Lost Connections / Johann Hari
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hari presents interesting tidbits of knowledge and info in this book, with practicality and precision. Overall, an insightful take on how pointing the blame at chemical imbalance(s) in the brain is an easy scapegoat, and cannot be held fully accountable for the root cause of depression — In other words, it’s not (lack of) serotonin that’s to blame, it’s society.
"You aren't a machine with broken parts. You are an animal whose needs are not being met. You need to have a community. You need to have meaningful values, not the junk values you've been pumped full of all your life, telling you happiness comes through money and buying objects. You need to have meaningful work. You need the natural world. You need to feel you are respected. You need a secure future. You need connections to all these things. You need to release any shame you might feel for having been mistreated."
Is This Anything? / Jerry Seinfeld
⭐⭐⭐ A book made up entirely of moments and memories, told in monologues. From the inception of his stand-up career in the ‘70s to now, Seinfeld saves the strange but fundamental, comedic conditions of human existence we come across in a day-to-day. A lighthearted read compared to the above, and a great book to leave by your bedside to randomly flip through.
PUBLIC SPEAKING
“I saw a study that said, the number one fear of the average person is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two! How in the world is that? That means to most people, if you have to go to a funeral, you would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.”
Currently reading: No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
More on my list:
Mating in Captivity, Unlocking Erotic Intelligence by Esther Perel
The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood
Will Smith’s memoir
Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion