The Books I Read In January - Review
Book 1 | January 2018
What Got You Here Won't Get You There - How Successful People Become Even More Successful! | Marshall Goldsmith
Decent read. Author is an executive coach who helps leaders in organisations grow, develop and tackle any traits that might hinder their potential for continued growth, development and success, both personally and professionally.
A few interesting concepts and pointers throughout the book, including 20 destructive habits to avoid, how the most successful individuals tend to be amazing listeners (making you feel like you're the only person in the room when you're talking) and that a carrot-and-stick approach is no longer working in organisations given employees don't only care about, nor solely prioritise money, but also place a large emphasis and a greater focus on fulfilment, relationships and a sense of purpose from their careers.
Ratings:
- Goodreads - 3.9/5
- Afzal Hussein - 3.7/5
Buy it here.
Book 2 | January 2018
Outliers - The Story Of Success | Malcolm Gladwell
Classic read that I've heard so much about, and one that's been on my 'to read' list forever! In Outliers, Malcom Gladwell focuses on, and uses, various case studies and examples of successes and failures to highlight, and dig deep, into the true and route causes of success.
He touches on the 10,000 hour rule for mastery of a particular skill or subject and uses Bill Gates, The Beatles, The Canadian National Ice Hockey team and others to illustrate that success is a combination of hard work out-doing talent, as well as luck, opportunity and timing i.e. being at the right place at the right time (or being born in the 'right' month in the case of the Canadian hockey players).
We all know that hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard, however, what most individuals don't realise or pay attention to is that success, in the traditional sense, follows a predictable course.
Outliers are those who have been given opportunities - and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them.
In the end, the so called 'Outlier' is not an outlier at all.
Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the topic of success. A great reminder that where you eventually end up in life, is never 100% dictated by where you started out.
Ratings:
- Amazon UK - 4.5/5
- Goodreads - 4.1/5
- Waterstones - 4.8/5
- Afzal Hussein - 4.2/5
Buy it here.
Book 3 | January 2018
The Girl With Seven Names - A North Korean Defector's Story | Hyeonseo Lee with David John
When you start a book written about the journey of a North Korean defector escaping a land you only hear about in the news, you expect to be taken on a different kind of journey. 'The Girl With Seven Names' couldn't have done a better job.
This extraordinary account of a young North Korean girl who decided to escape from the dictatorship that exists in North Korea, at the age of seventeen, does an incredible job of taking the reader by the hand through the extremities experienced by herself, her family, and many other North Koreans.
Throughout the book you forget you're reading a true story as the surreality of it all seems ever so fictional. The book focuses on Hyeonseo's journey from early in the 1990's through two decades of being on the run, changing her name multiple times to avoid being identified and sent back to North Korea where she would likely face a life in prison or death, crossing into China and various parts of Asia, and then eventually making it to South Korea (Seoul). All this, whilst also trying anything and everything she could in order to persuade and help her mother and brother to escape from North Korea too.
Reunited with her family 12 years after the night she left home to escape from North Korea, Hyeonseo decided to take the risk of returning to the North Korean border. This time to take her mother and brother with her. The journey that this family experienced was one of bravery, fear, corruption, social injustice and bribery, with constant life and death decisions being made along the way.
Hyeonseo Lee's journey is truly inspiring. She is a brave, determined, strong and kind human who we can all learn from.
This is highly recommended reading for those who would like to learn more about the lives of those living in North Korea and for anyone interested in Hyeonseo's extraordinary journey.
Ratings:
- Amazon UK - 4.8/5
- Goodreads - 4.5/5
- Waterstones - 5/5
- Afzal Hussein - 4.7/5
Buy it here.
Book 4 | January 2018
The Lessons Of History | Will & Ariel Durant
An interesting read on history written by Will Durant and his wife Ariel Durant, who won the Pulitzer prize for non-fiction back in 1968 and are both well known historians.
The book is a compilation of essays focusing on the relevance of the subject at hand and it's role in history - subjects/essays covered throughout the book include the following:
- Earth and history
- Biology and history
- Race and history
- Character and history
- Morals and history
- Religion and history
- Economics and history
- Socialism and history
- Government and history
- War and history
Highly recommended reading for the historians out there or anyone interested in learning a little bit more about the history of the world.
But do keep in mind, it can be a tricky read at times given that the history covered focuses on history from thousands of years ago as opposed to 100 or 200 hundred years ago.
Ratings:
- Amazon UK - 4.7/5
- Goodreads - 4.2/5
- Waterstones - 4.2/5
- Afzal Hussein - 4/5
Buy it here.
Bonus Review
Week 52 of 52 | Week 4 of December 2018
This Is Going To Hurt - Secret Diaries Of A Junior Doctor | Adam Kay
A seriously good read mixing both laugh out loud humour and heart wrenching emotions.
The author does an amazing job sharing his diary notes from over 6 years that he spent working for the NHS as a 'junior' doctor. Everything you've never imagined that the doctoral profession entails is included, and done so in great detail and depth.
Very easy to read and all jargon well explained along the way.
Contains lots of strong language and graphic descriptions (not for the faint-hearted).
Buy it here.
Finally... Birthday Presents
This year I thought it would be a good idea to ask for books for my birthday.
8 top notch books right here! Two of which are on my February reading list.You'll have to wait and see to find out which two. Looking forward to getting stuck into them.
- Why We Sleep | Matthew Walker
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari
- Homo Deus - A Brief History of Tomorrow | Yuval Noah Harari
- The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck | Mark Manson
- When Breath Becomes Air | Paul Kalanithi
- The Defining Decade - Why Your Twenties Matter And How To Make The Most Of Them Now | Meg Jay
- The 100-Year Life | Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott
Until next month, happy reading!
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The views and comments expressed in this article are solely those of Afzal Hussein and are not representative of any organisation, charity or third party.
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6yGreat principle for the year.