Books found in my son’s room after he moved out
Summer doesn’t officially begin for another week or so but with the humidity rising in the D.C. area after an unusually cool May, I feel that it is already here. If you are headed to the beach or the lake house, you may have a stack of books (or a loaded iPad) to take with you but perhaps you are looking to fill out your list with some additional material. Here is what I’ve been reading, listening to, or watching that I can recommend.
Reading
I am just finishing up This is Strategy by Seth Godin. Though I found this shelved with the business books in a bookstore near Fort Worth, Texas, the short chapters offer insight not only into the minds of your potential customers but also into your own thinking. Thought provoking for those trying to understand their business’s, nonprofit’s, or their own personal life’s mission. I found it easy to read and it gave me a lot to consider.
The Wizard of the Kremlin by Giuliano Da Empoli is a beautiful novel about an ugly topic, Vladamir Putin’s rise to power and how he was propelled by the human tolerance for or even desire to live under authoritarianism. Lent to me by a friend who insisted that I read it, it sat on my shelf for months. The topic just hit too close to home. Finally, I grabbed it as we were leaving on a trip. It is one of the best novels, I’ve read in a long time. I felt that I gained a deeper understanding of why dictators can take hold, how we empower them, where true freedom lies, and why it is so hard to preserve. The version I read was translated from French. I can’t read it in the original but perhaps you can.
Same as Ever, by Morgan Housel. In world in which change scrolls across our eyeballs like a stock ticker, Housel uses a series of short vignettes to illustrate that the most important things like values, relationships, and even tastes can change very slowly or not at all. For example, search the web for a list of the most popular candy bars in the U.S. and the results are identical to the most popular candy bars when I was kid. Milky Way, Snickers, Hershey Bars. There are lots of high quality confections that no doubt taste way better than those but year after year the old standards top the charts. I finished the book wondering if anything ever really changes at all.
Listening
I listen to podcasts mostly when I am walking or driving but that is a lot of the time. Here the the podcasts that come back to again and again.
Money for Couples – Remit Sethi Each week Sethi interviews a couple about their money problems. Sometimes the couple is overspending and struggling to make ends meet. Sometimes, they are millionaires who can’t bring themselves to take a vacation. The podcast drills down into the psychology of money and the stories we tell ourselves about it. It helps me understand my own attitudes and pathologies. I never miss an episode.
The Rest is History Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland This is a lively deep-dive into human history spanning thousands of years. I just finished listening to a three-part exploration of the first European emperor, Charlemagne (circa 800 CE). Called the father of Europe, Charlemagne is key to understanding everything European from Napoleon to the Third Reich. The European Union of today owes a debt to Charlemagne. And that is just one of the hundreds of fascinating episodes and series this podcast has to offer. Dan Snow’s History Hit is another good history podcast. He recently had a fascinating series on the end of the (Western) Roman Empire.
For Heaven’s Sake is produced by the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Each episode features Institute president Donielle Hartman and scholar and writer Yossi Klein-Halevi as they discuss Israeli politics and the war in Gaza. I avoid most mainstream media and this is my primary source for understanding what is happening in Israeli and the Middle East. Having had a good fortune to have spent a year as a Hartman Fellow while I was working at Hillel, listening to Donielle and Yossi is to learn again with two beloved teachers. They are often critical of Israel and its government and often disagree with each other but I know it comes from place of deep love for Israel and each other. I trust them completely.
Watching
I don’t subscribe to any streaming services except Apple TV+ (of course) as part of the Apple One Premier Bundle. I get the package mostly for Apple Music, and the 2TB of iCloud storage and backup space. I don’t know if I’d pay for the Apple TV+ alone but at $40 per month the bundle is a reasonable purchase since I share it with five other family members. Having said that, there is not much I watch but here are two shows I think are fantastic and one that I found amusing.
Severance This is the best show currently being produced and perhaps the best since Breaking Bad. In case somehow you haven’t heard of it, the premise is that an evil company called Lumon has created a chip that they can implant in the brains of their employees that spatially separates their memories and their consciousness. There is one consciousness for work and one for outside of work. Neither consciousness has access to the memories of the other. Imagine two separate people sharing the same body. The show explores the meaning of identity and consciousness and the role those play in being human. There is also mystery, dark humor, and a compelling story. The characters seem very real and quite preposterous somehow at the same time. Producer Ben Stiller knocked this out of the park. There are two seasons so far. I watched the first season all the way through 5 times and the second season 3 times so far.
Silo Ten thousand people live in an underground Silo in the not too distant future and can’t leave because the air outside is said to be poisonous. There are secrets and a mysterious meritocracy that maintains order. Those who dare to ask questions can be arrested or even sent outside to their death. Incredible production values. The set is completely believable. The acting is fantastic. There are two seasons so far each of which I have watched just once.
Your Friend’s and Neighbors This dark comedy set in a wealthy suburb in Westchester, N.Y. stars Jon Hamm (Madmen) who plays a recently divorced financial high roller who gets fired for having a relationship with someone below him on the org chart even though the relationship was consensual and she filed no complaint. Out of resentment and perhaps boredom he turns to robbing his wealthy friends and neighbors of their jewelry, watches, artwork, and cash. Hilarity ensues.
There is some thought-provoking commentary on class, friendship, and the pursuit of wealth for its own sake, but mostly I just found this to be good fun with a few laugh out loud moments. As an added plus, the actor who plays Mr. Drummond in Severance Season Two makes an appearance as an evil art collector. Jon Hamm is a droll and hilarious actor. In this series he has upgraded his signature Old Fashioned cocktails in Madmen to The Macallan 25 Year-Old Single Malt Scotch as his drink of choice (neat, of course). At $2,500 a bottle, it tells you all you need to know about “Coop” the character he plays.
Oh, I just thought of a fourth one. Made for the BBC in 2005 and picked up by Apple TV+, Long Way Round follows actor Euen McGreggor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and his buddy Charley as they ride motorcycles over a period of 100 odd days around the world starting in London and heading east through, Europe, Kazakhstan, Mongolian and Russia. They fly to Alaska and continue overland to New York City before arriving back in England where they ride back to their starting point. It is an incredible adventure and makes one appreciate a trip to the market on a paved road in a car with AC. I like Euen McGreggor. I love motorcycles and I enjoy seeing people be devoured by mosquitos from the comfort of my screened porch. This series pressed all the buttons.
My summer travel plans are decidedly less ambitious. No ride through Mongolian desert. No dicey border crossings. Just an action-packed weekend in Cincinnati to celebrate my mom’s birthday with the family and then a week in the Adirondacks with a stack of books, podcasts and a maybe a movie or two. If you’ve got any suggestions for reading or watching to ramp up the thrill level, please do drop a comment below.
The world’s a narrow bridge; fear nothing.