Book Recommendations (a work in progress)
Book Recommendations (a work in progress)
|
Listed below are books that I have read and can enthusiastically recommend. Most of the links will take you to the
page on Amazon.com
where you can buy them. By buying a book at Amazon.com using these links,
a small percentage of the purchase price will be given as a commission to my
synagogue (Congregation Ansche Chesed
in New York City). The commission that Amazon.com
will give my synagogue does not increase the price of the book. Three of the
links will take you to the website of the author of books that are only
obtainable directly from him (there is no commission involved
here). |
| Hiking History / Current Events,... Judaism |
Non-Fiction Photography Travel | |
| . |
| Biography / Autobiography | |
| A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson - A very entertaining account of one man's attempt to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. | |
| Blood of the Liberals by George Packer - Part autobiography, part family history and part essay on the history of liberalism in the United States. George Packer's family history is a fascinating one. It interacts with the development of liberalism for at least the last 150+ years and through his discussion of his family's history we learn alot about liberalism. | |
| Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein | |
| From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman - A "classic" that has stood the test of time. | |
| The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride | |
| Company C: An American's Life as a Citizen-Soldier in Israel by Haim Watzman - The author is not a famous military hero or politician. He is sort of an "everyman". An American who emigrated to Israel, has lived there for 20+ years going through what an average person might go through who gets drafted into the Israeli army and after his initial stint serves in the reserves until he reaches the mandatory retirement age (40 ?) for people like him in the reserves. It is a well written and interesting peek into what an average person might expect to experience in the Israeli army and an insight into real life in Israel. The author is good at explaining how things related to this work in Israel and I found this book both interesting and informative. | |
| Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins (Audio CD) - A 9.5 hour unabridged audio version of this book in which it the author relates his atypical professional experiences, one where he created economic forecasts to suit his superiors and American interests. These forecasts generally misled other countries into agreeing to various financial arrangements that ultimately were not at all in their interest as these forecasts were purposely slanted. His professional experiences are not the sort found in textbooks. As the saying goes "Lies, damn lies and statistics!" | |
| Faith of My Fathers by John McCain (Abridged audio CD) | |
| Hunting the Jackal by Billy Waugh with Tim Keown -Mr. Waugh is certainly someone who has compiled a very impressive record defending our country and our country is the better for it. While I doubt that this book will win any major literary awards, it is still an interesting well written fast paced and entertaining story which I enjoyed. If this type of material or story interests you then you will not be disappointed as Mr. Waugh is the real deal and few can relate a story such as his as there may not be any other people around who've written autobiographies of a career in the Special Forces (and doing similar but different work later on for the CIA) that spans half a century! If I ever were to cross paths with Mr. Waugh (not likely as he seems to spend all his time in dangerous places) then I would consider it an honor to meet him and thank him for defending my country. | |
| Imagining Robert: My Brother, Madness, and Survival: A Memoir by Jay Neugeboren - This book sucks you in. I learned a lot about the life of someone with a non-trivial emotional problem(s) and how society (and families) treats them. This is also an absorbing personal story that made it hard for me to put the book down. Well written, highly absorbing, and educational. | |
| Leadership by Rudolph W. Giuliani with Ken Kurson | |
| Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell (Abridged audio CD) - Marcus Lutrell's book excels in the telling of his becoming a Navy SEAL and the mission that led to the writing of this book. It's only downside IMHO are the sections where Lutrell rails against "liberal journalists" (and liberals in general?). It is not that I disagree with him (I probably do disagree with him in many cases), it is that he spends too much time railing against them and repeating his disdain of them a multiple of times - we got it the first time. Still, the autobiographical stories which are the main part of the book more than make up for this as Lutrell is a good storyteller and he has quite a story to tell. | |
| Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder | |
| The Places In Between by Rory Stewart - Rory Stewart did what very few westerners have done, go out on his own among the citizens of Afghanistan and actually talk to them in their own language. His observations should inform policy makers (but it doesn't appear as if they have so far). | |
| Schlepping Through the Alps: My Search for Austria's Jewish Past with Its Last Wandering Shepherd by Sam Apple | |
| See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer | |
| Teacher Man: A Memoir by Frank McCourt | |
| This Just in: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV by Bob Schieffer | |
| War Reporting for Cowards by Chris Ayres - It reminded me in some way of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. | |
| Economics & Finance | |
| A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel - A timeless "classic". IMHO, the best one-book introduction to investing. | |
| The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor by David Landes -David Landes is an enjoyable story teller and writes in a very readable manner. He explains, with amply researched proofs, why various countries have developed the way they have. I learned a lot about world history as well as economics and how geography, culture and government have all interacted in the world to explain the economic history of the world, why some countries are rich and others are poor. | |
| You Can Be a Stock Market Genius Even if You're Not Too Smart: Uncover the Secret Hiding Places of Stock Market Profits by Joel Greenblatt - Poor title, great book! The title of this book does a disservice to its contents. The title is much more sensationalist than the book. | |
| Fiction | |
| Scribblers on the Roof by Melvin Jules Bukiet & David G. Roskies - The book is quite entertaining, a collection of stories written by Jewish writers. | |
| History / Current Events / Current Affairs | |
| A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa by Howard W. French - Maybe you remember the details of the Rwandan massacres (genocides?), maybe you've been following the tragedy in Darfur or maybe you went on an African safari and now think you know something about Africa. Read this book and The Shadow of the Sun (see below), two excellent and very enlightening books (my recommendation is to read The Shadow of the Sun first) to see if that is really the case (maybe yes but probably not IMHO). They certainly opened my eyes about Africa and helped to explain to me why things are as they are there (including why some very horrific events have happened in the past and will probably happen again). | |
| Against All Enemies by Richard A. Clarke - A real page turner, well written and informative. A well written account of this nation's war against terrorism through Richard Clarke's eyes. Richard's prose is clear, is good at explaining how things work in Washington and the White House and you will come away better informed. You may also, as I did, come away with a new appreciation for how Clinton handled terrorism. If you are a fan of President Bush then you will not like this book as it carefully explains the illogic of the war in Iraq in regards to terrorism and other issues. | |
| The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq by George Packer - This book should be required reading to understand the Iraq war. It reminds me of From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman in that I didn't want to put it down and its 480 pages flew by. I expect that it will also stand the test of time and also be considered a classic. It is carefully researched and very well written. | |
| The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama (Abridged audio CD) - Read by the author himself, this book will give you an insight into Obama's basic philosophy in each of the major policy areas as well as some autobiographical material. One doesn't generally choose to listed to a 6.5 hour speech by a politician but this "speech" is quite listenable and will make obvious why Obama is currently the competitive presidential candidate that he is. | |
| Cain's Field: Faith, Fratricide, and Fear in the Middle East by Matt Rees - I had considered myself well read about the Israeli/Arab conflict in general and then I heard Matt Rees speak in person about this (then) new book. He told me quite a few things I never knew before (mostly about the Palestinians). I bought this book on the spot and don't regret it. He is a good story teller and delves into issues and people that I don't read about in both the general and special interest media that covers this part of the world. I now have a better understanding about the issues that each side deals with internally (and especially about the Palestinian side). | |
| Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll - Ghost Wars is a very long read. The reading is fast because it is well written but the book is simply long in length. It is very well researched and it never lost my attention. I now have a better understanding of the history of that part of the world. This book should be the standard core text on this subject. Overall a very impressive book. | |
| Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski - Imperium gives you the gestalt of the Soviet Union from about World War II to the early 90's. The author, a Polish journalist, is a great observer of regular life. | |
| Masters Of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces by Linda Robinson - I read this (almost) 400 page book within one 24 hour day. A very readable history of the U.S. Army's Special Forces. The author uses a core of real people she met to personalize the stories. | |
| Rescued from the Reich: How One of Hitler's Soldiers Saved the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Bryan Mark Rigg | |
| The Secret War Against the Jews: How Western Espionage Betrayed The Jewish People by John Loftus & Mark Aarons - Truth is stranger than fiction. What they tell you in history books may not be the full story. | |
| The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski - The gestalt of Africa. Maybe you remember the details of the Rwandan massacres (genocides?), maybe you've been following the tragedy in Darfur or maybe you went on an African safari and now think you know something about Africa. Read this book and A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa (see above), two excellent and very enlightening books (my recommendation is to read this book first) to see if that is really the case (maybe yes but probably not IMHO). They certainly opened my eyes about Africa and helped to explain to me why things are as they are there (including why some very horrific events have happened in the past and will probably happen again). | |
| The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman - A very good explanation of how technology has impacted how business works in the last 5+ years. Good at explaining and illustrating ideas with real world examples (and some name dropping). Best for corporate world denizens who do not work in a large corporate IT department. If you are very aware of technology and what it can do today in the corporate world then a decent part of this book may be a review. There are a couple of minor mistakes in Tom's explanations of how certain technology works. These are small mistakes and do not at all take away from the book enough to make a difference. Tom readily admits that his background is not technical and seems to have tried hard to make sure he has his technical explanations are correct. The mistakes are subtle and do not detract much if anything from the book. I think this book will stand the test of time for a few (5+?) years but as technology changes, it may become dated. On the other hand, one of his earlier works, "From Beirut to Jerusalem", has held up very well over a long period of time and I highly recommend it. Bottom line: This is a good book if you are not a techie in the corporate world (who then probably already knows a lot of this stuff but probably doesn't have as many stories to tell as Tom does and can't write as well). | |
| Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Michael Oren - Awesome! I read about half of this book in the course of 24 hours of traveling on a multiple of airplanes and almost couldn't put it down (I finished it a few weeks later). While a serious work of scholarship, history never read so easily as the book moves quickly (basically because the writing is excellent and a pleasure to read). I have been a (amateur) student of the history of Israel and have read many things on it and even with a lifetime of doing this, I learned an awful lot about the area from this book and in a very enjoyable way. Subsequently, I had the good fortune to be at a social function in NYC where the author also happened to coincidently be. He mentioned that his next book was a two volume series on a subject regarding the Middle East that only sounded mildly interesting to me. If it were another author then I might easily pass on it but if it lives up to the standard set by the Six Day War book then I will seriously consider it. | |
| Judaism | |
| As a Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg | |
| Basic Judaism by Milton Steinberg | |
| A Delightful Compendium of Consolation: A Fabulous Tale of Romance, Adventure and Faith in the Medieval Mediterranean by Burton L Visotzky | |
| The Genesis of Ethics by Burton L. Visotzky | |
| God and Evil: A Unified Theodicy/Theology/Philosophy by David Birnbaum - It doesn't get much better than this, that is assuming you can talk about a theodicy not getting much better. David Birnbaum delivers a very very carefully thought out, consistent, organized and all encompassing theodicy/theology such that this might be last book you will feel the need to read on this subject. David doesn't ignore other theodicy's, he discusses all of them while on his path to presenting his. His thesis is consistent with the various streams of normative Jewish belief/law including the traditional ones. | |
| Love Your Neighbor And Yourself: A Jewish Approach to Modern Personal Ethics by Elliot N. Dorff - The title of the book doesn't do it justice. While some parts are dry and semi-obvious, many other parts systematically explore the Jewish approach to personal morals and ethics in ways that will give one a better understanding of the issues and the original sources for the basis for the Jewish point(s) of view. Both timeless and modern day issues are dealt with. | |
| Matters of Life and Death: A Jewish Approach to Modern Medical Ethics by Elliot N. Dorff - Everything from pregnancy to death. Elliot Dorff is a scholar in this area and his book is modern, realistic, comprehensive and readable by the layperson. | |
| Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice by Rabbi Or N. Rose, Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, & Margie Klein (editors) - A set of about 30 articles on Judaism and social justice, the environment, Israel, public policy and the like. Thought provoking, enlightening and worthwhile. | |
| Sacred Fragments: Recovering Theology for the Modern Jew by Neil Gillman | |
| The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel | |
| To Be a Jew: A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life by Hayim Halevy Donin | |
| To Pray As a Jew: A Guide to the Prayer Book and the Synagogue Service by Hayim Halevy Donin | |
| The First Jewish Catalog; A Do-It-Yourself Kit by Michael Strassfeld, Richard Siegel, & Sharon Strassfeld | |
| The Second Jewish Catalog: Sources and Resources by Michael Strassfeld & Sharon Strassfeld | |
| The Third Jewish Catalog: Creating Community: With a Cumulative Index to All 3 Catalogs by by Michael Strassfeld & Sharon Strassfeld | |
| Non-Fiction | |
| A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr - The book is better than the film IMHO. | |
| Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich | |
| Calculated Bets by Steven Skiena - Buy this book! (Disclaimer: I am a friend of the author and he gave me a free copy of this book. He did not solicit a review from me and he does not know that I am writing one, although I guess he will find out sooner or later). I procrastinated in reading this book. It did not sound very exciting. While I have degrees in Computer Science and Business, the title sounded as if the book would be a dense technical treatise on the subject. It was not. I read it in one (long) day. Steve has written a lively book on Jai-Alai, mathematical modeling, probability, statistics, gambling and betting and made it both interesting and instructive at the same time. I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot at the same time. | |
| Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher, William Ury, & Bruce Patton | |
| House by Tracy Kidder | |
| The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan - Do you think you know where your food comes from? Don't be so sure unless you've already read Michael Pollan's book. Michael traces the path that food in America takes to get to your plate. For a discussion of meat and corn (we learn that corn is in almost everything around us) he actually buys one steer and follows it's life. There is a fascinating chapter on "grass farmers". He also discusses the organic food industry (i.e. Whole Foods) and other paths that food takes to get to you. While I do not at all consider myself to be a foodie, I found this book very interesting as it illuminated how a part of our world works that I knew relatively little about (although I thought I did before reading this book). Only someone working in the food industry might not be surprised by what they learn in this book. This book should be a "must read" for anyone interested in what they eat (as well as policymakers). Eating "responsibly" takes on a whole new dimension now that I've read this book. A very well written "food" book for foodies and non-foodies alike. | |
| The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey | |
| The Soul Of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder | |
| Sunday Money: Speed! Lust! Madness! Death! A Hot Lap Around America with NASCAR by Jeff MacGregor - Jeff MacGregor introduces us to the world (religion?) of NASCAR. | |
| Photography | |
| The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers by Martin Evening - Not a "killer tips" book, not a simpleton cookbook type book (just follow these 13 steps), just a straightforward guide to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. It is well written, illustrated and organized. Skip the free book that comes with Adobe Lightroom and read this instead. | |
| Galen Rowell's Inner Game of Outdoor Photography by Galen Rowell | |
| Galen Rowell's Vision: The Art of Adventure Photography by Galen Rowell | |
| How Pictures Work by Molly Bang - An unusual book that discusses, with many examples, how pictures work or "How does the structure of a picture affect our emotional response?". | |
| John Shaw's Landscape Photography by John Shaw | |
| Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers by Christopher Grey | |
| Occam's Razor: An Outside-In View of Contemporary Photography by Bill Jay - The next time you go to a gallery or museum to see a photography exhibit and can't make heads or tails of the artist's statement or the curator's description about the work (and you also speak the same language that it is written in) then read this book to feel better. Occam's Razor is a serious and well written critique of certain aspects of the world of Fine Art Photography, certain types of academic programs in photography and other related areas. An unusually entertaining and fairly quick read for a book on a subject like this. | |
| Photographer's Legal Guide by Carolyn E. Wright - A short (110 pages) and straightforward guide to the legal and business practice issues that a photographer should know. Written by a lawyer who is also a professional photographer. | |
| The Photographer's Studio Manual by Michael Freeman | |
| Photographing the World Around You: A Visual Design Workshop by Freeman Patterson - I have read both this book and Freeman Patterson's Photography and the Art of Seeing and much prefer this book. They are both good but this is definitely better. I bought this book to help improve my photo's composition and I am was not disappointed. Freeman's text is clear and easy to understand and his photo's are generally good examples of what he writes about. | |
| Photoshop Color Correction by Michael Kieran - This is an excellent book on color management and correction. From beginner to advanced, this book will interest and educate. Very well written with many images to illustrate the points made in the text. | |
| Real World Color Management by Bruce Fraser, Chris Murphy & Fred Bunting - A classic by (Bruce Fraser, now deceased) a true "guru" of color management. | |
| Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D70 by Thom Hogan - Thom is truly a "guru" in all areas (Nikon cameras, photography, digital technology, etc etc) related the title of this book. Thom is also an excellent writer. If you only read the owner's manual that came with the camera and not this book then you will probably not fully understand the camera you have or be able to take full advantage of what it can do. | |
| Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D100 by Thom Hogan - see comments regarding the Nikon D70 book. | |
| Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D200 by Thom Hogan - see comments regarding the Nikon D70 book. | |
| Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D300 by Thom Hogan - see comments regarding the Nikon D70 book. | |
| Travel | |
| The Complete Walker IV by Colin Fletcher & Chip Rawlins - A unparalleled work and could accurately be titled "The Hiker's Bible". This is possibly the longest single book I've ever read and I do not at all regret reading it. On the contrary I enjoyed it, learned from it, and was entertained by it. I have been a regular reader of Backpacker magazine and plenty of other hiking related material for a long time (and I am an experienced hiker) and IMHO this book is the best and most complete single book on the subject in existence (at least in English - not that I know of any other in any other language). No if, and's or but's - simply the best. | |
| I Have Seen the World Begin: Travels through China, Cambodia, and Vietnam by Carsten Jensen - Carsten Jensen gives you the gestalt of these countries and their people and occasionally throws in some very illuminating history (especially about Cambodia and the "Killing Fields"). The only criticism I have is that some of the material may be dated as this book was written in the mid-1990's and these countries are rapidly changing. | |
| Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2004: The Travel Skills Handbook by Rick Steves - Real world practical and intelligent advice. |
Comments: Michael_Brochstein@MABsystems.com
Last revision: July 5, 2008