Riveting Reads: 2018 Edition

I had an incredibly fun year diving into dozens of books across a wide range of topics. I still can’t get myself to enjoy fiction yet, but I think I’ll get there in time! In 2018, I dove pretty deep into Stoic philosophy, biographies of great leaders/thinkers, developments in technology (AI, 5G), strategies to approach tough situations, and tactics for maximizing “good output” that helps others. Here’s my annual “top 10” – some old, some new. All incredibly valuable, at least to me.

Make 2019 an incredibly rich and prosperous year!

- Matt

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Edmund Morris)

I never knew a person could pack so much punch into a single lifetime. From seeing all parts of the world as a boy to cultivating himself into a writer/cowboy/politician hybrid, Teddy did it all. This “dude” approached life with intense gusto, and he’s a real inspiration for how we can all make the most of every moment on this Earth.

48 Laws of Power (Robert Greene)

I love timeless pieces, which is literally everything Robert Greene is about. In addition to helping me dig some Stoicism roots this year, he gave me this nearly 20-year old gift: looking at how power dynamics work in this world and using this situational knowledge to guide thinking and actions in all realms of life. It’s brutally honest and sometimes dark, but it’s so “human”, and I loved it.

Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer (Fred Kaplan)

Deep down, we’ve all known Honest Abe’s proclivity to adopt the pen and podium. But through this book, I discovered how transfixed he was from an early age regarding the power of the written and spoken word. He obsessed over Shakespearian classics and modern tales. He battled through severe introversion to create a space for himself in this world and create lasting goodness for generations to come.

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds (David Goggins)

Wow, Goggins is a machine, and possibly not from this world. His backstory is incredibly tough, and the adversity he faces throughout life is gut-wrenching. But the sheer mental and physical fortitude he displays to continually make himself better each and every day shows the power of the human animal – we’re the ultimate adaption machine. He shows how we can bust through seemingly insurmountable mental barriers and reach heights we’ve barely even dreamed of.

AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order (Kai-Fu Lee)

Kai-Fu Lee is a seriously gifted individual with a unique set of experiences. In addition to a heart-warming story of how he battled personal tragedy and overcame many obstacles, not many people have lived the technology entrepreneur life he did, consisting of equal parts America (Silicon Valley) and China. With over three decades of AI expertise, he’s seen this technology “race” unfold on both sides of the Pacific, and he sheds some enlightening thoughts regarding how this seemingly slow-moving technology is about to grip our lives in a vice and throw us for a ride in countless ways.

This Is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See (Seth Godin)

Seth always leaves me wanting more. His plain English, to-the-point style comes across extremely well in his latest book, where he shows us how marketing is all around us. Almost everything that we do and experience involves marketing, whether we realize it or not. We need to embrace this notion and learn to interact with it, in both personal and work situations (it’s all a jumbled mix anyway!). The power of great marketing is a major difference maker in the results economy – our new world of niches.

Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)

With John Boyd, we get to experience one of the best-kept secrets in military history. As an old school fighter pilot, he revolutionized air-to-air combat tactics for generations to come. As a world-class military strategist and theorist, he developed some of the most compelling doctrine since the days of Clausewitz. His story and character keep you at the edge of your seat, while also drawing you in as you experience his deeply-human feelings of loneliness and abandonment.

Ego is the Enemy (Ryan Holiday)

Ryan is truly the “millennial philosopher”, bringing us repeated doses of stoic philosophy wisdom from yesteryear. In this book, he dives deep into ways we can reduce the strain our innate ego places on our daily mental state and carve pathways to find inner happiness and successes in the world. FYI, NFL teams (like the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots) have adopted this content as gospel.

The War of Art (Steven Pressfield)

Just a beautiful piece of work. For those “creatives” out there (artist, writer, musician, whatever!), Pressfield perfectly describes the “resistance” that we all face in our chosen field of work. Call it writer’s block, complacency, or a lack of imagination, we all have something within us that prevents us from doing our best work. Taking a ride along the Artist’s Journey can be torturous, but breaking through and developing something special – and uniquely human – is often one of the most rewarding feelings we can experience.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World (Cal Newport)

My fellow Georgetowner, Cal Newport, provides some timeless guidance here on why and how to reach states of flow. He describes ways to tap into subconscious parts of your brain that’ll produce results that you’re unlikely to achieve through pure active thinking and multitasking. I read a number of books this year centering on this topic, and I’ll say that, while I’m very much a work-in-progress on my end, putting it to practice is incredibly fulfilling.