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After more than 30 years of relentlessly commuting 30 to 60 minutes each way to and from work, that all changed in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic and the temporary (permanent?) shift to working remote. While saving time and gas, and feeling better about reducing my personal carbon footprint on the planet, it once again took away my perfect opportunity to consistently listen to audio books each day. Nevertheless, I still managed to find some time to listen to a few titles this past year, and I was always glad I did. In fact, one of the replacements I found for commuting-and-listening to audio books was hoeing-weeds-and-listening to audio books. It seems like the perfect balance doing something useful. productive, and healthy, while not too miserable or strenuous. Here are my titles for 2021:

`Small Business for Dummies

by Eric Tyson and Jim Shell. 2019, 464 pages

This book was awesome! And yes, that is probably surprising to hear, and was surprising to me. Much of the material is focused directly on the endeavor of starting a personal small business, and all of the practical and essential things one needs to know and be aware of. In addition however, the book is packed with wisdom and insight that could be valuable for any facet of life. Everything from integrity, to self-discipline, to work ethic, to balancing caution and risk : it’s all in here, and spoken from the heart of two people with a lot of experience gained from both successes and failures. I’m really glad I took the time to listen to this book.

`Leadership Strategy and Tactics

by Jacko `Wilink. 2020, 320 pages

I was introduced to Jacko Wilink thru a podcast Andre recommended listening too. I was completely impressed by Jacko’s story of his journey though the Navy Seals, and his work to promote leadership, integrity, and excellence in organizations and businesses. The podcast was three hours long, but I still wanted more, so I bought the book. It was well worth it, and one of those books you could probably read two or three times and still gain value each time though. My favorite part was his remarks on yelling at the people under you in any organization. If you’re a good leader, yelling at someone should almost never happen. He said that in his whole career in the military and running multiple large commercial businesses and organizations, he could count on one hand the times he had to actually yell at one of the people under him, and when he did it had an impact. They understood him clearly and perfectly. He said he never had to yell at anyone twice. I can totally understand that!

`The Real Anthony Fauci : Bill Gates, Big Pharma and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health

by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. . 2021, 480 pages

This book would probably be characterized by many people as a conspiracy theory written by a fringe promoter of wacky nonsense. I would have thought the same, except for things I would hear that one by one didn’t quite line up with this narrative. For example, Robert Kennedy Jr. played a key role in the litigation against DuPont which led to the 2019 movie Dark Waters. Hero yesterday, villain today? The more people shouted him down, the more curious I became regarding what he was actually saying. I finally decided to get the book. What a surprise it turned out to be. I thought it would be a detailed long form commentary on the events of the current pandemic starting in 2020. Instead, most of the book is an account of the history of public figures, pharmaceutical companies, and government institutions going back to HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980’s. The details Kennedy describes are shocking to say the least, yet the entire book is written almost like a research report with every statement cited and referenced. I can see how it could be hard for someone to believe many of the things covered in the book, yet I can see how it could be hard for an honest person to deny the events, facts, and historical record recounted by the author. I highly recommend this book, and admire Robert Kennedy Jr.’s courage to tackle these subjects in the current environment we are living in.

`On the House

by John Boehner. 2021, 288 pages

This book made me feel great about being and American. We live in a country where a regular person from humble beginnings can make it to a position of one of the most powerful people in the world, and then descend back down to the level being an ordinary citizen once again. I felt a real honesty in his words, and a sincere desire to share the insight he gained over his years in office, and I sensed his hope that he could inspire future generations to cherish the values and institutions we have as Americans. I loved hearing his stories about golfing with (or against) Bill Clinton and Barak Obama. Obama was completely serious and extremely focused, while Clinton was Mr. Fun but also had to be watched closely for any counting or scoring irregularities. After reading the book, John Boehner comes across as extremely proud of his service and successes, yet honest and self-reflective about the times and places he came up short. I really enjoyed listing to this audio book, read by John Boehner himself.

The Gulagh Archipelago 1918-1956 – Abridged

by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn. 1973, 471 pages

This famous book details the nightmare and insanity that had overtaken the Russian people and the entire Soviet Union for some 40 years from the beginnings of the state under Lenin in 1918, until the death of Stalin in 1953. The original book was secretly written in three volumes over a period of ten years, from 1958 to 1968, and finally published outside the Soviet Union in 1973. Some 40 years later, the book would become required reading within the Russian school system, a testimony to the truth of the material. Solzhenitsyn himself had served 8 years in the Gulag from 1945 to 1953 for simply writing some derogatory remarks about Stalin in a private letter to a friend. Some of the book seemed repetitious and redundant as he detailed story after story of arrest and processing through the notorious penal system. What I found most interesting though were his thoughts and insights on humanity as a whole. He tries to understand how a society could descend to such depths of utter evil, and what kinds of individuals could go along with such a system. He calls out the dangers of people who simply don’t care about truth, and will willingly conform to the powers that control them and long as they themselves are rewarded. It’s sad, scary and frightening to see these societal tendencies repeat themselves in short span of time since the Gulag system ended.

Suddenly your boss tells you that you must either vote for a certain candidate, or you will be fired. Can he or she do that? Let me clarify, can he or she do that in America? Ok, let me clarify it one more time. You are a citizen of the United States of America, and you work for a company that sells tires, and your boss tells you to vote for a certain candidate for governor in the upcoming election or you will be fired. Can your boss do that?

Before we answer that, let me ask a related question: If I as the owner of a company did that to an employee, what kind of reaction might I expect? I would expect that nearly everyone would immediately and unconditionally characterize what I had done as both outrageous and un-American. I would further expect that most would say that this was a clear violation of our most basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Back to the original question. Can your boss do that? Sadly, it seems that in most states (including California) that indeed your boss can do that, at least in terms of legally being allowed to do that. That was shocking to me, as I only recently came to know this through a discussion with one of my sons! I always thought that basic liberties like that, and related things such as free speech, were guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In the details however, free speech is only guaranteed with respect to the government being prohibited from blocking it. Similarly only certain classes of rights are protected by employment laws with respect to race, gender, religion, age, and sexual orientation, while others such as political affiliation are not legally protected unless a local or state law for the particular location applies.

Back to the original question one more time then. Can your boss do that? Legally he or she probably can, but that doesn’t make it right. We all can see something that is clearly and blatantly wrong without needing an expert to analyze it for us. As a Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said in 1964 when asked for the legal definition of obscenity: “I know it when I see it.”

Un-American doesn’t mean whether something is legal or not. American or un-American has to do with the basic freedoms we all believe in. We know it when we see it.

2020 started out on track to be a great year for me and reading! The confluence of many things all lined up perfectly to make it Greg’s year to enter the ranks of the well read!

I was as busy as ever, but I had job that required nearly 2 hours of commuting every day. I had gotten up to speed on audio books, and opened an audible account. Any book I could think of was few clicks away, and I had two hours per day of optimal listening conditions, as I commuted up and down one of the most scenic sections of highway in the whole United States.

Well, that lasted till March, and then 30 years of commuting to work every day came to sudden and abrupt end. That slowed my progress, but I still found other good opportunities to for listening to books like hoeing weeds.

Here’s my list of books for 2020:

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God Has a Name (288 pages)

by John Mark Comer

An excellent and thought provoking book. Our view of God, and our view of our relationship to him is so influenced by what we’ve been taught, and what we’ve grown up being told. Bravo to John Mark Comer for being able to reach for reason and common sense to see so many things we’ve all been missing. I highly recommend this book.

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The Best and the Brightest (688 pages)

by David Halberstam

I’ve heard about this book for years, and was always intrigued by its title. As I read this book, I got a sense of perhaps what might have been golden age of journalism. The book is very detailed, and often very dry, but I felt like the author was trying his best to deliver the full story of everything. There is so much information in this book, and so many lessons to be learned. I would highly recommend reading this book even a second time. Among the many things I’ll remember from this book, was the fact the President Johnson was tough, and a bully, and not afraid of just about anything, but he was completely intimidated by Kennedy and all his Ivy league associates. This insecurity drove him crazy. One of Johnson’s close associates said of the President that he did not receive an inferior education at Southwest Texas State Teachers College compared to all the Harvard people Kennedy brought in, he only thought he did.

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Atomic Habits (319 pages)

by James Clear

This was definitely a good book filled with valuable substance. It is full of practical techniques to improve your productivity. Another book I would consider reading twice.

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Pursuing an Earthly Spirituality (218 pages)

by Gary Selby

An excellent discussion of the themes found in many of C.S. Lewis’s works. We were fortunate to have been exposed to some of this material in person by the author when he taught some of our Sunday classes. I don’t think you can put a value on your relationship to God, or on your awareness of that relationship, so in that sense, this book is priceless!

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Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World (336 pages)

by Andy Stanley

Another book helping us try and give a fresh and unbiased look to what we believe. In some ways similar to the book “God Has a Name”. It’s hard to look at something without being influencd by what you’ve always been taught, but there is so much to be gained by doing so.

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A Short History of Nearly Everything (544 pages)

by Bill Bryson

A really interesting book covering just about everything having to do with science, without being too technical in most cases. Much was interesting, and some was boring. I think what I’ll remember most are the parts that cover the last 200 years or so, and some of the tragedies that forever changed our globe. One chemist alone, Thomas Midgley, Jr (born 1889, died 1944) gave us two of the most “useful” products we had when I was growing up: leaded gasoline and chlorofluorocarbons. How these things came to be is not only interesting, but perhaps there are lessons to be learned. What kinds of things are we doing today that we’ll look back upon in horror 100 years from now?

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The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon (432 pages)

by Kevin Fedarko

Outstanding book all around! Great in terms of history, great description of one of our grandest natural resources, and great story about people and an amazing sequence of events.

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Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War (640 pages)

by Robert M. Gates

This was probably the best book I read all year. I believe after reading this book, Gates was as objective as any person could be. He worked for both George Bush and Barak Obama, and in the end sacrificed a lot give up a comfortable life when his country needed him. The book definitely changed or at least modified my view on many aspects of this period of history. I’m anxious to read Gates’ next book.

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The Servant (187 pages)

by James Hunter

A fictional story about a business manager who’s life and career seems to be going fine, but are falling apart. He reluctantly agrees to a week long stay at a Monastery. The majority of the book is simply the dialog between the main character, a monk, and the four other “clients” in his small group that week. It would be hard to make an interesting book within these parameters, but this one is indeed outstanding. I really enjoyed this book, and am a better person for reading it!

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Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains (186 pages)

by Jon Krakauer

A collection of essays on mountain climbing by author Jon Krakauer. Each chapter is a stand alone essay, so there is no real need to read the whole book in order from start to finish. The best were the essays the author writes about his own climbs, especially the last one where he describes his epic and ill conceived journey at 22 to climb the 6000ft face of Devils Thumb in Alaska.

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I’ve been totally inspired by several friends and family members who read books each year and share their lists and a few thoughts and reflections. This year I’m joining in! (Thanks to all of you for motivating me). Full disclosure, I didn’t actually “read” any of these books this year, I listened to them on Audible. Nevertheless, in the rules I have made up, that counts as long as you finish by midnight Dec. 31 in the time zone you’re in.

Here’s my list :

1. Leadershift by John C. Maxwell. What an outstanding treasure trove of wisdom, insight, and real life experiences for anyone wanting to be a leader, or even someone like me who just wants to be a better and more effective person at every aspect of life. There’s so much priceless information in this book. The thing I will most remember is the author’s observation that the true leaders that he has met and coached over his many years have one trait in common – they never focus on their own personal success, but instead put every bit of their energy and effort into making sure everyone around them succeeds.
2. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. What a brilliant exposition on why a person would believe in God. Deep philosophy is way out of my area of expertise, but the author’s perception and rational thinking remind me so much the great scientists and physicists who logical reasoning led us to our modern understanding of the laws of physics. This was a really good book and strengthened my faith.
3. The Edge of Physics by Anil Ananthaswamy. This is a truly fascinating account of a reporter’s journey to some of the most remote astronomical observatories and cosmic particle detectors in the world. The science of what they are looking for, and the telescopes and instruments they have constructed for these purposes are beyond anything you could imagine, but just as interesting to me were his accounts of the people who build and run these remote stations. There’s a group of oil field drillers from Texas who drill thousands of mile-deep holes into pure ice in Antarctica with no previous experience to draw from. On the other side of the globe there’s a poorly supported remote detector station at Lake Baikal, Siberia where some of the world’s greatest minds in physics work tirelessly in dreary conditions, but enjoy evenings together smoking cigarettes and drinking vodka. This book offers an eye-opening look into how brilliant humans are, and how “human” humans are.
4. The Feynman Lectures on Physics – Volume 1 by Richard P. Feynman. These famous books were indeed actually a series of lectures given by the Nobel prize winning physicist at Cal Tech starting in 1961. The Audible book for this is thus the original recording of the lecture itself. It’s absolutely amazing to listen to the lecture because Dr. Feynman has the strongest Queens New York accent you’ve ever heard. I’ve only heard someone with that much of an accent in a movie, like a cab driver or a dock worker in New York. It’s fascinating to listen to him. You can sense right away that he completely understands quantum mechanics the way we understand how a bicycle tire and inner tube work, yet all the while he’s explaining all of this in a New York rough and tumble accent.
5. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. What a great book! It’s not at all the kind of book I would have thought I’d ever read, but once I started I couldn’t stop listening to it. This book puts names and stories on abstract concepts I always found easy to be judgmental and certain about. If reading a book is about learning something new and exposing oneself to a different viewpoint, then this was the perfect book for me!
6. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. The story of a young man who goes off into the wilderness isn’t something that would normally grab my interest, but I’ve heard so much about this story and book over the years that I always wanted to read it to see what was so interesting about this particular case. Wow! I found the whole story fascinating from beginning to end. It’s a really interesting story of a person and a family, and about our view of nature. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it!
7. Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer. I read this book because Into the Wild was so good, so I decided to get another Jon Krakauer book. Wow! Did I ever learn a lot! Indeed, and why that surprised me is that I am, and I was even more than now, a news junkie, and followed the whole Iraq war events very closely. Nevertheless, I never knew any of the tragic circumstances that made up the complex story of Pat Tillman. I thought he was probably just a good guy with a very narrow and shallow view of geopolitics who meant well when he joined the military, but happened to be unlucky in his tour of duty. Was I ever wrong! He was an incredibly smart and honorable person who was sadly betrayed and used by the system.

I really did enjoy reading all these books, and am so glad I did! I’m looking forward to the books 2020 brings!