Ashlee Vance, Elon Musk. Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future (2015) Building on from Originals last week, Ashlee Vance’s close look into the life and times of Elon Musk highlights one of the most significant originals in recent times. Not only is this the case looking back but in this extraordinary case,Continue reading “The Quest for a Fantastic Future”
Category Archives: Book Reports
How to be a better Original
Adam Grant, Originals. How Non-Conformists move the World, (2017) Being an original is seen as a hugely positive label. Not only are originals pioneering and seen to drive human progress but they are often associated with being hugely intellectual geniuses. Adam Grant is one such “Original” but as a leader in management thinking, motivation andContinue reading “How to be a better Original”
The Dirtiest Race in History
Richard Moore, The Dirtiest Race in History (2013) Doping in sport has become a consistent presence in news over recent years. Most recently, the case of Ruth Jebet was just another example of depressing stories of leading athletes testing positive. The Dirtiest Race in History follows one of the most notorious cases but it isContinue reading “The Dirtiest Race in History”
“This was me now”
Stephenie Meyer, The Host (2010) For the first time in a while I found myself spending a couple of hours unable to put a book down. The Host not only takes place in a compelling and thought-provoking environment but involves a number of fascinating relationships as a result. With Earth becoming home to a raceContinue reading ““This was me now””
Never Give Up Never Give In
Louis Zamperini, and David Rensin, Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In (2014) Not many athletes stories start with smoking cigarettes at 6 but Zamperini’s story is far from traditional. In fact, the subtitle of this particular work on his life is “Life Lessons from an Extraordinary Man”, any reader would agree with this sentiment asContinue reading “Never Give Up Never Give In”
Running with the Kenyans
Adharanand Finn, Running with the Kenyans (2012) A staple of any runners library, the story told in Running with the Kenyans is perhaps pretty obvious. However, as a process of discovery there are a number of twists and turns. As the extended title suggests the mission is ‘Discovering the secrets of the fastest people onContinue reading “Running with the Kenyans”
An American Abroad in a Post-American World
Suzy Hansen, Notes on a Foreign Country. An American Abroad in a Post-American World (2017) Hansen’s work is a mix of self-realization, historical education and anger at a personally misplaced sense of American exceptionalism. Told from her experiences of moving to Istanbul from New York under the cloud of scaremongering headlines about the “Muslim World”.Continue reading “An American Abroad in a Post-American World”
“Phonies”
J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (1951) A classic of American Literature, Catcher in the Rye contains a number of significant social themes. As a commonly assigned book in English classes it was an opportunity for me to see what I had missed. This will be a shorter personal review compared to previous posts.Continue reading ““Phonies””
The Fundamental Interconnectedness of all Things
Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Pocket Books (1988) Identifying an author from a particular style of writing is perhaps never easier than in the case of Douglas Adams. I have previously read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency very much fits within this same niche. An eclectic mixContinue reading “The Fundamental Interconnectedness of all Things”
That which you Manifest is before You
You should shine with all your light all of the time Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain, (2008) In simplistic terms The Art of Racing in the Rain is a story told from the perspective of Enzo a Labrador owned by a prospective race car driver (Denny Swift). However, the beauty ofContinue reading “That which you Manifest is before You”
The Weekly Book Report 