I love to read and learn about new things all the time. Below, I’ve shared some of the things that I’m currently working through as well as some of the books that I’ve come to love over the years. If you happen to pick any of these up, I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

What I’m Reading Right Now

Wilkerson (2020). Caste: The Origins of our Discontents

Druyan & Sagan (1995). The Demon-Haunted World

Books

Non-Fiction

  • Walter (2022). How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them.
    • This is a fantastic read that provides a framework for understanding intrastate conflict. Highly relevent.
  • Nestor (2020). Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

  • An in-depth treatment of the evolution of our breath. Very eye-opening.

  • Hand (2020). Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space
    • One of the best treatments of origins-of-life research by an incredible expert.
  • Winegard (2019). The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator
    • Did you think roving bands of marauders or food scarcity might be the biggest threat if societies collapse? Think again! We should all be most afraid of mosquitos.
  • Page (2018). The Model Thinker
    • Dozens of helpful (and simple!) mental models for navigating our complex world.
  • Mann (2018). The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow’s World
    • A wonderful treatment of climate science rooted in the stories of scientists who shaped food production in the 20th century.
  • Gaddis (2018). On Grand Strategy
    • On Temperament and Aligning Ends With Means
  • Rothstein (2017). The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
    • An essential foundation in understanding residential segregation and generational poverty.
  • Minoui (2017). The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War
    • A study of life in a warzone centered on a thing I love: books.
  • Parry (2017). Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone
    • One of the most heartbreaking books I’ve ever read. On how we grapple with profound loss.
  • Kimmerer (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
    • Take only half.
  • Mitchell (2009). Complexity: A Guided Tour
    • There is no better tour guide for a sojourn in complexity.
  • Mann (2005). 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
    • An essential history to help us unlearn the lies our teachers told us.

Fiction

  • Brooks-Dalton (2022). The Light Pirate
    • Strangely a very hopeful book. The first third is harrowing.
  • García Márquez (1969). One Hundred Years of Solitude
    • “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”