There are some books that I think would be better as a TED talk or article than a full length book. The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle, while enjoyable, was one of them. There are some good nuggets of ideas about how to develop talent, and a lot of good stories, but not so much…
Category: Monday Morning Reading
Adam Grant – Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things
I’ve generally enjoyed Adam Grant’s book, and Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, was no exception. Over the years he seems to have learned from Malcolm Gladwell’s writing style, and made the presentation of his ideas more engaging and less dense, relative to his earlier books. While some of the ideas in this…
Scott Fearon – Dead Companies Walking
Dead Companies Walking is a book by successful hedge fund manager, Scott Fearon, about how and why he shorts companies (i.e. bets on their failure, or at the very least, dramatic drop in share-price). But as someone who has never, and likely will never short a stock, I was not reading it for its practical…
Cathedral – Raymond Carver
Two of my “rules” of reading (and there really are no hard and fast rules) are that I will try to read books recommended by people whose writing I like; and if a book or author come up more than once in a positive way in a short period of time, I try to read…
Being a Stranger in a Not-So-Strange Land
I’ve spent a lot of time in the New York area over the years with my wife’s family, beyond my time with all the American day school people I’ve worked and learned with over the years. That’s a lot of face time with U.S. citizens. The cultures are different, but not that different. Yes, the…
Morgan Housel – The Psychology of Money
At a certain point in my early thirties I decided to take control of my own financial savings and future. I didn’t like feeling dependent on a financial advisor, and wasn’t convinced the fees were worth it (or that his advice was very good). So I began to read. Like many, I started with Benjamin…
Absolution by Alice McDermott
Absolution, by Alice McDermott, is one of those novel’s that I finish still trying to put the pieces together. I think this is because it was a story told as a series of reflections, rather than a linear narrative. It is also a story about relationships – primarily between friends (one dominant, one unsure of…
Thomas Sowell – The Quest For Cosmic Justice
Today is a day of beginnings. It’s Rosh Chodesh. It’s the first day of my new Headship at Gesher Yehudah/Yeshiva Prep. And it’s the first time I’ve posted a book review to my blog but not sent out as a Monday Morning Reading to Netivot, which feels rather strange. I’m hoping it’s a good beginning,…
Last Monday Morning Reading, and Jonathan Haidt – The Anxious Generation
Before I talk about The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt, given that this is my last Monday Morning Reading, I wanted to share a few thoughts about reading. Through sharing in this space over the last few years, I’ve had lots of opportunities for conversation about reading, and it’s given me some food for thought. …
Paul Kalanithi – When Breath Becomes Air
I continue to think memoir is an exceptionally powerful form of writing, and When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi, was no exception. By all conventional metrics, Kalanithi was an accomplished and extraordinary person. He got a BA and MA in English literature at Stanford University, a MPhil in history and philosophy of science at…