This week, we have three books by some amazing authors. The first book on the list is the new book by Michael Lewis about fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried. We also have my favorite book about how messed up our justice system is as well as a book by a disability advocate. 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).
Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon by Michael Lewis
This is the story of Sam Bankman-Fried, the notorious crypto billionaire who scammed a ton of people and is now on trial. I’ve never read any of Michael Lewis’ books but figured I’d read this one. I followed the story of SBF pretty closely as it happened, but I wanted to learn more. When so many people are ripped off (WeWork, Theranos, etc.), I like to better understand what happened and how smart, successful people fall for it.
The book is well-written, but I definitely have my criticisms. I now understand why people like Lewis’ writing, but I’ve seen others criticize how he tells the story. I agree with some of the criticisms, but not all. The book was being written long before SBF got caught, so this book barely focuses on the downfall of SBF and all of the scamming that went on. I guess what really upset people was in an interview about the book, Lewis sounded like he was defending SBF.
What I learned from this book is that if Sam wasn’t such a piece of garbage and had more empathy, he could have been a great thinker of our time. If he got into philosophy rather than his twisted view of effective altruism, I think he could have been great. He’s an interesting guy with a really interesting way of seeing the world (which also led to doing terrible things). Aside from that, I learned that a lot of people don’t ask questions when a guy is blindly throwing millions or billions of dollars at them.
Decent book, but I’m sure better ones will come out in the coming years.
Sipping Dom Pérignon Through a Straw: Reimagining Success as a Disabled Achiever by Eddie Ndopu
This book had me hooked from the beginning. I always try to read books by people from populations that aren’t my own. Eddie is a young Black man from South Africa who was born with spinal muscular atrophy. Despite how this motor neuron disease affects his mobility, the man has motivation and drive that makes me envious.
This is mainly a memoir about his time in the Oxford graduate program, and the book opens with a terrible experience he had that really makes you say, “Oh my God. I couldn’t imagine having to go through that.” The book discusses his challenges of paying for school along with his multiple caregivers and the other challenges he faces in everyday life.
This is a really good book that gives you a glimpse into what it’s like for someone with a disability. Fortunately, Eddie has become an activist who fights for accessibility and a more inclusive world for others with disabilities.
At the risk of sounding terrible, my only criticism is that there are some stories where I can’t help but wonder if additional context is needed. In this book, it sometimes seems like the whole world is against him and the people he describes act like villains from a movie who are purposely trying to make his life more difficult. This may be 100% the case or if I was in his position, I may have that perception of these situations as well.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book.
Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution by Elie Mystal
For a second, I want you to imagine getting pulled over by a cop even though you didn’t do anything wrong. The cop (for whatever reason) drags you out of your car and starts beating you. Regardless of your human instincts to fight back, you can’t. Think about it. Are you going to punch a cop in the face? How would that go for you? Best case scenario you try to sue the police department, but odds are the cop won’t face much or any punishment.
That’s pretty damn crazy, right?! Well, you’ll learn about that and a whole lot more from this book.
I read this book when it first came out, and I think about it all the time, so I wanted to read it again. Elie does an incredible job explaining from a legal perspective how our criminal justice system and how we abide by the Constitution are completely screwed up. The book will teach you all about “qualified immunity”, which protects cops and allows them to pretty much do whatever they want.
Here’s another scenario. You’re a second-amendment-loving gun owner, and your door gets kicked down in the middle of the night, and you pull your gun to protect yourself. Well, the people who kicked down your door are the cops, and they can kill you without having much happen to them even though they were wrong to even come to your house. This may sound like a familiar story because it actually happened to Breonna Taylor.
When you learn about this stuff, the crazier it all seems. Elie has the right balance of anger and humor, and I’ve never read a book by someone who does such a great job explaining high-level topics to a lay audience. Go get this book.
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