Harsh Pareek

The book I would have written 60 years from now

Revisado: 09-08-17

The idea of the book is quite simple, and it is well supported by anecdotes and scientific research. In one package it puts together every good idea I have ever heard, and some I had previously not, on creating a life of meaning. I would normally say that this kind of book isn't for everyone and perhaps it's only for people with a lot of ambition but I think that is not strictly true. I loved the domino analogy and it makes a lot more sense than a compound interest analogy I usually hear in its syead (mainly because who pays this compound interest? A bank? Why would they? Too many questions for an analogy to be raising).

I highly recommend this book and intend to buy physical copies to give to my friends. The audio version is also well done

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I cannot endorse this

Revisado: 08-27-17

There is a lot to talk about in zen but this book is self help nonsense. It's the secret presented using zen words. The whole point of zen is zen practice ie meditation. Without it, none of these ideas work and all these ideas like that the universe is conscious are representative of western self help culture, not of zen

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Pretty good stories mediocre narration

Revisado: 08-25-17

Overall it's an ok buy. It's a standard performance of any classical work, but as compared to the other books this narrator has read, she seems less enthusiastic about this one. I'm pretty sure she's the same narrator who did Stories to Tell in the Dark and Pride and Prejudice. I do however, enjoy the collection of work this book entails. I've even found a few that I've fallen. In love with (the card) this is a pretty great book if you use a credit, but overkill if you buy it with money. Most of the cost I'm assuming is to the reader and Not the copyrights of the stories.

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Monotonous background and occasional story

Revisado: 08-23-17

I enjoyed it, but collected stories weren't great. Not scary, suspenseful. Classic authors, mediocre stories. Overall it was OK if you wanted to listen to something on a long drive. It's not bad in the sense you'd go to sleep while driving, but if you were looking for a scary book, I'd suggest Creepypasta podcasts. Narrator was something you'd hear from a Jane Austin novel, so pretty good. But it is as you'd expect from a. Collection of classical horror stories. (Wow, a detached hand in running amok. So scary... ) price of this is definitely due to the hours of reading. Probably would listen again if I had to fill another large gap of time.

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The production was incredible

Revisado: 08-16-17

This was a very fun audio book to listen to. Can't say I liked the story very much. It was interestingly written but is full of speculation. Not a must read but definitely fun to listen to

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Essential reading

Revisado: 04-26-17

I do not say this often but this book is a must read. The authors go over the more recent history of civilization, that post the dark ages of Europe and tackle the important question of why certain nations in Europe in particular and the world in general ended up prosperous. The key, they say, is having an appetite for creative destruction. Whenever one group becomes too powerful, they start molding political institutions so that their financial means are secure, at the cost of innovation. The authors say that the way to achieve this is via inclusive institutions like democracy.

I considered docking a point for what I consider a lack of scholarship and intellectual integrity in this book. I found their critique of Guns Germs and steel and Why the west rules for now very lacking. Instead of realising that those books fundamentally talk about different time periods, and that some factors are stronger than other factors under different contexts, their argument against those books are quite facetious and makes me doubt that they even read those books. Similarly, they champion inclusive institutions a little too hard in this book. In many of their examples, there were obvious other factors which should have been stronger than their thesis, they handwave around instead of tackling the issue head on. This work is lacking in sincere scholarship, which is quite disappointing.

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From the horses mouth

Revisado: 08-30-16

This is not all that different from Googles HR spiel, but it is good to hear it coming from Eric Schmidt and Jonathon Rosenberg, which also carries with it many stories. Recommend even if you work at Google already

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An excellent book on the history of civilization

Revisado: 08-13-16

I grew annoyed with the constant comparison of East and west, because I do not think that question is a very interesting one, but I did expect it going in, given the title. I think the book could have been better if it did not fixate on that question.

The author does a great job of trying to be a neutral observer instead of a part of the "western" civilization and treating all civilizations with scientific neutrality. This book is full of interesting details on civilizations throughout history and comparisons among them, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in understanding how the world got to be the way it is, and why empires rose and fell, and to anyone interested in predicting the future

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A good starting point

Revisado: 07-12-16

If this is the first book you read about improving brain health, you will find it informative and enjoyable.

But first the bad :
The author does not exercise enough skepticism of neuroscience and psychology research. There are parts where I know for certain that the author is wrong or has misinterpreted some studies. The author also does not back away from making statements that are clearly baseless,even based on the material he cites.

As for the good, I think the fundamental ideas are sound and the exposition is clear. The work is cited with clear sources and the material is overall well chosen and organized.

Towards the later chapters it becomes clear that the author meant this book to be read by someone who is past their prime and going into old age and wants to remain brain healthy. It is also catered to the average population. A lot of it is not directed at those of us who think for a living and want to eke the most out of our brains and or optimize their nutrition.

Summary of book : heart health = brain health. Sleep good. exercise good. Mental exercise not that transferable across tasks, but could prevent dementia.

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