Weekly Non-Fiction Reading List 6.19.23
This week, we have four books from some amazing authors. We kick the list off with a brand-new book by Jean Twenge discussing the different generations. We also have one of my new favorite books on Stoicism and making your life more meaningful as well as a book on writing and a fantastic new book on tribalism. 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).
Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future by Jean Twenge
Jean Twenge does some incredible work, and I’ve thrown some criticism her way in the past, but she nailed it with this book. It was an absolute delight to read. I still have some criticisms that I’ll touch on later, but I definitely recommend this book if you want to learn more about the various generations, what they went through and have a little empathy for those older or younger than yourself.
I’m a millennial, and I enjoyed this book a lot because I was able to learn more about the generations before me without getting bored out of my mind. I typically hate learning about history, but Twenge made it interesting because she uses data throughout the book to explain different social changes and behaviors for each generation.
It’s probably because I’m a millennial, but my criticisms are mainly around that chapter and somewhat Gen Z. I’m always trying to figure out if it’s my own personal bias or if I have valid criticisms. The first quarter to half of the millennial chapter, I was not a fan, but then she starts to balance it out a little by explaining some hardships millennials do have when it comes to finances, education and some other topics. I do think she misses the mark with some of what she says about millennials (off the top of my head, I think it’s a stretch when she says the saying, “You need to love yourself before you can love others” can lead to narcissism).
My other criticism is kind of a political one. A few times in the book, in passing, she mentions millennials and Gen Z not being fans of capitalism. She says it like it’s a bad thing but never says why as though it’s a given. While she mentions deaths of despair in the book, she doesn’t really dive into how our current form of capitalism is what Deaton and Case point to as being a root cause.
Where Twenge and I primarily disagree is she points to social media as a main problem, but I’d argue economic hardships lead to most mental health issues. Overworked underpaid parents who are constantly stressed don’t have much time or bandwidth to do great parenting. But I will say, of everything I’ve read of Jean’s, this book had the best evidence for social media being a major issue. I just personally think we need to teach people how to use it better, which is a topic for another day.
Overall, I think Twenge and I will disagree on certain topics until the day we day, but she’s a gift to this topic of generations and I can’t recommend this book enough.
Our Tribal Future: How to Channel Our Foundational Human Instincts into a Force for Good by David R. Samson
This was a super interesting book. I’m always looking for new books that explain tribalism because it’s become such an issue in the last decade, but it’s also part of human nature for many positive reasons. David R. Samson wrote a book that’s basically the one-stop shop for everything you need to know about why we evolved to be tribal. If you’re like me and have read a ton of books on the topic, the first half will be a lot of repeat information, but there was a lot of new, solid stuff that I loved from the second half when it started talking about solutions.
How to Write Non-Fiction: Turn Your Knowledge into Words: Books for Writers by Joanna Penn
I’m currently writing my next book, so I like to revisit Joanna Penn’s books on writing. If you’re a non-fiction writer, this book is fantastic, and I can’t recommend it enough. Not only does it give great advice about writing, but it also goes over just about everything you need to know about selling and marketing your book.
Life Is Short: An Appropriately Brief Guide to Making It More Meaningful by Dean Rickles
I have no clue how Dean Rickles wrote such an amazing book within the confines of so few pages. This book is super short, but it’s a must-read. As the title suggests, Rickles discusses how life is short and how to live a life filled with meaning and purpose. The book starts with accepting the fact that we’re all going to die, and that’s what makes life such an incredible experience. Throughout the book, he pulls from various philosophers along with his own personal wisdom, and I just loved the book oh so much. I’ll definitely be giving this one another read.
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