Notes on Books — APRIL 2017
Every month, I want to share notes on books I’ve read. I like taking notes because it feels like I’m having a dialogue with the book. I’m sharing these notes and thoughts on these books in the hope others will agree or disagree with them and share their own thoughts. I read these books with the greatest of intentions to enjoy them and be better for reading them. I’m not interested in critiquing these books, so you’ll find mostly positive notes here.
My first post in the series can be found here
Here are the books I read in April and my thoughts.
“The Education of a Coach”, David Halberstam (2005)
“Don’t do it, don’t go into coaching, unless you absolutely can’t live without it” — Bear Bryant
Even if you have zero interest in football, I think everyone will find a fascinating and detailed character study of a man and his obsession. This book shovels on the praise, and rightly so, to one of the most successful coaches Bill Belichick. With the book being written over a decade, there could certainly be more chapters added. Starting with his father, who was also a coach, it tells a story of Croatian immigrants and their acclimation to America during the depression. This process for many families was led by the children. The value of discipline was not taught so much as it was lived. Bill showcased this aptitude for breaking down film when he first started at age nine and parlayed that growing knowledge base into an internship with a NFL team straight out of college.
“Modern Romance”, Eric Klinenberg & Aziz Ansari (2015)
I’d argue that this book is for an older generation and for people who haven’t used any modern technology to find love. Having heard Aziz’s stand-up before, the basis for the book comes from a quest to further investigate many of the things we makes jokes about. Many of the topics discussed in his book aren’t new or groundbreaking, but I found Aziz’s narration of his investigation humorous. He writes in his voice and you definitely tell.
“Leonardo’s Notebooks”, Leonardo da Vinci (1519)
It is interesting peering into someone’s personal journals. With someone like Leonardo da Vinci, you can see his thought process into many of the inventions and paintings we’ve come to know. His curiosity is marvellous as it seems to know no bounds. His notes on painting, sculpturing, anatomy and life itself are in great detail and help define his work. It’s amazing work of a polymath whose observations on topics like the movement of water and the nature of flight show that man’s intellectual curiosity is only bound by oneself.
I read an edition with a wonderful introduction by Emma Dickens. Here I think she describes Leonardo da Vinci so well and sets up the rest of the book perfectly.
“By freeing him of the dehumanising label of ‘genius’, we are able to realise that he embodies the potential scope of a human being. He makes us confront what we have the potential to be.”
“Tuesdays with Morrie”, Mitch Albom (1997)
I picked this book on a whim and read it across two days. It’s a book that I’d recommend for recent college grads. At its core, the book is about two people talking about life. In most cases, I don’t think that works. The circumstances surrounding this book make it work though. The authour visits an old college professor after learning he has been diagnosed with ALS. In the notes and narrative he has given this book, Mitch Albom has allowed anyone to audit their final class together and the honest lessons with it. Most of the lessons we’ve heard before, but that’s not what makes this book great. Morrie’s impending death gives much more weight to everything he says. It’s simple, short and ultimately thought provoking.
