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The list that the OP read: - Checklist Manifesto - Made to Stick - Confessions of a Public Speaker - Why Everyone Else Is a Hypocrite - The Power of Habit I t
by jmduke 14y ago
The list that the OP read:
- Checklist Manifesto
- Made to Stick
- Confessions of a Public Speaker
- Why Everyone Else Is a Hypocrite
- The Power of Habit
I think the fact that he's questioning the value of reading such books is fair (and I find it ironic that he's applying such rigor to try and extract value from such books), but these are hardly the books of great literature. Self-improvement and self-motivation books are, perhaps too often, profit-guided and banal.
You don't read, say, Steinbeck or Vonnegut, to 'remember what's in them.' (Furthermore, things like 'active recall' aren't going to help you out.) Authors you have made it to the upper echelons of literature are the ones who develop distinct voices and talents to attract and evoke you in ways lesser literature cannot (I can barely remember East of Eden , but I can point to the emotions it made me feel and the questions it raised about my life) -- these are the books worth reading, worth bruising yourself on.
- kamaal 14y agoThis is very true. The best way somebody can teach you something is by narrating a story. I find self help book harping oft-beaten facts all over the book. Such books put me to sleep. On the other hand, tell a story and teach you what you want through that story. That will drive the point home.
- amitdugar 14y agoI don't know about other books mentioned above. But I would recommend "Made to Stick". It is not the usual motivational crap or a regular self-help book. It is one of the most useful books I have ever come across. Give it a shot, I am sure you will find something of value in it.
- quinndupont 14y agoUnsurprisingly, this vacuous "argument" comes from someone not much committed to hard thinking, deep reading, or any of the other virtues of the humanities. At least I won't be bumping in to him in any section of the bookstore that I would be enjoying.
- Tyrannosaurs 14y agoLists of books like this always reminds me of a friend who asked on seeing a copy of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, whether the first one was not wasting your time reading books like that.