Brian’s Top 5 Books - 2023
I love to read, but am not a 50-100 books a year person. I did finish 25 books in 2023, perhaps an all-time high. These five had the greatest impact and were worth every minute invested.
The Escape Artist, The Man Who Broke out of Auschwitz to Warn the World, Jonathan Freedland. The biography of Walter Rosenberg, later Rudolf Vrba, born in Slovakia, imprisoned by the Nazis twice for being a Jew, and escaping both times, the second with a memorized record of the details of the slaughter in that death camp. I appreciated seeing the arc of his life and the impact of his survival on his later life. It’s a stark reminder that heroism has many forms, and in the midst of it does not feel heroic, and the path forward is not always clear or obvious.
Negotiating the Impossible: How to Break Deadlock and Resolve Ugly Conflicts (without Money or Muscle), Deepak Malhotra. I re-read many negotiation books while updating my class on the topic, this one is one of my favorites. Fun to read, with practical principles from both mundane and high-stakes negotiations, including the Cuban missile crisis and pro-sports union lockouts.
A Thousand Brains, A New Theory of Intelligence, Jeff Hawkins. Of all the AI books I read or skimmed, this was the one that takes our current thinking to the next level. You only need to read the first 60 pages to understand Hawkin’s theory (which he is making a reality at his company Numenta). He maps out where we need to go next on our AI journey while at the same time explaining some of the everyday phenomena that we experience in our heads. Absolutely fascinating.
Clear Thinking, Turning Ordinary Moments in Extraordinary Results, Shane Parrish. I love this topic - strategies to overcome the 50,000 years of evolutionary-based thinking that is baked into our brains, but in today’s world, limit - rather than help - our odds of survival. Other books in the category I’ve enjoyed include “Charlie Munger’s Alamanac,” Rolf Dobelli’s “The Art of Thinking Clearly,” and Keith Cunningham's “The Road Less Stupid.” But Parrish is one of the best in making it practical and actionable. Be sure to subscribe to his Farnham Street newsletter and read his great blog archive at fs.blog.
Shoe Dog, A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, Phil Knight. A great story, and a front-row seat to how hard it is to build a successful business, no matter the industry or era. In 7th grade, when I talked my parents into letting me graduate from Chuck Taylors to a set of leather Nike basketball high tops, Nike felt like a well-established brand. In reality, they had just survived an existential crisis, negotiating with banks for funding to keep operations running. In business, it’s never over, you’ve never conquered your market, and there’s always another challenge. But that’s the game and what makes it so much fun!
My reading approach is heavy on sampling. I try to read 20-30 minutes most days and probably finish ⅓ of the books I start. For many, I never get fully through the sample download on my Kindle, others will get 2-5 chapters. In addition to finishing 25 last year, I read parts of 15 more and skimmed the Kindle sample of an additional 20. I am currently reading 5: 3 business, 1 history, and 1 fiction.
