EPTInteresting Non-Fiction? - Page 2
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Lexpar
1813 Posts
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samachking
Bahrain4949 Posts
I would also recommend "Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely and "A short History of Nearly Anything". I did not enjoy freakonomics much, I found it to be a fun read of cherry picked interesting anecdotes, but it was too cherry picked to fit their own arguments for my taste. Malcom Gladwell's books are in the same vein, very simple basic argument with a bunch of cherry picked interesting anecdotes, if you liked Freakonomics you'll probably like Gladwell who's books are better. | ||
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Lexpar
1813 Posts
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SirJolt
the Dagon Knight4005 Posts
 Gladwell is solid, but I often wonder about the research that goes into his books. The results are so often entirely sensational that... I'm not sure, I feel a critical eye is required. | ||
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DoctorHelvetica
United States15034 Posts
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Korynne
Canada990 Posts
![[image loading]](http://a1.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/025/Purple/48/a5/15/mzl.nupwgukn.175x175-75.jpg) | ||
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Sabu113
United States11072 Posts
I highly recommend Gang Leader For a Day. I found it very interesting and the style is eminently readable. It was the source of the data for Levitt's major gang papers, which won him so much acclaim. I quite enjoyed Liar's poker too. Econ wise; Predictably irrational is a decent borrow. Actually, Dan Ariely's TED talks are well worth listening to in lieu of reading the book. I'm not too big a fan of the other behavior econ books out. Nudge was alright for an econ major, but not the most entertaining work. The same goes for Animal spirits. Decent reads, but I wouldn't go running to the library to grab them. | ||
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rushz0rz
Canada5300 Posts
![[image loading]](http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/7810/6346436546.jpg) This. This. This. Quite possibly the most amazing book I've ever read. I fall more in love with Benoit Mandelbrot with every page. Not only is he a fantastic writer, he is a brilliant mathematician; quite possibly the most important mathematician of the 20th century. He's nearing his end and I fear for his life's work, fractal geometry, not knowing if someone could take his place in developing it more and trying to get it known. If you do get this book, watch this documentary, The Colours of Infinity, as it explains fractal geometry and even features him in it. | ||
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ironchef
Canada1350 Posts
For something a bit different I'll recommend: "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art" by Scott McCloud. It's a surprisingly detailed look at the medium, while being very easy to read and done in a comic format(only time I've seen this work effectively). | ||
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DoctorHelvetica
United States15034 Posts
On September 20 2010 12:38 rushz0rz wrote: This. This. This. Quite possibly the most amazing book I've ever read. I fall more in love with Benoit Mandelbrot with every page. Not only is he a fantastic writer, he is a brilliant mathematician; quite possibly the most important mathematician of the 20th century. He's nearing his end and I fear for his life's work, fractal geometry, not knowing if someone could take his place in developing it more and trying to get it known. If you do get this book, watch this documentary, The Colours of Infinity, as it explains fractal geometry and even features him in it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB8m85p7GsU Do you think I'd be able to follow it despite knowing nearly nothing about mathematics? | ||
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rushz0rz
Canada5300 Posts
On September 20 2010 15:18 DoctorHelvetica wrote: Do you think I'd be able to follow it despite knowing nearly nothing about mathematics? Somewhat yes. He always explains every mathematical concept he talks about. To me, it's the finance jargon and in-depth market analysis that goes over my head, but you can always understand the idea he's trying to convey, even if it takes a few readings. | ||
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jon arbuckle
Canada443 Posts
![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_j8ZFtIJem_0/SXAisKlMJoI/AAAAAAAAAEw/NsEvUdiJk3E/s200/cocaine.jpg) ![[image loading]](http://i.biblio.com/o/415/210/9780805210415.RH-m.jpg) ![[image loading]](http://i43.tower.com/images/mm100571060/amusing-ourselves-death-public-discourse-in-age-show-neil-postman-paperback-cover-art.jpg) ![[image loading]](http://www.raisethehammer.org/static/images/short_history_progress.jpg) The last two pitch a theory more than the first two; even if you disagree with them, they're very eloquently worded, with fascinating evidence for their claims, and propose questions that you should and probably will think about once you've finished (if you aren't thinking of them already). Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography is probably the weakest of the four because the author has a really bad sense of humour - like, one of the first things he says in the book is that some people think of cocaine as a scourge of the earth that should never have existed "like boy bands" - but it's incredibly interesting otherwise. He's a lot more sympathetic when he goes to Columbia and Bolivia and Peru, and his editorializing flows effortlessly from what he presents you with. The Periodic Table is Primo Levi's attempt to tie chemistry into all aspects of his life, especially World War II (he was an Italian Jew who attained his diploma with World War II on the horizon and he lived through Auschwitz). Breaks a lot of rules with standard memoir form; the "Phosphorous" chapter is incredibly touching. | ||
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drag_
England425 Posts
If you want an interesting (not that I necessarily agree with) history of the US I advise reading books either by Noam Chomsky or Howard Zinn (Chomsky's the better of the 2 imo) which are VERY good reads and don't require a historical background. If you want something in a slightly different vein I would recommend A Drifting Life, which is an auto-biographical manga of the famous manga author Yoshihiro Tatsumi (http://www.amazon.com/Drifting-Life-Yoshihiro-Tatsumi/dp/1897299745). It's quite long, but a great read, and doesn't require interest in the whole manga/anime scene. | ||
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palanq
United States761 Posts
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fatduck
United States148 Posts
If you're into philosophy you should absolutely absolutely read The Archaeology of Knowledge. Just do it. I also highly recommend The Trials of Henry Kissinger, I prefer the documentary over the book, both are good. | ||
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Glaven
Canada554 Posts
- Social Murder by Chernomas and Hudson is highly readable and avoids a lot of overtly academic jargon that bogs down a lot of books in its genre. (Link) - Inside the Jihad by Omar Nasiri is also great, talks about a french spy (of muslim birth) who infiltrated a taliban training camp, one of the first to do so if I remember correctly. (Link) - Trail of the Fox by David Irving is probably one of my all time favorite history books detailing the conquests of Wehrmacht general Erwin Rommel. I read it when I was quite young so it definitely has readability and awesome pictures to boot. (Link) - Vengeance by George Jonas puts James Bond to shame and is actually a really intense book and would definitely have the widest appeal to non history buffs. Any sort of awful politics aside, you can appreciate the book for its sheer intensity. (Link) Edit: oh and I almost forgot, Noam Chomsky always has something good to say. | ||
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ZERG_RUSSIAN
10417 Posts
On September 19 2010 16:12 BroOd wrote: Malcolm Gladwell didn't write Freakonomics You're right, for some reason I thought he did. I guess he just endorsed it? | ||
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jon arbuckle
Canada443 Posts
On September 21 2010 15:26 Glaven wrote: - Trail of the Fox by David Irving is probably one of my all time favorite history books detailing the conquests of Wehrmacht general Erwin Rommel. I read it when I was quite young so it definitely has readability and awesome pictures to boot. (Link) What are your thoughts on Irving's supposed neo-Nazism? I haven't read the guy so I'm in no position to speculate whether it impacts his historical analysis, although the case against him seems pretty damning (q.v. "The Strange Case of David Irving" by Christopher Hitchens, an even-handed treatment that caught Hitchens a lot of negative flack, in Love, Poverty, and War and available here). | ||
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Glaven
Canada554 Posts
On September 22 2010 06:21 jon arbuckle wrote: What are your thoughts on Irving's supposed neo-Nazism? I haven't read the guy so I'm in no position to speculate whether it impacts his historical analysis, although the case against him seems pretty damning (q.v. "The Strange Case of David Irving" by Christopher Hitchens, an even-handed treatment that caught Hitchens a lot of negative flack, in Love, Poverty, and War and available here). Actually to my immense embarrassment I never realized the connection until just now. As I said, I read it when I was quite young and this suggestion was done entirely from memory. Doubly embarrassing due to the fact that my focus is contemporary history >.>... I should drop out now. That being said I've been to lectures regarding Historical "Truth" and Revisionism which dealt a lot with Irving and I think it's clear that his criticisms go beyond questioning factual evidence regarding the Third Reich's atrocities. Even though it seems to be a trend to arbitrarily label anti-zionist intellectuals as having "nazi sympathies", David Irving's past and some of his works definitely indicate that this is the case. Trail of the fox is a biography and it casts a sympathetic eye on Rommel, as I think it should (he was loosely associated with the plot to kill Hitler and was first and foremost a Wehrmacht man, not a party one). Now that you've reminded me (thanks by the way), I guess I retract my recommendation haha. Though, Rommel is an absolutely fascinating historical personality and you should definitely pick up some literature about him. | ||
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