A comprehensive list of every book I recommended in 2016, taken directly from my bimonthly book recommendations email.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari – If you’ve ever wondered how we humans managed to transform ourselves from fancy monkeys who roamed the plains eating berries and raw meat into fancier monkeys who fly rocketships to the moon, then this is the book for you. Harari crams an unbelievable amount of interesting information into 464 pages, covering all aspects of Homo Sapiens’ rise to power – agriculture, religion, government, empires, corporations, and science, just to name a few. In a sometimes funny and surprisingly easy-to-read style, he boils down the last 70,000 years into fascinating (and probably highly controversial to some) narrative of our species’ relatively short existence on earth.
Encounters with the Archdruid by John McPhee – What happens when you take a passionate (some would say militant) environmentalist and send him on three separate close-quartered trips with a mining-obsessed geologist, a loudmouth resort developer, and a brash former Secretary of the Interior who loves to dam up rivers? Read this book and you’ll find out. In it, John McPhee follows David Brower (former head of the Sierra Club) on each of these trips, and McPhee gives unbiased, fully detailed accounts of the conversations and interactions between the men. The book is a great reminder that environmental and conservation issues are extremely complex, and no matter which side of the spectrum you are on, there is no “right” answer. If the answers were that easy, the problems would’ve been fixed generations ago. A thought-provoking read by one of our most talented living authors.
Being Nixon: A Man Divided by Evan Thomas – I think a better title would be “Being Nixon: A Weirdo.” I knew almost nothing of substance about Nixon when I picked up this book, and now I can’t stop thinking about him. What an oddball! Nixon was a walking contradiction— he was an introverted, socially awkward man who devoted his life to politics, one of the most extroverted careers imaginable. He fancied himself a tough guy, yet he was terrified of face-to-face confrontation (and cried a lot, too). He claimed to hate Ivy Leaguers, yet he filled his cabinet with them and constantly sought their approval. He positioned himself as a champion of the downtrodden “silent majority,” yet he was disgustingly racist. The list goes on and on. As weird as he was, I came away thinking that there’s something strangely admirable about a man who could push himself so hard to reach the pinnacle of a career in which he had no natural talent. It’s like if I somehow willed my way into becoming the MVP of the NBA. I learned about the book from Conan O’Brien, who periodically does serious, non-comedy interviews with authors and other intriguing people. Here’s the one for Being Nixon, but they are all great. (Also worth reading by Evan Thomas – The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898)
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard – President James Garfield has one of the more impressive life stories of any U.S. President, yet few people know about him because he was assassinated just months into his presidency. Alas, when people now hear the name Garfield, they just think of that fat lasagna-eating cat. Anyway, Garfield was shot in 1881, just as medicine was rounding the corner from being one step above voodoo into becoming an actual science with a focus on sterilization and controlling infection. Unfortunately for Garfield, his doctors had not yet accepted all the new-fangled inventions like, say, hand washing. Within minutes of being shot, while lying on the filthy train station floor, Garfield’s doctors were jamming their nasty fingers into the wound, trying in vain to extract the bullet. The doctors did, however, start a fatal infection that dragged out for almost three months until Garfield finally died. Worst case, this book will make you appreciate just how far our medical technology has progressed in less than 150 years. (Also by Millard is River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey, one of my favorite books of all time.)
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing – My good buddy and Denali tentmate recommended this book to me. Since he and I get a peculiar enjoyment from freezing our faces off in ridiculously cold places, he thought I’d love the book… and I did. It follows Ernest’s Shackleton’s ill-fated overland expedition across Antartica and consists of three brutal survival tales—shipwrecked on a floating ice flow for over a year, open boat sailing through the roughest seas on earth, and traversing an uncharted, glaciated, arctic island on foot with no climbing gear. When taken as one massive adventure, it is hard to understand how not a single life was lost. Endurance is the ultimate example of rock-solid leadership, the limits of human toughness, and the power of optimism. I actually got chills on my neck when reading the last two pages, which I don’t recall ever happening before. It’s one of the best true adventure stories of all time.
It All Turns on Affection: The Jefferson Lecture and Other Essays by Wendell Berry – In my circle of friends involved in land conservation and agriculture, Wendell Berry is a living legend. A Stanford-educated writer and poet who studied under Wallace Stegner, Berry choose to return home to his family farm in rural Kentucky to live, farm, and write, all while deeply immersed in a place that he loves. The first essay in this book is a reflection on the importance of truly knowing a place, having deep affection for it, and developing the obligation to protect and care for it. I imagine that I’ll read this essay at least once a year, as it is one of those dense, meaningful, beautifully written works that will take on a different significance depending on my current stage of life.
Four Fish – The Future of the Last Wild Food by Paul Greenberg – Despite the fact that there are thousands of species of fish on earth, consumers focus primarily on four species: salmon, sea bass, cod, and tuna. Why? Well, it’s a complicated and fascinating story that takes 304 pages to explain. Greenberg travels around the world learning from the fishermen, scientists, geneticists, conservationists, and other characters who’ve played a role in making these four species the mainstays of the seafood industry. It’s also a cautionary tale of the irreversible global damage that unchecked commercial fishing is causing, and it will make you think twice next time you see those massive slabs of pink salmon at your local Costco. [Are you a weirdo like me who likes fish biographies? Then check out Cod: A Biography of a Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky. It’s even better than Four Fish.]
The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson – If this book were fiction, it would be too ridiculous to believe, and I’d promptly throw it in the trash. But it is true, which makes it really hard to put down. It’s the story of a secret U.S. military division that was created during the 1960s with the goal of using psychic and metaphysical powers to fight evil around the world. The book describes American generals who are convinced they can walk through walls, “warrior monks” who claim the ability to become invisible on command, and, of course, psychic military contractors who can allegedly kill goats by staring at them. It’s easy to shrug off some of this nonsense when thinking of it in the context of the hippied-out 60s, but you’ll be surprised to know that the U.S. government has been employing some of these wacky techniques as recently as the post-9/11 Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A perfect example of truth being stranger than fiction.
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport – The author is a 34-year old professor of computer science at Georgetown who has published over 70 academic papers, four books, and countless blog posts, all while having a family and rarely working after 6PM. How does he do it? His answer is “Deep Work”—disciplined, lengthy stretches of undistracted, highly focused work. Newport’s theory is that many knowledge-based workers have lost the ability to focus thanks to endless technological distractions such as email, social media, and smartphones. He also believes that professionals with the ability to cultivate focus and deep thinking will have a huge advantage over the distracted masses. Anyone who spends a majority of their workday in front of a computer needs to read this book. I took tons of notes on this book and have already referred back to them multiple times. [Two other related books that I recommend are Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford and Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence by Daniel Goldman.]
Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert Kurson – Prior to reading this book, I thought that scuba diving was a pastime for portly Carnival Cruise patrons who enjoy staring at starfish and conch shells while flailing around in tropical waters. Well, I stand corrected. The book follows a group of tough, competitive, risk-loving deep water shipwreck divers who discover a wrecked Nazi submarine off the coast of New Jersey, which leads them on a six-year adventure that ends with them rewriting the history books. The book goes into great detail about the complexities and dangers of deep water diving, and makes it crystal clear that this “sport” is not for the faint of heart. The mentality of these guys (as evidenced by several team members who die on the bottom of the ocean) is very similar to many world-class high-altitude mountaineers—absolutely obsessed with a goal and willing to do anything to achieve it.
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin – I really need to lay off the Navy SEAL books, because every time I read one, I feel like a weak, lazy, undisciplined lunk. But after listening to an interview with one of this book’s authors, I knew I needed to check it out. Willink and Babin are retired SEALs who now run a leadership consulting business, trying their best to impart some of their battlefield wisdom to corporate America. The book alternates between true war stories and case studies of how those battlefield lessons can be applied to the business world. Interestingly, many of the war stories describe times that the authors made mistakes, then they deconstruct how they adjusted course, fixed the situations, and learned valuable lessons—it’s an unexpected and humble method of conveying their wisdom. I gleaned a lot of value from this book, even though I basically work alone. I’d imagine professionals who lead teams would find the advice all the more valuable.
The Professor in the Cage: Why Men Fight and Why We Like to Watch by Jonathan Gottschall – Gottschall was an out-of-shape English professor at a small liberal arts college who was feeling weak and sloppy (perhaps he was reading too many Navy SEAL books?), so he decided to join a mixed martial arts (MMA) gym. The book follows his 2+ year journey as he goes from complete novice to skilled and tough enough to compete in a sanctioned MMA fight. Layered on top of the author’s personal adventure is a very interesting discussion around why men have always been focused on demonstrating strength, dominance, and mental toughness, and how that tendency plays out in sports, business, or just plain ol’ brawling. [Years ago I read A Fighter’s Heart: One Man’s Journey Through the World of Fighting by Sam Sheridan and LOVED it. I still think about it all the time, so I highly recommended it as well.]
The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko – This book hits on many of the subjects I love: adventure, history, conservation, the West, water, and crazy people. The title sums up the primary storyline, but the book covers many ancillary topics including Coronado’s 14th-century expedition to the Grand Canyon, John Wesley Powell’s first descent of the Colorado, a history of the US’s river-damming efforts (and ensuing protests from Edward Abbey et. al.), and the culture of river guiding in the West. If you enjoy exciting adventure stories and want an overview of the history of Western water issues, this book is an excellent choice. [If you’re looking for a straight-up river adventure book, check out Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River by Peter Heller. If you’re looking for an in-depth conversation about Western water policy, check out my interview with former river guide and current water innovator Spencer Williams.]
Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi – I never really played tennis and I’m not an avid fan of the sport, but I found this book to be unbelievably interesting. It digs deep into an idea that I find endlessly fascinating: that people’s best characteristics can also be their worst. Most of the aspects of Agassi’s life that drove him to be a champion—a relentless competitive streak, high-strung personality, an overbearing father—were also the causes of much of his personal misery and anguish. Agassi reveals some astonishingly private details of his life (e.g. his frosted mullet was partly a wig, humiliating specifics of his father’s bullying, his use of meth, etc.), details that made me much more sympathetic toward him and his brash, attention-grabbing antics as a youngster, including his acid-washed jorts. The book was a good reminder to me that most people—from elite athletes to everyday Joes—are fighting some sort of internal battle, and that if I knew their full story, I’d probably be more compassionate and patient with them. [For more insights into the idea that a person’s best characteristics can also be their worst, I highly recommend The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert.]
On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss – A year or so ago, you may remember endless media coverage around a measles outbreak that originated in Disneyland (I would’ve guessed Carnival Cruise Lines was somehow responsible), which devolved into arguments regarding the nuances of immunology from the likes of Jenny McCarthy and other washed-up celebrities. In the midst of the hubbub, I read an article by Bill Gates in which he recommended this book as a solid, well-reasoned overview of the subject. If it’s good enough for Gates, it’s good enough for me, and I’m very glad I read it. Biss efficiently covers everything from broad immunization theory down to the scientific details, which gave me a useful foundation of knowledge that I’m happy to have, especially as a new parent.
Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life by Winifred Gallagher – In my last email, I recommended Deep Work by Cal Newport, which I absolutely loved. Throughout the book Newport references Rapt, so I decided to give it a read. Gallagher’s main premise is that your life is the creation of what you do (and do not) focus on, and that one’s ability to choose their focus can play a big role in their happiness. A lot of this book details the science of attention, which I find very interesting. It also gave me a deeper understanding of Newport’s book. But unless you are a science nerd, I’d recommend reading Deep Work first; then, if you like it, delve deeper with this one. [Another great book on focus, which is referenced by both Gallagher and Newport is Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Yes, that is his real name.]
Churchill by Paul Johnson – For years I’ve wanted to learn more about Winston Churchill, but I haven’t been willing to devote the time required for most of his 600+ page biographies. When I came across this short biography, it seemed like the perfect way to sample the goods. It was a fun read that piqued my interest in the man, and I plan to read more books about him in the coming years. Churchill, like my hero Theodore Roosevelt, squeezed every last drop out of his life, and enjoyed tremendous success across a wide spectrum of disciplines. At the end of the book, Johnson details the five character traits that led to Churchill’s success, which are interestingly the same five characteristics I’d argue are the main reasons for TR’s success. [Did somebody say TR? Then check out the greatest book of all time, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris.]
Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu by J. Maarten Troost – I almost never reread books, but I enjoyed this one even more the second time. This book and its predecessor The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific follow the misadventures of a hilarious guy who moves from Washington, DC to the South Pacific thanks to his wife’s job in international development. Both of these books were truly life changing for me—I read them while living and working in DC, and they planted the then-ridiculous idea to pack up and move to Central America thanks to my wife’s job in international development. If I ever write a book, I hope it can be a fraction as funny as these two—It is worth the book’s $12.23 price tag just to read Troost’s description of the DC subway and a haughty businessman whom he describes as a “smug little puffin [who] came to represent all that I found odious about Washington.” [Troost’s third book Lost on Planet China: One Man’s Attempt to Understand the World’s Most Mystifying Nation is also hilarious and worth reading.]
The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, A Lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History by 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 by 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 by 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 by 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 by 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 by 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.
One Breath: Freediving, Death, and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits by Adam Skolnick – Did you know there are people who can inhale one massive breath, dive 300+ feet below the ocean’s surface, then swim back to the top, mostly unscathed? I didn’t, and I’m usually in the know when it comes to such oddballs. One Breath is an overview of the sport of freediving, and it explores the activity from every angle—its history, physiology, training techniques, mental aspects, and current competitive landscape. While the book focuses primarily on Nick Mevoli, a freediving prodigy who ultimately pushes beyond his limits, it also profiles many of the sport’s top competitors, an intriguing and diverse cast of characters. As an interesting side note, I started messing around with some of the breathing techniques described in this book and easily held my breath for 3:15! Crazy stuff that I will continue to explore. [For more ocean adventure, I’ll re-recommend this book from the March/April 2016 email: Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert Kurson]
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance – Growing up in eastern NC and spending plenty of time in Appalachia (as well as one particularly memorable stint deep in the Louisiana bayou), I’m very familiar with the demographic profiled in this book. But having the plight of poverty-stricken white people so intimately described by one of their own was eye-opening and disturbing even to me—I can only imagine how shocked people less familiar with this culture (e.g. many of my neighbors here in Boulder, CO) would be. The author grew up in one of the poorest parts of Appalachia, with an opioid-addicted mother and no father, yet he managed to claw his way out, eventually graduating from Yale law school. This would be a fascinating story at any time, but it’s especially important at this juncture in our country’s history. Check out this WSJ book review for a more detailed analysis by a person who actually knows how to recommend books. [People may think I’m joking, but the cult classic documentary The Dancing Outlaw also gives a surprisingly accurate portrayal of life in the “holler.”]
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan – No exaggeration, this is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s part memoir and part adventure travel narrative, and it is written in a style so beautiful and engaging that I found myself re-reading pages and passages multiple times—I never do that, nor do I use the word “beautiful” to describe anything. The author is a war reporter and staff writer for The New Yorker who has lived a fascinating, adventurous life. From his childhood in California and Hawaii, a multi-year, around-the-world surf trip, teaching English in apartheid-oppressed South Africa, and his early career in San Francisco, surfing has been the common thread that connects all aspects of his life. He describes surfing and the ocean in ways that are amazing, artistic, and accurate, yet he somehow never goes overboard with flowery or pompous language—unexpected for anyone from The New Yorker. Even if you have no interest in surfing, you’ll love this book. It’s long with small print, but I never once found my attention drifting. I just wanted a fun surf adventure story, and I ended up with a Pulitzer Prize-winning work of art. It’s amazing. BUY IT! [My two other favorite surf books are In Search of Captain Zero: A Surfer’s Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road by Allan Weisbecker and Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer’s Quest to Find Zen on the Sea by Jaimal Yogis.]
Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape edited by Barry Lopez and Debra GwartneyAfter nearly a decade of struggling to figure out original ways to accurately describe ranches, rivers, and western landscapes, this book was a godsend. More of a reference book than prose, it’s a comprehensive catalog of over 850 terms that describe America’s natural features. Even better, the terms’ original definitions were composed by some of our best contemporary writers, folks like Jon Krakauer, Charles Frazier, and many more. I’ve caught myself looking up one word, and then continuing to read, page after page, because it’s all just so interesting. Highly recommended for anyone like me who thrashes through the writing process. [I was turned on to the book by Stephen Rinella, one of the modern-day masters when it comes to describing the natural world. His book American Buffalo: The Search for a Lost Icon is one of my all-time favorites.]
End of Plenty: The Race to Feed a Crowded World by Joel K Bourne Jr. – The author is from my hometown and has had a distinguished career writing for National Geographic—most notably, he warned of New Orleans’ hurricane vulnerability in 2004, just 10 months prior to Katrina’s wrath. In the End of Plenty, he lays out a balanced history of industrial agriculture, then goes on to scare the bejesus out of the reader with numerous examples of how the world is going to run alarmingly short on food if we remain on our present (population, political, technological) trajectory. Thankfully, the second half of the book is a series of optimistic, hopeful stories of individuals and companies altering the doomsday trajectory through innovative and sustainable agriculture that can be applied on a global scale. It’s dense, well researched, and thought provoking, but written in a fun style that you’d expect from a National Geographic reporter.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo – I don’t know that I’d call it “life-changing” and it’s certainly not “magic,” but after reading this book, I went absolutely nuts decluttering. My wife and daughter were out of town for the weekend, so I spent two full days ridding myself of accumulated junk—I gave a pile to Goodwill, recycled at least 100 pounds of paper, and organized everything else into what seems to be a sustainable system. Keep in mind, I’m no pack rat and purposefully don’t have a lot of junk, so I was amazed at how much I was able to eliminate using Kondo’s system. There are plenty of weird/silly ideas in the book (she seems to think socks are alive), but it convinced me to spend a weekend cleaning instead of having fun in the mountains, so I have to recommend it.
Buffalo for the Broken Heart: Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch by Dan O’Brien – This book combines many of the subjects I find fascinating: ranching, natural history, bison, conservation, the American West, and regenerative agriculture. It follows the author’s journey to convert his South Dakota ranch from a traditional cattle operation to a 100% grassfed and finished bison operation, which, as it turns out, is not an easy task. I had the pleasure of meeting the author a year ago, and he’s equal parts tough-guy rancher and soft-hearted intellectual—he seems just as likely to write a verse of poetry as he is to finish a bar fight. The book thoroughly explains the economic and emotional challenges facing ranchers throughout the West, while digging deep into the historical and ecological aspects of flora and fauna, particularly buffalo, in the shortgrass prairie ecosystem. But if you’re looking for a brief overview of O’Brien’s work without all the words and stuff, check out the short, free film Unbroken Ground. [If you like this book, I’d also suggest O’Brien’s most recent title: Wild Idea: Buffalo and Family in a Difficult Land.]
Natural Born Heroes: Mastering the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance by Christopher McDougall – Several friends who run ultras recommended this book, so I was excited to check it out. It’s basically two books rolled into one: a historical account of a little-known WWII battle on the island of Crete and the author’s personal adventure to discover how Cretans were able to run farther and lift more than average humans using only natural and timeless training methods. While the WWII stories are interesting, I enjoyed the second part of the book the most, which involves the author ripping to shreds the U.S. government’s food-pyramid-based diet, gyms that encourage the use of weight machines, and the “sports nutrition” industry. Contrary to popular belief, true fitness and lifelong health do not require a membership to Gold’s Gym or chugging gallons of gatorade. Reading tip: If you get bogged down in the WWII history details, just skim ahead a few pages and it will pick up. [I also highly recommend McDougall’s other well-known book Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.]
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg – I’m always looking for tips on how to easily break bad habits and form good ones. (For a friend. Not for me, of course.) This books answers those questions with detailed scientific research and well-documented case studies, all presented in an engaging and entertaining style. The author, a New York Times investigative reporter, does an excellent job presenting a ridiculous amount of data in a way that is fun to read and memorable. It consists of three sections: habits of individuals, organizations, and societies. I found the habits of individuals section to be the most useful, but folks who work at larger companies or manage teams of people may get more out of the other two sections than I did. If you’re the type to set New Year’s resolutions, this book might give you a fighting chance of sticking with them past January 15th.
Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue by Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz – An outspoken atheist neuroscientist (Harris) sits down with a former radical Islamic extremist (Nawaz) to discuss religion… what could possibly go wrong? Surprisingly, nothing. In fact, I’d say everything goes right—they have a respectful, in-depth, wide-ranging conversation in which they both come away better understanding each other’s opinions. This short book is basically their conversation transcribed into print, and it provided me with new insights into Islam and the controversies surrounding the religion. Given our current political climate, it’s very refreshing to observe two smart, well-informed people with opposite belief systems have a civil and substantive conversation. If more people like these authors were on TV, I probably wouldn’t have canceled my cable! [I also highly recommend Sam Harris’s Lying, another short book that argues that no one should tell a lie of any kind, “white lie” or otherwise, ever.]
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight – The only things I knew about the early days of Nike were that founder Phil Knight paid an art student a few bucks to design the famous “swoosh” logo and something about his using a waffle iron to create prototype shoe soles. Turns out there’s more to the story than that. I LOVED this book, and it’s one of the best business memoirs I’ve ever read. It’s an extremely revealing and exciting firsthand account of Knight’s journey from writing a business plan during grad school to eventually taking Nike public. He seems to be very honest in his telling of the story—he’s upfront about his self-doubt and open about how the company was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy for well over a decade. He makes it crystal clear just how damn hard it was to survive, much less thrive as a company. This was my favorite book on this list, highly recommended. [One of my other favorite business memoirs is Call Me Ted by Ted Turner. Ted’s on the polar opposite end of the personality spectrum than Knight, but many of his struggles and lessons learned are similar.]
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman – This is the third book by Ryan Holiday that I’ve recommended. It’s what I call a “bedside table book”—one that I keep close at hand to page through before bed or first thing in the morning. This one is 366 quotes by Stoic philosophers, each followed by a brief discussion of how the idea can be applied to our daily lives. I was forced to take standard philosophy in college and found it infuriatingly worthless, but my experience with Stoicism has been the exact opposite—the ideas are amazingly relevant and useful in my day-to-day life. The basic gist of Stoicism is that you can’t control what happens to you, only how you react, and guys like Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus have some pretty solid thoughts on the subject. Think of this book as a compilation album of the Stoics’ greatest hits. [One of my other favorite bedside table books is the National Outdoor Leadership School’s Wilderness Wisdom.]
Running Man: A Memoir by Charlie Engle – To call the author’s life “interesting” would be a comical understatement. Charlie Engle grew up an excellent athlete and solid student, but then his life veered into the abyss of drug and alcohol abuse, culminating in a multi-year addiction to crack. Miraculously, he pulled himself out of the death spiral and focused his addictive energy on ultra-endurance challenges such as 100-mile runs, adventure races, and a ridiculously long run across the Sahara Desert. But after getting his addictions under control and life in seemingly good order, he was busted for mortgage fraud and spent 16 months in federal prison. Now he’s out of the ol’ gray bar motel and back at his endurance feats… and apparently trying to scrape together some dough by selling this book (sorry, Charlie, I borrowed it from the library). I read this book as more of a cautionary tale than an inspirational one, which I don’t believe was its intended purpose. Trouble and conflict seem to follow this guy wherever he goes, and, other than his physical gift for endurance, there’s not much about him that I’d like to emulate. Entertaining book, nonetheless. [For a more uplifting addict-turned-athlete story, I recommended Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself by Rich Roll.]
