NOVEMBER BOOK JAM: A brief recount of what I've been reading

Those who have read Jim Collins' "Good to Great" will know this reference but I'm not sure if reading all of these books is making me a better hedgehog or boxing me into being a fox. Regardless, I'm gonna keep doin me.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz?

At this point, It’s pretty evident that I consume a lot of books. And naturally, I get asked for recommendations or what's your favorite. Whilst I have enjoyed many great reads, this is the book that I always recommend as the first book everyone should read. This is my fourth time reading this book. I try to come back to it every couple of years to remind myself how to smartly navigate the tumultuous landscape that is "corporate America". This is a critical read for everyone for several reasons: A. it touches on nearly every up and down in the growth of a new product, B. it digs into the weird subtleties of the workplace, like is it ok to swear, C. it lays out how to hire - strengths vs lack of weakness, and D. it's riddled with hard-hitting rap lyrics. Regardless of title or place in org hierarchy, this book is perfect for everyone.

The Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Change America and Lost His Party by Michael Tackett

While it's hard, I'm going to reflect on this objectively. For a man who overcame Polio and has battled the lingering effects throughout his life, he has clearly not let it slow down his aspirations. Mitch McConnell is undeniably one of the most masterful politicians in the last half century, if not in American history. This book outlines his path to power, his methodical approach to future proofing his party's needs and maintaining control of the Senate. I am not a fan of his but I do stand in awe of his remarkable impact. From a more subjective lens, Green Day says it best - A Walking Contradiction.

Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside by Nick Offerman

Ok, so coming off of the election results and simultaneously reading the biography of Mitch McConnell, I needed a lighter fun read...so of course Nick Offerman was the obvious choice. Here's what I quickly learned, similar to his other books but perhaps hitting a bit closer to home, Offerman digs into the political landscape of America over the past 4 years. While not fully focused on the nonsense of the pandemic and Trump and other remarkable moments, there is a heavy dose of commentary on all of this. Be that as it may, the book's broader theme is about being smart thought stewards of the world and society we exist within. His examination of smart agriculture, excessive consumerism, the exploitation of nature and the general demeanor of most America’s really hit hard. Despite his playing of a hyper masculine man, in his character Ron Swanson, Offerman as a real person exudes true masculinity...respect and love for his wife and women as a whole, nature, his fellow human - despite potential political disagreements - his willingness to be vulnerable, recognizing what he doesn't know and wanting to become better. Managing our existence should be a culmination of all of these. It doesn't hurt to also be funny AF.

The Art of Power: My Story as America's first Woman Speaker of the House by Nancy Pelosi

Welp, if I'm going to read about McConnell's story, it stands to reason that I should I also checkout Pelosi's. Again, trying to take an objective view on this story, similarly too McConnell, you have to respect the conviction and ruthless leadership Pelosi has shown over the course of her political career. Of course,? this book touches on all of the big moments she has been part of, but the lesser know, at least to me, fights she has always stood strong on, particularly China, was super interesting. Her relentless outspoken dogmatic fight for human rights within China, Tibet, Taiwan et al speaks to her entrenched conviction. It's impressive and inspiring...in comparison to McConnell's career, who is a man that has shown no real concern for any particular cause beyond his own advancement. This is the fundamental difference between these two icons, contradiction and hypocrisy vs conviction and reverence.

Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion by Gabrielle Blair

With abortion being politicized and polarization at an all time high, I wanted to learn more about what can be done. This book, helped me reframe my thinking about this topic. With our focus heavily pointed at the downstream last resort, this book tackles the upstream solution. And yes, the solution lands squarely with men. However, unlike men legislating women's rights, for which they have no business doing, this book lays out why men are distinctly responsible for all unplanned births. Despite this, men bare nearly no responsibility in any of the prevention and subsequent results. Think about this: women are fertile 3% of the time, yet they are expected to be responsible for birth control 100% of the time, vs men who are fertile 100% of the time and have 0% birth control expectations. It's not clear to me why men are adverse in taking responsibility for their actions - we can manage when and where we ejaculate, women can not control where their eggs are in the fertility cycle. Men can and need to do more. If we stepped up to have vasectomies and/or wore condoms 100% of the time, the abortion conversation would be far less amplified. Lastly, this book should be mandatory for all high school sex ed classes.?

Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond

You can't live in America and not recognize the vast income gap between the two ends of the spectrum. Honestly, And this is one of those issues that is easy to look past, especially if you aren't the one struggling...ignorance is bliss, right. But here's the thing, as Desmond outlines in this hard-hitting deep-dive, the perpetuation of America's economically challenged is a direct result of the wealthy, regardless of political party. It's becoming a bit of a cliche at this point to say "tax the rich" but the fact of the matter is that the non-taxed income/assets of the upper wealth bands far exceeds what it would require to seriously combat poverty. Estimates suggest that it would take $177B to lift up all American's above the poverty line. Contrast this to the nearly $3 trillion in lost taxes due to loopholes and non-taxable programs, all exploited by the wealthy. This isn't a conversation about "I've worked hard for what I have", as that suggests those American's working 3 jobs to afford food aren't working hard. No, this is a conversation about decency, compassion and concern. Those that can do more but choose not to are the real fleecing of America. As Desmond rights, which is critical to understand - "Poverty isn't simply a condition of not having enough money. It's a condition of not having enough choice and being exploited because of it." We need to do more. We need to be better.?

Running With Purpose: How Brooks Outpaced Goliath Competitors to Lead the Pack by Jim Weber

This book gave me a lot of feels, many of which were of skepticism, contempt and confusion. First off, this story was not well structured. I found the conversation to jump from topic to topic with little transition. One page Weber is opining over Brooks success and the next page he's digging into Black Lives Matter followed by his battle with cancer. I get what he was trying to do, outline all of the headwinds he's faced but man, the narrative left a lot to be desired. All in all, just not a well structured story. That aside, let's get to the real meat, the title is a joke and not at all accurate. Perhaps this is some bias at play but Brooks is not out pacing anyone. Brooks is a second tier niche running brand. When your big celebratory moment is flying a banner overhead at the Olympic trials, akin to plane flying ads for margarita happy hours at the Jersey Shore, you're not outpacing competitors. Annual revenue not withstanding, Brooks has had 1 athlete shine in the last decade - Josh Kerr. And anyone who says, "b b b but what about Des Linden's Boston win", I say, sit down. Look, I recognize the the sport of running and athletics is very much a fringe sport, so success on the track and road is lost on most average Joes. But here's the thing, runners, like true runners self identify as a such. It becomes their identity and personality, and that is reflected in what they were. I for one, will never wear a Brooks shoe or piece of apparel because the brand doesn't reflect me as a runner. I would argue, that many would agree. The brand does not transcend beyond nerdy running RSGs, and anyone who disagrees has tunnel vision and doesn't understand the sport, identity and commitment. Additionally, Weber's pontification about Brooks being a brand for the runner, it's hard to get behind this when this is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. Versus the likes of Nike - A runners company. Built by runners for runners. Driven to unleash every runner's true potential. Clearly, I'm very biased (Nike 4 Life). And since I'm buying and reading these books and writing these thoughts I can do what I want. Ha.?

Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown′

When I'm in need of a reset, I can always turn to a Brené Brown book. Her evaluation on situational challenges and our ability to 'rise strong' gives me the mental reset that I need. The month of November has been heavy - my own health issues, my mother going into emergency surgery, the election, and general life. Regaining perspective and appreciation is key; however, if ill-equipped or lacking resolve to make it happen can often lead to perpetual sluggishness. In this book, much like her others, Brown tackles vulnerability. Vulnerability requires us to recognize our own gaps and short comings. Often we can recognize these but what's difficult is articulating them and working through them. Like for me, I have a hard time sharing my work, - eg writings, with my wife. Not because I think she'll tear me down or criticize me in anyway, but as Brown writes, "men have a hard-time dismounting from their white horse"...we play the "what if" game. This game leads to walls and guarded relationships. What happens if there's a chink in our armor and we can't always be the here...the is the mental model of most men...unfair and stereotyped, for sure but its reality. This is not to be twisted with hyper-masculinity, rather an innate desire to be the rock, not need the rock. Many of us find it easy to offer our help, but few of us easily accept help...again, vulnerability is a tough one to escape. Anyway, another great book from the catalogue of books by Brené Brown.