My book reviews
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
This book gives us a good frame work to think about world problems and solutions. No more dramatic and exaggerating worldview but a realistic world view and way of thinking. It has lots of data but presents them in an easy-to-understand way. The book can really grab your attention if you give it a chance. The point I like the most, which is not in any particular chapter but kind of underlying in the whole book is the way to think about a problem you care about. It matches something I always believe: let your heart tell you where to go but let your head tell you how to get there.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
This book took me a bit over a month to finish it. Although I was very busy this past month but honestly, this book was not very engaging. That being said I like the concepts in the book and think that everyone can benefit from reading especially if they have something they want to do, eg. learn guitar, go to bed early, go to gym... I like how the author sees habits as tiny choices you make in your life. Over time these choices add up and take your life in directions you may or may not like. This book is for people who want to make good habits and break bad ones.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
I’ve started seven books this year and this is the only one I finished yet. The book is grand. It talks about everything in human history including from cognition revolution, to agriculture revolution, to science revolution, and from capitalism, to liberalism and to inter-human imaginations, or religion. Yet, it’s not one of those books that says a little about everything. The book deeply dived into each event: what are the drives, situations and major consequences. You’ll get the big picture of Homo sapiens, us, after reading this book. This is the type of book I like. Deep, insightful reasonings back by concrete evidence.
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
I’ve always considered my grad student self slightly poor since I can not afford the life I want (nice house, car and money to eat out) and still make enough progress for retirement. This book showed me what real poverty’s like. It depressed you, but, at the same time, was eye opening. What’s interesting is that despite most landlords are white mans, the book depicted a black woman landlord. I wondered if the author tried to tell us it’s not just race. When the position is changed, the way people think also changes. The author pointed out the problem and offered something close to inspiration quotes to tell us to keep hopes for the poor. Maybe offer something that we can do to help would be better. Overall, it’s a great book to understand the very poor in US.
The Science of Doctor Who
Well, you may like this book if you’re a Doctor Who fan or if you’re scientifically curious. Have you ever wondered how many things we see in TV are actually possible and technology is just not there yet or they are just scientifically impossible/incorrect? If so, this book is for you. You don’t have to know anything about Doctor Who really. This book answers some typical sci-fi questions about time travel, space travel, what does aliens look like, force field, black holes and exo-planets. That being said, this is not a textbook so the science in it is a bit ‘wibbly wobbly’ but, hey, it’s very fun to read!
More to come soon
- Outliers: The Story of Success
- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
- We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe