Dan's 2011 Books

9. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'll be writing an executive review of the book. When I get that done, I'll post it here.
Overall, the book had some amazing tips on how to get through those tough conversations that we all face in daily life. Many of them you are certainly already good at, but some were things that I'll need to work on. I read this for work, so it was not all "pleasure", per se.


8. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Eh. Not too much to say here. Please check out Ben's commentary on the book.
http://iversonbooklist.blogspot.com/2011...





7. Mormon Colonies in Mexico by Thomas Cottam Romney
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After a recent visit to the Mormon Colonies in Chihuahua Mexico I was intrigued by the forces that had driven them to settle there and the stories behind the life they had led. So many leaders of the Mormon Church and culture have come from the Colonies that is seems to have been perhaps the last Mormon Exodus microcosm following their trek West to the Salt Lake Valley. The Saints practicing polygamy in the late 1880’s and 90’s were driven from the country. They fled to Mexico and Canada. Seven colonies were established in the 150 mile corridor South of the US-Mexico border in the states of Sonora and Chihuahua. For the next 20 or so years they built small cities from nothing and created society where only desert grasses had grown. They were known for their prosperity and in most cases put the local populations to shame for how well they had done financially. Famous Church family names such as Romney, Eyring, Ivins, Teasdale, Call, and many others came from the Colonies and have since gone on to greatness. In the early 1910’s there was a political revolution in Mexico, creating great unrest and anti-American sentiment. At this time, all of the colonies were emptied and their residents escaped to Texas, Arizona, and Canada. Despite many of the families returning within a few years of their expulsion, the colonies never quite regained their same level of distinction after that event. Much of the book is dedicated to that part history.
This is probably the least well-known book I've read in a long time. Maybe ever. I would probably rate the writing style as two stars, but the book was published in 1938 and is not very “contemporary”. There were multiple instances where the word choice was less than politically correct in regard to Native Indian or Mexican people mentioned in the book. I did not find these comments offensive and was interested to see the word choices Romney used, but this could be somewhat offensive to those groups. At the same time the writing style was relatively professional and the book was not particularly difficult to read. Overall, I enjoyed the book and do not regret having read it. I would probably not recommend it unless you have an interest in Mormon history or the Colonies in particular. I would not read it a second time (though I rarely read anything twice). There is nothing inappropriate in the book that other readers should be aware of.


6. Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Cool. Cool. Cool. There was so much about the Lewis and Clark expedition that I didn't know. Did you ever realize that they were the first (white men) to document the existence of the coyote? How about the impact of their travels on American Indian policy over the next several decades? That when the trip was planned, they were going to be crossing foreign territory almost the entire distance? That Meriwether Lewis was groomed for years to lead the expedition by Thomas Jefferson, only to commit suicide just a few years after the end of the expedition?

Stephen Ambrose goes into great detail to talk about the life of Lewis and how the expedition came to be. He is a great storyteller and there were interesting facts that kept me want to keep listening around every corner. I wouldn't say any part of the book dragged, though it was more interesting in the latter 2/3rd of the book when the expedition actually occurred.

There was no particularly bad language or graphic content. This is non-fiction.






5. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


When I first heard the term Libertarian Paternalist, I kind of zoned out. But after the author explained that this just means someone who believes the more choices we have the better, and the choice architecture should be made to encourage the person choosing to make the best choice possible for them. Particularly when the decisions involve a lot of choices or are complex and the person making the choice is unlikely to figure out the best decision for themselves.
Anyway, the book had some great examples about how someone can influence others to make decisions that will be the best for them without taking away the liberty for them to make their own decisions.
Overall, the book was a little dry, but I would recommend it and thought it was fairly thought provoking. Perhaps this was a good book to listen to on tape since I could listen to it while going back and forth to work.





4. SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes And Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Yes, this book is simply Freakonomics Part 2, but I have to admit I was sucked into every chapter and am still an avid Freakonomics Radio listener. While I do subscribe to basic economics principles, the part of the book that is most intriguing to me are the random subjects/ideas that they discuss and the experts they interview. I loved to hear the facts and data proving that global warming is barely impacted by vehicular emissions and that all we would have to do to cool the earth would be to pump sodium dioxide (I think that was the chemical) into the atmosphere at the right elevation (very high) and it would provide enough UV filtering to stop the warming effect. Take that Al Gore.
Anyway, this was a fun book and provided some interesting insights into things that I would have never thought our learned about. I loved it.





3. Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters : The Definitive Biography of the First American Billionaire by Richard Hack

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


To say that Howard R Hughes was an eccentric recluse would be the understatement of the century. This book delves into the playboy rich kid who grew into the first American billionaire. In many senses Howard seemed to have the midas touch. His father's tool company was that old cash cow that let him spend millions as a film producer and aerospace pioneer. He even once landed his plane on an LA golf course in pursuit of Cathrine Hepburn!

The book was very well written and captivating. It doesn't try to hide the fact that Howard was (or acted) quite literally crazy for a good part of the latter end of his life. He didn't see the sun for 35 years because he lived in hotel suites with blackout curtains covering the windows! He was a major drug addict too. Anyway, I'd recommend the book and I think I learned a lot about this interesting man. Ironically, his Hughes Aircraft facility in Tucson was purchased by Raytheon in 1997. Funny how he influenced even me!





2. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Really, really cool book. David McCullough is a master and bringing to life historical stories about amazing feats. I listed to this book and was captivated as I learned how the Brooklyn Bridge came together. I didn't fall in love with the political parts of it, but they were interesting too and certainly a big part of the story. My favorite part was the engineering and implementation of the caisons and the towers. McCullough actually spent only a small portion of the book discussing the stringing of the cables and the construction of the bridge deck. It was sad to see the impact of the bends on the chief engineer and how it hurt his health for the rest of his life. He was an amazing man though and really changed the world. This bridge was the largest suspension bridge in the world for 50 years after it was built, and is the only suspension bridge in America of this size with rock pillars (the rest are all steel). It was the dawning of a new age of for the steel industry and happened at such a changing time for the U.S. (post Civil War, end of the American Indians, joining of the nation via Transcontinental Railroad, etc.).
All said, I probably enjoyed The Path Between the Seas better (by McCullough - tale of the building of the Panama Canal), but this was a fun read and I will definitely make it a point to walk across the bridge next time we visit New York!





1. Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R. Covey

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I listed to this on tape, so I what was presented was actually Elder Covey's verbal seminar that he gave about the seven habits. It was a series of lectures. I felt like it was interesting and fairly well presented, but I kind of wish I'd read the book instead. It may have been a little more logically arranged, better verbalized, and easier to glean information from. Anyway, I liked the book and put quite a bit of credence behind his teachings, but don't plan to re-read it anytime soon. If I did, it would be the printed version.