Friends,
Hope you’re all having a great summer and are managing to fit in some fun summer reading. I’ve seen a huge bump in subscribers to this email list over the past two months, so thanks to everyone who recently signed up and to those who have forwarded it to friends and colleagues. I hope you’re finding a few titles that you wouldn’t have otherwise discovered. Now, enough of the chit chat. Here are my current recommendations from the past two months:
The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, A Lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History, Darrin Lunde - NEW T.R. BOOK ALERT! Just when I think I’ve maxed out my T.R. knowledge, The Naturalist is published! This book focuses exclusively on T.R.’s work in natural history, starting with his early childhood bird obsession and culminating with his yearlong, post-presidency African hunting/scientific expedition. The book also digs deep into the growth of natural history in the United States, discussing the rise of natural history museums and profiling the era’s pioneering naturalists. The author does a great job explaining how T.R. could be such a devoted conservationist and nature lover, while also being an enthusiastic big game and bird hunter. I’ve always said that his 7.5 years as President were the least interesting part of T.R.’s life, and this book presents strong evidence for my claim. [For a sometimes too-detailed history of T.R.’s conservation work, check out Douglas Brinkley’s Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America. For a non-T.R. history of America’s naturalist/conservation movement, check out Last Stand: George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West by Michael Punke.]
Denali’s Howl: The Deadliest Climbing Disaster on America’s Wildest Peak, Andy Hall - I haven’t come across many good books about Denali, but this one seemed promising. It details a 1967 expedition in which 12 climbers started up the mountain, and only five made it down. The cause of disaster was not so much incompetence (although there was a little of that) as it was a massive superstorm that hammered the mountain for days on end. I’ve spent over 45 days on Denali and have experienced firsthand how a storm with just a quarter of the power of this storm can wreck the most high-tech, 21st-century gear and tents (as well as the climbers in those tents!). It is a stern reminder that, in the end, humans and all our fancy gear are simply no match for nature. I’d only recommend this book to people with a specific interest in Denali—it’s a rather meticulous, point-by-point retelling of this particular expedition, and I can see how it might be boring for folks without an interest in the subject. [If you’re looking for a solid collection of mountaineering stories suitable for most audiences, I highly recommend Jon Krakauer’s Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains.]
Saban: The Making of a Coach, Monte Burke - I’m not a huge fan of college football, but I am a huge fan of fascinating characters, so I’ve always been intrigued by Alabama head coach Nick Saban. A consistent winner, perpetually grumpy, and off-the-charts competitive, I was excited for some insight into what makes him tick. Predictably, a lot of his success can be chalked up to simply outworking the competition—both the quantity and uber-focused quality of his work are super-human. Less predictably, Saban does not focus on motivation, rather he focuses on “The Process,” which involves breaking the game down into its simplest parts. The book digs deep into his entire life, from growing up poor in coal-mining country, to his early career when he never held a position for much more than a year, to some of his NFL flameouts. Solid portrait of an interesting guy, with many lessons that can be applied to almost any business or hobby.
Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, Sebastian Junger - After decades of writing about wars and profiling soldiers, Junger noticed that even though America’s military conflicts have become less and less deadly for U.S. soldiers, there has been a staggering rise in the prevalence of PTSD. Even soldiers who never see direct combat report PTSD-like symptoms after leaving the military. In the book, Junger theorizes that long-term, persistent PTSD is more the result of societal aspects of life in the U.S. than traumatic war experiences. After leaving the military, soldiers are forced to try and find a new purpose larger than themselves, while simultaneously being thrust into a society severely lacking in community. Junger then explores humans’ evolutionary need for purpose and community, and how our modern-day lives can be startlingly devoid of both. There are lessons for everyone in this book, whether you served in the military or not. It’s one of the most throught-provoking books I’ve read in the last year, and I highly recommend it. [For more on humans' evolutionary heritage, check out Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Equally thought-provoking.]
Braving It: A Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey into the Alaskan Wild, James Campbell - Even though my daughter is barely a year old, I already daydream about some of the fun adventures that we’ll have together in wild places. This book presents an excellent blueprint for hardcore father-daughter Alaska expeditions. The author and his teenage daughter take a series of three trips above the Arctic Circle—two of which involve living and working with trappers in their remote Alaskan outpost. The third trip is an unsupported backpacking and canoeing trip down a remote, grizzly-infested valley. The book is very well written, and I could easily relate to both the father and daughter. The book is also heavy on travel and adventure narrative and light on sappy father-daughter emotional nonsense, which I appreciated. A great book, especially for dads of little girls.
Ego is the Enemy, Ryan Holiday - I loved Ryan Holiday’s previous book The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph. It was one of those books that I covered with underlines and notes, and, now two years later, it still sits on my bedside table for quick reference. In Obstacle, Holiday discusses methods—many based on lessons learned from Stoic philosophy or specific historical figures—for dealing with the challenges brought about by external forces in our lives. In Ego in the Enemy, he examines the powerful internal force of ego, and how it can affect different stages of life—early career, hard-won success, and inevitable failure. Using real-world examples ranging from Howard Hughes to Benjamin Franklin to Malcolm X and many more, Holiday provides concrete case studies of ways that ego can either assist or sabotage the pursuit of our goals. Now covered in notes, this book will remain within close reach for years to come.
---
Thanks again for subscribing to my bimonthly book recommendations. I've discovered most of my all-time favorite books through suggestions from friends like you, so the whole point of this email is to encourage more discussions about good books. Please let me know if you have any suggestions, and feel free to forward this email to any of your friends who may be interested.
If you were forwarded this email and want to receive future editions, you can either sign up here or send me an email (edroberson@gmail.com). One email, every other month with a few books that I’ve recently read, enjoyed, and highly recommend.
Thanks,
Ed
|
|
|
|
