Q4 2022 Reading Review

I wanted to get the final reading list out before the season goes into full blast. Maybe you find something you like - maybe you find something for someone on your shopping list. Either way - I hope you have a safe and happy holiday season and fantastic new year -- Dzik.

How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence: Did you know the founder of AA claims he gave up alcohol only after using a psychedelic drug (God had nothing to do with it)? What if I told you 40,000 people in the US commit suicide each year and that some or possibly many of them could have been prevented through medical application of psychedelics. Would you believe that 80% of cancer patients in trials have stated they no longer fear dying after a psychedelic experience? This is probably the most interesting book I've read all year. It covers the history of psychedelics (while also debunking a lot of the war on drugs propaganda that has been used against them) but really spends most of the time discussing the various clinical trial work and results they are showing with patients. Pollan himself tries multiple guided experiences on things such as psilocybin, LSD as well as DMT. He also takes extensive time explaining how both larger and microdose levels of each drug are being used therapeutically to treat addiction, depression, OCD as well as end of life/death management. His ability to blend the history, his own experiences and the clinical research into such a clear and crisp narrative makes this book a true stand out. If you read one book this year that makes you look at the world differently --- this is it. It may make you set aside your preconceived notions about drug therapy, human consciousness/spirituality and your own ego in ways you likely have not imagined. 

Accessing The Healing Power of The Vagus Nerve: A book on the autonomic nervous system and the vagus nerve that is the largest cranial nerve in the body. It's told more from a homeopathic POV and how simple exercises and movements can improve body calmness and overall well being. The big thing I took away from it is that HRV (heart rate variability) is a great indicator of overall nervous system function. A higher HRV the better. Lower numbers are recorded in obese people and those with heart damage. A great tool to manage and monitor HRV is the oura ring. I have been using it for a few years now and you can see the impact drinking has on bad HRV as an example. 

Just Kids: The life story of artist and singer/rocker Patti Smith. I knew little about Smith other than her music. This book dives into her childhood, her youth and her life long, on again off again relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. It paints the often harrowing picture of coming off age in the art scene of 1970's New York City. Success and fame are byproducts of her pursuit of true artistic creativity and both she and Mapplethorpe did their share of suffering to grab the brass ring. It's really beautifully written and reflective in a way that shows a great deal of self awareness. I liked it a lot. Thanks to  Kimberly O'Neil for making this recommendation. 

Jimi Hendrix: Starting at Zero - I was at Royal Ascot with my dad this June and there was a horse called Jimi Hendrix running and that got me thinking about him again. That was what inspired the book purchase. I really enjoyed the fast/easy read as the editor took Hendrix's own journal and then combined it with interviews and other writing he did to give you his life story in his own words (or as close to his words as possible). Hendrix is one of the 27 club and like most great artists - left us too soon. That said, if you like him and wanted to actually get inside what he was thinking during his brief but massively impactful career this book should interest you more than a formal regurgitated historical biography. 

The Coaching Effect: Not bad - not that great either. A lot of common sense practical advice on working with people and how to manage teams. I was hoping for some real pearls here - didn't really get any. Oh Well. 

Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making - Tony Fadell was the man who brought the world the iPod. He was also critical to the iPhone creation. After 10 years he left Apple and he went and started the smart thermometer company - Nest - and sold it to Google for over 3 billion. Needless to say - he speaks from a place of authority on making great products. He also failed a ton along the way. This book becomes a very down to earth practical guide on how to do business across easy to consume chapters like: "Get a Job", "Assholes", "Hiring", "Becoming a CEO" and "The Board" amongst many others. I read a lot of different business books and this one was by far my favorite of 2022. I highly recommend it. 

The Narrow Road: This is like if you had an older, chubby Brit write the Art of War for business. Dennis distills his lessons on becoming successful. He also attempts to dissuade the reader from attempting to follow the narrow path (the getting of money), unless they are fully prepared to suffer in the pursuit.

The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade - The most interesting, detailed and exhaustive history of the Mexican drug business I have ever read. Highly recommended if you can set aside the time. The author spans 150 years and weaves the cultural, political and economic impacts of both Mexico and the United States into this master class on the drug trade. From marijuana to poppy/opium to cocaine and meth back to poppy/opium again. It's hard to look out over the expanse of a century and a half of history and find any real solution to the issue (as long as the US's appetite for illegal drugs doesn't sate). As captivating a history book as you will find. Thanks to AJ Axelrod for this recommendation. 

A Fine Place to Daydream: Racehorses, Romance and the Irish - A man has a job. A man quits his job, leaves the United States and moves to London. Falls in love with an Irish woman and goes to live in Dublin. Falls in love with steeplechase. Writes a book about the Irish. Writes a book about horses. Writes a book about love. In the end packs up his life and walks into the bog permanently. A new life with new dreams.

“We moved to the balcony for the race. The sky provided an operatic backdrop, thundery purple above the deep green grass of the course. The air, too, had a stinging bite, as a sharp wake up call. A team of red coated huntsman led the field onto the track and the horses acquired a shimmery grace in the fine mist. Utterly beautiful, they must have been aware of the heightened moment, the slightly altered breathing of sixty thousand humans in a rapturous state of suspense, on the cusp of a mystery.” 

The Book of Humans: A Brief History of Culture, Sex, War & The Evolution of Us - The author describes it as "A book about the paradox of how we became us. At the same time, though, it is a book about animals, of which we are one. We’re a self-centered species, and we find it hard not to see ourselves and our behaviors and other animals." The core of the book is an evolutionary jaunt through time comparing how the Homo Sapien evolved vs. other animals. He touches on things such as: 

The use of Tools

The use of Fire

Conflict and Violence

Farming 

Fashion

Sexuality and Homosexuality

Gene Mutations

If you're interested in the subject matter it's not a hard read but it's not the most riveting thing on the list this time. 

Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy - This is all about the creation and bastardization of the filibuster, the eradication of the "previous question" rule by Aaron Burr in the Senate which led to Rule 22 and how everything is now forced into a super-majority vote in the Senate. This is something the Founders 100% did not want to happen and did not support, yet, it has allowed minority positions to kill progress and bend public will in an unnatural way. It has a liberal slant as the writer is a Democrat but it's the most interesting book I have ever read on the formation of the Senate, its evolution and its subsequent dismantling by the likes of McConnell and other southern obstructionists over the last 120 years. 

Ascot: The History - A coffee table book Kramer would be proud to display on his coffee table book that turned into a coffee table. This is the definitive history of Ascot and takes you back to the start when Queen Anne bought the land in 1711 to run the first Ascot races. A book full of history, great paintings and photographs of the most prestigious racing place in the world (in my opinion). I had an amazing trip to the Ascot summer meet this past June and it was one of the few events I have ever attended that actually exceeded my expectations. This book is a great gift for race lovers and anyone that enjoys British history. 

Kind Folks Finish First: This is the story of a young man's erotic journey from Milan to Minsk...... No - I lied. It's about Sam Jacobs. And while he was relatively sexy as the lead singer of the Flying Change this is about his life in business and about his personal journey along the way. I've known "grumpy" Sam for nearly 20 years. I always liked grumpy Sam - some people did not. Happy and Kind Sam was always there too - if you scratched a little bit. This book spends a lot of the time on the self actualization that let Happy/Kind Sam out more. More importantly -- I think what the book shows you is that when you stop caring about the perception of others and live your truth - your authentic life -- good things happen. There are a bunch of honest pearls of wisdom along the way and it's pretty cool to have worked with someone who has written a book like this one. XOXO Grumpy Sam - I'll miss you - but I am happy the brighter version took over.