The Warrior Ethos
The Warrior Ethos - Stephen Pressfield
Life Value: 4/5
Entertainment Value: 5/5
The Warrior Ethos is a brief and entertaining read about the code that populations like the Spartans lived by. If you loved the movie 300 and want to hear more about the real lives of the Spartans, this is a great read.
The Warrior Ethos is a strict moral code of the rules that dictate the lives of warrior tribes. In writing this, Pressfield draws the parallel to all humans and the values that can be extracted from warriors to live a better life. This includes taking the values that the warriors applied to fighting war and turning the fight inward to direct it to become mentally stronger and more balanced.
Who's this book for:
- Anyone who loved the movie 300
- Mind flayers looking to forge an unbeatable mind
- People interested in the history of warrior tribes
Who's this book not for:
- If you're looking for a long and intricate book this one won't satisfy that urge as it's short and to the point.
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin - Walter Isaacson
Benjamin Franklin is one of the most famous Americans of all time. The United States owes much of their independence and views on virtues to the efforts of Ben Franklin before America was even a country.
Ben Franklin was an inventor - of himself as much as of things. He spent his life in a wide variety of roles and has been the inspiration for countless individuals to this day.
The biography by Walter Isaacson is another great example of Isaacson's power as a biographer. While Franklin wrote about his "Plan for Future Conduct" which was his coda for pragmatic rules for success, he was as human as the rest of us and dealt with struggles and scandals. Isaacson maintains a neutral standpoint throughout the various disputes that arise around Franklin throughout his life so that you don't see him only as a titan of industry and inventiveness.
I do like some of Isaacson's other biographies better than this one, like Da Vinci for the beautiful colour photos of the artwork being discussed that's incorporated into the book. I was still happy that I read this biography since I wanted to learn more about Ben Franklin and his life.
Life Value: 4/5
Entertainment Value: 4/5
Who's This Book For:
- anyone interested in early American history.
- biography lovers
Who's This Book Not For:
- Anyone who can't stand long biographies with some fairly dry sections.
Sapiens
Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari
“The real root of suffering is the never-ending and pointless pursuit of ephemeral feelings, which causes us to be in a constant state of tension and dissatisfaction.”
Sapiens - a brief history of humankind is exactly as it is described. There is an awful lot of information crammed into this book! It's a fantastic way to learn more not only about our physical evolution, but also the way our development has shaped the very essence of our psyche. Bill Gates has called this his favourite book to recommend everyone read and I think that everyone really should read it. I wouldn't be surprised if this book or information adapted from the subjects in this book becomes compulsory reading for high school students.
What has allowed Homo sapiens to conquer the world above all else is due to the unique language systems we have developed and our ability to store information external to what can be held in memory.
Harari is also devout meditator and advocate of mindful practices and if nothing else, this book provides profound value with the information about happiness and finding meaning in life.
Musashi
“People do not give up their loves and hates as long as life lasts. Waves of feeling come and go with the passage of time. […] The world is always full of the sound of waves. The little fishes, abandoning themselves to the waves, dance and sing and play, but who know the heart of the sea, a hundred feet down? Who knows its depth?"
Musashi is an incredible book. If you’ve never read it, you need to put it on your list right now. It’s based on the life of the samurai Miyamoto Musashi who has his own non-fiction work in the Book of Five Rings, which this book is loosely based upon.
On episode 50 of the Jocko Podcast, Jocko Willink said that eventually he’d be covering Musashi in an episode and wanted to give everyone enough time to dig through the monstrous book before the spoilers from that episode came. It was set to coincide with episode 100 of the Jocko Podcast.
I prepared myself well in advance by reading Musashi in the spring and was blown away by the book.
It follows Musashi through the challenges that made him into the legendary samurai as well as great complexity with the interwoven stories of the other characters he crosses paths with. It’s a really engaging way to get a glimpse into some of the history of Japan as well as the samurai.