Reading List
by Deepak ChopraA more appropriate title for this book would be 'The Meaning of Life in a Nutshell'. It captures the essence of Deepak Chopra's deep wisdom, leading to an outlook that is both extremely self-empowering and able to deal with the complexities of the modern world. Essentially, the gist of the book is the powerful concept that everything you experience is manufactured inside your mind, which you can slowly transform through your beliefs and actions. By Philip ZimbardoThis jaw-dropping book will forever change the way you think about good and evil, and should be in every hotel room drawer. It represents the cutting edge of the scientific perspective on morality and the life work of renowned social psychologist Dr. Philip Zimbardo. Zimbardo's approach to good and evil is different because he looks beyond individual good and evil and instead focuses on systemic good and evil - on evil systems rather than on evil people. He does this by taking an in-depth look at shocking social psychology experiements and historic events that reveal how easily ordinary people like you and me can be duped into commiting atrocities through some simple social engineering. The main focus is on Zimbardo's own infamous Standford Prison Guard experiment. But if you can get past the gory details and shocking implications, you will find that Zimbardo's message is ultimately a positive and empowering one... by Orson Scott CardA science fiction novel about a boy genius being trained to save the world from a possible alien invasion. OK, so science fiction novels and alien invasions are not my cup of tea, but I'll gladly make an exception for this book. It's got the best ending ever, and I loved reading about the countless ways in which the main character keeps devising absolutely brilliant strategies to overcome the most unfair and impossible of situations. I also like the plot's moral complexity, as it's never clear who the 'good guys' and 'bad guys' are and whether their intentions justify their actions. Authors: Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. DubnerA great excercise in outside of the box thinking, this book exposes a variety of studies that point to results that are often controversial and always shockingly unexpected. Ever want to know how abortion affects crime rates, how school teachers face the same kinds of problems as sumo wrestlers, or what effect a person's name has on his life, amongst many other things? Then this is the book for you. by John Elder RobinsonAn autobiography of the brother of Augusten Burroughs (author of 'Running with Scissors'), who writes about his life experience living with Asperger's Syndrome, which is a mild form of autism. What makes this book unique is that because of his affliction, the author is literally only able to see the world from a logical perspective and has literally no sense for social norms. This may not sound profound, but his condition and life circumstances are so unique that the resulting story is a roller coaster ride of his constant struggle to fit in with society - despite being an unusually sane, intelligent, and disciplined individual. In the end, this story is unique in how well it illuminates the folly of human nature by exposing how filled our lives are with arbitrary social norms. Plus, the story is written in a way that makes this one of those books that you just can't put down until you finish it. By Eckhart TolleIn this lengthy yet profound spiritual guide, Eckhart Tolle sheds his pearls of wisdom in a way that is both deep and easily accessible. I especially liked the format of the book, which is composed as a series of very pointed, intelligent questions / objections to Tolle's beliefs followed by equally intelligent answers. One of the main purposes of the book, as the title suggests, is to drive home the importance of living in the present. But to me the real value of this book was a more general theme - the importance of living for real, concrete values rather than for abstractions. This book does a fantastic job of pointing out how easily we can cause suffering in others if we let an abstract good (like an ideology, or a principle, or a vision) blind us from its real consequences. by Richard RestakBasically, this is an instruction manual on your brain written by a prominent neuroscientist. What makes this book unique is that it focuses only on the parts of neuroscience that affect your everyday life. It describes how changes in your brain can affect changes in your perception and behavior, as well as how you can enhance your brain through your thoughts, your actions, and through various training excercises. by Kary MullisAn autobiography of a frighteningly brilliant iconoclast who happens to have won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The contents of the book are neither a historical account of the author's life nor a lecture in chemistry, though. Rather, they're a random collection of a variety of apparently minor anecdotes that hide larger truths, all described in a Seinfeld-esque sense of wit and attention to detail. Best of all is Mullis's writing style, which is both easy to understand and phenomenally quick-witted, both conversational and scientific. by Alan CohenA detailed description of the main kind of mistakes people make in their lives that is both laugh out loud hilarious and unusually meaningful, all thanks to the lucid vividness of Cohen's writing style. A quick look at the Quotes section will show you what you are in for. If you read a chapter of this book, you will find either hilarious poking fun at what all those other people besides yourself do or a vivid description of room for improvement in your life, so it's a win-win situation. And if you are honest with yourself,I guarantee that at least one (and probably quite a bit more) of the sections in this book is about you personally. My main chapter is "You think you have to do it all yourself". What's yours? by John PowellThe world's first and only personal development book (as far as I can tell) that is 100% about mental health and 0% about mental sickness. This book will not tell you how to fix any mistakes, but it will tell you how to adopt an outlook that can improve the things you are already doing right. |