Begin Again
Summarized key ideas & insights
Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
America’s history places it as one of the most racist countries in the world. Despite the diversity of cultures in the country, black Americans still find themselves on the receiving end of segregation. The Blacks’ experiences and the fact that the country is unwilling to change have seen a rise in the number of protests across the nation. Blacks continue to face police brutality and unemployment, while their white counterparts benefit heavily. To show how bad the Blacks have it, the author — Eddie S. Glaude Jr. — goes back many years to share the story of James Baldwin. James Baldwin was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist whose works speak for the black people. In this tidbit, you’ll find out how white supremacy stifled black liberation and why Blacks need to come together. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. is a Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and a freedom fighter for the liberation of Black Americans. His account of James Baldwin’s experiences uniquely tells the story of Blacks and their long journey to freedom. “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” ~ James Baldwin
Thinking In Systems
Summarized key ideas & insights
Donella Meadows, Diana Wright
OVERVIEW
“Thinking In Systems” is a concise and crucial book offering insight into solving problems from the personal scale to the global scale. It introduces readers to a different way of thinking about daily life problems that are found in nature, business or society. Written by American environmental scientist, teacher, and writer Diana Meadows, this book is sure to have a noteworthy impact on you. Meadows was well known for her work in changing the thought processes of her readers to enable them to see the world clearly, and she does this in this book as well. “The systems-thinking lens allows us to reclaim our intuition about whole systems and hone our abilities to understand parts, see interconnections, ask “what-if ” questions about possible future behaviors, and be creative and courageous about system redesign.” ~ Donella H. Meadows
American Icon
Summarized key ideas & insights
Bryce G. Hoffman
OVERVIEW
The Ford Motor Company has seen many existential crises in its 117-year-old history. “American Icon” is about the turnaround of the company under the leadership of Alan Mulally as CEO. Bryce G. Hoffman, an American author, speaker, strategic advisor, and management consultant, provides inside information on how Ford avoided bankruptcy and government bailout during the automotive industry crisis of 2008-2010 — a feat that could not be replicated by any other American carmaker at the time. Leadership, management, and business lessons are spread all over this summary. “Running a business is a design job. You need a point of view about the future, a really good plan to deliver that future, and then relentless implementation.” ~ Bryce G. Hoffman
Tribe of Mentors
Summarized key ideas & insights
Timothy Ferriss
OVERVIEW
In “Tribe of Mentors,” entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author of “The 4-Hour Body” Tim Ferriss shares the ultimate inspirational book — a compilation of tools, tactics, and habits from over 100 of the world’s most successful individuals. From renowned entrepreneurs to elite athletes, from artists to billionaire investors, their short profiles can help you achieve exceptional results, and change your life. “Tribe of Mentors” contains answers to life’s most challenging questions — some of which we’ve all asked at some point in life. Here, you will find practical and tactical advice from mentors who have found solutions. Whether you want to increase your productivity, get unstuck, or reinvent yourself, someone else somewhere has gone through a similar path and taken notes. “The only true voyage would be to see the same land through a hundred different pairs of eyes, not to travel through a hundred different lands with the same pair of eyes.” ~ Marcel Proust
The Automatic Millionaire, Expanded and Updated
Summarized key ideas & insights
David Bach
OVERVIEW
David Bach shows how anyone can become an automatic millionaire throughout their lifetime. The Automatic Millionaire sets out to teach people actionable steps that make living rich, easy, and fun. While retaining the timeless message in the original edition from 2003, this updated and expanded version caters to the rapidly changing world we now live in. Today’s technologies make it easier to become an automatic millionaire. Small changes can make a big difference in people’s lives. Following The Automatic Millionaire Blueprint enables you to automate your plan and secure your financial future by implementing its easy-to-apply program. David Bach is an entrepreneur, author, and television personality famous for his Finish Rich Series. “The Automatic Millionaire gives you, step by step, everything you need to secure your financial future. When you do it David Bach’s way, failure is not an option.” ~ Jean Chatzky, Financial Editor, NBC’s Today
Becoming Nicole
Summarized key ideas & insights
Amy Ellis Nutt
OVERVIEW
“Becoming Nicole” is a profound true story of a family who’s confusion sets in initially over their son’s insistence that he was female. Eventually, they learned to question their views on gender identity, and have accepted and supported his transition. The author, Amy Ellis Nutt, is a health and science writer at The Washington Post. For several years, she was an adjunct professor of journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. In this summary, she shares the story of a courageous transgender girl and how she triumphed despite all odds. It gives insight into the discrimination of transgender people in America and how their rights evolved. “But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not consider his appearance or his height….The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” ~ 1 SAMUEL 16:7
Don’t Overthink It
Summarized key ideas & insights
Anne Bogel
OVERVIEW
We’ve all been there: stuck in a cycle of what-ifs, plagued by indecision, paralyzed by the fear of getting it wrong. Nobody wants to live a life of constant overthinking, but it doesn’t feel like something we can choose to stop doing. It feels like something we’re wired to do, something we just can’t escape. But is it? Anne Bogel’s answer is no. Not only can you overcome negative thought patterns that are repetitive, unhealthy, and unhelpful, you can replace them with positive thought patterns that will bring more peace, joy, and love into your life. In “Don’t Overthink It”, you’ll find actionable strategies that can make an immediate and lasting difference in how you deal with questions both small and large. More than a book about making good decisions, “Don’t Overthink It” offers you a framework for making choices you’ll be comfortable with, using an appropriate amount of energy, freeing you to focus on all the other stuff that matters in life.
No Time Like the Future
Summarized key ideas & insights
Michael J. Fox
OVERVIEW
No Time Like the Future by actor and advocate Michael J. Fox is a touching tale of resilience in the face of trials, hope, optimism, fear, and mortality, and how these things resonate in our lives. Michael J. Fox is a Canadian-American retired actor, author, film producer, and activist. Fox began his career in the seventies; his first role was playing Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties on NBC. Fox is, however, primarily famous for his role as the protagonist Marty McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy. The critical and commercial success of the movie led to Fox headlining several films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Teen Wolf (1985), The Secret of My Success (1987), Casualties of War (1989), and The Frighteners (1996). “Carry on. If you’re going to do something, do it.” ~ Michael J. Fox
A Very Stable Genius
Summarized key ideas & insights
Philip Rucker, Carol Leonning
OVERVIEW
Ever wondered how the POTUS makes some decisions? What are the consequences of the policies established by world leaders like the POTUS? This book is intended to disclose how Donald J. Trump manages all the affairs and administration in the White House, how he makes some decisions regarding foreign and domestic policies, and how he was known to be dangerously uninformed about the basics of geography. Philp Rucker has been an author, reporter, and Bureau Chief at The Washington Post since 2005. He covered the 2016 successful presidential campaign of Donald Trump and currently covers the Trump administration for the Post. He is highly respected as a journalist in the whole of Washington, D.C. Carol Leonning is an investigative journalist in America, who has been a writer for The Washington Post since 2000, and also a part of the national security reporters who were privileged to win the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. “To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile but is morally treasonable to the American public.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
Moonwalking with Einstein
Summarized key ideas & insights
Joshua Foer
OVERVIEW
Overview: An average person squanders 40 days annually compensating for things they’ve forgotten. The author of “Moonwalking with Einstein” Joshua Foer was once like that. After months of training his memory, however, he was able to reach the finals of the U.S. Memory Championship. Even more important, Foer discovered a simple, yet vital truth: In every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories. “Moonwalking with Einstein” draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist’s trade to change our understanding of human memory. In this summary, you will learn the time-proven techniques of memory improvements, and understand that having a great memory is all about perseverance and creativity.
Stop Overthinking
Summarized key ideas & insights
Nick Trenton
OVERVIEW
Stop Overthinking reveals the inner obstacles to a meaningful life and provides techniques that will help you maximize the potential of your brain and control your thoughts. In addition, it explains how to reduce stress and live a life free of worries. Although you might not be able to prevent negative thoughts from crossing your mind, you can choose not to dwell on them. In this summary, you will learn to overcome negative thought patterns by replacing them with positive thoughts and attitudes. Author and accomplished skier Nick Trenton earned his Bachelor of Science in Economics and MA in Behavioral Psychology. A farm boy who grew up in rural Illinois, he currently resides in Chicago and aspires to travel the world and host a food show like Anthony Bourdain. “…knowing your values doesn’t automatically make you good at setting goals. You need to deliberately make sure you’re setting the kind of goals that are most likely to be reached.” ~ Nick Trenton
Lifespan: Why We Age
Summarized key ideas & insights
David A. Sinclair, PhD
OVERVIEW
David A. Sinclair, PhD, is an Australian biologist who is a professor of genetics and the co-director of Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging. His work is mainly centered on understanding aging, and he has received many awards for his dedicated efforts in the field. While we know that all living things must eventually die, we don’t know why, but we accept it nonetheless. Sinclair goes a step further and peeks beyond the curtain to reveal to us just what aging is, what causes it, and how to, in theory, eradicate the need to age in humanity. Aging is inevitable, but it feels like we’ve become too comfortable with it. Maybe we should question it more and find out if it’s possible to stop it without any side effects. “Aging, quite simply, is a loss of information.” ~ David A. Sinclair, PhD
Raise Your Game
Summarized key ideas & insights
Alan Stein Jr. and Jon Sternfield
OVERVIEW
What separates high achievers from the rest of the world? Can anyone become a high achiever? What are the secrets behind the success of the world’s largest and most profitable organizations? This bite-sized book by Alan Stein Jr. and Jon Sternfeld provides answers to these questions. Alan Stein Jr. is a world-renowned coach, author, and one of today’s top motivational speakers. Jon Sternfeld is a ghostwriter and co-writer who writes non-fiction books and proposals in different categories. This summary of their work shares some basic principles that are simple but not easy to help you achieve your goals. We live in an instantly downloadable world that encourages us to skip steps. We learn to chase what’s hot, flashy, and sexy and ignore what’s basic. But the basics work; they always have, and they always will. “World-class performers and the uber-successful amassed their achievements by sticking to the fundamentals and doing the little things — every single day.” ~ Alan Stein Jr. and Jon Sternfeld
How to be an Antiracist
Summarized key ideas & insights
Ibram X. Kendi
OVERVIEW
Have you been stigmatized based on your race before? What is the difference between being antiracist and being “not racist”? Do you seek a world where equity rules? Then you will find this a fascinating read. Ibram X. Kendi is a New York Times bestselling author and the founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center, a professor of History and International Relations and a public speaker. Kendi takes readers through the complex nuances of antiracism and explains why racial inequities should be thought of as action and reveals ways to eliminate them. He employs science, history, and moral ethics to explain racism and also teaches us that we must choose to be antiracist. “We’ve been led to believe that racist is a fixed category, that it’s a tattoo, it’s a label.” ~ Ibram X. Kendi
Greenlights
Summarized key ideas & insights
Matthew McConaughey
OVERVIEW
“Greenlights” is a memoir that tells the stories, insights, and philosophies that have guided Matthew McConaughey for the 50 years of his life. Born on November 4, 1969, Matthew narrates his adventures and the lessons that he was able to pick up along the way. Academy Award winning actor Matthew McConaughey considers himself a storyteller by occupation. Together with his wife, Camila Alves McConaughey, he founded the Just Keep Livin Foundation, which helps at-risk high school students make healthier mind, body, and spirit choices. In 2019, Matthew became a professor of practice and the Minister of Culture at the University of Texas. He is also a brand ambassador for Lincoln Motor Company, an owner of the Major League Soccer club Austin FC, and co-creator of his favorite bourbon — Wild Turkey Longbranch. “I believe everything we do in life is part of a plan. Sometimes the plan goes as intended, and sometimes it doesn’t. That’s part of the plan.” ~ Matthew McConaughey
How Not to Be Wrong
Summarized key ideas & insights
Jordan Ellenberg
OVERVIEW
Jordan Ellenberg is a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before this, he was hailed as a child prodigy, who had taught himself to read at an early age of two by simply watching “Sesame Street”. His genius has since blossomed immensely. His area of expertise is mathematics with a focus on arithmetic geometry, where he has conducted extensive research. He is an accomplished author both in fiction and non-fiction books. One of these books is “How Not to Be Wrong” where he employs a lot of critical thinking to simplify a lot of “tough” and challenging mathematical concepts and show their clear applications in the real world. Mathematics, Ellenberg insists, is just the science of common sense, a very glaring look at the things we already know. Whilst mathematics seems like a very complex concept, it is quite simple and it comes in a variety of forms. Ellenberg suggests in “How Not to Be Wrong” that more people look out for the “hidden math” in even the simplest of life’s concepts. When we can identify which mathematical concept is needed for each of our usually overlooked experiences, we ensure more times than not that we are rarely wrong.
https://makeheadway.com/blog/book-lists