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| Book Ideas for Christmas |
| [Opinion] Great gifts for last minute Xmas shoppers |
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Nicolas van der Leek (Nick)  |
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Published 2006-12-20 11:11 (KST) |
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Sometimes we forget how incredibly fortunate we are. We have inherited an enormous wealth of knowledge, an incredible treasure trove of recorded inspiration. When we read we're able to communicate directly with the thoughts of very intelligent and talented people, we're effectively able to travel through time with an almost godlike omniscience. And there are times when you literally feel as if the writer's words are being spoken, like so many stars into the soft darkness of one's mind.
On any given day we can open our hearts and minds to the greatest thinkers there ever were. We can listen in to Einstein's life -- his biography is riveting -- or stimulating contemporaries like Richard Branson and Nelson Mandela. Mandela's Long Walk To Freedom is a fascinating insight into the man.
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FROM THE SECTION |
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| In this article I've fashioned a nice walk through the world of five very different writers, and five very different worlds. The worlds compliment each other, and each book, I feel, builds on the altitude gained by the last. The five books recommended below are perfectly complimentary, and ought to make great holiday reading.
The Wall Street Journal calls Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer "among the great adventure books of all time." It certainly is, not least because Krakauer is that rare creature that is both topnotch reporter, and fearless mountain climber. Krakaeur is a survivor of the 1996 Mount Everest tragedy, and Into Thin Air is his eyewitness account.
This is the sort of book you could read in 24 hours -- meaning you stay awake, reading it through the night to finish it. I think I read it in two or three days, and was so impressed with Krakauer's writing talent -- and his spirit for adventure -- I immediately ordered Into The Wild. That's another story altogether, of course.
My recommendation is to read Into Thin Air and immediately after, The Climb, by G. Weston DeWalt and Anatoli Boukreev. Boukreev, a fellow survivor of the 1996 tragedy, was an expedition guide on Everest that day, and this book is his response to Krakaeur's criticisms of his actions.
Juxtaposing these two books provides valuable insights into the full story behind the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. Does Krakauer paint an overly flattering portrait of himself? Is Boukreev really the villain of the story? You have two fantastic pieces of literature at your disposal to move you, and to press you to make up your mind on whose story you believe. When you have decided, go to Amazon.com's forums and share your opinion.
Having been sufficiently terrified and launched into the stratosphere by a real life drama that transpired 10 years ago, have a look at what we're in for in the next 10 years. You want to read The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler, for one reason: to stay on top of things, and to be able to anticipate the future without being blindsided by it.
Here's a warning: this generation that is alive now is in for a very rough ride. While the above books are gut-wrenching and entertaining in a reality-TV sort of way, The Long Emergency paints an alarming picture of a world filled with catastrophe. Kunstler is an excellent writer, and a very well informed one. Being forewarned with so much insight, and so much sensible detail about the "converging catastrophes of the 21st century" may be depressing for some, I found it very helpful.
Kunstler has coined phrases that will become famous in the future, such as this one: "suburbia is the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world." You can also visit the author at his blog at www.kunstler.com to pick up weekly updates on his take on where the world is going.
Having had a few bubbles burst, a great read is Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now. He calls it a guide to spiritual enlightenment, but it really is the most practical spiritual book I've ever read. It's also simple, without being simplistic. It's profound and wise, and probably everyone will find Tolle's words transformative. This book explains how to reconnect to yourself and the world by living in the present, and after reading Emergency, it's about time millions of us took up this task.
Every Second Counts is the follow up book to Lance Armstrong's It's Not About The Bike (as told to Sally Jenkins). If you've read The Power of Now, you might wonder what the results might be of living in the moment. Lance is a fantastic example of someone who can appreciate the value of his existence. This book is about the aftermath of cancer. Having survived, what do you do with your life, because, of course, now you have a life left to live? After reading this book, you'll probably be addicted to the inspiration, and then you could try Chasing Lance by Martin Dugard and Tour de Force, by Daniel Coyle.
Other books I'd recommend:
1) The World is Flat Thomas L.Friedman
2) The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell
3) A Beautiful Mind Sylvia Nasar
4) The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold (Fiction)
5) The Astonishing Hypothesis Francis Crick
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©2006 OhmyNews
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