right?

Kim by Rudyard Kipling - B+
Fun novel about a British orphan raised in the bazaars of colonial India. Kim eventually becomes a spy for the British in the Great Game, the 19th century version of the Cold War which pitted Britain against Russia for control over central Asia (see the review of the "The Great Game" below). Kipling is a master wordsmith, of this there can be no doubt. And the subject matter is fascinating. Yet somehow the plot just moves along too slowly while some of the characters and their relationships with one another seem fake, especially the Tibetan lama who plays a major role. As a side, I believe this novel served as a major inspiration for the Harry Potter series, as the similarities run throughout the book.


Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse - A+
A moving novel about the various stage's of one man's life-long, and ultimately successful, quest for spiritual growth and enlightenment. A perfect gift for me on my birthday, as I ended up reading the entire novel on that day. If you liked the Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, then you will almost certainly enjoy this book.
Great quote: "The river is everywhere at once, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall and at the ferry, at the rapids, in the sea, in the mountains, everywhere at once, and that there is only the present time for it, not the shadow of the past, not the shadow of the future....And when I had learned it, I looked at my life, and it also was a river, and the boy Siddhartha was only separated from the man Siddhartha by a shadow, not by something real."

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (links to free download) - B
Somehow I was expecting more from this book, which I "read" in high school. I think I must have used the Cliff Notes the first time around, because the classic novel from the colonization of Belgian Congo seemed totally new to me. Maybe I expected more because I liked the movie Apocalypse Now so much, and figured all books are better than the movie version. As with Kim (above), I was largely induced to read this novel because of a non-fiction book I read about the period, in this case, King Leopold's Ghost (see below). Conrad seems to skirt around many of the issues and use oblique attacks on the colonial systems, rather than mounting a direct frontal assault on its evils. I guess a hundred years later, it's very easy to charge him with letting the Belgians off with a slap on the wrist (in fact, he doesn't even mention the country by name, but rather says that all Europe is guilty for its acts...fair enough).

Chinese Business Etiquette by Scott Seligman - A+
This is the must read book for any westerner coming to do business in China, and probably anybody else coming over should read it as well. I can't tell you how much I've learned about Chinese culture and etiquette that I would have never picked up on without it. And also how much more I've noticed about the way friends and business associates act now that I've gained a better understanding of their motivations. I don't think the concept of 'face' will ever be intuitive to the Western mind, but the harder we work to understand it, the better our chances of success in relating with the Chinese. Personally I think the entire concept needs to be thrown out the door if the Chinese really want to prosper in the creativity economy that lies ahead, but that is not going to happen anyways.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (links to free download) - A
Franklin himself was not "all about the Benjamins," though he did earn a considerable fortune. Rather, he was committed to living a life of virtue, believing that serving man is the greatest (if not the only) way to show your love for God. His autobiography is the earliest "self-help" book I'm aware of, full of practical lessons for taking your life to a higher level.

Franklin's rise from relative poverty in Boston to the status as one of his country's leading men is just astounding. He founded numerous printing presses, a wildly successful newspaper, the Philadelphia fire department, the nation's first public library, the University of Pennsylvania, and the American Philosophical society. Franklin took the initiative on himself to organize the Philadelphia militia and , upon being promoted to the rank of Colonel, built forts on the Western frontier during the French & Indian War. He was also the most influential man in the Pennsylvania assembly, a framer of the constitution, the colonies' representative to England and later France, and eventually the first 'President' of the state of Pennsylvania after Independence. In his spare time he invented a highly efficient stove for heating homes with less wood, and was voted into the British Royal Society (far and away the most influential academic body in the world at that time) for his discovery that lightning consists of electricity. He died before he could become President of the United States, but that seems to have been the next logical step.

In this book lays out in wonderful prose the ways in which leading a life of virtue and service will carry you along a similar trajectory for success. More importantly, he gives lots of concrete methods we can use to improve our lifestyles. Especially insightful is his refusal to use terms such as "certainly," "undoubtedly" or anything else so affirmative; rather he found better results could be achieved in persuading others with terms like "it seems to me," "I imagine that." Had he managed to finish the book, I would certainly give it an A+, but as it leaves off just as the real troubles with the British are beginning, it seems to me I'll have to leave him with a mere "A."Great quote: "So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do." (said in regards to his giving up vegetarianism on the grounds that fish eat other fish--in reality he returned to eating flesh because he loved the taste).
Another great quote: "He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged." (I will stop at two less I quote the entire book)

The Prince

Lost Horizon by James Hilton - A
Having thoroughly exhausted the supply of interesting non-fiction books at Kunmings only English language bookstore, I've had to turn to borrowing books from friends. Despite an admitted bias against fiction books, I found Hilton's tale of the lost Himalayan civilization of Shangri-La to be both enlightened and delightful. A tremendously rewarding read that may get me back into fiction books in the near future.
Great quote: "There were moments in life when one opened wide one's soul just as one might open wide one's purse if an evening's entertainment were proving unexpectedly costly but also unexpectedly novel."

This I Believe and 100 Ways to Help You Suceed/Make Money by Tom Peters - A+
Perhaps Peters will be remembered as the first "business poet." I await the day when the first foresighted English department throws off their distaste for capitalism and gives his works the credit they are due as works of literature in their own right. His practical advice, delievered through consummate wordcraft, inspires us to approach our problems with open minds and fresh approaches. And, best of all, these eBooks are available for free at ChangeThis.com, one of my favorite resources on the Web.

The Call of the Wild - by Jack London - A
This is one of those fun books that you can read in an afternoon, renewing latent desires for snowstorms, sleeping under the stars and playing with your dog.
Great quote: "There is an ecstacy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstacy comes when one is most alive, and it comes as a complete forgetfulness that one is alive."

The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee : Evolution and Human Life by Jared Diamond - A
In this book, the author of "Guns, Germs and Steel" and "Collapse" (two of my favorites) takes the third chimpanzee (humans) from our ape heritage through to the present. Besides being a terrific read and an excellent source for insights into human nature, the book wins my admiration for Diamond's masterful application of Game Theory to man's decision to commit adultery. For anybody who enjoyed either of Diamond's more recent works, this is an excellent prelude not too be missed.

Ageless Body, Timeless Mind : The Quantum Alternative to Growing Old by Deepak Chopra - A
Chopra lays out a new paradigm of aging, in which the mind and body do not have to grow weaker with time. By recognizing our deep-routed connection with the infinite fields of energy and intelligence that make up the world, we can transcend the physical limits of the body and tap into the eternal youth of our spirt. Powerful stuff, right? As with so many of my favorite self-help books, this one emphasizes the power of words. For example, I like the term "long living" that he uses to replace the word "old." There are lots of lessons and exercises that will be valuable for people of any age. I'm glad I discovered at 25...

Rich Dad's Retire Young, Retire Rich by Robert T. Kiyosaki - B-
I had very low expectations for this book, and those expectations were exactly met. But with the goal of reading 52 books in a year, I have to be allowed to read at least a couple really easy, fast ones...This book is kind of a "how to get rich" book intended for an exceptionally simple-minded audience. That being said, I don't want to discredit the simpleton approach as completely as a lot of smart people might be inclined to do. After all, the author doesn't seem too bright and clearly made a lot of money while learning a tremendous amount about people, business, and life. I enjoyed his emphasis on the importance of language. You truly do create your own reality with the words you select to define your experiences, so we should never use the words "I can't," "that's impossible," "I hate" or any other strongly negative terms. While many of the author's ideas have merit, his need to repeat himself every other paragraph, often word for word, grew quite frustrating.

China Under Deng edited by Kwan Ha Kim - B+
Comments self-censored to preserve my liberty while in China. Actually, the book's take on Deng is not that bad, and personally I think he's one of the most inspirational leaders of the 20th century. He was a great man and when you consider what he went through in his life, its hard not to feel some degree of genuine emphathy for him.

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy - A-
The most spiritual book I've read in a while, this book forms the foundation of much of Tony Robbins and Scott Peck's work. If I hadn't become an avid believer in the techniques and beliefs they teach, I probably would have discounted Murphy's work outright. However, having been swayed to his side in advance, I found the book spiritually enlightening. My favorite quote from the book actually comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Do the thing you are afraid of and the death of fear is certain." I also really liked Murphy's own line, "You were born with only two fears, the fear of falling and the fear of noise. All your other fears were acquired. Get rid of them." I spent a while brainstorming everything I am afraid of in life and could only come up with one thing, "approaching beautiful women in unfamiliar social settings." Next time I get the chance I am going to kill this fear once and for all.

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith - A
Suprisingly in four years as an economics major at UC Berkeley, I was never required to read this book. I probably wouldn't have appreciated it as much as I am now, however. The fact that capitalism's most famous book was for sale in a bookstore in Kunming, China speaks volumes about the changes that have taken place in the country over the last 25 years.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey - A+
Along with Awaken the Giant within by Anthony Robbins and The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck, this book forms the core of my personal approach to life. Covey provides many of the key distinctions needed to achieve lasting happiness and success in life. I recommend reading Robbins first (and more often) however, because he provides more techniques for how to achieve these concepts while Covey just tells you what it is that you need to achieve.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller - A-
The only fiction book I read this year. And the hilarious story of a world war II bombing sqaudron gone mad certainly deserves the honor. I found myself laughing outloud on several occasions. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the best I could do was try to take on some of Heller's style in my story about Super Guest.

A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani - B-
A rich history told in an incredibly dry fashion. To be fair, maybe I wasn't as interested in the history of Arab literature as I thought I was. Perhaps I was hoping for more wars. Parts of it are amazing though (the history of the Ottoman empire, plus everything from 1900 to the present), so I allowed myself to skip over the reviews of the changes in Andalusian poetry styles that emerged over the centuries.

Genghis Khan : Life, Death, and Resurrection by John Man - B-
I've been fascinated by Genghis Khan ever since I saw him wreak havoc in a department store in Bill and Ted's excellent adventure. This is a pretty interesting read, but the Mongols left so little written history that Mann didn't have much to work with. I felt like he could have shortened it quite a bit by leaving out the account of his personal search for Genghis lost tomb which every Mongol knows will never be found.

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler - A
The funniest and most insightful book by a foreigner living in China which I have yet read. Hessler taught English with the Peace Corps in a remote town in Sichuan Province. Critics of wasting a Princeton/Oxford education on teaching English to foriegners will be silenced when they read Hessler's account.

Awaken the Giant Within : How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! by Tony Robbins - A++
The book that changes my life everytime I read it. I recommend this to everybody. And everybody laughs at me. But those few who have taken up my recommendation have thanked me repeatedly for exposing them to this brilliant excercise. The changes in your life that you can achieve using Robbins techniques are profound. And proven beyond the shadow of a doubt. So quit hating and read the book. Skeptics can see Tony Robbins in action on Google Video.

Nothing Like It In the World : The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869
The story of the transcontinetal railroad. This vastly informative book explains in intimate detail how the seemingly impossible task of building a railroad through the Sierra Nevada and across the great American desert was accomplished. It's a great follow up to Age of Gold (below) because they are crossing much of the same territory as the 49ers. The original transcontinental railroad runs just one major river valley north of the South Fork of the American, where gold was found about 2 decades before the line was built. Ambrose can be a bit dull for the layman who is content in not knowing every single detail of the process.
by Stephen Ambrose - B-

Mr. China: A Memoir by Tim Cussold - A-
A great look at the struggles of Western businessmen who want to enter the Chinese market. They had the right idea at the right time in the right place. But they vastly underestimated the difficulty of doing business in China in the early 90s. The book abounds with lessons for any foreigner coming to work in China.

The Age of Gold : The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream by H.W. Brands A+
The history of the people who risked everything to seek their fortunes in the California gold rush. My parents just moved to Placerville, about seven miles up-river from Coloma, where John Marshall first discovered gold in 1848. The book tells the harrowing tales of real people's journeys from around the world to the placer mines of the Sierra foothills. Thousands of Americans crossed the continent, rounded Cape Horn, or treked through the jungles of Panama. Others came from Australia, China and South America. Most would end up broke (the people who really got rich in the Gold rush either hired Indians to collect the large shiny yellow rocks before the 49ers arrived or ran the stores and supply depots in Sacramento), but for true adventure-seekers, this must have been a small price to pay for the stories of a lifetime.

Critical Thinking : An Introduction to Analytical Reading and Reasoning by Larry Wright - A+ (for GMAT takers), C- (for normal people)
This is the most helpful book I found in my GMAT preparation. Most people taking this test rely on Kaplan, Princeton Review and the like. But you want to do better than everybody else, so you will have to find references that nobody else has found. This book must be the text book that the writers of the GMAT verbal section studied in college. It's as boring as anything you are likely to find, but if you can get through it you will dramatically raise your verbal test scores. Again, please don't read this if you are not taking a standardized test.

How to Lie With Statistics by Darrell Huff - A- (for GMAT takers), C- (for normal people)
I recommend this book to anybody planning to take the GMAT or any another grad school admissions test. The people who write those tests are masters of using statistics to trick test takers into choosing the wrong answer. This book will help you identify some of the devices they use to do this.

Logic Made Easy: How to Know When Language Deceives You by Deborah Bennett - A (for GMAT takers), C- (for normal people)
I never studied formal logic in college or elsewhere, so I checked this book out from the library as part of my GMAT preparation. It basically says the same thing over and over again: If A then B does not mean if B then A. If you are having trouble with the verbal section of the GMAT, find a book on logic. If you are not taking the GMAT, don't even consider reading this book.

From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman - A
I had read almost all of Freidman's books except this one, so I figured I might as well finish it off as well. I'm glad I did, Friedman probably has a better understanding of the current situation in the middle east--and by extension global geopolitics--than any other writer of his caliber. I always find it enlightening to learn about all the crazy stuff that was going on in the world while I was learning to play baseball.

The Ends of the Earth : From Togo to Turkmenistan, from Iran to Cambodia, a Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy by Robert Kaplan - B+
The ultimate in political travel writing, Kaplan explores some of the poorest regions in the world, from West Africa through the middle east and into Central Asia. The book is more than a decade old, so it was interesting to revisit his predictions about the chaos of central asia spreading to the west...

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by John Krakauer - A
This is a great story about Mormon fundamentalism. Krakauer is a terrific writer, and the material makes for an amazing tale. I can't wait to go check out some of these weird fundamentalist towns in rural Utah. I love talking about dinosaurs with people who believe the earth is only 5,000 years old. And I especially love the argument that evolution is just a "theory" because it gives me a great opportunity to provide my analogous demonstration of the "theory" of gravity.

The End of Oil : On the Edge of a Perilous New World by Paul Roberts - B-
This book projects a dire picture of the future of oil and, by extension, the society that depends on it for a huge percentage of our energy needs. I wish it had been written by Daniel Yergin. For some reason this guy feels that since he graduated from college (assuming he did) he is now free from the need to cite sources. I find his doomsday predictions difficult to believe, even more so given the fact that he fails to back most of them up. But for someone interested in entering ther renewable energy sector in the near future, there was a lot of fascinating material to feed off.

King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild - B+
The tragic history of the Belgian Congo. It's a sad story with far too many parallels to modern day Africa. Millions dying in horrendous conditions while Europe and America sit by more or less complacently.

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky - A-
The history of salt is actually more interesting than you might think. Vast, thriving empires were based on control of this tasty mineral (the only edible rock). It was required to preserve food until the advent of refrigeration, and as such was a necessity for any army. The emperor of China and those of many other ancient nations earned most of their income from salt taxes. And perhaps you didn't know that Tabasco sauce was invented by the owner of a salt mine that failed when his Confederate currency became worthless...so he added the salt to chili peppers and vinegar and came up with the Cajun classic. Perhaps you didn't care either...

Never Eat Alone : And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi - B-
The advice on networking is useful. But I was too busy thinking about how self-centered this guy must be in real life. He seems to depend on Covey's "Personality Ethic" rather than the "Character Ethic." Plus, I like eating alone sometimes.

Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia by Peter Hopkirk - B-
Hopkirk's The Great Game is the book that turned me on to Central Asian history, so when I found out that his first book was about the Silk Road I got very excited. Unfortunately the book is actually just about the "archaeologists" who looted the ruins of the Silk Road, rather than about the ancient trade route itself. Worth a read if you are interested in this region, however.

The Prize : The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power by Daniel Yergin - A+
Yergin provides an incredible look at the history of the world's most important commodity. If you want to understand the state of the world economy, geopolitics and the direction our society is headed, this is probably the best place to start. It's a mammoth, over 1000 pages, but absoluely fascinating. And for the lazy non-readers out there, you can probably get the PBS version on Netflix.

Labels: books

I have the following books here available for trade. If you are living in Kunming, make me an offer (it doesn't have to be permanent, we can trade back after we're done).

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian
River Town by Peter Hessler
A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani
Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis
Genghis Khan by John Man