Below are books I finished reading in January 2020. I’m noting a few things I like about them.
1. A Promised Land, Barrack Obama (701pp)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s undeniable that Obama is a great writer. He managed to cover in details his political life from being the State Senator to ascending to the Presidency. I’m surprised I was able to follow – and actually feel interested in – many of his explanation on various American political issues. Obama’s vivid descriptions of the people and surroundings intertwined with his sober self-reflections (oftentimes self-doubts) made a book a page-turner at times.
The only drawback of the book, however, is its sheer length. Obama admits he is just too wordy. 700 pages gets you only to 2 May 2011 when the US carried out Operation Neptune’s Spear taking out Osama bin Laden on Pakistan’s soil. He still hasn’t even touched on his re-election and the entire second term!
Nevertheless, I highly recommend the book. Apart from being a very informative, the former President managed to remain optimistic about the future, highly respectful even towards his political opponents and inspiring after years in American politics.
2. The Ride of A Lifetime, Robert Iger
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I listened to this business book on my daily runs. It’s such a pleasant audiobook! Bill Gates has a much longer review if you are interested. Iger until recently was the CEO of Walt Disney. During his time, Disney bought Pixar Animation, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21 Century Fox. Iger’s succinct prose and humble tone stood out throughout the recording (some parts were narrated by the author himself). His negotiation and friendship with Steve Jobs were discussed at length in the book. Many crucial and heartfelt moments were captured so well I thought I was the room with them.
As with any business book, it contains many managerial lessons that readers might dismiss as cliché. But to Iger’s credit, he illustrated each of these mantra with his personal story so well-told that inspires you to think of ways to apply to your own challenges.
3. A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
This is a beautiful story about a man named Alexander Ilyich Rostov. Not just any man. Count Rostov’s life story was set in the majestic Hotel Metropolitan in Moscow since early 1900s as he was sentenced to life sentence there. Russia transformed over the many decades during his confinement and the story unfolded as he remained core to his values, he also changed and evolved. The details, the exquisitely written sentences and the supporting characters who stick around Count Rostov through the years also evolved. And not to mention the other main cast in the story – a little girl named Nina whom the Count met earlier in his sentence and her daughter Sophia later on. I was so emotionally attached to the characters that it actually saddened me when the book ended.
4. Deep Work, Cal Newport
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Great book with principles and tips on why and how to structure your workday to get more deep work done and minimize shallow work. The central argument is that deep work is a skill to get valuable things done. The more deep work you can do, the more valuable you will become as a knowledge worker and also you will live a fuller life. Similar genre with Atomic Habits by James Clear
5. The Algebra of Happiness, Scott Galloway
⭐️⭐️1/2
It seems this book reads just like how Prof Galloway speaks. However, despite the colloquial tone and its brevity, the book doesn’t really offer any fresh insights that most don’t already know. There’s a reference list in the Epilogue that contain useful further readings. A better read in this genre – as I believe one should live their life not just happily but meaningfully – is How Will You Measure Your Life? by the late Clayton Christensen.
Keane Nguyen 