Interesting Books

The reading of books has always been an important source of knowledge for me since I was a young child. The Internet is a great resource, but nothing beats a book in your hands. Here is a list of some books I have read and listened to on audio CDs that you may also find interesting. The list continues to grow so check back often for new ones.

 

Please: If you find bad or broken links, email me at Charles@LeggConsulting.com.

Science
Physics of the Impossible
Aurthor: Michio Kaku
Publisher: Anchor Books     Year: 2008
Dr. Kaku, who many of you may have seen on the PBS TV show NOVA, discusses the science and the probability of such science fiction concepts as time travel, teleportation, force fields, and anti-matter. He divides these many concepts into one of three categories of impossibilities: Those that are not possible today, but could be in the future; those that are at the very edge of our scientific understanding; and those that violate the laws of physics, as we understand those laws today. Dr. Kaku has an easy-going writing style and brings the physics down to a lever most nonprofessionals can understand.  You will enjoy this book if you have any fascination with the promises of Star Trek and science fiction in general.

Intellectual
Critical Thinking
Aurthor: Richard Paul & Linda Elder
Publisher: Prentice Hall     Year: 2002
This is an excellent book for anyone interested in learning how to become a critical thinker.  Critical thinking will allow you to become a better thinker in your daily life from reading editorials to making major decisions.  The book is well organized and easy to follow with exercises to help understand the six stages of critical thinking. Much of what I have learned about critical thinking has come from this book.

History
The Lessons of History
Aurthor: Will and Ariel Durant
Publisher: Simon and Schuster     Year: 1968
The Lessons of History is the Reader's Digest version of Will and Ariel Durant's lengthy eleven volume essay series titled The Story of Civilization.  While the book is old (1968), it is still pertinent today as it appears we, as a species, have not yet grasped what history has taught us. The Durant’s do a good job of condensing what they have gleamed from the many years of researching history for their extensive Civilization work.  They cover many subjects including history and biology, race, morals, religion, war, and decay. Just to name a few. The book contains just over 100 pages, so it is easily to read in one or two sittings.

History
Lies My Teacher Told Me
Aurthor: James W. Loewen
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company     Year: 1995
Lies My Teacher Told Me is an informative look at revisionist history as taught from American History textbooks and in most public schools.  The author, James Loewen, covers topics such as the real Jefferson and Lincoln, the invisibility of racism in American high school textbooks, and the disappearance of the recent past. As the tag line on the book reads, you will discover “everything your American history textbook got wrong."  After reading the book, you will think about the history in an entirely different way. With a little investigation, you will find that the lies continue today, in not only textbooks, but also the media.

My Books...

Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.

 

How I love them! How I need then!
I'll have a long beard,
by the time I read them.

Arnaol Lobel