Weekly Non-Fiction Reading List 10.10.22
We have a big list this week! I finished 8 books. There are books about issues with the ivy league, the fatigue that comes along with being Black, how to make major life decisions, and much more. Enjoy!
Each of the links to the books are affiliate links, so if you use my link to purchase any of these books, some comes back to support what I do (and it also helps fund my reading habit).
I Hate the Ivy League: Riffs and Rants on Elite Education by Malcom Gladwell
I’m going to start this review with a quick little rant. I never read Malcolm Gladwell because I often find that authors this popular are overhyped. Once I started reading his books, I was hooked. He honestly piqued my interest in so many topics that I started researching and learning about. The most important one was the myth of meritocracy. After falling in love with his work, I learned how many people despise Gladwell and his pop science books. Honestly, the hate is way overblown. I read hundreds of books a year, and the gripes people have with Gladwell are exactly the same issues you find with 99% of books. Even by academics.
With that said, I absolutely loved this book. Gladwell also introduced me to the topic of how rigged the college and education system is. This book is audio-only, and it’s definitely worth it. It’s a collection of podcast episodes, which is cool because I never listen, but there’s some added content too.
Where Gladwell shines with his work is that he points out the absolute ridiculousness in our systems that make no sense at all. This book discusses how tests like the LSAT for lawyers favor “hares” over “tortoises” even though being a lawyer is about taking your time. He dives into how so many underprivileged kids never get the opportunity to get into good schools even though they’re just as intelligent. He goes over the role of luck in getting into good schools and so much more.
If you’re into audio, definitely get this book.
Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit by Mary Frances-Winters
This is a fantastic book, and I highly recommend it. I’m half Black but look pretty white. I haven’t had to deal with most of the challenges my family or other Black Americans face. This book from Mary Frances-Winters gives you insight into the daily nonsense Black people have to deal with. Aside from the typical racist things, Mary discusses challenges with getting into a good school or getting a good job and conversations Black parents have to have with their children. She even highlights the policing of Black hair and how they’re literally having to pass laws to just let Black people grow their hair out.
If you want to learn more about the Black experience, definitely read this book. If you’re someone who thinks this is overblown and not that big of an issue, you really need to read this book. This isn’t just a book of opinions. The entire book is backed by research and data about the problems as well as the solutions.
Wild Problems: A Guide to the Decisions That Define Us by Russ Roberts
I absolutely loved Russ Roberts’ previous book How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life, and I even read it again recently. I’ve been looking forward to this new book for months, and while it was decent, it was nowhere near as good as the previous book, in my opinion. The book is about the major decisions we have to make in life like getting married, having kids, moving to a different state or country, and much more. I think the book gives a decent idea of how to make better decisions while keeping your values and future self in mind, but it just didn’t really hook me in as the other one did.
Maybe it’s just because I read a ton of books on decision-making, but this book isn’t one I see myself reading again in the future. It’s short, and I think it’s worth the read. A lot of people will enjoy it way more than I did, so check it out if it sounds interesting.
Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton
There are so many books out that discuss the decline of religion in America and then say “[insert blank] is the new religion”. I enjoy those types of books, but they’ve become a little repetitive. When I first started reading this book, that’s what it felt like, and I kept taking breaks from it. Then, after getting passed the same old stuff, Tara Isabella Burton had me hooked. I legitimately binged the last 3/4 of the book. It was so damned good.
The book covers such great topics and how people are adopting them as a sort of religion, but she covers so much more and provides way more insight than the others. The book discusses the health and wellness industry like the people obsessed with Soul Cycle. Then, it dives into witchcraft, social justice, the far-right trolls, and so much more. She also provides a lot of interesting data that I was unaware of.
This book was really good, and it’s definitely one I recommend.
The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity by Carlo M. Cipolla
I was in a grumpy mood and started researching to see what kind of books are out there on cynicism, and this one popped up. It’s legitimately one of my new favorite books. If you want to hear a great argument and explanation about how stupid people affect us as individuals as well as our society, grab this book. It’s extremely short, too, with only 71 pages. The audiobook is only an hour.
Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk by Justin Tosi and Brandon Warmke
This was my third time reading this book. It’s like therapy for me (lol). I was canceled in 2019 and could not figure out what the hell happened to me. Recently, people from three years ago, when this happened started popping up again, sabotaging new professional relationships I’ve been making, and I needed a refresher on what in God’s name is going through their minds. I had questions like, “Why do these people feel the need to tell a complete stranger about something that happened three years ago?”, and the book reminds me that they’re doing it to grandstand via moral talk.
Tosi and Warmke do an excellent job explaining in this book why it’s a problem. But after reading this book for a third time, I still don’t see anything getting much better. Personally, I believe as more people continue to be on the wrong end of grandstanding, we may begin to see more of a shift. Because right now, it’s still rewarded.
Identity Economics: How Our Identities Shape Our Work, Wages, and Well-Being by George Akerlof and Rachel Kranton
This was a good book and pretty interesting. Akerlof and Kranton break down how identity plays a role in economic circumstances for various groups. Whether it’s race, gender, or any other identifiers, these play a role in education leading up to our careers. It’s not only how different groups are treated and expected to act by people of higher status like employers, but it’s also about the way individuals within these groups act based on their identity.
The beginning is a bit slow as they lay out their theory of identity economics, but as they start getting into the data and how it applies to real-world scenarios, it gets really interesting. It’s a short read and definitely worth it.
The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani
It’s my fault for reading this book. It’s a great book and well-written, but if you’re familiar with Trump’s spread of misinformation and basic issues with misinformation, you don’t need to read this one. The book was highly recommended by another book that I was reading, so I assumed this one would be about why people believe misinformation and why people don’t care about truth, but this was just your typical anti-Trump book. It touches on misinformation from liberals as well. So, if you’re unfamiliar, check it out.
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