Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I felt like the beginning was really captivating and most of the book was exciting. I thought the ending sort of fell flat. In some ways I’m kind of glad because I thought I would be compelled to read the whole long series. But now I feel satisfied and don’t plan to read anymore.
There were a few very interesting philosophical lines (of course I can’t remember them now. agh!) and I thought the characters and story were great. (the connection to Hunger Games is striking).
The ending made me think of some weird science fiction movie I’ve seen that suddenly ends with tripped out, strange, mystical euphoria. Its like they don’t quite no how to end the movie so they send it into this indescribable ecstasy which can’t be explained with words (I’m thinking of, for example, the final Matrix). I mean I think there was some good stuff with the ending of this book but I got lost in the euphoria and didn’t feel like going back to re-read it.
It also seemed that although the activities of his brother and sister were a major part of the story, they only received tangential mentioning.
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Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Another great book on behavioral economics. Sometimes he came off a little arrogant. Sometimes I wish he had more citations. And sometimes he repeated himself.
The truth about relativity – This chapter focuses on the decoy effect. For example, the Economist magazine has three options print only $100, electronic only $120, and print and electronic $130. Most people choose the third because they think, Wow for only $10 more I get both. But then when presented with only choice one and three, most people choose one. The second choice is a decoy. I have heard it said that Walmart often puts three items out. Crappy, ok but expensive (the decoy), and really expensive. People choose the third.
The fallacy of supply and demand – The focus is on “anchoring” which is what we do when we buy stuff, we base our perceptions on our anchor. For example, if someone buys a house at a certain point in time in or location then they are usually anchored to that price and compare all future prices they hear about to that anchor. So 10 years later or if they move to a new city they are shocked by the prices. He demonstrates that price can be manipulated by setting someones anchor. He asks a class if they would be willing to pay $5 for something. All their subsequent responses are anchored to that price. With a different group he starts with $20 and shows that their subsequent responses are anchored to that price. He argues that price points (supply and demand) are often based on our anchor.
The cost of free – Basically that we nuts when we we see the word “free.” We take home “free” pens that we don’t need. We wait in long lines for “free” stupid stuff.
being paid vs. a friendly favor – When money enters the picture it changes everything. If you help someone do something for no money you have a friendly relationship. As soon as someone mentions money the relationship changes to business relationship. Often people are willing to do more for friendship than for money. This is why from now on I will pay the babysitters (businiess relationship) and Brooke will maintain the nice relationship.
Emotion in decision making – arousal makes us irrational. Look at rapists. (This chapter was unexpected.)
Procrastination and self control – we make poor decisions in the heat of the moment
High price of ownership – we overly value things we own. When buying car we fight for low prices and don’t understand the seller’s high price. When selling our own car we attach our personal fondness to the price. Funny story about Duke students waiting in line for a lottery ticket for a football game. While waiting in line they all seemed to value the ticket equally. But then when winners of the lotter (ticket owners) were offered $2,000 they wouldn’t sell and losers (didn’t have the ticket) were offered $200 they wouldn’t buy.
the effect of expectations – When told that vinegar was added to their beer people didn’t like it. When told it was something special they liked it. (Don’t tell people, “you won’t like this”).
Power of Price – High price makes us thinks something is great. He tells of a medical procedure that was really expensive and it turns out the high price caused a placebo effect. This is the same reason why I’ve told Ben he should sell his photos for more money.
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1776 by David McCullough
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very interesting book. Often a book is good or not depending on what is happening in your life. I read this just after finishing a bunch of deadlines at work. I needed to finish my goal before the end of the year and I didn’t feel rushed. I enjoyed coming to the book each night for an escape to another time.
The book begins with the siege in Boston and the taking of Dorchester Heights. This was especially interesting because we visited historical sites in Boston last summer so I could imagine it all a little better. Washington and the rebels sneakily took Dorchester Heights in the middle of the night resulting in winning Boston. The Brits leave and spend the next few months on boats near Canada while Washington marched to New York. The British arrive in New York with awesome power and easily take the city. Washington heads to New Jersey and it looks like he is going to loses more ground to the British. Then on Christmas night they attack Trenton and win. This was a big turning point for Washington and the Americans. The win raised morale (especially because they beat the scary Hessians) and strengthened Washington as a leader.
I learned a lot. I didn’t realize how indecisive Washington was. And how there were many leaders who had lost faith in him with the defeat in New York. Solider’s from both sides deserted frequently. The war was really expensive and many people were tired of giving money to Washington. There were lots of Loyalists throughout the country. The most surprising thing I learned was that on numerous occasions the war could have easily gone the other way.
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Anthem by Ayn Rand
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Terrible. This book is listed on numerous conservative book lists and I had heard two tea party politicians mention it. So I thought I would give it a try. The writing was horrible (using “We” instead of “I” was painfully annoying) and you must be an extreme nut case if you find any political value in this over the top nonsense. The book suggests equity is a slippery slope that leads to a government that will ban mirrors because you might notice how you’re better than others and you cannot have friends because that means you have preferences. Silly. I threw the book away.
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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a really fun book. I was especially impressed with the writing. A few times her descriptions of Katniss’s observations were so realistic that I would forget that it was fiction.
I don’t know if I read any more books from the series, but I am definitely looking forward to the movie that is due to come out next spring. I can’t wait to see if the characters and action will be portrayed similar to how I imagined them. Maybe then I will be motivated to read the next book.
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Our Surrounding Cosmos
I envy animals for their concurrence with the cosmos.
They seem to belong; they seem to fit better; they have their place.
The thought is absurd, of course. We are just as much animals.
`
We know not if they ask, “why?”
But even if they just eat and sit,
They have no greater claim on the cosmos.
`
Our solicitude and inquisition, peculiar it may be,
Does not preclude our position to outside observer.
We have our place.
Lives of the Animals by Robert Wrigley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was the first time I have read a book of poetry. I truly enjoyed it!
My poet friend recommended this book to me when I told him I was working on a goal of 12 books per year. He gave me the advice to read it like I would any other book. He thinks inexperienced poetry readers often make the mistake of thinking they need to read poetry differently than prose. They spend too much time “trying to figure out the meaning” through slow deliberate reading. He challenged me to avoid this and instead read quickly and smoothly through the pages. He told me to enjoy each poem like I would a song or a painting – beautiful for the form of expression, just as much as they are interesting for what they mean.
His advice was wonderful. I think I enjoyed the book much more than I would have otherwise. Following his advice I cruised through each poem and occasionally went back to slowly re-read and ponder a few poems when they caught my attention.
I have decided that I will read one book of poetry every year from now on because they are so interesting and beautiful (plus they are usually really short!).
Reading this book even inspired me to write my own poem!
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Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really enjoy books set in Scandinavia because I can imagine the events so easily. As I read I am taken to the places I have been. I see the landscape in my mind’s eye and the characters become the people I have met and seen.
This was a sweet little book. I imagine it would spark much interest and curiosity in a young reader. I learned a few interesting things (like the climatic secret concerning the handkerchief and the dogs).
I enjoy reading Louis Lowry. This was a good read, but I must say The Giver is better.
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Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine by Simon Singh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This one gets 5 stars because it has valuable information that I think everyone should know.
Otherwise, I give it 4 stars because the authors repeat themselves too much toward the end and I think some of the chapters could be shorter (I often have this complaint. Why are books so long! In this case, it might be because they are not sure if the reader will skip around or only read certain chapters so they felt like they needed to repeat context for each topic).
Now, having made that minor complaint let me affirm my admiration for Simon Singh. I think his is an absolutely fantastic writer (I am even amazed that he could say the same thing so many times in so many different ways!). Actually, I came across this book when I saw he had written Fermat’s Last Theorem, which I absolutely loved. That book catapulted me into my engineering degree and on to my PhD.
**Spoiler Alert**
Trick or Treatment succeeds with its intentions: it lays out in clear, concise, and unequivocal, terms that there are only a few alternative medicines that can be clinically said to be either unproven or marginally effective; the rest are demonstrably just a placebo; furthermore, most are reprehensibly expensive and often dangerous.
Simon and his co-author Edzard Ernst, MD, begin by reviewing the scientific method and tell a number of very interesting stories about historical events that helped pave the way to the gold standard of medical research: the randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Their story telling is as a great as their stories. Did you know that George Washington was essentially killed by his doctors through bloodletting?
I think the authors do a fine job easing the facts onto their readers (who might be believers). They are carefully sensitive and help explain why the large misconception persists. Each chapter covers a major alternative medicine.
-Acupuncture is marginally effective for minor muscle pain and nausea, but no more than conventional medicine, and for everything else it is absolutely just a placebo.
-Chiropractic is marginally effective for minor muscle and back pain, but no more than conventional medicine, and for everything else it is absolutely just a placebo.
-Homeopathy is unequivocally useless (they are really harsh on this one. I think because they believe the claims of this multi-billion dollar industry are often knowingly dishonest.) After hundreds of clinical trials homeopathy does not demonstrate absolutely any benefits, besides the placebo effect. Furthermore, the underlying theory of homeopathy defies all modern understanding of biology, physics, and chemistry.
-Some herbal medicines are useful.
In addition to these main chapters, the appendix provides a quick summary for 36 other alternative medicines and therapies. All of these have undergone extensive clinical tests. Some have been subjected to hundreds of scientific tests. Here are few I cared about:
Aromatherapy – clinically shown to provide effective short term calming, but everything else is just a placebo
Cleansing diets – not useful for any illnesses
Detox (through various means) – not useful for any illnesses
Ear candling – proven to be useless
Hypnotherapy – useful for pain, anxiety, irritable bowl syndrome, stress, and insomnia, but nothing else
Magnet therapy – useless
Massage therapy – useful for musculoskeletal pain, anxiety, and depression, but nothing else
Meditation – clinically proven to be effective for pain, anxiety, stress, and lowering blood pressure, but nothing else
Muscle testing – useless
Naturopathy – the associated lifestyle change is useful for anxiety, stress, and overall well being
Reflexology – a foot massage can help with pain, anxiety, and stress, but everything else is rubbish
Reiki – useless
I think my favorite part of the book was learning about the phenomenal power of the placebo. They don’t deny that people get better when taking alternative medicine, but this is mainly because of the placebo. It is also because many of these therapies (like chiropractic and acupuncture) require multiple visits over extended time periods, so the body heals itself anyway. In the case of homeopathy and herbal remedies, it is often because the manufacturer has dishonestly laced the medicine with conventional medicine.
They dedicate a chapter to the question of whether or not these therapies should be continued and even encouraged since they provide an effective placebo. Basically, they conclude that the answer is no because it would require blatant dishonesty in order to “keep the secret” plus the treatments are often very expensive when there are sometimes more effective conventional methods (or maybe people should just learn to wait out a sickness).
They also discuss the frustration people have with conventional medicine. They admit that for thousands of years, up until the era of modern medicine which is only about 100 years ago, medicine actually did more harm than good. Furthermore, most people in their day-to-day lives face a set of illnesses that modern medicine hasn’t figured out yet, namely the common cold, back pain, and irritable bowel syndrome. Modern medicine does not actually claim a cure for these illnesses, so instead is admittedly treats only the symptoms. Alternative medicine advocates often say “modern medicine only treats the symptoms not the problem.” Tell that to someone cured of malaria, meningitis, measles, bronchitis, chicken pox, polio, diphtheria, or typhoid to name a few (I just googled curable diseases).
Unfortunately, people also don’t like it when their doctors just advise to go home, drink plenty of liquids, and rest. They would much rather have the alternative medicine specialist spend a long time with them asking all kinds of questions about their “whole” self and then prescribing a bunch of stuff that it just a placebo. For this reason, the authors argue that one thing that could improve the situation is if conventional doctors would start giving a little better TLC. And also take time to remind patients about the importance of good nutrition, exercise, rest, and relaxation.
Here are a few other interesting things I learned.
Mao Zedong revised acupuncture from near obsolescence in order provide a cheap medical treatment that could be prescribed by his government run health care program. Adolf Hitler did the same with homeopathy.
Different colored pills give a stronger placebo for different ailments. For example, green is best for anxiety and white for indigestion. Bigger pills are more powerful. Shots are better than pills. Doctors in white coats are more effective. Placebo treatment is more effective if it is exotic, mystical, ancient, natural, applied so as to felt, or visually interesting when applied. Notice that acupuncture has all these things.
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The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Obviously when I bought this book I had hoped it would be interesting.
I finished it today and I am surprised with how much I enjoyed it(best book yet in my goal to read 12 this year). It was truly fascinating to learn about the lives and political circumstances of the individuals on the Supreme Court. Certainly Toobin tells his tale with bias (a perspective from the left) but if it weren’t for this book I would know very little about the members of the Supreme Court (see my note at the bottom). I think most Americans know very little about the Justices and their significance in shaping America. It seems the Justices want it that way and the media honors them their space.
This book made me realize it is critical for the public to have a better understanding of the court system. Every important issue is directly tied to the rulings of these nine people. The book goes through issue after issue (war, religion, education, the environment) recounting the news and events that most everyone is familiar with and then ties these events to the lesser known, behind-the-scenes happenings of the Supreme Court.
Toobin writes an excellent story that engaged me through the end. The politics surrounding the nominations was shocking. The different philosophical perspectives of jurisprudence were provocative and enlightening. Overall I think Toobin was well balanced, to the point that I’m not sure where I stand in the debate between orginalism, the constitution as a living document, and the importance of precedence. I gained better understanding and appreciation of both sides of the court.
After reading this book I will never look at a presidential election the same. Toobin’s concluding remarks are undeniable. Our nation, our rules, and the way we live are shaped by the ideological composition of the Nine.
As a side note, I had an interesting realization that everything we read or see is biased. But, that is Ok.
It is silly and impossible to get information otherwise. I think this realization was apparent because I truly knew nothing about the lives of the Supreme Court Justices before reading this book. Is it better to know nothing, or to hear Toobin’s biased information?
The author of any piece of information makes decisions about what is written or not written. There is no such thing as “just the facts”.
I know some people who choose to turn off the news or avoid certain books because of this reality. I think that is the wrong reaction. Instead, we should be turning on more news and reading more books, to get more perspective.
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