Not like a textbook...something with somewhat of a story that is very interesting. I wanna teach myself something and be interested at the same time. Anyone have any good suggestions. Somebody teach me something by giving me a book title! Thanks.
I'm thinking something like sociology or anthropology. Guns germs and steele comes to mind as a good example of something I'm looking for.
yeah the bible is terrifying, especially the book of revelation. also if you're looking for non-fiction with a story, you could try in cold blood by truman capote? i'm not sure how well it fits in with sociology and anthropology but i'm reading it now and it's pretty much like reading a really really engaging synopsis of a crime.
Smuggler's Blues. It's about someone who is in the cannabis drug trade in the 90s or 80s, can't remember. Goes into depth about how he got shit done, how friends turned into enemies, and just gut-wrenching moments. Good read.
This: http://www.amazon.com/Cannibals-Kings-Cultures-Marvin-Harris/dp/067972849X/ref=pd_sim_b_1 book is crazy as fuck and incredibly similar to Guns, Germs and Steel, but better. It has some crazy insights into the entirety of human history.
I can definitely recommend more than few books in this categorey I'm really into ethnographic writing, which tends to be tremendously specific, but here's a list of some golden oldies and some of my recent reads: Your Inner Fish - Neil Shubin Victims of Progress - John Bodley Caveman Logic - Hank Davis The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life - Emile Durkheim Friction - Anna Tsing White Collar Crime - Gil Geis Wheeling and Dealing - Patricia Adler
Food of the gods - Terence McKenna The cosmic serpent, DNA and the origins of knowledge - Jeremy Narby Both exceptional fo sho
Food of the gods - Terence McKenna The cosmic serpent, DNA and the origins of knowledge - Jeremy Narby Both exceptional fo sho
try The Impossible State by Victor Cha. He was an advisor to Bush on North Korea so it's a little pro-Bush (and kinda heavy on statistics at parts) but still pretty interesting. If that's not your cup of tea, Bill Bryson has a couple really good books. Personally I'm a fan of A Short History of Nearly Everything.
The Science of Fear by Daniel Gardner. It's a good book, extremely interesting, and examines the way that humans often percieve dangers in skewed ways, and how those fears manipulate and misguide. It talks about how irrational fears affect the media, politics, and the way people go about their lives. This one is more on the sociology and anthropology scale. The whole, why human societies behave the way they do, and why unlilely dangers (random murders) scare us more than likely dangers (cars) Brain on Fire by Susanah Cahalan (last name may be misspelled) A 24 year old journalist with no history of mental health issues suddendly begins experiencing seizures, delusions, hallucinatins, and quickly loses her mind. She wakes up one month later in a hospital, with no memory of the time she spent there, after a neurologist finally found her rare diagnosis and started her on the correct treatment. As she recovers, she interviews doctors, family members, friends, and looks at hospital security tapes to piece together the month that she missed. This book reads almost like a novel and is both informative and chilling. If you like thrillers or neuroscience, read this.
Just picked up a book in a collection known as Philosophy for Everyone and the title is "Cannabis: What Were We Just Talking About" the basis of the book is a philosophical outlook on use and legalization and it combines anecdotes from users with philosophical analysis. It contains a collection of essays. The opener is from Lester Grinspoon, and other essays include "Seeing Snakes: On Delusion, Knowledge, and the Drug Experience.", "The Cannabis Experiene: An analysis of 'Flow'", "Buzz, High, and Stoned: Metaphor, Meaning, and the Cannabis Experience", "The Great Escape" (marijuana use in quests for religious insight), "Cannabis and the Human Condition: 'Something of the Kind is Indispensable'," "Hallucinatory Terror: The World of the Hashish Eater", "Marijuana and Creativity", "Navigating Creative Inner Space on the Innocent Pleasures of Hashish", "Cannabis and the Culture of Alienation", "Reefer Madness: Cannabis, the Individual, and Public Policy." and a few others. I've only started reading but so far it is very interesting.
The Curse of Lono by Hunter S. Thompson It's based on a real vacation/writing gig HST took in Hawaii. It's got segments from 'The Last Voyage of Captain James Cook' interspersed throughout the main story. Great mix of comedy, history, and good ol' weird mystery. One of the best HST books I've ever read. Up there with 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' and 'The Rum Diary'.
I've been raving crazily about this book, but check out The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain De Botton. it introduces a lot of the basic ideas of different philosophers and I've found it has a lot to offer, very thought provoking.
For true crime, try Helter Skelter, the story of the grisly Charles Manson mass-murders in 1969. It's especially creepy to an old fuck like me cuz I remember it being on the news; I was 19 at the time. I love old, true, sea stories and here are my two favs: Endurance is the true story of Ernest Shackleton's "incredible voyage" to Antarctica about 100 years ago in a fucking sailboat. They got frozen in, boat crushed, yadda yadda, but they all made it out alive without any contact with the outside world, of course. It is incredibly interesting. The hardships they endured are beyond anything that we modern humans can imagine. In the Heart of the Sea is another true story that took place around the mid-1800s. A whaling ship was rammed by a whale and sunk, but a dozen or so men got away on lifeboats, adrift in the middle of the Pacific. The book is not really graphic nor written to be shocking, but they get into what it is like to really be thirsty, and into things that drive men to cannibalism -- as happened in this story. It seems impossible that human beings can come out alive in some unbelievable situations. (of course, those who were eaten did NOT come out alive.)
Anything written by julius evola is going to be nice Sent from my SM-G930T using Grasscity Forum mobile app
A brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking is a must if your into physics. If you liked Guns, Germs and Steel i would recommend Homo Sapien: A brief history of humanity and Homo Deus: A brief history of the future both by Yuval Noah Harari. Lately i've been trying to learn about the great women of history since little has been taught over the years i would suggest : Anything by Hellen Keller (The story of my life will make you feel like a lazy human being...), Marie Curie: A life, Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World (This woman is a must know!!! Seriously if you dont read the book i IMPLORE YOU!!! PLEASE GOOGLE THIS WOMAN!!!!)
Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe by Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee Used editions for less than $4. Read the amazon book reviews. The most important book people can read to understand our place in the universe and why our blue water planet is incredibly unique and precious.
Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi It's about a girl who sails around the world in a 26 or 28 foot sailboat. Fascinating and quite adventurous. A really good book.