What I'm reading (July 2024)

Books, politics, YouTube, and more...

dear readers,

please excuse my lack of new posts recently, I’ve had a heavy work/travel schedule, and just got back from Iceland (one of my fave places). Am now hanging in SF for a bit before returning home to LA. Now that I’m back, wanted to share a quick post.

One of the favorite habits that my wife/I have taken on when traveling is that we’ll try to get through 2-3 audiobooks about the place we’re visiting. We’ll start a few weeks ahead of time, and then also have an Airpod in during travel downtime. It’s great. This practice adds ton of historical context and helps us feel a deeper connection to wherever we are. I wanted to share a few of these books plus other interesting reads from the past few months.

Hawaii, Iceland, China, Israel

• Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia. Kinda has the vibes of “Guns Germs and Steel” if you’ve read that. The book talks about how Polynesians navigated and settled the vast Pacific Ocean using sophisticated non-instrument navigation techniques, such as reading the stars and ocean swells. (Spoiler: it's not with GPS.) Lots of great tidbits about anthropology, history, and personal narrative, delving into the cultural achievements of the Polynesians and their voyages, blending scientific research with engaging storytelling. (Also watch Moana after you’re done!)

• Hawaii by James Michener. This a very long and epic book, but frankly it was amazing. Reminds me of the best dramatic series TV shows about dynastic families we’re seeing right now (Yellowstone, GOT, etc). The book takes you on a wild ride through Hawaii's history – from volcanoes to modern-day paradise. You'll travel from the island's fiery birth, through the arrival of Polynesians, Western explorers, and everyone in between. It’s def rated R. Lots of horrible stuff happens. It's like a multi-generational soap opera with beautiful beaches, cultural clashes, and lots of drama – perfect for history buffs and beach lovers alike.

• Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings. The author is an archaeologist who knows his Vikings, takes you on a deep dive into Viking life – beyond the warfare. (But also includes a lot about the slaving, raiding, raping, and pillaging also. He doesn’t skimp about that). He covers their culture, beliefs, and daily life with rich detail, from religion to diet to marriage, religion, and so on.

• How Iceland Changed the World. This is a fun little read. Gives you the lowdown on how this tiny island has punched above its weight in world history. From Viking explorers to the world's first parliament, Iceland’s influence has been huge – who knew? I appreciated reading about Bobby Fischer’s final days, all the WW2 details, etc. It's a fun, quirky read that shows you how a small, seemingly isolated place can have a massive impact on global events. (Obv the stories are sometimes only tangentially driven by Iceland, but still fun)

• Black Wave. I dramatically upped my Middle East IQ by reading this book. It digs into the intense rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran that's shaped the Middle East since 1979. The book traces how this feud has fueled sectarian conflicts, political unrest, and cultural upheaval across the region – it's a deep dive into the roots of today's chaos. The author blends personal stories, historical events, and political analysis, making a complex topic accessible and engaging – it’s like getting a front-row seat to Middle Eastern history.

• Blood and Oil. A little sensationalistic, but fun. This book unravels the story of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and his rise to power. They cover everything from his economic reforms and vision for Saudi Arabia's future to the dark side of his rule, including crackdowns on dissent. It’s full of insider details and dramatic revelations, but keep in mind it leans a little wonky in places.

China, Israel, Russia. I haven’t been to China/Israel/Russia, but given everything that’s happened in the news I figured it was time to read more about it:

• The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers. The book argues that although we sorta know how the US government functions (the executive, judicial, legislative branches! City, county, state, federal governments! etc etc), we don’t have a great understanding of how things work in running China. Richard McGregor, an Aussie journalist, lifts the curtain on the secretive and powerful Chinese Communist Party, and reveals how the CCP runs everything behind the scenes, from politics to the economy. Everything from the red phone network, how they use standardized testing to recruit government officials, etc. Very interesting stuff.

• Wild Swans. I read this incredible book years ago, as a teenager, and was glad to re-read it a few months back. It tells the jaw-dropping story of her family – spanning three generations of badass women in 20th-century China, and everything they faced during the Communist Revolution and Chinese Civil War. You get an inside look at her grandmother's life as a warlord's concubine, her mom's revolutionary struggles, and Jung's own tumultuous childhood during the Cultural Revolution. For those who aren’t familiar with the rise of the Mao and the events leading up to it, I def recommend a read.

• Chip War. Lotta folks have already read this, but I re-read recently as the AI boom and race for big GPU clusters has started. He explains why these tiny chips are a big deal, powering everything from smartphones to military systems – and why countries are fighting over them. This includes the history of Nvidia, TSMC, and the China/Taiwan conflict. It’s a fascinating look at the tech that runs our world and the global competition to control it. Very very relevant right now.

• The Cold War, a New History. I was a kid when the Berlin Wall fell. I felt like I only sorta/kinda knew the major events of the Cold War, and wanted to put it all together. This was a good high-level summary. John Lewis Gaddis, the go-to guy for Cold War history, breaks down the whole US vs. USSR showdown in a way that’s super engaging. From the Cuban Missile Crisis to the fall of the Berlin Wall, he covers all the big moments with fresh insights and newly declassified info. Worth a quick read, it’s fast/accessible and not the usual dense history book.

• Startup Nation. I haven’t traveled to Israel yet but found myself referencing this book over and over, and thought I’d re-read it. Very relevant for all the various countries I’ve been spending time recently (Japan, UK, Saudi Arabia, etc) in terms of their plans to kick start a startup ecosystem. This book is pretty cool in that is actually lays out step by step what Israel did, from having the gov’t recruit VCs to bootstrap the financing industry to the private/public collab within the country.

Philosophy, Science, other stuff

• Rene Girard’s Mimetic Theory (YouTube, by Johnathan Bi). I first heard of Girard’s work in the context of social networking’s impact on society, and what it means when humans copy each other in terms of what we want (travel! fashion! jobs! etc) and what that means. And also why “cancel culture” happens, since people end up copying each others’ dislikes as well. This absolutely incredible YouTube series discusses Girard’s theories on the topic, and it’s fantastic.

• Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy. Lots of folks now know about the “simulation hypothesis” — the idea that we all live in a simulation. David J. Chalmers, a big deal in philosophy and cognitive science, is behind this theory and takes it much further. He asks some deep questions about what’s real, what’s not, and what happens when we spend more time in virtual worlds than the real one.

• Hardcore History. If you want to listen to a “podcast” that is actually like 20 hours straight about the eastern front of WW2, or about the Mongolians and why they were so badass, this is it. Lots of folks have heard of Dan Carlin by now, but I’ve now fully listened to all his stuff and it’s fantastic. Just buy it and enjoy :)

• The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry. Y’all might know that anthropology/archeology is currently being revolutionized right now by the ability to genetically sequence mummies, fossils, and other remains from thousands of years back. Sykes, a geneticist develops the ability to use mitochondrial DNA to tell the story of how we’re all connected, talks about its discovery and some of the theories its upended. This is a super interesting research area and cool to see one of the main scientists write an accessible book.

• The Ancient City: A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome. This book takes you back to ancient Greece and Rome — during pre-Christian times — to show a deeply different/alien way of life, driven by pagan values. He digs into how their gods influenced laws, politics, and daily life – it’s all about how deeply intertwined their spiritual and civic lives were. I found this super interesting since, frankly, this was actually not that long ago. But def a very different time given it was driven by pagan beliefs, which makes it feel like a very different society.

Other stuff

This isn’t all, of course! I also like to indulge in some scifi and fiction — most recently reading some classics like Solaris, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse!), re-reading Three Body Problem, etc. I’m starting Delta V which is about space mining, and is a new book.

I have a neverending queue, so if you want to add to it, feel free to reply and list some other books that have been great for you!