Friends,

It’s hard to believe two months have passed and that it’s already time for another email. Despite getting bogged down in a few boring books that I had to boot to the curb, I still managed to find a few good ones that I’ll recommend to you:

What Doesn’t Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength by Scott Carney - Over a year ago, I heard a podcast interview with an eccentric Dutchman named Wim Hof who was touting the benefits of cold showers, ice baths, and wacky breathing exercises—so, of course, I immediately gave it all a try. Barring the time I passed out and “bumped" my face on the floor, I found his exercises to improve my mood, burn fat that no amount of running seemed to be able to eliminate, and generally improve my overall well-being. I thought I had discovered a valuable secret until I heard that this book was being released, bringing the techniques and science behind the claims into the mainstream. The author is an investigative journalist who has made a career of debunking gurus, but when he used Wim’s techniques to hike to the summit of Kilimanjaro shirtless, his skepticism began to recede and he realized there may be something to Wim’s claims. (Here’s a short, mainstream article that summarizes the techniques, and here’s an excellent NPR interview with the author.)

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution by David Quammen - Hardly a day goes by that I don’t hear or read a reference to “Darwinian,” “Darwinism,” or “Survival of the Fittest.”  But while reading this book, I realized just how little I actually knew about the man behind the theory... and the theory itself. Because I always pictured Darwin as a larger-than-life adventurer sailing the high seas on the HMS Beagle, I was surprised to learn that he was actually a bookish homebody who worked himself to the bone, all while suffering from debilitating chronic illnesses likely caused by anxiety. It took him close to 20 years to actually publish his theory because he worried about blowback from religious institutions, and he was a perfectionist who had trouble finishing projects. Eventually, other scientists began producing similar theories, so good ol’ ego and competition finally spurred him to publish On the Origin of Species. I really enjoyed this book. (The best evolution-focused book I’ve read in years is Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.)

The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love - Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits by Judson Brewer - Luckily, I’ve never been addicted to anything, with one glaring exception—my iPhone. I pretty much despise the device, yet I find myself constantly fighting the urge to look at it, check email, or research any obscure idea that happens to pop into my head. This book helped me to understand exactly what’s going in people’s brains when they crave anything (cigarettes, booze, drugs, iPhones) and presents methods to stop the addictive behaviors. (Spoiler: iPhones are kind of like heroin.) The author is a neuroscientist and experienced meditator who combined science and mindfulness to invent a system that helps addicts of all kinds conquer their addictions. Amazingly, his system is twice as effective at helping smokers quit cigarettes as the “gold star” treatment prescribed by the American Lung Association. This is a very useful book that combines rock-solid scientific data with ancient Buddhist philosophy in a straightforward and non-silly style. We'll see if it gives me sustained relief from the iPhone craving. (The best non-silly book on meditation/mindfulness that I’ve ever read is 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris.)

Why Wall Street Matters by William D. Cohan - Given our current hyper-polarized political climate, you wouldn’t expect a lifelong progressive Democrat to write an insightful and even-handed defense of Wall Street, but that's exactly what Cohan does in this short and easy-to-read book. Cohan, a former investment banker turned journalist, explains the history of Wall Street, the rise of investment banks, Wall Street’s effect on global economies, and how all of this affects every American’s day-to-day life. Cohan argues that American finance is mostly a force for good, but it has lost its way over the past 30 years thanks to faulty incentives that allow bankers to gamble with the public’s money with little or no personal consequence if they lose it all. After all of the indiscriminate Wall Street bashing by both parties during the recent presidential election, I appreciated this book’s rational and measured tone. (For a deeper dive into the history of Wall Street, check out The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward, and Delusion on Wall Street by Justin Fox.)

Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by Robert Coram - This rather obscure book was recommended to me by one of the toughest, most focused, and clearest thinking people I know (or know of). It’s the story of John Boyd, a fighter pilot turned self-taught military strategist whose theories led to the development of the F-15 and F-16, guided US strategy during Desert Storm, and altered the trajectory of the Air Force and the US Military. The book’s military history is extremely interesting, but I was more fascinated with Boyd’s personality—hard-charging, amazingly focused, contrarian, irreverent, hard working, and willing to bend or break long-standing military rules in order to accomplish his goals. Because Boyd was never promoted beyond Colonel, he’s not a well-known historical figure, but thanks to Coram’s entertaining and dense book, Boyd is receiving at least a little of the recognition he deserves. (If you like learning about irreverent, hard-charging, focused men, read my favorite book of all time: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris.)

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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

 

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