These are my picks for the top five non-fiction books I read this year:
5- Kelly: More Than My Share of It All by Clarence L. Johnson, Maggie Smith
Kelly Johnson grew up in a large family in poverty in the small town of Ishpeming, Michigan. From a young age, he excelled in taking care of himself and learning how to do new things. He was earning money in construction while he was still in elementary school. He understood the value of hard work early on. His dream was to design and build airplanes even before airplanes were being mass-produced. Everything he did in school leaned toward aviation, sciences, and math. I liked reading about the way he grew up and made his own way in the world; it was a similar story to mine. In college, Kelly learned a wide variety of sciences and developed the wind tunnel program for the university. Kelly was hired at Lockheed out of college where he worked his whole career from the Electra to the Skunk Works and from entry-level to chief engineer. Kelly turned down promotions so he could keep living his dream of designing and building airplanes. The book also describes his personal life, his three marriages, his ranches, and his horse riding adventures. As an engineer, Kelli has a quirky personality. Being an engineer and working with engineers I understand this quirkiness which might seem very odd to others. I admire Kelly’s style- no-nonsense, candid, and results-oriented. The end of the book relays his hopes and ideas for national security and technological advancements. He had a more ambitious view of the future than perhaps we deserve, and I dare say he would be disappointed with our progress. I’m sure he expected us to have space laser defenses by now. This was a fun and interesting read. Thanks, Joey for letting me borrow it.
This book is for airplane guys, engineers, and history buffs.
(Rated PG, Score 10/10, paperback, 224p)
4- The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
There are two types of games: finite and infinite. For finite games, there are clear rules, a beginning and end, and players choose to play. Soccer is a finite game. In an infinite game, there can be many players who don’t even know they are playing, there is no clear set of rules, and there is no clear beginning and no clear ending. In an infinite game, the point is to keep playing as long as possible. Life is an infinite game. Sinek argues that companies are using a finite mindset when they would be better served to be using an infinite mindset. Leaders are choosing short-term tactics to “win” and it is causing long-term problems. Sinek points out that many public companies have been working quarter to quarter trying to maximize shareholder earnings using finite methods like layoffs to meet arbitrary projections. They should be focusing on the long-term by investing in employees and giving value to customers and in the end, those methods would take care of the long-term success and short-term success too. Companies that can unite in the service of a just cause are better able to weather storms and focus on results. Sinek defines a just cause as being for something, inclusive, service-oriented, resilient, and idealistic. In order to keep the focus on the just cause, companies need a CEO who will champion the just cause and communicate it clearly over and over. A strong CEO will build trusting teams, protect from ethical fading, and build the will and resources to succeed in the future. Sinek also touches on the need for companies to have existential flexibility which allows them to change and adapt in order to survive. Working for a big, public company for several years, I have seen finite-minded leaders make extremely poor choices for short-term “wins” that end up crippling our capabilities for long after those short-term choices are gone. I have also seen some brave leaders who are willing to do the right things for their people in spite of the pressures they get to do the easy things or cut corners. Seeing the trust and success of those leaders willing to take the harder road with an infinite mindset has been encouraging to me as I learn to lead.
This book is for anyone who leads.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by the author, 6:56)
3- Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking by Jon Acuff
Go back to 9th grade in your mind and think about the songs that were popular back then. It probably doesn’t take much time or energy to think of those songs that were playing in the background during all those favorite (or awful) formative moments. Those are the soundtracks of that period. Now think about the thoughts that run rampant in your head today. “I’ll never catch up on ____ (laundry, dishes, sleep, chores, rent, and so on).” “I wish I could ___.” “I never…I always… They never… They always…” Those are soundtracks too. Those soundtracks define much of our thought lives. And the worst bit is that we don’t typically pick them. But the simple truth is that we can pick them if we slow down, examine them, and then decide what soundtracks we want to play in our minds and for our lives. Here’s how. First, filter your soundtracks through these three filtering questions: Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it kind? If the answer is no, it’s probably a broken soundtrack. Broken soundtracks need to be dialed down not switched off. You can’t switch them off. You can turn down the volume and focus on other things. Broken soundtracks lead to inaction and overthinking. Jon describes 5 of his favorite techniques for turning down the broken soundtracks in his head: 1- Exercise. 2- Legos. 3- Make a list. 4- Do simple tasks. 5- Interact with friends. If those don’t work for you, there are 50 more ideas in the book. You can also flip a broken soundtrack. Turn a negative into a positive. “I’m afraid” can be flipped into “I’m excited”. “I can’t” can be flipped into “I can’t yet” or “I’m learning”. Replace broken soundtracks with new ones. If you can’t think up a new one on your own, steal from someone else. Here are some suggestions: People are trying to give me money. I will feel awesome after ___. Spare change adds up. Pick ROI over ego. Pivot, don’t panic. These positive soundtracks affect your brain and feelings in amazing, positive ways. But good soundtracks don’t do the trick on their own. You have to act your way out of overthinking. Start small and just do something. Doing moves you from being stuck in your head to chasing your dreams. This is a fantastic book. Jon is hilarious. The content is very relatable and actionable. I wish I had known some of these tricks when I was stuck overthinking about finishing my basement. It could have saved me years of overthinking like a Roomba in a corner. I’ll revisit this book and I’m looking for other books by Acuff.
This book is for everyone looking for real ways to improve their lives.
(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by the author, 5:14)
2- Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown
Emotions are hard to talk about. We feel things in completely different parts of our bodies and brains from the places we use for language, so they can feel disconnected. We all know the basic three, right? Happy, sad, and mad. But often, those aren’t good enough to describe the deep emotions we are experiencing or help us relate to others going through them. This book is a map of 87 different emotions and feelings that are grouped in families. The intent is to provide language around each one, context, stories, and other useful information about all these feelings so that we can better understand ourselves and each other. I like the way the descriptions were grouped in “geographical groups” to give better context. Brown’s concept of near enemies vs far enemies was a new idea for me and I’ve been pondering it. As an example set, the far enemy of connection is disconnection, and the near enemy of connection is control. I’ve been a fan of Brown’s work for a long time because she is willing to discuss tough topics like shame, vulnerability, recovery, and empathy. Her storytelling style has evolved over the course of her writing career and this book draws on many of her past core learnings and expands on them in new ways. I listened to the audiobook but I intend to get a hard copy to use as a reference and guide as my children grow and our relationships and emotions become more complex. I’ll probably filter a few of the colorful language choices for the kids, but maybe I won’t. We’ll have to have that conversation at some point.
This book is for humans with feelings. (No drones or AIs).
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by the author, 8:29)
1- 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)
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