FROM THE SPINE - MAY 2022 BOOK REVIEWS

 May 2022

In May we celebrated Memorial Day and I honored the fallen troops by doing 1/2 Murph. I’ll be sore for a week. Jet just turned 8. It’s hard to figure out how he got so big so fast. School is out for the kids and so the summer adventures begin. Joey won VIP tickets to the Whiskey Meyers show and was generous to share with Aubrey and me. We love the live music, but we are not quite fancy enough for VIP so we’ll stick to GA. Jet’s soccer season ended with a couple of big wins. The boys learned a lot this season from Coach Wes and I learned that I’d rather be Dad than Coach. I was also able to go out shooting a few times in May. We shot clays off of the thrower and also went out and shot a sporting clays course. Sporting clays are challenging and it’s one of my favorite things to do. The Kansas wind made it extra challenging and humbling.

Here are the books I finished in May 2022 and my short reviews of them:

Short Stories/Articles

The Top Idea in Your Mind by Paul Graham

The stuff you think about in the shower- it’s really important. Don’t waste that time. The biggest thieves of this passive thinking time are money issues and disputes. If you can keep your biggest challenge (Top Idea) in a place where your mind can chew on it both deliberately and passively, breakthroughs are sure to come. 

13 Strategies That Will Make You A Better Reader (And Person)

Here are the two that I am working on: 1- Look for wisdom, not facts. Seeing how people approach challenges and trials helps me calibrate my approaches. 2- Don’t just learn from experience. There are too many mistakes to be made in life to be able to make them all yourself. It’s better if you share with many others who have gone before you. Which strategy speaks to you?

Fiction Books

The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemmingway

Everyone needs an old man in their lives. Someone to teach them how to fish, how to avoid danger, how to survive, how to suffer with pride and courage when a job calls for it. There have been several old men in my life who poured their wisdom and energy into me just like the old man in this story pours into the boy. The old man is a fisherman who has gone 84 days without a catch, but on the 85th day, he hooks the biggest marlin he's ever seen. The fish is so big that it holds the fisherman and his gift out to sea for two days before he finally tires and surfaces for a final showdown. Many subtle themes resonate with me in the old man’s story- fishing with the old man like fishing with Grand Dad Southard, working hard, being willing to suffer, being tough, and taking care of people with kindness, humility, and dignity. Thanks, Jarrod for reminding me about this book.

This book is for young men and old men and the women trying to understand them. 

(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Donald Sutherland, 2:28)  

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archives 1)

I’ve been reading longer books this year, and this one was long. With over 1100 pages worth of space to paint, this book has amazing depth. The author uses progressive disclosure to open the onion layers of the characters, the world, and the plot. Ironically, it takes the whole book just to set up the scary truths that I suppose are explored in the rest of the series. There are three main story arcs that all tie in together at the end of the book: 1- Kaladin is a surgeon, slave, soldier, and leader of men. 2- Dalinar is the Blackthorn, warlord, shard plate and shard blade wielder, father, high prince, and visionary. 3- Jasnah is a researcher, magician, teacher, philosopher, and historian. Kaladin grows up studying under his father as a surgeon, goes to war to protect his brother, and ends up betrayed into slavery where he gets sold onto Bridge 4. As a bridge runner in the war, Kaladin is supposed to be expendable, hopeless, and broken, but he fights against the status quo, becomes bridge leader, and ends up uniting the men on his bridge into a cohesive fighting unit. Dalinar is mired in politics, trying to save the kingdom from ruin, learning from visions he doesn’t understand about events and powers that only legends can explain. As a high prince, and uncle to the king, Dalinar is the type of strong, disciplined leader that I would want to fight for, but chaos and greed threaten to undermine him at every turn. Eventually, he is betrayed and left for dead in battle surrounded by enemies and abandoned by all except his men, and Bridge 4. Jasnah is highly educated and esteemed by some and hated by others because of the religious and philosophical views she holds. Through her interactions with a young seeker Shallan, who becomes Jasnah’s ward (student) the reader learns about the research Jasnah is doing, her skill in magic and how magic works, and ultimately, the doom approaching. The book is a fantastic leadership fable showing both small-group leadership development through Kaladin and large-scale tactical/political leadership through Dalinar. Other big questions are explored: Can you save lives through violence? What type of leaders are men drawn to, loyal to, and willing to die for? Can you learn how to approach the future by studying the past? What happens when religion becomes a source of power and control rather than a path to answers for seekers? Who is the Almighty? The story is clever, well-written, engaging, layered, nuanced, and balanced. I’ve tried to summarize the major parts of the story because there isn’t room for all the other characters, side stories, quirks, and jokes that add richness to the full story. Thanks, Lucas for talking me past the scary length of this book. On a side note, this book hits all seven inescapable themes. 

This is for leaders, fighters, and anyone who likes fantasy. 

(Rated PG, Score 10/10, hardback, 1000p., audiobook read by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer)

Sierra Six by Mark Greaney (Gray Man #11)

Sierra Six is a mashup of two story arcs: 1- present-day Court Gentry is on the run from the CIA again and working a black market job when he comes face to face with a ghost from his past. 2- twelve years ago, 25-year-old Court is pulled out of the field working as a singleton asset and plugged into a six-man team in CIA Ground Branch called Gulf Sierra or the Goon Squad. The terrorist (Kahn) is the same guy in both stories. He is building dirty (nuclear) bombs and trying to change the global landscape in Afghanistan and India. Young Court struggles with the integration into the Gulf Sierra because he is used to working alone and his team doesn't trust him. His ninja skills keep him from getting fired and shipped back home. He helps the team track down a busload of stolen explosives and shuts down a team of terrorists shooting civilians in a shopping mall. but he shoots one of his team members in the fog of war, causing his team to ostracize him even more. The team raids the bad guy's bunker and flushes out the dirty bombs and assumes that Kahn died in a helicopter crash. Present-day Court has to rescue the drone operator who is kidnapped by Khan when her drone is detected and tracked back to her. Court learns Khan is working with Indian mobsters. Court also teams up with an old spy who was crushed by the events of 12 years ago. The old spy actually set Court up to find Khan, hoping Court would recognize the terrorist and kill him immediately. Court figures out that Khan has built a massive dirty bomb in the skeleton of a new skyscraper in Mumbai and is ready to detonate it and destroy the financial sector of the country. Court assaults the building in a monsoon, hoping to stop the bomb from being detonated. I enjoyed the action-packed plots, and it was interesting to see the development of the younger Gray Man as he grapples with terrorism, death, revenge, fitting into a team, and understanding his place in the chaos. 

This book is for action junkies and Gray Man fans. 

(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Jay Snyder, 15:58) 

Non-Fiction Books

Flamin' Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man's Rise from Janitor to Top Executive by Richard Montanez 

This is a crazy story where a janitor creates a multi-billion dollar product, writes a book on efficiency, and rises above his humble roots to lead his company (Frito Lay) out of decline and into success. Montanez is a character; he has style and humor and many lessons from his struggles. From the mop closet to the board room he worked hard, owned his work, learned what it is to take initiative, and made connections with many of the leaders who believed in him. He teaches younger workers how to take pride in their work. He exemplifies the idea of acting like an owner. Montanez watched a video from the CEO asking for every employee to create ideas for growing the company and took it to heart. He and his family saw an opportunity to expand chips into a wide-open market- there weren’t any snacks for the Latin families who liked things with extra spices. Seeing this huge gap in the market, Montanez invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Then he went way out on a limb and called up the CEO with his idea. Everyone wanted to watch the janitor get fired for calling the CEO directly, but instead, he got the chance to pitch his idea to the CEO and many other executives. Montanez didn’t know how to pitch, so he went to the library and checked out some books, and developed a pitch. Everyone held their breath as he got ready for his presentation, but he still didn’t get fired. He nailed it. But the business wasn’t ready for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to go big. They started small, so Montanez took his family out to the LA shops that were selling a few bags here and there and bought them all up and convinced the owners of the shops to buy more. Orders increased, and eventually, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos became a billion-dollar product. Don’t be afraid to look ridiculous. Don’t stop at “what if?”, keep going through “Why not?”, and work your way through the “What then?” questions that will lead your dream to challenge the status quo. Finally, study your words. Know what they mean. Chose them carefully. They have power. Words define our realities. Speak words of power into your dreams and your families. I love this story. It’s a grander version of my own story (which is not quite as far along). 

This book is for the little guy who needs a boost, the brave, and the leaders yet to breakthrough.

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Steven Montanez, 6:21)

Deep Work by Cal Newport

This is a book about doing deep (extended, undistracted, focused) brain work. In Part 1 Newport argues 1- deep work is valuable, 2- deep work is rare, and 3- deep work is meaningful. In Part 2 Newport describes many strategies for building deep work habits and getting away from shallow distractions. Here are the 4 rules and some ideas discussed to support them: Rule 1- Work deeply. Focus on the wildly important. Act on the lead measures. Keep a compelling scoreboard. Have a cadence of accountability. Schedule blocks of time to be disconnected from the internet. Practice working to a deadline to improve focus. Rule 2- Embrace boredom. Meditate proactively by working on a problem while going on a walk or a run. Rule 3- Quit social media. Write down the top goals you are trying to achieve, then evaluate if the networking tools (social media, IM, email, etc…) support accomplishing these goals. If not, don’t use them. Rule 4- Drain the shallows. Schedule your workday on paper. Fix your schedule and say no to shallow tasks. Be hard to reach. Don’t reply to emails. Build the habit of letting small bad things happen so that you have time to do big good things. Here’s an ironic twist- I tried reading this book last year, but I got distracted. Having dug in and finished it, I did find several strategies I intend to use at work and was validated in several of the strategies that I already use. 

This book is for thought workers, craftsmen, and the easily distracted. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Jeff Bottoms, 7:44)

The Motive by Patrick Lencioni 

The first part of the book is a leadership fable- a story meant to teach the following principles: There are two types of leaders- rewards-based leaders and responsibility-based leaders. The motivation that each leader uses to power his leadership determines the success they will see result from their actions. Rewards-based leaders are the type that see leadership as a reward or finish line for their hard work. They see it as a chance to work on what they want and tend to be entitled and they neglect key areas of their teams and organizations. Responsibility-based leaders see their jobs as an opportunity to serve others. They recognize the areas that are critical to their teams’ and organizations’ success that cannot be delegated. Like Jocko says, they take extreme ownership. Here are the five critical areas that are most neglected by rewards-based leaders: 1- Leadership team development. Making the executive team cooperate and thrive is critical to the success of the organization. 2- Managing subordinates and making them manage theirs. Everyone needs to be managed. Not micro-managed, just held accountable for moving in the best direction for the company and executing critical tasks toward the company’s goals. 3- Having difficult and uncomfortable conversations. The leader must be the one to initiate the conversations to address behavior issues, squash office politics, and force discussion of the critical issues that the group is not addressing. 4- Running great team meetings. If your meetings suck, your decision-making will also suck. It’s the leader’s job to make meetings well-organized, engaging, and focused on deciding critical directions for the team. 5- Communicating constantly and repetitively to employees. It’s the leader’s job to make sure that everyone knows what the company’s function, mission, and goals are and to keep reminding them of key initiatives. No one ever left a company because the company's leaders over-communicated. These are not fun or glamorous parts of leading, but they are critical. Leaders who seek to serve will execute them well. Leaders who are in it for themselves will ignore or delegate these areas to the detriment of their organizations. 

This is for anyone who aspires to lead well and serve others. 

(Rated PG-13, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Jim Frangione, 2:37)

Preview/Currently Reading-

Undistracted by Bob Goff

The Time Traveler’s Wife

The Ogress and the Orphans

The High King (Chronicles of Prydain #5)

There’s Treasure Everywhere

I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists. 

Final Thoughts- 

I tried to be more thoughtful about the book reviews I wrote this month. I tried to be more deliberate. I took more time to think about the themes and ideas in each book and tried to relate some of that pondering in these reviews. I hope it shows. 

Thanks for adventuring with me. 

Joshua

Instagram: Fromthespine

PPS. Please feel free to share this with your reading friends. If they want to be on my email list, let me know. 

PPPS. Send me book ideas, brand ideas, or questions. I love the feedback.

FROM THE SPINE - APRIL 2022 BOOK REVIEWS

April 2022

It felt like we finally got into a groove with school, work, and sports. At work, we caught our breath after a crazy first quarter. At home, we have been sorting through things and getting ready for a garage sale. Jet has had soccer and Taekwondo. Millie has been taking swim lessons. We celebrated Easter, hosted family for a few nights, and I remembered that I’m getting pretty old for rock concerts. 

Here are the books I finished in April 2022 and my short reviews of them:

Short Stories/ Plays

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

This is a play written to portray the Salem Witch Trials. It is a brutal depiction of religion gone wrong. The power of mass hysteria leads the community to hang many of its citizens based on the accusations brought by their neighbors. Fear is an intoxicating drug that can galvanize the mob toward violence and malice. I’d like to see a live performance of this play. The audio version was performed by a full cast, but it was a little hard to follow in all the drama. Thanks, Jarrod for the suggestion. 

Little Pilgrim’s Big Journey Adapted from Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

This is a much abbreviated, illustrated version of the great journey of Christian from the City Destruction along the pilgrim’s faith path to the Celestial City. The story is allegorical, meaning the characters’ names are representative of their roles and identity in the story. I read this with the kids and they really enjoyed it. Each chapter has a summary and questions for comprehension. The illustrations help to tell the story in memorable ways. Thanks, John and Cindy for this beautiful gift for the kids. They loved it. 

Fiction Books

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

How many of us are so scared of death that we forget to live? How many of us, if faced with death in the form of a debilitating and fatal disease like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) could embrace the process and touch the lives of those around us and end with dignity and peace? Tuesdays are the days that Mitch meets with Morrie, both in college and later as Morrie is fading away. Mitch uses the meetings to discuss life’s deep questions with the wise old man. Mitch records the discussions and turns them into this book. The book sales pay for Morrie’s medical bills and give many people a glimpse into the wisdom only those familiar with the shadow of death could share. The pair discuss the world, feeling sorry for yourself, regrets, death, family, emotions, the fear of aging, money, marriage, culture, forgiveness, and how love goes on. Mitch slowly becomes more comfortable with his old friend and can see and hear the wisdom and kindness that overpower those fears and frustrations that Morrie experiences. This is a very difficult book. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows and puppies; as a matter of fact, it’s the opposite of those- death and darkness and sadness. But we all will experience those things in this world and this book gives us a healthy framework to weather those storms. 

This book is for anyone dealing with death or sickness and looking for wisdom,

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by the author, 3:42)  

Relentless by Mark Greaney (Gray Man #10)

Something big is brewing in Berlin. Top spooks are disappearing. The CIA is scrambling to sort out what’s going down. Matt Hanley pulls the Gray Man out of medical treatment and sends him to South America to interrogate a former CIA IT specialist. Court Gentry (the Gray Man) is in no shape to be down in Venezuela. He has a bone infection and needs a month of IV antibiotics and rest to get back to normal. But his country needs him, so he packs some pills and some gear and ninja’s his way into Caracas. He finds his man, extracts some answers at gunpoint, and is about to haul the traitor back to America when the house is nearly leveled by a crew of mercenaries who are cleaning up loose ends. So Court heads to Berlin to back up Zoya Zakharova, who has gotten a job working for Shrike Group and is digging for the truth about the op they are working in Berlin. Eventually, Court, Zoya, and Zach Hightower must make a stand to protect Matt Hanley and the US Ambassador to Germany against a highly sophisticated terror attack executed by Quds Force soldiers being manipulated by a crown prince. Oh, and in the background, the Russians are hunting Zoya with malice. I love the Gray Man doing his thing with a massive infection and other injuries stacking up. Court is tough. 

This is for Gray Man fans and readers needing a book to keep them hooked. 

(Rated R, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Jay Snyder, 15:39, ebook, 512p.)

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

If you have read or watched The Lord of the Rings movies, or The Hobbit, you know the world of middle earth created by Tolkien. The Silmarillion is the story of how the whole earth (including Middle Earth) was made. It is deep and rich and complex. The writing style is old English style, heavy with descriptions and details and many names. Like Narnia, Eä (the world) is sung into being in the first part of the book. In the second part, Tolkien describes the Valar and Mayar, which are like gods or angels who shape the world and create much of its substance and structure. The third part of the book is the set of stories about the Silmarils, which are three jewels. Most of the drama, heartache, and sorrow are caused by the wars fought for these jewels. The stories involve the beginning of the races of elves, men, and dwarves. The evil of this time is made by Morgoth Bauglir who was one of the Valar, but who fell into darkness and wrath. There are many storied about the elves and their histories. They made the Silmarils and when Morgoth stole them, they made many oaths and mistakes trying to reclaim them. The fourth part of the book is about the rise and fall of the Númenorians. The final part is the story of the Rings of Power, where Tolkien tells how Sauron creates the one ring to control the other rings of power. Nine rings Sauron gave to men, seven to the dwarves, and thee others were made, and he kept the one ring. This is a great overview of the events leading up to and included in The Lord of the Rings. 

This book is for patient readers, or readers who like old language style and epics. 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Martin Shaw 14:49)

The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted and Rachelle Dekker

It’s interesting how stories seem to come in related sets. This story goes hand in hand with The Crucible. Grace lives in a post-apocalyptic, isolated town that has extremely strict rules and religious practices. The town is surrounded by a thick red rope which marks the boundary between the faithful and the outside world. Trouble begins when Grace’s brother Jamie begins to doubt that the outside world is as dangerous as they have been made to believe. He sneaks out to explore and to find evidence of the furies who were supposed to be destroying everything and everyone not in the protected town. When the leaders of the town find out that Jamie and Grace have been breaking the law, they send them out to face the world and to learn the truth about the furies. The furies find them after night falls. Returning to the town Grace and Jamie fight to recover peace in the town, but two new visitors cause the town’s leadership to take extreme measures to protect their way of life. This is a powerful picture of fear ruling people and ruining lives, while love is the only weapon against fear. Or, as I like to quote, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

This book is for anyone dealing with fear issues.

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Sandy Rustin, 10:05)  

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

This is a short book of stories written in the voice and language of a young, poor Mexican-American girl growing up in a falling-down house on Mango Street in Chicago. Some of Esmerelda’s stories are sad, others are funny, and they reminded me of different parts of my childhood. There’s a story about the girls finding some fancy high-heeled shoes and wearing them around trying to be like the older girls. There’s a story about the Vargas kids and how bad they were. Esmerelda’s stories are about wanting to come from a house that isn’t as poor; a house  that would make her feel proud instead of embarrassed. Thanks, Jarrod for the book idea. 

This book is for readers looking for a different perspective. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by the author, 2:19)

Non-Fiction Books

Five Presidents by Clint Hill

Who gets a front-row seat to all the big events in politics? The Secret Service agents who are assigned to the leaders involved in those world-shaping events. Clint Hill wrote this book as a therapy for all the trauma and stress he lived through as a Secret Service agent serving under five different American Presidents. Clint starts in the Secret Service during the Eisenhower presidency. With Ike, he learns how the president can run a tight organization and always find time for a round of golf. Using his military organizational skills Eisenhower tours the world promoting peace and freedom. His aim was to win the world over to peace. Hill learns a lot of basic security lessons working international travels on the presidential detail. Hill sees the president struggle with Russia in the cold war. The critical error of Eisenhower’s presidency comes when the U2 spy plane is shot down in Russia and the CIA tries to cover up their spy activities. When Kennedy is elected, Hill worries that his days working with the presidential detail might be over. Instead, he is assigned as the agent in charge of the First Lady’s security. Hill is still close enough to the president to see him falter during the Bay of Pigs incident in Cuba, and later redeem himself during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Hill also witnesses the family’s struggle as they deal with the death of baby Patrick Kennedy. In Dallas, Hill experiences the assassination of President Kennedy brutally close. Hill is the agent on the back of the car trying to cover both Kennedys as President Kennedy is shot. Hill relives those events in horror for the rest of his career. He is not able to properly start dealing with the trauma until he retires from the Secret Service many years later. Hill’s protective duties for Mrs. Kennedy extend into LBJ’s presidency as the nation mourns their slain leader. Eventually, Hill is reassigned to President Johnson’s detail where he and his team scramble to keep the crazy Texan President safe despite all his random ideas and willingness to risk his safety to connect with crowds. Johnson’s presidency was defined by racial strife, the Vietnam War, and times at his ranch in Texas. Hill’s leadership expanded during this time and he received extra training and increased responsibilities. Hill’s role in the Secret Service moved to the Vice President’s detail during the Nixon administration and into management as his experience grew. Finally, during Ford’s administration, Hill was forced to retire to deal with health issues caused by the years of stress and trauma in his career. Only in his retirement did Hill begin to discuss the events he witnessed. 

Thanks, Nolan for this excellent book recommendation.

This book is for anyone interested in history or the evolution of the Secret Service. 

(Rated PG-13, Score 10/10, audiobook read by George Newbern, 14:31)

Courage is Calling by Ryan Holiday  (The Stoic Virtues #1)

This is the first in what I imagine will be a 4 book series covering the four stoic virtues: courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. This book is broken up into three parts: Fear, Courage, and the Heroic. Part 1 Fear- we all feel fear. We all get scared. But being scared is temporary. Living in constant fear is a choice. Good leaders can dispel fear with logic and hope. When fear is defined, it can be defeated. Here are some of my favorite ideas and quotes: “Plenty and peace breed cowards, Shakespeare said. “Hardness ever of hardiness is mother.” There are many cowards around. “If we are going to indict anyone for their cowardice, let it be silently, by example.” “Waste not a second questioning another man’s courage. Put that scrutiny solely on your own.“ “The fear you feel is a sign. If courage is never required in your life, you’re living a boring life.” “Fear speaks the powerful logic of self-interest. It is also an inveterate liar.”Asking for help is brave. Ask for what you need.  “What we want in life, what the world needs-all of it is on the other side of fear.  All of it is accessed through courage, should we choose to wield it.” Part 2- Courage - Debating is just time-wasting. Decide and act. Cynicism is cowardice. Courage is Gauche. “We can’t just bemoan the darkness of this world we live in. We have to search for the light. We have to be the light.“ “Violence is rarely the answer-but when it is, it’s the only answer.” We must have the courage to step through our fears and do brave things. Part 3- the Heroic. The heroic is what is beyond daily courage. The Spartans were heroic at Thermopylae where 300 Spartans faced 1 million Persians.  They sacrificed for the greater good. They didn’t shy away. They knew that they weren’t going home. They fought anyway. The opposite of fear isn’t courage, the opposite of fear is love. Fighting and sacrificing your life for those you love. The difference between raw courage and the heroic lies in The Who- who was it for? Make people better. Heroes make their luck through action. Holiday uses several historic figures to illustrate the ideas above. He discusses Florence Nightingale, who revolutionized medicine. He uses Martin Luther King Jr. who led this country in the civil rights movement. He uses the Spartans, and many other brave leaders who faced fears, acted in courage, and became heroes. This is an excellent book for understanding courage. Thanks, Eddie, for letting me borrow it. 

This book is for those seeking to beat their fears and step into courage.

(Rated PG-13, Score 9/10, Hardcover, 277p.)

What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell

The purpose of this collection of stories is to get you to think differently about things. There are many topics that Gladwell covers including Pitchmen, the Dog Whisperer, puzzles vs mysteries, the homelessness problem, and auto-emissions. Gladwell picks apart the psychology of many bad decisions and methodologies. It’s interesting to see how badly some of our assumptions end up working out. One example that I found interesting is the homeless problem. We assume that the cost of homeless care would be stretched in a bell curve with a regular distribution, but it’s not. It’s more like a hockey stick where a few specific chronically homeless people end up burning up most of the budget. So it’s much cheaper to provide extra care for those few hard cases than it is to try to provide nominal care for all those who don’t need it. One adventure that was close to home for me from a professional perspective was Gladwell’s discussion about the Challenger disaster. He breaks down the mindset that could lead to such a disaster. At NASA there was a normalization of risk mitigation. That is, they had spent so much time discussing, examining, and mitigating risks associated with potential failures, that they seem to have forgotten that space travel is inherently dangerous and that given enough exposure, the risk always catches up. 

This book is for anyone needing some new ways to think. 

(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by the author, 12:49)

Preview/Currently Reading-

The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemmingway

Undistracted by Bob Goff

I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists. 

Final Thoughts- 

Thank you to those who sent me ideas of dangerous things they are doing. I enjoyed those conversations. Thank you for all the recommendations for books too. We are getting closer to summer. Do you have big plans for summer vacations now that the world is getting back to normal? We have a trip to Colorado planned, and a trip to watch the US Mens National team play Uruguay in the works. 

Thanks for adventuring with me. 

Joshua

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