Category: Nonfiction

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History Nonfiction Reference

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

A Short History of Nearly Everything

“In A Short History of Nearly Everything, the famed and much beloved writer Bill Bryson confronts his greatest challenge; to understand – and if possible, answer – the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. To that end he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, paleontologists, physicists, astronomers, anthropologists and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories and field camps. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest and it is a profound, funny, supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it.”

A Short History of Nearly Everything is a book that is summed up perfectly by it’s title. I really enjoyed reading throught the dialogue that Bill Bryson has with different experts. Looking at some of the hardest, yet most fundemental questions that man has asked, Bill Bryson tackles it head on by research and a lot of conversation. There are a couple of chapters that I have held pretty loosely as theory. The book is good, and not all jolly, as it has a more serious side with talk of super – volcanoes and extinctions and the realities of the changing nature of our planet. There are several laugh out loud and revelationary moments in the book that make it well worth the read!!Read the review on amazon

Categories
Nonfiction Self-Help

Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell

thinking for a Change

“At the heart of John C. Maxwell’s brilliant and inspiring book is a simple premise: To do well in life, we must think well. But can we actually learn new mental habits? THINKING FOR A CHANGE answers that with a resounding “yes” – and shows how changing your thinking can indeed change your life. Drawing on the words and deeds of many of the world’s greatest leaders and using interactive quizzes, this empowering book helps you assess your thinking style, guides you to new ones and step by step teaches you the secrets of: Big-Picture Thinking, Focused Thinking, Creative Thinking     and Shared Thinking”.

Thinking for a change.- I am quite convinced that the ability to organise thoughts and the information we possess is one of the keys to effective leadership. John Maxwell clearly excels at this ongoing task. He is also a great advocate of each person making quality thinking time for themselves. That is a subject I run across again and again these days. It’s always difficult to set aside time for prayer, reflection and thinking , but John Maxwell’s book is a great encouragement to do so. Again and again he inspires the reader to effective thinking and the development of ideas. That dimension of leadership is not often stressed as much as it needs to be. John Maxwell has done us a real favour.

Categories
Business and Technology Politics Professional Science

The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman

The World is Flat

“In his brilliant new book Thomas L.Friedman demystifies this brave new world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering global scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foriegn policy and economic issues, Friedman explainshow the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries companies, communities and individuals; and how governments and societies can, and must, adapt. The World Is Flat is a timely and essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.”

This is the book everyone is talking about. I heard people mention it and read about it in interviews several times before I finally ordered a copy. I was not disappointed even though it’s long and sometimes gets a little bit detailed. Nevertheless the overall themes of the book are far sighted and will provide a grid through which we will see the world for many years to come. I find myself using the phase “The earth is flat” again and again to describe our current international environment, especially when it comes to communications and information technology. The book is not primarily about technology but about the way our world is changing. I think it is a “must read” for people who are trying to understand the way the world is changing and why.

Categories
Nonfiction

The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly – Jean-Dominique Bauby

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

“On 8 December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, a 42 year old father of two and editor-in-chief of Elle magazine in Paris, sufferd a massive stroke and slipped into a coma. When he regained consciousness three weeks later, he was paralysed, speechless and only able to move one muscle: his left eyelid. Yet his mind remained active and alert as ever. By signalling with his eyelid he ‘dictated’ this book, blinking to indicate each individual letter as an alphabet was repeatedly read to him. Trapped inside his own body, his dispatches are poignant and often wryly humorous. He tells us about his new life in a hospital overlooking the English Channel, the flights of fancy that sustain him, the meals he can only eat in his imagination. And he describes with special care his feelings for his two young children.”

This book is unforgettable. It’s so unbelievable how the author managed to dictate this book by moving only one eyelid that he could have written a description of his hospital ceiling and it would have been remarkable. What he does manage to write leaves you with such a sense of loss that he didn’t live to write more. His book is like a series of essays, recording his current feelings and observations and remembered experiences. The prose is unbearably real, heartbreakingly beautiful.Read more reviews on amazon