Recommend non-fiction books

[Kas]

Post non-fiction books you enjoyed. May be science, history, art ,biography, travel etc. - best with link or short description.


PS: If you have found something interesting on string theory or A.N.Whitehead thoughts on philosophy and cosmology (it seems impossible for me to get "Process and Reality") please mention me


Two books I enjoyed a lot during last year were:

"A brief history of time" by Stephen Hawking - It's a classic, so I suppose I don't have to recommend/advertise it, but I was really surprised by the way it's written: relatively simple way still without treating reader from above. I can't say I comprehend everything that was said there, but there was only one moment when I really got lost because met limits of my imagination. I think it's very good introduction to contemporary physics and cosmology.

"The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum" by Temple Grandin- It's interesting position as study of what are the autistic and non-autistic brains like, what is the way they process (usually we see only comparison on how autistic brain is different). I also appreciate the scientific approach and practical advices (based on her own experiences). But mostly there is a lot of freshness in what she says about patterns in the world. It's big advantage of perceiving world in different manner, that we notice different aspects of it.

 

[magpie]

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster: Svetlana Alexievich, Keith Gessen: 8601419240876: Amazon.com: Books - On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history occurred in Chernobyl and contaminated as much as three quarters of Europe. Voices from Chernobyl is the first book to present personal accounts of the tragedy. Journalist Svetlana Alexievich interviewed hundreds of people affected by the meltdown---from innocent citizens to firefighters to those called in to clean up the disaster---and their stories reveal the fear, anger, and uncertainty with which they still live. Comprised of interviews in monologue form, Voices from Chernobyl is a crucially important work, unforgettable in its emotional power and honesty.

 

[Peter Deadpan]

*thinks about the dozens of non-fiction books I have but have failed to finish reading*

 

[Mole]

Post non-fiction books you enjoyed. May be science, history, art ,biography, travel etc. - best with link or short description. PS: If you have found something interesting on string theory or A.N.Whitehead thoughts on philosophy and cosmology (it seems impossible for me to get "Process and Reality") please mention me Two books I enjoyed a lot during last year were: "A brief history of time" by Stephen Hawking - It's a classic, so I suppose I don't have to recommend/advertise it, but I was really surprised by the way it's written: relatively simple way still without treating reader from above. I can't say I comprehend everything that was said there, but there was only one moment when I really got lost because met limits of my imagination. I think it's very good introduction to contemporary physics and cosmology. "The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum" by Temple Grandin- It's interesting position as study of what are the autistic and non-autistic brains like, what is the way they process (usually we see only comparison on how autistic brain is different). I also appreciate the scientific approach and practical advices (based on her own experiences). But mostly there is a lot of freshness in what she says about patterns in the world. It's big advantage of perceiving world in different manner, that we notice different aspects of it.

For Your Own Good by Alice Miller.
The Origin of Consciousness by Julian Jaynes.
Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan.

 

[Kas]

*thinks about the dozens of non-fiction books I have but have failed to finish reading*

I suppose these were are worthy recommending

 

[á´…eparted]

Musicophilia by Oliver Sachs. It is absolutely fascinating. All about the biology of music and disorders related to it.

 

[Lark]

For Your Own Good by Alice Miller.
The Origin of Consciousness by Julian Jaynes.
Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan.

The Rational Optimist, both the book and the blog, are very good sources for a well rounded critique of Jaynes, I know you like critiques [MENTION=3325]Mole[/MENTION]

 

[Lark]

I always have a couple of good non-fiction books on the go at any one time but at present I've been reading more fiction, classics like A Clockwork Orange, which I finished last week, and Catch 22, which I am reading now, slowly, as I am not sure I like it, and I may read Catcher In The Rye afterwards. Books I feel I should have read years ago. I'm also reading a book which is awful but some kind of page turner cheeseburger fiction of a hellraiser type called Infernal City, its not a great book and its highly predictable but sometimes you just want to chill I guess.

I'm reading a book on social learning and psychological theories called I'll Have What She's Having, I like it, its well written and has a good pace despite dealing with a lot of things like game theory which I've read about before and find I wind up reading about for the Nth time when I read non-fiction, there's other ideas too like direct and indirect reciprocity theory which I feel are rephrasing of older ideas but its good to read them.

 

[biohazard]

This one changed my whole perspective on obesity, food, and our bodies.:

 

[biohazard]

This one is great for understanding yourself and he has tools and theories you can use to handle stress.:

 

[Lark]

This one is great for understanding yourself and he has tools and theories you can use to handle stress.:

Do you find it practical though? I have tried to read Robins before and found it very disappointing.

 

[biohazard]

And this one was really cool and can change your perspective on humans as a species.:

 

[biohazard]

Do you find it practical though? I have tried to read Robins before and found it very disappointing.

Somewhat. I think it's more geared toward changing attitudes, perceptions, emotion, etc. But if you're one of those people who need that, it can help. I think the practical parts are the ones where he teaches you to recognize your emotional states and how they're not helping you. I think those messages are powerful in and of itself so you can act with wisdom. So it's one of those things where you gotta pick and choose what to apply.

 

[ceecee]

Cumin, Camels, and Caravans: A Spice Odyssey by Gary Paul Nabhan.

 

[Lexicon]

Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See
by Robert Kurson

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Blinded in a childhood accident, Mike May never hesitated to try anything—driving a motorcycle, hiking alone in the woods, downhill skiing—until the day, when May was 46, an ophthalmologist told him a new stem-cell and cornea transplant could restore his vision. As Esquire contributing editor Kurson (Shadow Divers) relates, the decision to have the surgery wasn't easy. May, always a "pioneer in his heart," had never really felt he was missing anything in life. The surgery also had a few risks: the restoration of sight might only be temporary; the immunosuppressive drug was highly toxic; May might never adjust to the changes having sight would cause. Previously, patients had become depressed, their lives ruined because, while it might seem strange to sighted people, these patients found that the idea of vision was better than the reality. May went forward, only to find that, even though his eye was now perfect, his brain had forgotten how to process visual input. Fascinated by colors and patterns, he had difficulty discerning facial features, letters, even men from women. How May adjusts to his medical miracle, living with the disappointments as well as the joys, makes for a remarkable story of courage and endurance.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.





From Bookmarks Magazine
Robert Kurson's Shadow Divers (**** Sept/Oct 2004), a tale of a deadly search for a German U-boat off the coast of New Jersey, became an instant classic among adventure readers who enjoy well-told, high-octane nonfiction. In Crashing Through, the author finds an equally compelling subject. Kurson's journalistic instincts are strong, and tight writing and thorough research reflect his journalist background. The profile of Mike May is generally engaging-particularly in describing the difficult transition to the sighted world and what happens when May is ripped out of his comfort zone. However, readers should know that the story of May's personal struggles takes a back seat to Kurson's lucid exploration of the brain's circuitry and fascinating details of how we can have vision without really seeing.
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

Amazon.com: Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See eBook: Robert Kurson: Kindle Store

 

[Kas]

Musicophilia by Oliver Sachs. It is absolutely fascinating. All about the biology of music and disorders related to it.

I love Sachs' books, but haven't read this one yet.

 

[á´…eparted]

I love Sachs' books, but haven't read this one yet.

I highly recommend it! He is a fascinating person, and I see some interesting parrallels between him and I.

 

[Lark]

I love Sachs' books, but haven't read this one yet.

His book on gratitude was a fantastic read, I really enjoyed it despite some fundamental differences with him and some content I couldnt relate to, I think he was a great guy who'll be missed.

 

[Eternal Harmony]

Post non-fiction books you enjoyed. May be science, history, art ,biography, travel etc. - best with link or short description.


PS: If you have found something interesting on string theory or A.N.Whitehead thoughts on philosophy and cosmology (it seems impossible for me to get "Process and Reality") please mention me


Two books I enjoyed a lot during last year were:

"A brief history of time" by Stephen Hawking - It's a classic, so I suppose I don't have to recommend/advertise it, but I was really surprised by the way it's written: relatively simple way still without treating reader from above. I can't say I comprehend everything that was said there, but there was only one moment when I really got lost because met limits of my imagination. I think it's very good introduction to contemporary physics and cosmology.

Good to know that there is also another reader of Stephen Hawking. I like "The Universe in a Nutshell". It is a quite interesting study beginning at Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity up to the time curves and the bran world.

 

[SD45T-2]

A couple off the top of my head.

Augustine's Laws: Norman R. Augustine: 9781563472398: Amazon.com: Books

A very entertaining read, mostly about engineering, aerospace, government, and defense procurement, but applicable to many other fields as well.

In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette: Hampton Sides: 9780307946911: Amazon.com: Books

If you want a spectacular and thrilling adventure, In the Kingdom of Ice is hard to beat. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say that some of the popular theories about the Arctic at the time turned out to be hilariously wrong.