Tag: Nonfiction

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Nonfiction

I think I picked this book up at just the right moment in my life. The things I do in the next few weeks have the potential to change the next few years of my life for the better or worse and I feel like some of the theories I have read in this book might be able to help me. I was recently laid off, and like most people that lose their jobs unexpectedly I didn’t know what to do for a few days. The author posed some questions that I believe by answering will help me figure out what I need to do. 

I found myself relating to so many stories chronicled by the author of people she had met and interviewed. I had so many aha moments, I put post-it notes on several pages of passages I wanted to read again and philosophical questions I wanted to go back and try to answer about myself. Chapter three in particular was when I first made a huge connection to this book. It made me realize why I hated school so much, working in groups, open concept layouts, lack of privacy, introverts hate these things, they can’t concentrate and they don’t produce their best work under these circumstances. I can recall many times in my life when I was required to work with a group for a project, and I always felt that I could have done something better on my own. Or other times when I was in a classroom trying to get a head start on my homework but really wishing I could just leave then and there and do it in my bedroom. 

I think I could read this book several more times and mark several more spots that I want to go back to and reflect on. I feel like this is a book that I am going to revisit many times in my life, especially when I feel like I need to try and learn something about myself or when I feel like I need to accept who I am. I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who is an introvert or for anyone who wants some insight into the life of an introvert.

The Art Of Deception: An Introduction To Critical Thinking by Nicholas Capaldi and Miles Smit

Nonfiction

This book does not live up to what I imagined it might be. I thought it would be eye opening and insightful, and instead I just found it very dry. It was like I was reading a high school science textbook and an English textbook at the same time, the information was presented to you in that kind of nap-inducing manner. But I couldn’t help but be surprised, especially after reading about the importance of adhering to the English rules of grammar in the introduction, when I found a grammatical error less than fifty pages in. For me, that was the most exciting thing in the entire text.

In the introduction, six parts, and appendix, part three was the only section that I found mildly interesting, or less dry at least, but it definitely peaked there and then fell off. I will say, there is a lot of well thought out information in this book. It is definitely a must read if you are either a law student or considering studying law, I imagine it would be very helpful for learning techniques to implement in the courtroom. Each chapter ends with summary and exercises, and although I did read the summary I did not practice any of the exercises. I didn’t think pursuing the exercises would be worth my time, much like I now feel about having read this book. It’s well written and very educational, it’s just not the kind of knowledge I was interested in gaining.

The Perfect Predator by Steffanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson

Nonfiction

I can’t believe that I found another book about disease and illness that I loved so much when I just finished one not too long ago. It’s the perfect mix of biography and advocacy, but also medical science that an average person will be able to understand. Steffanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson do an incredible job of telling the story of his battle against a killer bacteria, from the days leading up to his first symptoms, to a year after he finally was able to leave the hospital.

While I was already aware of the dangers our society is facing regarding antibiotic resistance, these two doctors really get the point across that this is an issue that we need to be more aware of and that we need to start making a plan of action towards. In this book, you can learn about how some bacteria have gone from harmless to deadly, the speeds at which they can detect threats and adapt to them, and how quickly they are able to pass along what they have learned when they reproduce, which all factor into how and why some bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics. When a deadly bacteria is resistant to all the medications you can throw at it, the last thing you may be able to do is attack it with bacteriophages, or viruses, but most people do not know about this type of treatment. Even so, knowing about this treatment doesn’t mean you can get it because the treatment is not available everywhere. It has pretty much only been implemented in medical facilities in Georgia and Poland since phage therapy was discovered. Other than that, phage therapy is mostly only studied in labs in very few locations elsewhere and it’s not tested or used to treat humans. This is pretty frightening. 

While not as terrifying as some of the other medical and psychology books I have read, it is still scary to know that there is a really good treatment out there that is not being utilized to its full potential because it is thought of as dangerous, taboo, or second best to traditional antibiotics. I am going to keep my eye out for more books on the subject because I am very curious about this subject seeing as it could be the future of medicine.

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

Nonfiction

I never thought that the most horrifying book I would ever read would be nonfiction. The first twenty pages alone are just as anxiety-inducing and frightening as the beginning of a scary movie. I felt nearly the same as I would during the first few minutes into watching a new thriller, I was unsure as to what type of horror awaited me and I was anticipating being scared.The narrative, the detail, it’s incredible, the way this man writes is absolutely brilliant. I couldn’t turn my eyes from the page, so much so that I haven’t read a piece of nonfiction this fast in a long time. I can’t even remember where I heard about this book and why I thought it was wish list worthy, but I am so elated that I finally made the decision to buy it. I could read this book over and over again. I feel like this says a lot for a book that is about the Ebola and Marburg viruses. 

However, if you have a hard time reading about blood and gruesome bodily functions, I would suggest staying away. I love the macabre, but there were times when I was like, wow, the author really isn’t holding back here, this couldn’t be any more graphic. There were passages that even I thought were a bit too much. At the same time, this attention to detail will not deter me from purchasing another book written by this man, a book that happens to contain the same subject matter, Crisis in the Red Zone, which I hope to read and review in the near future.

Off The Clock by Laura Vanderkam

Nonfiction

I was at the mall book store having a casual browse, which is incredibly dangerous, and I saw this in the discount section. I am so happy that I bought it, because I love this book. I did not have a hard time finding a block of time in the day to fit in my daily read because I always looked forward to it. This book is very well written, well organized, and it is full of helpful tips.

Off The Clock is divided into seven sections, each describing a different way to go about making the most out of your time. I found something useful or inspiring in every chapter and I even had a few moments where I was like, wow, that is a great way to go about thinking and why have I never considered it that way before. 

The first chapter, Tend Your Garden, is about dedicating time, you don’t need to schedule every minute to make sure you have enough time to do everything you want or need to do. Chapter two, Make Life Memorable, discusses the idea that we don’t really want more time, we just want our time to be filled with moments that we remember. The third chapter, Don’t Fill Time, deals with not over scheduling yourself. Chapter four, Linger, is about enjoying the moment and not thinking about what you have to do next. The fifth chapter is titled Invest In Your Happiness, which is all about doing the important things or things that really matter first, so that you have more time in which to do things that make you happy. Chapter six, Let It Go, tries to help you in letting go of unrealistic expectations. There was a really great sentence on page 177 about relationships that I particularly liked, and I won’t even try to summarize it because it was written perfectly. The last chapter, People Are A Good Use Of Time, gives advice on how to choose who to spend your time with and why it is good to invest in people. 

I can’t wait to try implementing some of these concepts into my own life, I’m optimistic that they will be helpful. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a self help read regarding how to better manage your time. It reads like a novel rather than a self help book, which makes it a much more pleasant read than your typical guide book.