Here is a list of books I read in 2018 and highly recommend you check them out. This is a running list and is subject to change until the end of 2018. The list can be found here.
The Alpha Masters, Maneet Anuja
This is a great book to read if you are interested in hedge funds and how some of the hedge fund managers in the world’s largest hedge funds started out. At times the book goes deep into financial jargon, but the storyline is still very good. I read this book my freshman year of college, and it gave me some names of some funds to reach out to.
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, Adam Grant
I am a huge fan of Adam Grant’s work. He does an exceptional job of breaking down the false notions that originals are born great leaders and risk takers. He demonstrates how anyone can take steps to become an original. My personal highlights and notes on Originals can be found here.
Night, Elie Wiesel
The first time I read Night was in the eighth grade. I failed to grasp the atrocity of the Holocaust and the number of people it affected. After taking a course on the politics of Genocide in college, I knew that I simply had to re-read it. Elie Wiesel’s personal story and perspective on the travesty did not fail to move me.
The Third Door, Alex Banayan
A real page-turner. Alex Banayan is an 18-year-old kid that has larger than life goals. He tells a very interesting story, and there are some neat tricks he used on the journey that led him to meet with successful icons that anyone can pick up to kickstart his/her journey. I compiled a shorter notes version here of his cold email tricks he learned from Tim Ferris, interview advice from Larry King, Bill Gates interview, and other icons he met on his path to understanding how the world’s most successful people launched their careers.
Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance, Atul Gawande
Atul Gawande is the CEO of the health venture backed by Amazon and Berkshire. Better is written very well, and Gawande is very analytical and reflective. It is one of those books where I stopped and thought a lot of the processes in place within medicine. Gawande is very detailed in pinpointing the problems in place within hindsight. This book took me a little longer to get through, the technical jargon I wanted to fully understand slowed me down.
Notes from the Dog, Gary Paulsen
This was a quick midnight read. I read Notes from the Dog in the eighth grade and fell in love with the story. I thought it was a very insightful and touching book as an eighth grader, but during this re-read, I felt overwhelmed with emotion and found it to be even more eye-opening than expected. I spent a good two nights crying over just how much perspective Finn, a fifteen-year-old introvert, and Johanna, a graduate student with breast cancer, can provide. I think as much as this book is about how cancer can’t take away what matters most to all of us in life, that being love and meaningful connection, it helped me see the transition between being a young adult at fifteen to being an adult in my twenties. Life is tough for everyone and being caring and compassionate goes a long way. I left this book hoping I would meet someone like Johanna one day, the same way I did when I was in the eighth grade. If you know someone who is battling cancer, give them a hug, support them, and tell them they are survivors and give them lots of love, because they need it.
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
I forgot how much I loved this book in high school. “ There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” I hold this book near and dear to my heart because as an immigrant that came to America when I was four years old, I had a difficult time learning to read the English language with my already native mandarin background. After struggling until the second grade, once I learned to read — I read nonstop due to my innate curiosity and love of stories. It wasn’t until I read Fahrenheit 451 did I fully appreciate my love of words and the privilege it is to read and learn from those that studied critically and thought deeply before me. Lately, I’ve been struggling with the transition into young adulthood and this book gave me perspective. You can read about my thoughts here.
Born Trump: Inside America’s First Family, Emily Jane Fox
I do not recommend this book. A very poorly written book. It reads like a gossip column full of grammatical errors. Nothing insightful or not known about the Trump and Kushner clan. Nothing insightful about the current first family or the political state of America.
Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making, Deborah Stone
This was a long re-read. We had used this book previously in an American Public Policy Course, but it was used as a second-hand source to a primary source. I thought it was interesting at the time and really wanted to dig deeper. A very intriguing read, if you find the time to really critically think about the philosophy behind policy decisionmaking.
Up in Smoke: From Legislation to Litigation in Tobacco Politics, Martha Derthick
This was another book used an American Public Policy course, but similar to how I was randomly fascinated by Cuban politics one night, I thought about tobacco legislation and wanted to get re-acquainted with the topic. This is a very dense read, but also very informative and detailed. Highly recommend if you have the time.
Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy, Donald Miller
One of the best books I’ve ever read. I was originally skeptical of reading this book upon recommendation by a friend, but Donald Miller is so honest, raw, and vulnerable that I loved reading this book all the way through. Scary Close really makes you re-evaluate your life, relationships, values, and goals and to ask yourself if you are really living a life true to yourself and capable of forming loving, healthy, and intimate relationships. Reading this book during a very trying time in my life really helped me understand my priorities and offered me perspective.
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
I wanted to read this book because I read from a discussion blog that it was the male perspective of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and I deeply enjoyed The Bell Jar. I think compared to The Bell Jar, it is written in a far more lighthearted tone. Ultimately, I can easily identify with Holden and his experiences, as well as cynicism, towards maturity and adulthood. You can read about some of the things that stuck out to me here.
Dear Mr. Henshaw, Beverly Cleary
There were many times I thought about reading this book at a younger age, but I was too distracted by the Magic Tree House Books to find time to read anything else. This was a very quick read for me the morning of Christmas. Even though it is a children’s book, I think the message is very clear and adults need to be reminded of it. “Who wants to be friends with someone who scowls all the time?” asked Mr. Fridley. “So you’ve got problems. Well, so has everyone else, if you take the trouble to notice” (Cleary).
@TheHungryVC 