Some Favorite Books

If you are looking for fun books to explore during the Covid lockdown.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

• Review: If I were to choose a character from history whom I would meet, learn from and take long walks with, I would place Marcus Aurelius high up. I love his book. The book contains observations and notes written as reminders to himself, as a human and an emperor. I found his advice to be thoughtful. To me, this book is way better than a lot of the leadership books common these days. It speaks to the importance of inward reflection, self- and other- awareness, ethics and virtue, and being present and focused.

When Breath Becomes Air

• Review: I cried a lot as I was reading this book. At age 36, Dr. Kalanithi- an ambitious neurosurgeon, caring husband, avid reader, and compassionate human- was found to have terminal lung cancer. He wrote this book in his final days as he was facing his cancer. His words are honest and thoughtful, writing beautifully about how major illnesses can transform people and entire families. Above all, the book forces readers to think about the inevitability of our mortality.

The Namesake

• Review: This is a warm and profound novel about the experience of an Indian family who immigrated to America. What is it like to for parents who grew up in India to raise “American” kids? What does it mean to be part of two cultures?

Quite: The Power of Introverts in a World That Cannot Stop Talking

• Review: Our society nowadays revolves around the “extravert” ideal — someone who can network, speak up in class, and is generally outspoken. How did extraversion become the ideal throughout the 20th century, and what is wrong with that? What is introversion, and how can we design a world that leverages the strength of everyone across the introversion — extraversion spectrum.

The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life

• Review: The author, Prof. Puett, teaches the third most famous course for Harvard undergrads. The book presents the perspective of different Chinese philosophers on some of the most profound questions: What does it mean to be a good person? Why is there so much disconnect between what we say we believe and what we actually do? Is there anything we can learn from Chinese philosophers about how we should live life (yes)?

Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason and the Gap Between Us and Them

• Review: Read this book if you’re interested in the following questions: How do we come to make moral decisions? Why do you believe what you believe? What can psychology and neuroscience tell us about how people behave morally?

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

• Review: After losing her mother to cancer in her early twenties, Cheryl Strayed lost her inner sense of direction and purpose. She tried to keep the rest of her family together, but failed and ended up engaging in many self-destructive behaviors. She felt lost, broken, scared and lonely! After years, she decided to hike up the Pacific Crest Trail alone and to survive in the wilderness for 100 days hoping it would help her remember who she was before her mother’s death. She was probably the first female to hike up the trail, and the only female on the trail at the time. Her journey was that of overcoming fears and of searching for a lost and broken identity. One of my favorite quotes is “I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave”.