⭐⭐⭐⭐ Influence by Cialdini
| Full Title | Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robert B. Cialdini |
| Year Published | 2006 |
| Date Read | April 30, 2022 |
| Rating | 4/5 stars |
This is what pop-sci should be. Unlike most other books in this genre, which spend a laborious 200 pages talking about a single concept that could really be communicated just as effectively in a 10-page essay, Influence opts to approach persuasion from many different angles. Cialdini goes through a wide variety of topics; discussing anecdotes like the Jonestown cult or retailers specifically under-stocking advertised items, and studies like Milgram’s experiment or general suicide trends following the publishing of a suicide story.
I was familiar with many of the tactics discussed but hadn’t experienced them explained so clearly before. Listening to the book made me notice a bunch of them in practice, in places where I previously hadn’t paid much attention. I also found the author’s inclusion of potential “defenses” against the ‘influencers’ useful.
In general I think it’s worth a read, especially for those that have an interest in the pop-sci / self-help
categories.
⭐ The Overstory by Powers
| Full Title | The Overstory |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard Powers |
| Year Published | 2019 |
| Date Read | April 15, 2022 |
| Rating | 1/5 stars |
It was an interesting concept to have time move much more quickly than what I’m normally used to (a whole generation in the span of a few paragraphs). The risk you run with this approach is not allowing the reader to connect with the characters & start getting invested in the story, which is exactly what happened to me. I imagine that the intention was to actually connect with the plants instead of the people, but here too I found simply too little detail to care.
Only made it through the first two chapters. Not recommended.
⭐⭐ Finite and Infinite Games by Carse
| Full Title | Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility |
|---|---|
| Authors | James P. Carse |
| Year Published | 1987 |
| Date Read | March 29, 2022 |
| Rating | 2/5 stars |
I found the book to be heavy on axioms but light on compelling examples — most of them were far too shallow for me to really see the importance of the proposition discussed. Ultimately this resulted in an experience of constantly having to catch myself and re-focus on the book as my attention drifted. I stopped after about 40%.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thinking In Systems by Meadows
| Full Title | Thinking In Systems: A Primer |
|---|---|
| Authors | Donella H. Meadows, Diana Wright |
| Year Published | 2008 |
| Date Read | March 10, 2022 |
| Rating | 4/5 stars |
As someone who considers themselves a big believer in “thinking in systems,” I think I would find it hard to actually dislike a book that tries to support this mental orientation. Most of the concepts introduced here weren’t necessarily new to me, and many of the insights presented I had to learn the “hard way” through my own systems failing. That said, there was still enough new content for me, and Meadows presented a deeper analysis of fairly established concepts (eg, stocks vs. flows) to keep my attention.
Perhaps the section I found most insightful was the last one, where the author discusses her view on where we should focus our attention if we desire to change a system (she terms these places “leverage points”). I think it was a great idea to structure this section as worst-to-best, as I found that many of the things I thought of primarily (buffers, feedback loops) the author actually considered to be fairly low-leverage. Instead, she promotes changing/moving past
paradigms as the top two. Self-organization is also given heavy weight. I’d like to spend more time considering these things when thinking about molding my systems for long-term success.
I think this book is worth a read for anyone that thinks critically about how systems can help achieve their personal goals. I also think it would be useful for knowledge workers that have the ability to create and modify systems as part of their career.
⭐⭐⭐ Wanting by Burgis
| Full Title | Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life |
|---|---|
| Authors | Luke Burgis |
| Year Published | 2021 |
| Date Read | February 22, 2022 |
| Rating | 3/5 stars |
Not a bad read. There were some new angles on mimesis that I hadn’t before considered, though nothing too groundbreaking. Some of the examples given felt to me a little forced, but in general I appreciated their inclusion as I think they did an effective job of making the ideas a bit more concrete. In particular, the creation of female mimetic desire for smoking by Eddie Bernays was wild (this is in the very first chapter of the book; some details are also on Wikipedia). I also enjoyed the author providing ideas of “tactics” one might use to specifically counteract mimesis.
I’d recommend this to folks interested in the general hedonic adaptation space, in particular those with ties to Silicon Valley (the author’s background, which pops up here and there).
⭐⭐⭐ Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Gottlieb
| Full Title | Maybe You Should Talk to Someone |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lori Gottlieb |
| Year Published | 2019 |
| Date Read | February 10, 2022 |
| Rating | 3/5 stars |
Listened to about half. I found the parts where the author described the mechanics of her therapy, like how she tries to interact with clients or what she does when she gets ‘stuck,’ to be enlightening. But as the book went on, it felt like increasing proportions were spent on autobiographical subjects, which I just really didn’t care about. I can understand her frustration with an unexpected break-up, but I’m not trying to read a book that was written as therapy for her not ending up with “boyfriend.”
Wouldn’t recommend.