Since 2020, I’ve found more time for books (simply because of less travel and commute) - particularly in the biography genre and audiobooks, which I can easily listen to while taking a hike.
As we step into 2022, I’d like to offer a few highlights on some books that have had a long-lasting impact on how I think and how I see the world. I hope they can be helpful to you too when you are considering compiling your 2022 reading list:
Temptations by Otis Williams
I love the music and the story of Temptations. I remembered watching the TV series when I was a kid in China and was really intrigued by the music first and then the entrepreneurial journey of the band. The book provides real insight (and struggles) into Motown music back in the 70s. It’s a story of art, culture, race, and entrepreneurship. A must-read and a must-listen!
Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny by Robert Wright
I might have recommended this book to many friends before. If you have enjoyed Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, then you would probably like this book. Starting from stone-age villages, Wright breaks down the human evolution by its nonzero framework - it asserts that “organisms and human societies alike have grown more complex by mastering the challenges of internal cooperation.”
In other words, although we might experience short-term conflicts and uncertain fluctuation, the long-term destiny of the human race is somewhat predictable - in that we, collectively, always move to an outcome of more value created for others. That’s the north star for companies and it’s also the truth for life, isn’t it?
Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order Why Nations Succeed or Fail By Ray Dalio
Like many others, I’ve been following Dalio’s free chapter posts on Linkedin since 2020 but am so glad that it came out as a published book finally. Dalio and his team have done extensive research on the macro trend of empires’ rise and fall. And it’s particularly interesting to look at several charts it presents in the book - e.g. how spending on improvement (i.e. education, infrastructure) is a leading indicator of a country’s future prosperity, whereas spending on complacency (i.e. taking on debt, luxury goods) can be a sign of a country’s future decline. Coupling this book with Wright’s NoneZero provides a very interesting bird-view of the world.
Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age By Stephen R. Platt
What an eye-opening book! As a Chinese, of course I’m familiar with this part of the history. Well, that’s what I thought. Platt’s book, backed by an abundance of research, provides a whole different perspective of that history to me. I had always thought during that period of time, China was weak/ closed-off and then the loss to the war was obvious and somewhat inevitable. But just like many things in life, real history had multiple dimensions of factors at play - there was a good chance that the war might not have had taken place or China might actually have had won the war should certain low-possibility events did not happen.
Being a good writer Platt is, he takes you in his time machine where not only you can see the macro geopolitics at a place back then, but also zoom in on the day-to-day lives of local government officials and foreign traders in China. It’s an insightful and yet enjoyable book that makes you think.
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World By Jack Weatherford
It’s a book that I might have recommended in the past but it is such a well-written book that it’s worthwhile to mention it again. It lays out almost the opposite (positive) case of Imperial Twilight.
Bruce Lee A Life By Matthew Polly
Everyone knows Burce Lee and his “Be water, my friend” quote, but few know Bruce’s brief yet stellar life. Polly’s book is a fairly objective biography of Bruce’s life - from his childhood to his sudden passing at age 32. Bruce might not be a perfect person but in his life, you see a man’s dedication to martial arts, courage to act, and an innate pride in being who he is. We can all learn from that.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters by Atul Gawande
At first, I thought it might be one of those “preaching” books. I was wrong. Gawande, a practicing surgeon, talks to you just like a friend would, by sharing his own senior care experience with his patients and with his dad. In a world where we are busy with living, we tend to brush off the dying piece of life equation to the very end. Or oftentimes, we tell ourselves that someone is working on a medicine for XYZ, without truly getting comfortable with the process of aging and dying. Gawade’s book didn’t provide us the answer but rather raise the challenging question for us to think - what matters in the end?
Kitchen Confidential By Anthony Bourdain
Many people probably had already read Kitchen Confidential before Bourdain became more famous from his travel documentaries. But I was the late one. Although I’m a huge fan of Bourdain’s work, I had never read his book until 2020 - 2 years after his passing.
It still saddens me while I’m writing this but few would have imagined such a joyful, light-hearted person would commit suicide. Bourdain is a terrific writer - not only he is witty but also very few can describe one’s first oyster experience like Bourdain did:
“Everything was different now. Everything. I’d not only survived — I’d enjoyed… I’d learned something. Viscerally, instinctively, spiritually — even in some small precursive way, sexually — and there was no turning back. The genie was out of the bottle. My life as a cook, and as a chef, had begun.”
It’s an amazing book, written by an amazing human being. Thank you for the joy you had brought to this messy world.
The following are equally great books that do not make it to the comment list not because they are not good - but simply because some are out of my depth and I need to re-read them before making hopefully helpful comments:
Biography:
Sam Walton: Made in America
Can't Hurt Me By David Goggins
How to American: An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Deep Stuff:
The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves by W. Brian Arthur
The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World by David Deutsch
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
Brief Answers to the Big Questions
Great Stories:
American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork
Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
How Stuff Works:
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
The Cold Start Problem: How to Start and Scale Network Effects
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.
Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It
Philosophy
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
The Man on the Mountaintop: An Audible Original Drama
Krishnamurti: Reflections on the Self
Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender