Recommended Reads
 

We have "download of the day" but lets try this for books. Unlike music, I tend to believe that books are more universal in appeal. Where I'm sure many people do not find my "download of the day" helpful, I too find little benefit simply because others do not share my tastes (Sidenote: Pandora.com is amazing). But I believe books, on the other hand, are appealing so long as they are quality. Post a suggested book, whether you are currently reading it or have finished it, and a brief summary. If people have read the book and enjoyed it, please say so... the poster may have other books which are related.

To start this off, I recommend the book Moneyball by Michael Lewis.

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I am currently about 1/3 of the way through this book in very few days. It is about the 2002+ Oakland A's, their rejection of classical scouting techniques in favor of more rigourous and academic statistical models.

As it turns out (no surprizes here) Baseball players are unfairly judged by how they look. Some have a look that scouts find appealing. But scouts can become "blinded" by a players physical appearance, and athleticism, and overlook players who actually perform.

Teams were also employing strategies that a micro-economist would have a hay-day over. Teams aren't playing to win, they are playing to not look bad.


Prime example: when you analyze Baseball statistically, sacrificing a hitter to advance a runner is bad policy. It wastes one of your precious 27 outs, and lessens your chances of scoring runs. But managers bunt and sacrifice all the time so as to avoid criticism.

Also: the best indicator of how a minor league/college player will do in the pros? Not batting average, not slugging average... it's a combination of walks and on base percentage.

There are plenty of great facts to come out of this book, thanks to the courage of the Oakland A's to throw out conventional wisdom and analyze baseball statistically. If you are a sports fan or a fan of statistics and numbers, you will most likely enjoy this book.

Yea most conventional baseball statistics are pretty misleading. The stat I like the most is OPS (On base percentage plus slugging percentage). Batting average is an extremely overused/rated statistic.

Oh, while we're recommending books, "How Would a Patriot Act? Defending American Values from a President Run Amok" by Glenn Greenwald was an interesting read on how Bush's job as president is a slap in the face of the Constitution.

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I recommend Tuesdays With Morrey by Mitch Albom

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Author Mitch Albom takes us through interviews he has with a dying man in his last couple of months on Earth. It is inspirational and touches even this insensitive heart.

This is the last book I ever finished reading, which was 7 years ago. I hate reading, but this one kept me going from beginning to end.

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Cause I dont believe in Jesus.

Just finished Moneyball, it may be one of the best books I've ever read.

It explains how too many bases are stolen, how pitchers are overrated and fielding is underrated, how the best statistic "possible" is 3 times on base percentage plus slugging, why drafting college players is much more wise than drafting highschoolers, and why having a Harvard degree with no Baseball experience is better than 20 years of Baseball experience if you want to be a good manager.

I'm only about a third of the way through this one, but so far it's absolutely amazing. There's at least a 5-10% chance the author will be our next President too, which might give you insentive to read this memoir of his.

http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/sr=8-1/qid=1165297487/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-8306191-3906208?ie=UTF8&s=books
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Tradesports give him an 11-14% chance of winning:

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This is one of the best books I have EVER read: it takes a lot of things you intuitively understand and solidifies them... It also helps you to understand that the actions of many people are utterly futile, and that often "success" isn't the product of intellect or hard work, but merely the outcome of living in a random world:

Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in the Markets and in Life

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Amazon.com
If the prescriptions for getting rich that are outlined in books such as The Millionaire Next Door and Rich Dad Poor Dad are successful enough to make the books bestsellers, then one must ask, Why aren't there more millionaires? In Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a professional trader and mathematics professor, examines what randomness means in business and in life and why human beings are so prone to mistake dumb luck for consummate skill. This eccentric and highly personal exploration of the nature of randomness meanders from the court of Croesus and trading rooms in New York and London to Russian roulette, Monte Carlo engines, and the philosophy of Karl Popper. Part of what makes this book so good is Taleb's ability to make seemingly arcane mathematical concepts (at least to this reviewer) entirely relevant in evaluating and understanding everything from the stock market to the success of those millionaires cited in the aforementioned bestsellers. Here's an articulate, wise, and humorous meditation on the nature of success and failure that anyone who wants a little more of the former would do well to consider. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards

From Publishers Weekly
In this look at financial luck, hedge fund manager Taleb (Dynamic Hedging) addresses the apparently irrational movement of money markets around the world. Using his own investing experience and examples of others' successes and disappointments, he discusses theories like Monte Carlo math (easy; considered cheating by purists) and the concept of Russian roulette. Taleb tells interesting, well-wrought stories about individual behavior: "While Nero has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams, both personally and intellectually, he is starting to consider himself as having missed a chance somewhere." While serious investors and mathematics enthusiasts will be intrigued, readers looking for practical investment strategies will be disappointed by this rambling intellectual discourse. Tables. 40,000-copy first printing; $150,000 marketing budget.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

watch "my dinner with andre" its a movie but reminds me of the book ishmael but with people.

I took your recommendation with this one and just finished reading it. It was an enjoyable book that flowed better than any I've read before. Usually with books I find myself playing the "how many pages do I have left?" game. This book was an exception. I just sat down and enjoyed it. Probably only took 3-4 hours all told to finish it. It did a nice job of putting life in perspective, though I question whether it's impact will last more than a couple days or so. Either way, I'm glad I read it, and think most of you would be too.

I just read and do recommend A Short History of Nearly Everything
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http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-Nearly-Everything/dp/0767908171/sr=8-4/qid=1170191949/ref=pd_bbs_4/104-4173077-6156736?ie=UTF8&s=books
This book takes the entire history of the natural world, from the Big Bang, to explanations of Physics, the Cosmos, the formation of the Earth, geology, extinction, the discovery of the atom, Einstein, chemistry, the evolution of species, discovery of mathematics, and much more, and puts it into a novel of about 500 or so pages.

If you like the history channel you will like this book. If you don't like the history channel you probably won’t.

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This autobiography has made London's most infamous celebrity gangster - and the inspiration for the character Big Chris, played by Vinny Jones, in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - an international star. Read about Dave Courtney's shady and amoral past, his time in jail, the violent encounters that put him there, and why he has decided it's time to get out of the crime business. Meet machete-wielding Chinese waiters, unlicensed boxing promoters and debt collectors. See Dave bitten, beaten, stabbed and shot; and learn that prison didn't do anything except to make him determined always to be better at not getting caught.



Good read.

I will read this book. I intended to but forgot. Thanks for reminding me.

Did i recommend this book? I should have, read it a few years back.
as for dave courtney, LOL if he did half the things he said he would bi in jail.
full of fucking shit.

Excuse me Denton, he did do all those things. Maybe they are exaggerated a tiny bit ;)

If he did all this shit, killed etc, and he admits/brags about it, why is he making films and not in jail?

Because surely the only evidence of him committing the crimes is in his autobiography. They are so melodramatic (thesaurus yesss) to be taken literally.

He has been to court on the basis of previous statements, proved innocent, then said outside the law courts something along the lines of 'Of course I facking shot him'.

My uncle can vouch for him, although he did say that where he was described to have bent a porsche door by pulling a guy out of the car was kinda not true.

Actually, thinking about it, he probably is full of shit.

A Man without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut

A Man Without a Country is Kurt Vonnegut's hilarious and razor-sharp look at life ("If I die-God forbid-I would like to go to heaven to ask somebody in charge up there, 'Hey, what was the good news and what was the bad news?'"), art ("To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it."), politics ("I asked former Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton what he thought of our great victory over Iraq and he said, 'Mohammed Ali versus Mr. Rogers.'"), and the condition of the soul of America today ("What has happened to us?"). Gleaned from short essays and speeches composed over the last five years and plentifully illustrated with artwork by the author throughout, A Man Without a Country gives us Vonnegut both speaking out with indignation and writing tenderly to his fellow Americans, sometimes joking, at other times hopeless, always searching.

Read something from him while he's still around. You'll be glad you did.

Fuck you scroder, you cockfucking titwit.

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Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance (The American Empire Project)

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Noam Chomsky is considered the father of modern linguistics. In this richly detailed criticism of American foreign policy, he seeks to redefine many of the terms commonly used in the ongoing American war on terrorism. Surveying U.S. actions in Cuba, Nicaragua, Turkey, the Far East and elsewhere over the past half a century along with the modern American war in Iraq, Chomsky indicates that America is just as much a terrorist state as any other government or rogue organization. George W. Bush's 2003 invasion of Iraq drew worldwide criticism, in part because it seemed to present a new philosophy of pre-emptive war and an appearance of global empire building. But according to Chomsky, such has been the operating philosophy of American foreign policy for decades. Opponents of the Bush administration's tactics consistently point out how the American government supported Saddam Hussein for many years prior to the 1990 invasion of Kuwait (pictures of Donald Rumsfeld shaking Saddam's hand are easy to come by) as a means of pointing out how the United States is happy to fund despots when it's in American interests. But Chomsky, armed with extensive historical notation, takes this notion further, arguing how the repression of other nations' citizenry is, in fact, the very reason Americans support certain foreign leaders. The charges made throughout the book are severe, as are the dire consequences he posits if current trends are not reversed, and Chomsky is no more likely to make friends or gain supporters from the mainstream now than he's ever been. But Hegemony or Survival is relatively dispassionate. Instead of relying on camp or shock value or personal attacks as some of his contemporaries have done, Chomsky drives his well-supported points steadily forward in an earnest and highly readable style. --John Moe

From Publishers Weekly
In this highly readable, heavily footnoted critique of American foreign policy from the late 1950s to the present, Chomsky (whose 9-11 was a bestseller last year) argues that current U.S. policies in Afghanistan and Iraq are not a specific response to September 11, but simply the continuation of a consistent half-century of foreign policy-an "imperial grand strategy"-in which the United States has attempted to "maintain its hegemony through the threat or use of military force." Such an analysis is bound to be met with skepticism or antagonism in post-September 11 America, but Chomsky builds his arguments carefully, substantiates claims with appropriate documentation and answers expected counterclaims. Chomsky is also deeply critical of inconsistency in making the charge of "terrorism." Using the official U.S. legal code definition of terrorism, he argues that it is an exact description of U.S. foreign policy (especially regarding Cuba, Central America, Vietnam and much of the Middle East), although the term is rarely used in this way in the U.S. media, he notes, even when the World Court in 1986 condemned Washington for "unlawful use of force" ("international terrorism, in lay terms" Chomsky argues) in Nicaragua. Claiming that the U.S. is a rogue nation in its foreign policies and its "contempt for international law," Chomsky brings together many themes he has mined in the past, making this cogent and provocative book an important addition to an ongoing public discussion about U.S. policy.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

I'm not sure I've ever read a book so short and yet so powerful as Sam Harris' Letter to a Christian Nation.

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This took me 90 minutes to read. There isn't a person out there I wouldn't recommend this book to. For the non-believers, Harris offers some nice ammunition to use next time you're stuck in a situation where you want to slam your head against a desk while trying to explain to a Christian why you find their beliefs so appauling. Christians (or really anyone with strong religious views) might benefit from seeing a window into some of the logical shortcomings and societal downfalls that stem from such strong, unprovable beliefs.

From page 67, "It is time that we admitted that faith is nothing more than the license religious people give one another to keep believing when reasons fail. While believing strongly, without evidence, is considered a mark of madness or stupidity in any other area of our lives, faith in God still holds immense prestige in our society."

I will personally ship my copy of this book to the first of you regulars to request it, provided a.) you will most certainly read it with an open mind and b.) you believe you will spend eternity in fire without faith in Jesus Christ. Just PM me your address and it will be shipped within hours.

Update: Ninjaface requested the book first, followed shortly thereafter by George W .Bush. I really wanted this book to go to someone who, at least on some significant capacity, truly believes they might spend enternity in fire without faith in Jesus Christ. From what little I know of the two requesters, I wouldn't think they would fit that description.

I'll give a little more time for someone who does fit the description to come forth, or for either of the aforementioned two to ensure me they do fit the bill.

THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU.

I have two more books which I must highly recommend: both by Michael Lewis, who was the author of the first book I recommended: "Moneyball"

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http://www.amazon.com/Liars-Poker-Rising-Through-Wreckage/dp/0140143459/sr=1-1/qid=1171395058/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-4861754-4844110?ie=UTF8&s=books
From Library Journal
As described by Lewis, liar's poker is a game played in idle moments by workers on Wall Street, the objective of which is to reward trickery and deceit. With this as a metaphor, Lewis describes his four years with the Wall Street firm Salomon Brothers, from his bizarre hiring through the training program to his years as a successful bond trader. Lewis illustrates how economic decisions made at the national level changed securities markets and made bonds the most lucrative game on the Street. His description of the firm's personalities and of the events from 1984 through the crash of October 1987 are vivid and memorable. Readers of Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities ( LJ 11/15/87) are likely to enjoy this personal memoir. BOMC and Fortune Book Club selection.
- Joseph Barth, U.S. Military Acad . Lib., West Point, N.Y.

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http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Side-Evolution-Game/dp/039306123X/sr=1-1/qid=1171394907/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-4861754-4844110?ie=UTF8&s=books
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. As he did so memorably for baseball in Moneyball, Lewis takes a statistical X-ray of the hidden substructure of football, outlining the invisible doings of unsung players that determine the outcome more than the showy exploits of point scorers. In his sketch of the gridiron arms race, first came the modern, meticulously choreographed passing offense, then the ferocious defensive pass rusher whose bone-crunching quarterback sacks demolished the best-laid passing game, and finally the rise of the left tackle—the offensive lineman tasked with protecting the quarterback from the pass rusher—whose presence is felt only through the game-deciding absence of said sacks. A rare creature combining 300 pounds of bulk with "the body control of a ballerina," the anonymous left tackle, Lewis notes, is now often a team's highest-paid player. Lewis fleshes this out with the colorful saga of left tackle prodigy Michael Oher. An intermittently homeless Memphis ghetto kid taken in by a rich white family and a Christian high school, Oher's preternatural size and agility soon has every college coach in the country courting him obsequiously. Combining a tour de force of sports analysis with a piquant ethnography of the South's pigskin mania, Lewis probes the fascinating question of whether football is a matter of brute force or subtle intellect. Photos. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

send it to active/schroed.

How about this UB.. you send me the book, then I'll send it to someone else after I finish it.

Send it to me after,
Fuck, send it to everyone.

Just type it out.

I allready made that offer. Ill read it then send it to someone else.

I don't understand why everyone is so eager to read this book. I'm sure it's good, but it's not going to be anything you haven't heard/thought/read before. It's just going to confirm and reinforce beliefs the majority of you already have. If you want to challenge yourself read something that's well written by an intelligent person (Ph.D in their field) that is the opposite of what you already believe, and see if it persuades you or strengthens your pre-existing conviction(s).

Just because you said that I'm not gonna read any books for a whole month. Instead, I'm gonna watch American Gladiators.

While it's sad you think someone needs a Ph.D in their field to be considered intelligent enough to speak on a subject, I can tell you that, as far as I know, Sam Harris is knocking on the door of a Ph.D in nueroscience and that his beliefs are the opposite of what you seem to adhere to.

Perhaps you might read this book if I sent it to you? When I made that initial offer, I was hoping you, above anyone else, would be the one to request it.

I think you've gotten the wrong impression. Obviously somebody can be intelligent without a Ph.D, I was, for the most part, covering my bases with that comment. Regardless, it certainly lends one credibility. I'm sure Mr. Harris is a very smart guy either way.

I've read Nietzsche, Foucault, Dawkins...I know what the arguments against faith and God are, and no offense to Mr. Harris, but I doubt he has much new to say that the other great thinkers I've mentioned have already said. That's not even the point though. My point is more and more people these days want to find a reason to not believe in God. That's fine. But at this point it's become one big circle jerk where they all read and think the same thing. As I stated earlier, if you want to challenge yourself and expand your horizons, read something you disagree with. Take on another point of view. If you're already athiest then why read something you already think you know?

I've got a great book on religion that I saved from a class on the philosophy of religion. The book is called "Philosophy of Religion" : Selected Readings from the Oxford University Press.

If you are actually interested in it, im sure most of the essays are online somewhere. There is a shitton of great stuff in here, let me know what you are interested in and I can suggest something on it.

All the classic religious essays are in here, but some of the ones that you may or may not have heard of that you need to read are:
"Divine Omniscience and Voluntary Action" by Nelson Pike
"Evill Makes a Strong Case Against God's Existence" by David Hume
"Resurrection of the Person" by John Hicks
"Ethics Without Religion" by Kai Nelson
"Ethics and Natural Law" by Thomas Aquinas

I did a huge report on Thomas Aquinas for a philosophy class, smart guy, VERY pro God.

Definatly somebody who doesnt fit alot of people on this sites view of people who believe in god, to paraphrase him "god is truth, so one should search for the truth"

Wow. Sound familiar? Anyway, ninja, send me your address already and the book is yours. If I don't get it soon I'll just send it to GW.

Of course it sounds familiar, thats the point. Youre doing the exact same thing that the religious people you cant stand are doing. Why doesnt the same thing apply to you? Instead of trying to force your beliefs on someone you should swap beliefs for a day and then talk about it. Really this whole thing has gotten blown out of proportion. I'm sure it's a good book and you just feel like sharing it.

Book sent to George W. Bush. Enjoy.

Let me shit in the box and send it to GW too...

if you really wanna send me shit via. UPS I'll PM you my address, this could make a good thread

http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Streets-Ring-Struggle-Become/dp/0060542403
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Atlas: From the Streets to the Ring: A Son's Struggle to Become a Man

I really liked this book, theres alot more in it that just boxing stories, although the boxing stories, especially with Micheal Moorer are great.
He manages to avoid trying to sound like a badass, although seems to brag a time or two.

His stories are great, from growing up on Staten Island, going to Rikers, getting his face sliced open (still has a prominant scar), training kids with Cus D'mato in Catskill and driving them down to the Bronx to fight, putting a guy in Mike Tyson's ear, having Sammy the Bull Gravano pay for his gym membership and lift weights with him for a year, training a ballerina to get her in shape, etc.
Not all the stories are tough guy stuff either, he seems to have a good grip on human pyschology.

On top of the book he is one of the real good guys for boxing, and probably the best sports commentator on the air, makes boxing understandable to people whove never watched a fight let alone put on gloves while still explaining every technical detail. He really understands and explains the mental aspect of fighting and how a fighter has to consciously make the decision to not look for a way out.

Just finished the book, thanks UB.

GWB's review:

I didn't like the book very much. It's too short (a couple of magazine articles in length or so), uses Straw Man arguments too often, and doesn't give me anything I didn't know already (maybe just because I'm so damn smart already?). I was especially appalled by his "use" of statistics, made me nauseous, but someone who isn't interested in economics probably wouldn't mind too much.

Some of the book wasn't too bad. Essentially he attacks anti-evolutionists (is that a word?) pretty well, if you don't believe in some form of evolution you are either ignorant or a fucking moron basically.

And he spends about 20 pages or so paraphrasing The Problem of Evil , but in an unscientific way, with no references to academia.

But as promised to UB: if anyone else wants to read this lil diddy, pm me your address and I'll UPS it ASAP, so long as you promise to read it and send it on to the next sucker.

If no one ends up wanting it, send it back. I'll PayPal you a couple bucks.

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Pretty solid read. The first 30 pages or so were monotonous and I was REALLY hoping the entire book would not be of the same structure. I was extremely happy that the pace changed up. Read it in two nights at work while sitting at an "X." There were quite a few parts that had me literally laughing out loud, one in particular, probably the hardest I've ever laughed at reading ever.

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Damn, I loved this book. It has some great travel ideas and some pretty humorous things to do locally as well. The majority of it focuses on travel and other adventures. A lot of it is common knowledge, but a lot of things you may not have known about as well as recommendations on good times/ways to do them.

Starting "The Reaper's Line" tomorrow.
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Hey guys, check out this awesome thread I found by DJ FC. It's old too! Over a year older than some other forums that deal with the same topic, but have dishonest, non-inclusive titles. Since it has thread seniority and all, and nobody gives a shit about Repug slowly becoming a religious apologist, we should revive it!


I'm halfway finished with American Gods by Neil Gaiman. The basic plot is that all gods (and other objects of human worship) are real as long as there is some dwindling belief in them. America, being the melting pot/salad bowl that it is, has a huge amount of gods because of all the immigrants over the past few centuries who "bring their gods with them", and, after belief in them dies, they lose their powers and influence and become normal people, tricking, seducing etc. to leech what little belief they can from humans to get by.

Anyways, there's another overarching plot that everything is leading up to, but it's a great read and fun to try to guess who the gods in question are before they are revealed to you through hints. Almost nobody straight out says "Hi, i'm ___________, the god of ______________" --- a lot of it you have to pick up through conversational nuance or inferences.

Fantastic book so far. First Gaiman book I've read, and I really like his writing style. I highly recommend it.


Oh, also, HBO is turning it into a series next year, so you know it's gotta be at least fairly good.

This is cool. When I was reading it, I thought "this is a book that badly wants to be a TV series". (As opposed to most books that want to be movies.)

I'm dying to find out what kind of Native American motherfucker Shadow is and why everybody is on his nuts. I thus far have discovered he somehow controls weather and seems to be a reincarnation, which would explain his lack of memory except through residual dreams, but don't spoil anything for me -- i'll be done in a week.