What particularly good non-fiction book have you read?

[Okrahomer]

50 minutes ago, Calm said:

My husband’s specialty teaching and research was entrepreneurship and small business.  Do you want me to ask him something?

I would love to hear what your husband thinks of “Small is Beautiful”!  I just did a little more digging with ChatGPT:  ChatGPT thinks “cottage industry” is a good synonym for the Small is Beautiful concept.  It was less enthusiastic about the Cotopaxi model; although, it “thinks” there is some significant overlap.

[Rain]

1 hour ago, Okrahomer said:

When I read the book — a long time ago — my mind kept going to what I had seen in Germany on my mission:  a large section of economic production coming from what they call “der Mittelstand”.  These are family-owned enterprises that are usually small- or medium-sized firms.

Interesting.  Working with refugees I have thought of things like the goat you can get for a refugee family from the giving machines.  I loved how it talks about how if you really want to help people you need to understand them - which means how you would help your German families would be different from how you would help one of these families who got a goat. 

Loved when it said that people want to help from a rich person's point of view, but don't understand the poor person's problems so if you want to help you have to be willing to learn first.

1 hour ago, Okrahomer said:

Apologies for probably mis-characterizing it as an “easy read.”  I was in the middle of Econ 101 at BYU, and it was necessary that I understood it.  I think I also struggled with some of the chapters.

Once my son said it was written by an economist I knew some would be over my head lol!.  But a lot of it is I just have lost a lot of my reading comprehension ability from what I used to have.  There are times when I want to give it up (economics is not my thing anyway), but I like what I'm learning and I have had several conversations about it with my son so I really appreciate the suggestion.

1 hour ago, Okrahomer said:

 Honestly, I don’t remember the 2 million Villages chapter at all.

This is the chapter that gets more into how you can help more people with smaller businesses/organizations.

1 hour ago, Okrahomer said:

Edit to add:  another potential synonym for the “Small is Beautiful” concept might be “cottage industry”; and in that respect, the Industrial Revolution did a lot of harm by wiping out a lot of the old cottage industries — I’m thinking of the weaving industry in particular.

I was surprised at how the larger businesses could actually hurt people in the long run (at least in theory because I don't know anything about it and how it has held up over 50 years) when it brings in people from rural areas, requires more complicated processes, more imports and more imported educated people and then produces a product too expensive to be sold without exporting.

1 hour ago, Okrahomer said:

2nd Edit:  a more modern example might be what Cotopaxi does with its support of home-based production in indigenous populations.  More intriguing in this example is that the founder of Cotopaxi is LDS.

Thanks! I'll look into it.

[Calm]

15 minutes ago, Okrahomer said:

I would love to hear what your husband thinks of “Small is Beautiful”!  I just did a little more digging with ChatGPT:  ChatGPT thinks “cottage industry” is a good synonym for the Small is Beautiful concept.  It was less enthusiastic about the Cotopaxi model; although, it “thinks” there is some significant overlap.

He is not familiar with the book…at least not with just the title.  As I edited, his degree is organizational psychology though (doctorate was developing a test for identifying entrepreneurial attributes), he thinks what is taught as economics generally isn’t grounded in reality, if my memory is accurate, but this sounds right up his alley.  I might get him to listen to it if it’s on Audible as he listens to books while driving.

Edited February 20, 2025 by Calm

[Rain]

9 minutes ago, Calm said:

He is not familiar with the book…at least not with just the title.  As I edited, his degree is organizational psychology though (doctorate was developing a test for identifying entrepreneurial attributes), he thinks what is taught as economics generally isn’t grounded in reality, if my memory is accurate, but this sounds right up his alley.  I might get him to listen to it if it’s on Audible as he listens to books while driving.

It is on Audible. Unfortunately, it wasn't in any of the Phoenix area library systems I have cards for. 

[Okrahomer]

13 hours ago, Rain said:

Working with refugees I have thought of things like the goat you can get for a refugee family from the giving machines.  I loved how it talks about how if you really want to help people you need to understand them - which means how you would help your German families would be different from how you would help one of these families who got a goat. 

Loved when it said that people want to help from a rich person's point of view, but don't understand the poor person's problems so if you want to help you have to be willing to learn first.

This made a lot of sense to me as well, and it is a bit of an epiphany to remember it now, as my wife has suggested that I am typically too “male” in my approach to problem-solving -  i.e., “these types of problems are not simple, and just throwing money at it probably won’t solve it.”

 

13 hours ago, Rain said:

But a lot of it is I just have lost a lot of my reading comprehension ability from what I used to have.  There are times when I want to give it up (economics is not my thing anyway), but I like what I'm learning and I have had several conversations about it with my son so I really appreciate the suggestion.

Sometimes I feel like i have “forgotten more than I ever knew” about such things.  😂  But I’m glad it has contributed to your relationship with your son.  That’s always worth it. 

Edited February 20, 2025 by Okrahomer

[Rain]

On 1/25/2025 at 5:38 PM, Tacenda said:

One that I liked was one called: "Barbara Walters Audition". It talks about her life and the interviews and insights of those she interviewed. 

I remember when one of the interviews would come on TV, my dad would say "Barbara Wa Wa", he may not have liked her very much, not sure.

Finished.  I wasn't really thinking of biography, but you suggested it and I thought, "I wanted to get out of my zone a bit." It was interesting how she worked so many of her interviews - getting them, the questions she asked etc.  One of the things I do is interview refugees.  My first one happened by surprise and I was alone.  I was so afraid I would her someone like her Warren Beatty! Luckily, my guy talked a lot.  I can't imagine trying to get someone like Warren talking, especially on film for your job!

On 1/25/2025 at 5:38 PM, Tacenda said:

Hope that helps, I guess I probably listen to too many celebrity ones possibly or political ones too. Recently listened to this one that was good as well: "One Way Back" a memoir by Christine Blasey Ford. 

 

 

[Tacenda]

1 hour ago, Rain said:

Finished.  I wasn't really thinking of biography, but you suggested it and I thought, "I wanted to get out of my zone a bit." It was interesting how she worked so many of her interviews - getting them, the questions she asked etc.  One of the things I do is interview refugees.  My first one happened by surprise and I was alone.  I was so afraid I would her someone like her Warren Beatty! Luckily, my guy talked a lot.  I can't imagine trying to get someone like Warren talking, especially on film for your job!

 

I usually listen to audible at night, so I'm assuming Warren Beatty was a difficult interview? I am really humbled you used my suggestion. Thank you! I hope there weren't bad parts or boring or what not. Since I may have missed things because a lot of times I have to go back and start again about where I fell asleep. BTW, I love how you work with refugees. I'm a wanna be worker with refugees or helping those like them. 

[Rain]

1 hour ago, Tacenda said:

I usually listen to audible at night, so I'm assuming Warren Beatty was a difficult interview? I am really humbled you used my suggestion. Thank you! I hope there weren't bad parts or boring or what not. Since I may have missed things because a lot of times I have to go back and start again about where I fell asleep. BTW, I love how you work with refugees. I'm a wanna be worker with refugees or helping those like them. 

I do the same thing with audiobooks.  I also listen when doing housework or driving too.  But at night it is the easiest way for me to go to sleep.  Love the bookmarks and the sleep timer in the different apps so you have less to search for your place.

[Tacenda]

Here's a book I'm listening to currently that was in a book club I was invited to recently. "The Woman They Could Not Silence". And an article about it here. https://magazine.nd.edu/stories/what-im-reading-the-woman-they-could-not-silence-kate-moore/#:~:text=That book became the basis,rural eastern Illinois in 1860. It was when a woman could be put away in an asylum by a man, usually the husband, even if she isn't insane. Sure hope these rights won't be taken away like some have currently and won't be a scenario such as the Afghan women who now wear burkas.  Here's a photo of them in the 70's.

 

[Stargazer]

On 1/26/2025 at 2:17 AM, rpn said:

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

I have that on Audible, and really like it. His science is a bit dated in some ways, as the book was first published in 2003 and some new discoveries have overtaken his text. But it is a really good general science book.

[Stargazer]

Hi @Rain ! If you are interested in economics, and want an expert but non-technical treatment, check out Thomas Sowell's "Basic Economics." It is quite the tome -- over 600 pages in the printed version. But there isn't a single mathematics formula in the entire book, and it is written for the layman. It's available on Audible and Kindle, too.

[Rain]

9 minutes ago, Stargazer said:

Hi @Rain ! If you are interested in economics, and want an expert but non-technical treatment, check out Thomas Sowell's "Basic Economics." It is quite the tome -- over 600 pages in the printed version. But there isn't a single mathematics formula in the entire book, and it is written for the layman. It's available on Audible and Kindle, too.

Thank you. I'm very much not into economics, with my son going into it I thought reading Okrahomer's suggestion would be a good one.  It was and gave me interesting conversation with my son and I learned new things, but I think I am done with economics.  I appreciate the suggestion though. Maybe I'll suggest it to my son's new girlfriend.

[Okrahomer]

On 2/19/2025 at 6:13 PM, Rain said:

I was surprised at how the larger businesses could actually hurt people in the long run (at least in theory because I don't know anything about it and how it has held up over 50 years) when it brings in people from rural areas, requires more complicated processes, more imports and more imported educated people and then produces a product too expensive to be sold without exporting.

Hi Rain,  I think I encountered a very good example of Small is Beautiful in our modern setting.  

The other day, I prepared my world-famous chicken barley soup for dinner.  My wife brought out some delicious (amazing!) sour dough bread to eat with it.  I asked her where she got it:  “I ordered it from the micro-bakery.”

So who knew that there are these micro-bakeries all over the the place these days?!  And they produce really good stuff with very high-quality ingredients in a more traditional way!

Edited March 13, 2025 by Okrahomer

[stelf]

I know I'm very late to the party, but one I read recently is "The Woman They Could Not Silence". It is biographical, but written like a narrative. All the dialogue is taken from journals and writings of the people described. I highly recommend it. It basically describes the story of a smart and capable woman who was institutionalized for having her own thoughts that happened to diverge from those of her preacher husband. 

[Tacenda]

6 hours ago, stelf said:

I know I'm very late to the party, but one I read recently is "The Woman They Could Not Silence". It is biographical, but written like a narrative. All the dialogue is taken from journals and writings of the people described. I highly recommend it. It basically describes the story of a smart and capable woman who was institutionalized for having her own thoughts that happened to diverge from those of her preacher husband. 

Oh my, I listened to that Audible recently. I can't imagine having to go through what this woman did. I hope women's rights doesn't go backwards and we might lose the rights we have now. 

[Dario_M]

Jeanne d'Arc. It was a really good book. And i learned something about the history. And Goosebumps, was also really thrilling to read.👻💀 Those books have made me laugh quite a bit as well. 

Edited March 21, 2025 by Dario_M

[Rick]

The Help is amazing, I also really enjoyed How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie. 

[blackstrap]

Currently reading " A year of living Biblically " by A.J. Jacobs.

Interesting insights and chuckles. 

[Rain]

On 3/20/2025 at 8:39 PM, Dario_M said:

Jeanne d'Arc. It was a really good book. And i learned something about the history. And Goosebumps, was also really thrilling to read.👻💀 Those books have made me laugh quite a bit as well. 

 

23 hours ago, blackstrap said:

Currently reading " A year of living Biblically " by A.J. Jacobs.

Interesting insights and chuckles. 

Thank you!

[Calm]

Dario, what’s going on? (Sincere question, not a criticism)

Edited May 12, 2025 by Calm

[Rain]

Just finished The Middle of Everywhere, an excellent book packed with so many things refugees go through in their prior countries and when they arrive in their new countries.  It also includes why we want to make friends with them.

Now, I'm reading Amish Grace. 

[Rain]

On 1/25/2025 at 9:50 PM, Raingirl said:

Amish Grace. It’s about the 2006 mass shooting at an Amish school in Nickel Mines, PA.  I know it sounds like a horrible subject for a book, but the focus is on the Amish approach to forgiveness.  It left a lasting impression.  

I finished it.  Thank you.  It was interesting that the attention to it brought surprise to them about forgiveness - "don't all Christians practice forgiveness?"  And at the same time a burden of being on a pedestal for others, feeling a responsibility of being an example.  

I also, hadn't thought about how complicated "forgiveness" can be - the definitions, how to practice it etc.

Edited May 27, 2025 by Rain

[sunstoned]

I enjoy history, particularly military history.  The book I am reading now is "A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940".  It's about the Soviet Union's invasion of Finland. Because of WW2, this conflict is something that is largely lost to history.

 

[Stargazer]

I've recently started reading the first volume of "Saints," the history of the church that the church has put out. I'm reading it on Audible, since reading actual print has started to annoy me in my old age.

I love that my progress on the book seems to correspond with the current "Come, Follow Me" schedule.

[Tacenda]

I've loved "Mobituaries", by Mo Rocca. And listened to it on Libby audible from my local library.

Book Overview

From beloved CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and humorist Mo Rocca, an entertaining and rigorously researched book that celebrates the dead people who have long fascinated him.

 

Mo Rocca has always loved obituaries--reading about the remarkable lives of global leaders, Hollywood heavyweights, and innovators who changed the world. But not every notable life has gotten the send-off it deserves. His quest to right that wrong inspired Mobituaries, his #1 hit podcast. Now with Mobituaries, the book, he has gone much further, with all new essays on artists, entertainers, sports stars, political pioneers, founding fathers, and more. Even if you know the names, you've never understood why they matter...until now.

 

Take Herbert Hoover: before he was president, he was the "Great Humanitarian," the man who saved tens of millions from starvation. But after less than a year in the White House, the stock market crashed, and all the good he had done seemed to be forgotten. Then there's Marlene Dietrich, well remembered as a screen goddess, less remembered as a great patriot. Alongside American servicemen on the front lines during World War II, she risked her life to help defeat the Nazis of her native Germany. And what about Billy Carter and history's unruly presidential brothers? Were they ne'er-do-well liabilities...or secret weapons? Plus, Mobits for dead sports teams, dead countries, the dearly departed station wagon, and dragons. Yes, dragons.

 

Rocca is an expert researcher and storyteller. He draws on these skills here. With his dogged reporting and trademark wit, Rocca brings these men and women back to life like no one else can. Mobituaries is an insightful and unconventional account of the people who made life worth living for the rest of us, one that asks us to think about who gets remembered, and why.

Edited September 20, 2025 by Tacenda