Weekly Non-Fiction Reading List 10.31.22
This week I finished five books from some amazing authors. On the list, we have books about conspiracies, the psychology of influence and men who hate women. There’s also an awesome self-help book to start the list as well as a book about what we owe the future. 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).
Lighter: Let Go of the Past, Connect with the Present, and Expand the Future by Yung Pueblo
This was a pretty great book that covers a wide range of topics. I haven’t read any of Yung Pueblo’s work, but right when I started the book, I realized he’s in recovery like myself. I could relate to a lot of his story and what he’s learned in his own recovery. In this book, Pueblo provides a lot of practical advice for practicing compassion and kindness toward others as well as yourself. He also discusses being more disciplined and developing self-awareness and responsibility. It’s an all-around fantastic book that I highly recommend.
Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational by Michael Shermer
I’ve been waiting for this book for a long time, and I binged it within a day or two after it came out. Michael Shermer’s work is what introduced me to skepticism and how to debunk the nonsense that we’re surrounded with on a daily basis. I really enjoyed the first half to 3/4 of this book, but the second half was a little dull for me. But, I want to make clear that this is a fantastic book that everyone should definitely read. The only reason the latter parts of the book were dull for me is that I’m extremely familiar with Shermer’s work as well as the stories he covers to wrap up the book.
Shermer does an excellent job explaining the psychology of people who believe in conspiracies and various types of supernatural experiences. With as much as I’ve read of Shermer’s work, there was a ton of new stuff and fresh takes within this book. I totally understand why he uses a bunch of real stories to wrap up the book. It’s to show people how to apply what he teaches in the first part of the book to real life, which I think is an excellent teaching tool.
If you’re familiar with Shermer’s work and a lot of the most famous conspiracies, you should check out this book, but the last chapters may not be as entertaining. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, get this book because it’s one of the must-reads to better understand why people believe weird things.
What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill
This book is great, but it just didn’t have the same impact on me as the author’s previous book. William MacAskill was one of the people who introduced me to effective altruism, which really changed my perspective on helping others. I really liked this book, just not as much. The title pretty much explains what this book is about. MacAskill has us take a look at what we’re doing now and how it will impact the people of the future (as well as our future selves). The book covers topics like climate change, experimenting with viruses that can wipe us out and much more. It definitely gets you to start thinking about some important topics, which is always a good thing.
Men Who Hate Women: From Incels to Pickup Artists: The Truth About Extreme Misogyny and How It Affects Us All by Laura Bates
This is one of the better books I’ve read on the terrible things men are doing online. Laura Bates has been a victim of online harassment and threats, and she wrote an extremely detailed book about the young men who do this. The book covers a wide range of topics like incels, people who have taken the “black pill” and a ton of statistics around male violence toward women. I think what really stuck out to me throughout this book is the emphasis Laura puts on how the media covers the violent acts of men toward women. This is a must-read book to understand what’s going on and how many women are being affected. As the father of a 13-year-old boy, it’s something I’m always keeping an eye on, and as parents, we must read books like this to prevent our sons from turning into these types of men.
Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen by Zoe Chance
I read a ton of books on influence and behavioral psychology, and I’m extremely skeptical of this realm. With that said, this is a really good book. Zoe Chance brings a ton of research to the table, and it’s not just about how we influence others. The book covers some great topics like setting boundaries and how to say no as well. I think that’s where I personally gained the most value from this book.
If you’re an avid reader of these types of books, there will be a lot of familiar studies in here, but I also found a lot of new stuff as well within these pages. If you’re interested in learning about this topic and also want to prevent yourself from being influenced, I highly recommend checking this book out.
If you enjoyed this post, it’d mean a lot to me if you shared it. Forward it in an email, share it on social media, or whatever suits your fancy.
To stay updated follow me on Twitter and Instagram @TheRewiredSoul and subscribe to the Substack.