A comprehensive list of every book I recommended in 2017, taken directly from my bimonthly book recommendations email.
Hellhound on His Trail: The Electrifying Account of the Largest Manhunt in American History by Hampton Sides – Hampton Sides is a damn genius. As far as I’m concerned, he is the best non-fiction writer alive. His ability to write in-depth, detailed, scholarly history on a wide variety of subjects and deliver it in entertaining, fun-to-read books is second to none. This one covers the stalking and assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. by the loner/pervert/nutcase Eric Galt aka James Earl Ray. The lead-up to the assassination and the subsequent international manhunt for Ray is a perfect example of truth being stranger than fiction. If you’re like me and are embarrassingly uneducated about the Civil Rights movement, the life of Martin Luther King Jr., and the turbulent 1960s, this book will serve as a solid jumping-off point to learn more. Excellent book. [One of my favorite books of all time is Hampton Sides’ Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West]
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides – I doubled down on Hampton Sides with this book about an ill-fated expedition to discover the North Pole. While the adventure narrative about the actual expedition is entertaining, I found some of Sides’ insights into the Gilded Age to be the more interesting parts of this book. The Gilded Age is my favorite chapter in U.S. history, and the amount of knowledge gained and myths busted during that time period is amazing. For example, when the USS Jeannette left on its adventure, the world’s leading scientists (as well as the boat’s captain) were absolutely convinced that the North Pole was an open warm-water sea created by thermal energy emanating from the earth’s core—turns out it was a deadly frozen wasteland that killed almost everyone on board. Once again, Hampton Sides knocks it out of the park with this one. [For more cold-weather adventure, you can’t beat Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing.]
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss – Given the amount of driving I do for work, Tim Ferriss’ podcast has been a godsend. I’ve listened to almost every episode, and each one invariably offers a few new ideas, actionable advice, or interesting book recommendations. Many of the books I’ve recommended on this list were a result of Ferriss’ in-depth and lengthy interviews with “world-class performers.” Tools of Titans is basically the CliffsNotes version of the podcast—hundreds of hours of audio distilled down into the “greatest hits” from each episode. The 700-page book is gargantuan—ridiculous really—and I’ll likely never read it all the way through. But it serves as a great reference for all of the excellent material covered in the podcast. [Check out his podcast interviews with author Sebastian Junger, former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink, and music producer Rick Rubin.]
Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk – A commonplace narrative in biographies of despondent or depressed people is a heroic story of how the individuals fought through their emotional challenges and eventually had a breakthrough that allowed them to conquer their demons once and for all. This book does no such thing. Instead, it explores how Abraham Lincoln’s chronic, sometimes debilitating, depression was a constant struggle his entire life, and how his battles with “melancholy” made him a stronger and more effective leader during one of our nation’s most tumultuous times. It’s an interesting examination of how a person’s greatest weakness can simultaneously be their greatest strength. [For more on the links between mental health and greatness, I recommend A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness by Nassir Ghaemi]
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser – I’m a firm believer that the only way to learn how to do something is to actually do it. For instance, reading a book about how to run 100-mile ultra marathons won’t do you any good unless you lace up your shoes and go on six-hour training runs. A book may offer some good tips, but the learning is in the doing. So no, this book did not transform me into Hampton Sides overnight, but it did give me a useful toolkit to dig into every time I drag myself to the keyboard and struggle to bang out a few coherent sentences. The book is entertaining, surprisingly hilarious, and offers tips that run contrary to the rules and regs of freshman English class. I will refer back to this book often. [The best book on writing, or any creative endeavor, is The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield.]
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 Streetby 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.)
Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History by Dan Flores – I love books that go deep on one very specific subject, and this is one of my favorites. The coyote is a controversial figure, especially here in the American West, and understanding this highly intelligent animal—and humans’ relationship with it—provides some interesting insights into the history of North America, our relationships with other species, and some of the comical ways we’ve gone about trying to control the natural world. The book covers all aspects of the animal, from its evolutionary past to its relationship with Native Americans, and its ability to outwit our best efforts to exterminate it from the planet. Whether you love them or hate them (or can’t distinguish a coyote from a German Shepard), you’ll walk away from this book with new insights into humans, animals, and the North American landscape. (My favorite subject-specific book of all time is Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky.)
United: Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Good by Cory Booker – I first learned of Cory Booker back in 2005 when I watched the documentary Street Fight. I was intrigued by this Stanford and Yale-educated, Division One football-playing, Rhodes Scholar attorney who passed up high-paying jobs to live in the housing projects of Newark, NJ and devote his life to community development. Since then, he’s worked his way up from City Councilman to Mayor to Senator. While I usually avoid books written by sitting politicians—they are often self-congratulatory nonsense—I made an exception for Booker. It’s a well-written and engaging book that discusses his upbringing, his parents’ role in the civil rights movement, and lessons learned from various mentors along the way. Of course he delves into some current political issues, but I thought they were presented in a logical, non-inflammatory manner. He even challenged some of my notions on issues such as minimum wage and the environment, which is exactly why I read so much—to stretch my mind, challenge my beliefs, and see the world in a more informed way. (If we’re talking about politicians, of course I have to recommend a TR book. Here’s a good one that covers his time as police commissioner of New York City: Island of Vice: Theodore Roosevelt’s Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York by Richard Zacks.)
The Legend of Colton H. Bryant by Alexandra Fuller – This book follows the life of Colton Bryant, a young man from Evanston, WY, whose life is shaped by the booms and busts of the American West’s energy business. His father is a lifelong oil rig worker, and Colton follows in his footsteps, taking a job on a rig in the Upper Green River Valley during the boom of the mid-2000s. I felt a surprising connection with Colton, because we were almost the same age, working in the same area of Wyoming at the exact same time—we very well could have passed each other on Highway 191 at some point. However, through nothing but luck of circumstance, I was selling beautiful ranches while Colton was risking his life in unsafe conditions for relatively low pay and little job security. Although the book reads like fiction, it is true, and it gives some valuable insights into the lives of the West’s struggling lower-middle class. (David Gessner’s All the Wild that Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West touches on energy production in the West, plus plenty of other fascinating subjects.)
Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer by Phyllis Bennis – I was having dinner with friends recently when the subject of Palestine came up. As I sat quietly, nodding my head, contributing nothing to the conversation, I thought: “I probably can’t find Palestine is on a map, but I sure know a hell of a lot about coyotes!” Two days later, the folks at Boulder Bookstore pointed me to this book as a way to fill this embarrassing gap in my understanding of the world. The book is basically 200 pages of Israel-Palestine FAQs that covers everything from the history of Israel and the competing interests in the area to answers to basic questions like “What is Hamas?” and “What is Zionism?” As I read the book, most of the people and events were vaguely familiar to me, and this book brought them all together into a relatively easy-to-understand narrative. As much as I read and as curious as I am, it’s amazing that I could be so clueless about such an important (and violent) part of world history that has been unfolding throughout my life. I wonder what else I’m missing?
Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher by Richard P. Feynman – Years ago, I came across a Youtube video of a man ripping to shreds the idea of “honors,” and I knew I had to learn more about this man. Turns out he was Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, a man who not only contributed to the success of the Manhattan Project, but was a quirky polymath who dabbled in painting, bongo playing, safe cracking, pranking, and hilarious storytelling. Feynman was also a gifted teacher, and this book consists of six different introductory physics classes that he taught at Cal Tech, transcribed into written word. I never took physics in high school or college, so I found the overall concepts interesting. More interesting, however, is Feynman’s ability to communicate extremely complex subjects in a manner that is relatively easy to understand. Most interesting is the opportunity to observe how Feynman’s mind works—extremely curious, open to new ideas, looking to overturn conventional wisdom, and completely rational. In our current political environment where the scientific method seems to be taking a back seat to opinions and emotions, absorbing Feynman’s outlook and personality is like a breath of fresh air. (For more insights into the man himself, I highly recommend one of his other books, Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman: Adventures of a Curious Character.)
American Serengeti: The Last Big Animals of the Great Plains by Dan Flores – If you have an interest in natural history and love the American West, this book should be required reading. It gives an overview of the history of large mammals in North America—also known as “charismatic megafauna’—which included lions, mammoths, saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths, and giant long-horned bison, to name a few. Then Flores digs into detail on some of North America’s remaining large mammals, including pronghorn, coyotes, horses, grizzlies, bison, and wolves. I marked up almost every page of this book with notes and highlights, as each chapter gave me new insights into the why things are the way they are in the West. Flores balances natural history and science with humor and clean prose, making this book a real pleasure to read. I predict I’ll be referring back to this book often. (The first book that introduced me to some of these natural history concepts, then changed my perspective on how livestock can be used to restore grassland ecosystems is For the Love of Land: Global Case Studies of Grazing in Nature’s Image by my good buddy Jim Howell.)
Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni– This book confirmed many of my suspicions about college rankings, specifically people’s obsession with the US News “Best Colleges” list—that it is a baseless system that can be gamed by participants and ultimately means nothing. Everyone who has children should read this book, as it gives excellent insights into just how flawed and nonsensical those rankings are. Kids should pick colleges based on their specific interests and personalities, not based on a list put together by a faceless profit-seeking organization with dodgy intentions. Bruni argues that no matter where you go to school, you only get out of it what you put in, so kids’ efforts at their school are much more important than the school’s brand. College admission is far from the finish line of life—work ethic during college and the pursuit of a fulfilling, meaningful career for the following 40+ years should be a much higher priority. (Bruni’s undergraduate education at UNC-Chapel Hill was funded by the Morehead-Cain Foundation—my ridiculously smart wife had the same scholarship and now works for the Foundation, which is how I learned about this book.)
All Waves are Water: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment and the Perfect Ride by Jaimal Yogis – Before I started surfing, I used to scoff when I’d hear spaced-out surfer dudes drone on about how surfing is “spiritual.” Then, after surfing almost every day for a year, I came to understand and completely agree with their assessment. This book combines surfing, meditation, religion, travel, and adventure, in an amazingly cohesive and fun memoir that connects these heavy subjects in unexpected ways. It amazes me that Yogis is able to write about such weighty topics as religion and philosophy, then connect them to surfing, in a manner that is neither silly nor pompous. As an obsessed surfer and a daily meditator, I loved everything about this book. And to top it all off, I was lucky enough to meet Yogis in person at a recent book-signing and thoroughly enjoyed chatting with him—he was humble, insightful, and interested, which made me like the book even more. (Yogis’ first book Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer’s Quest to Find Zen on the Sea is one of my all-time favorites.)
The Haywire Heart: How too much exercise can kill you, and what you can do to protect your heart by Case, Mandrola, and Zinn – Back in June, I was running a 100-mile ultramarathon in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains, and my heart went completely nuts, ruining my race and giving me quite a scare. After multiple visits to cardiologists, I am apparently fine, but I walked away from the experience realizing that most doctors know next to nothing about ultra-distance endurance training and its effects on the body. Lucky for me, this book was published earlier this year and is written by several hardcore endurance athletes, one of whom is also a respected electrophysiologist. The book discusses how extreme exercise can affect the heart, the specific diagnoses, and the full spectrum of treatment options—all from the perspective of people who understand the realities of running non-stop for 24-48 hours at a time. A very niche subject for sure, but I highly recommend it, as it gave me solid base-level of understanding about the heart, cardiologists’ lingo, all of the treatment options, and more.
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy – I don’t know how I came across this book or why I read it—maybe because I was down in the dumps about my heart and unfinished race—but it was timely and surprisingly good. I generally shy away from self-help books, as they usually lead me down a rabbit hole of endless planning, systems, and processes, with very little action and results. This book didn’t really present any new ideas, but it was an effective repackaging of things I already knew at a time when I needed a fresh perspective. The basic ideas are: work extremely hard, make definitive choices, take full responsibility for everything, track your progress, be mindful of habits, and take action NOW. It’s not rocket science. It’s straightforward stuff that everyone knows in theory, but I took a lot away from Hardy’s original presentation of the familiar material. (One of the best self-help type books I’ve read and that I continually refer back to is The Art of Taking Action: Lessons from Japanese Psychology by Gregg Krech.)
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder – Very enlightening and short book that discusses how totalitarian regimes were able to take over societies during the 20th century. Most of the examples revolve around Hitler’s rise to power, and Snyder shows how Hitler’s transformation of Germany into a fascist regime was a complete surprise to many German scholars, politicians, and citizens—very few took him seriously at first, writing him off as an extremist clown. The book demonstrates just how vulnerable democratic societies can be to the pull of authoritarianism and how citizens must remain vigilant and proactive in repelling forces that threaten democracy. This would be an eye-opening book at any time, but given the current cuckoo political climate in the U.S., it’s even more important. (If you don’t know how to read, check out this interview with the author on Sam Harris’s Waking Up Podcast.)
Bad Land: An American Romance by Jonathan Raban – This book had been on my “to-read” list for quite a while, but a recent work trip to eastern Montana prompted me to bump it to the top of the list—an amazing book that I should’ve read years ago. It’s a history of the settlement of eastern Montana combined with the author’s personal journey traveling through and learning about this uniquely American landscape and culture. Raban details the railroads’ marketing trickery that convinced aspiring emigrants to pack up and move to a 320-acre patch of treeless, dry, windswept grassland. He explains the government’s propaganda touting the lie that “rain follows the plow,” which convinced most of these settlers to plow up healthy grass and plant crops that would not grow. Raban is British, so he brings an outsider’s perspective to his analysis, completely free of the romantic biases that Americans often harbor toward the West. Enlightening, funny, and entertaining—highly recommended. [I also recommend Theodore Roosevelt’s Hunting Trips of a Ranchman, as it lays the groundwork for TR’s love of the West, which directly affected some of the policies that led to the settlement of Montana.]
Theodore Roosevelt’s Letters to His Children by Theodore Roosevelt – I re-read this book and will likely re-read it every year for the rest of my life. Everyone knows that TR was a hard-charging politician (and soldier, naturalist, historian, hunter, explorer, rancher, etc.), but few understand that he was a truly devoted father and family man. This collection of letters is equal parts hilarious and heartwarming, and I also see it as instructional—he sets a great example of an engaged and fun father, while also modeling the values that I hope to pass along to my children. The book is full of ridiculous stories, such as a badger running loose in the White House, snakes slithering up the pants of Senators, and flying squirrels terrorizing presidential guests, all to the sheer delight of TR. But for every letter about mischief, there is a letter encouraging his children to work hard, be honest, and live up to high personal standards, no matter the influences of the outside world. [If you’re looking for a single good book in the ridiculous heap of the parenting genre, the best one I’ve read is Bringing Up Bebé: One American Woman Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman.]
In the Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time by Peter Lovenheim – Ever since becoming a father, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of community even more than I did before. I’ve also realized how our modern-day society inadvertently snubs out community—many Americans don’t know our neighbors, we’re isolated in our own little sealed-off worlds, mostly oblivious to the people who live in our immediate vicinity. In this book, the author, who has lived in the same suburban, high-end neighborhood for most of his life, realizes he doesn’t really know any of his neighbors, so he sets out to change that. Using the very, very weird technique of asking to spend the night in their homes, he learns the ins and outs of the neighbors’ lives, is able to make connections among once-strangers, and builds a nice community in what was once a sterile suburb. Some parts of the book are a little over the top (as in I would likely call the authorities on a neighbor doing some of the stuff this guy did), but his slightly odd community-building efforts make a strong point—communities matter and we need to be proactive in building and maintaining them. [For the best defense of community I’ve ever read, check out Sebastian Junger’s Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging.]
Free Will by Sam Harris – I really admire Sam Harris and see him as one of the most clear-thinking and rational voices on a wide spectrum of modern-day cultural issues. Most of his ideas make so much sense to me that I’ve begun actively trying to poke holes in every argument he makes—I never want to defer too much to one individual’s line of thinking (except TR). Free Will is one of those books that I do not want to agree with, but it’s hard for me to find a gap in Harris’s rationale. He argues that no one actually has free will—that all of our choices and opinions are the product of circumstances outside of our control and that no one is truly in control of themselves and their actions. He also argues that a lack of free will is not a bad thing, and that understanding and accepting this reality can improve huge parts of our lives and society. I continue to ruminate on these ideas weeks after finishing the book, so it obviously had an impact on my thinking. It’s a very short book, so if you like challenging your preconceived ideas, you should check it out. [I will once again recommend Sam Harris’s brain-scrambling book Lying—an argument that no one should lie about anything, ever, no matter how benign the issue may be.]
Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jocko Willink – So much for the idea of “no free will,” because I read this book with the intention of willing myself to be a little tougher, more disciplined, and an all-around better person. Jocko Willink is a retired Navy SEAL and one of the most genuinely hardcore dudes I’ve ever encountered. The book basically details his day-to-day operating system for living a successful life, which involves embracing discipline above all else. He declares that there are no shortcuts or secrets, that discipline is difficult and it should be. He touts the importance of getting up early, exercising daily, and always working from a list. All very simple ideas, but far from easy. To give you a sample of his no-nonsense advice, here’s a short passage: “People constantly ask me for the secret of getting up early. I tell them it is simple: Set your alarm clock and get out of bed when it goes off.” In a world of endless motivational quotes, “lifehacks,” and self-help foolishness, this book is refreshing, realistic, actionable, and no-nonsense. [If you’re not familiar with Jocko, you many want to check out his podcast or other book, Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win. I love his approach, but I can see how he may not be for everyone.]
Modern Huntsman, Volume 1 – Not a book per se, but this soon-to-be-published magazine will hold a place on my bookshelf alongside all the other important works that mean so much to me. This 200+ page magazine is the brainchild of several friends who happen to be some of the most interesting and impressive folks I know. The first edition of this publication, to be released in early 2018, will feature articles, photography, and commentary by an all-star team of deep-thinking conservationists, hunters, and adventurers. The goal of the publication is to improve the perception of hunting in our society through storytelling in a fresh, elegant, and thoughtful manner. I’m not an obsessed hunter, but my work in conservation and my understanding of natural history have given me a firsthand appreciation for the importance of hunting and the vital role it plays in conserving landscapes and species around the world. This is an important project on several levels, so watch the video on their Kickstarter page if you want to learn more and secure a copy for yourself.
Cattle Kingdom: The Hidden History of the Cowboy West by Christopher Knowlton – This is the book I’ve been waiting for since I moved West in 2005. It’s a comprehensive history of the settlement of the West, as shaped by the rapid expansion (and dramatic implosion) of the cattle ranching business. I loved this book because it’s broad enough to offer a solid overview of the timeframe of the first cattle drives north from Texas, but it also zooms in on specific individuals and events that were instrumental in fueling the western cattle boom. Despite my involvement in the ranching world and my voracious appetite for western history, I learned a lot from this book, specifically the influence of European investment on western settlement. To add to my excitement, there is lots of discussion of TR and his involvement in the West, which is always a welcome subject. [Speaking of TR, if you want a full book dedicated exclusively to his time in the West, check out Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands: A Young Politician’s Quest for Recovery in the American West by Roger Di Silvestro.]
The Rules Do Not Apply: A Memoir by Ariel Levy – For Pete’s sake, this author’s life is complicated. She’s a staff writer for the New Yorker and an enormously talented author, but how she had the guts to reveal such tragic, weird, sad, and extremely personal details of her life, I’ll never know. This memoir covers everything from her non-traditional family upbringing to a terrible tragedy that struck during a reporting trip to Mongolia, which resulted in the total upending of all aspects of her life. This is far from an upbeat, fun-to-read book, but despite my having almost nothing in common with the author, I found many of her insights and lessons learned to be wise and worth considering. I continue to think about this book weeks after finishing it, which I consider the mark of a book worth reading. It also makes me very thankful for my relatively boring life. [For another New Yorker-staff-writer memoir, read the Pulitzer Prize-winning Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan. It’s one of my all-time favorites.]
The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis—and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Relianceby Ben Sasse – Sasse is an up-and-coming Republican Senator from Nebraska, but you don’t need to agree with his politics to appreciate his insights in this excellent book. To be clear—this book is not the compiled rants of a well-to-do white guy complaining about how today’s youth don’t understand how good they’ve got it (e.g. “I used to walk 10 miles to school through the snow, uphill both ways!”). Rather, it’s an insightful, historically based examination of how recent cultural changes are making younger generations less prepared to compete and succeed in the real word. Sasse advocates for consuming less, reading more, traveling to deeply experience new cultures, and devoting oneself to meaningful, challenging work—it’s hard for me to disagree with any of that. And like Cattle Kingdom above, there are many TR references throughout the book, which only adds to its appeal.
Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden – Until a few years into his Vice Presidency, I wrongly assumed Joe Biden was just another fake-grinning, loudmouthed politician. But as I dug into his backstory, I was surprised to discover that behind the aviator sunglasses, the endless gaffes, and the persona created by The Onion, there is an amazingly decent, grounded, and truly optimistic man who has suffered—and recovered from—some of the most devastating personal experiences imaginable. He doesn’t drink, has never been wealthy, and is deeply admired by a wide range of colleagues from Strom Thurmond to Ted Kennedy. This book tells the story of his most recent loss, his son Beau’s death from aggressive brain cancer. It’s touching, insightful, and inspiring to understand how Biden dealt with yet another tragedy, and how he continued get up and keep pushing forward without becoming bitter. Included in the book is a bit of fluff about his Vice Presidential accomplishments, which is expected and hints that he’s not done with politics. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. [If you want the over-the-top, R-rated version of Joe Biden that colored my perception of the man for years, check out The Onion’scoverage of his Vice Presidency. Completely fictional, completely crude, and completely hilarious.]
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel – This is the true story of a complete weirdo who lived hidden in the Maine woods completely alone, never speaking to another human for 27 years. I enjoyed the book and read it quickly in just three sittings, but absolutely did not like the main character, the hermit Christopher Knight. Knight’s experience as a hermit was unlike any other known hermit—he was not seeking spiritual enlightenment nor did he have a true love of nature—according to the author, he just sort of sat around for the better part of three decades in a small, forested cove with no real purpose or reason for being there. Instead of hunting, trapping, or some other type of self-reliant badassery, he snuck around at night and stole all of his food, clothing, and gear from vacation homes and a nearby summer camp. My visceral reaction to the hermit and his lame “hunting and gathering” methods speaks to the author’s ability to tell an engrossing story that strikes a chord with readers. Very entertaining and worth a read. [One of my favorite books as a kid was Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, about a boy who actually hunts and fishes (and doesn’t steal) in order to survive in the wilderness.]
Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger – I re-read this book a few weeks ago, and will likely re-read it again and again. It’s no exaggeration that I think about it everyday and have bought numerous copies to give away to friends and family. It’s short and powerful and has redefined my thinking on the importance of community, purpose, and the social structure of modern-day America. I can’t recommend it enough. Here’s my original recommendation from July/August 2016. [But don’t take my word for it, the almighty Oprah loved it, too—listen to her podcast with Junger. Or listen to this Joe Rogan Podcast episode with Junger.]
