“Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man.” –Francis Bacon (Wikipedia)
...read 42 books in the past 12 months...
1. Joshua Wolf Shenk, Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled his Greatness. If you think mental illness is only for followers, think again. This is an excellent discussion of depression at the top and how it contributes to a style of leadership.
2. Howe and Strauss, The Fourth Turning. An exhausting presentation of a theory that America is entering a period of decline and extreme turbulence owing to a historical cycle of change. I seriously doubt the conclusions the authors reach, owing to their selective use of facts and historical analogies. Yet I recommend it as a stimulating representative of “declinist” writings. Sure to challenge your comfortable optimism.
3. Manfred Kets de Vries, Happiness Factor. I had the pleasure of teaching this book in a small seminar last winter. It is a succinct summary of research and writings on human happiness. Are you happy? Maybe the pursuit of happiness is not the best pursuit in life. Read this, and think further.
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15. George Tenet, At the Center of the Storm
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