Got through 14 books this year —> here are my top 5 that made the greatest impression on me. Thank you to everyone who shared their recs with me.
Economic Dignity - Gene Sperling. The chief economic advisor in the Obama White House makes a compelling case for why economic policy must have a double bottom line that includes human dignity as a goal. Rather than describing a utopia in broad strokes, Sperling points to specific policies that have opportunities to improve the workplace experience for large swathes of the labor market. In particular, I appreciated his view on caregiving and the benefits that higher pay for caregivers offers in improving health while simultaneously reducing long-term care costs. Recommend for folks interested in public health and public policy.
Range - David Epstein. As someone who enjoys developing seemingly unrelated skillsets across fields like computer science, business, medicine, and basic science, Epstein’s take on the importance of identifying gaps that are missed by specialists resonated with my personal philosophy. As the full adage goes, “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one” Recommend for young professionals.
Educated - Tara Westover. When we are locked in the education ecosystem, often overburdened with exams and projects, it can be hard to step back and appreciate the power of education. Dr. Westover’s story is a profound reminder that education is not often easily accessible, yet often, is the sole opportunity for a broadened perspective and economic advancement. Recommend for everyone.
Dealers of Lightning - Michael Hiltzik. Xerox PARC is an often forgotten part of computing history. The Laser Printer, Graphic User Interface, IPv6 internet protocol, the computer “mouse”, and several other important computing advances were developed by the Palo Alto Research Centre (PARC). Without Steve Jobs’ visit to PARC, Apple would not be where it is today. Xerox’s colossal inability to commercialize their own incredible inventions serve as an important lesson as to the importance of technical understanding in corporate governance. Recommend for folks in tech & business leadership.
Editing Humanity - Kevin Davies. CRISPR technology was discovered less than 15 years, yet it seems to be the talk of every scientific discussion & therapeutic opportunity. The story of how a bacterial mechanism hypothesis that was rejected by 3 top journals eventually unraveled into our most promising opportunity against 100s of diseases is one that is riddled with lessons about perseverance and the power of scientific curiosity. Most importantly, author Kevin Davies makes it incredibly clear that science is not a linear pursuit. Cross-over between fields is only seen when retrospectively connecting discoveries. Recommend for folks pursuing scientific careers.