This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Young Doctor

This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Young Doctor by Adam Kay

The author worked as an ob/gyn in the British National Health Service. He had plenty of experiences as a young doctor. Detailed birth plans were often thrown out the window when the fetus had other ideas. Hours could be very long, with limited sleep or any time outside of work. Standards and work regulation could seem very arbitrary. Bodily fluids could be all over the place, with risk of HIV possible. Even the British medical system is far from perfect.

Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness

Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness by Carrie Sheffield

The author had an interesting upbringing heavily influenced by her father. He was an accomplished musician, but then felt he had a calling to preach patriotic and religious values. He would travel the country with his family, busking and distributing pamphlets. The kids had various education experiences, from home school, suburban schools and inner-city schools. They were faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but outside the mainstream. Her father would eventually go too far in falsely accusing others of malfeasance. She remained faithful in the church until she read some historical information she did not like. That sent her off the deep end and caused her to abandon religion and her moral framework altogether. (It was interesting that her faith was strong enough to handle all the weird behavior in her family, but not enough to withstand reading some history.) She eventually realized the loss and later converted to the Episcopal church.

The first part of the book detailed a very unique experience. She had a somewhat concilitary view. She acknowledged both the negative and positives of the people involved and explored how their past experiences impacted them. The second half pivoted to her career and faith journey. The pace slowed down and switched from a family history to internal. It felt like two different books (with different audiences) clubbed together.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson grew up in the Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950s. His dad was a sports journalist who extensively covered baseball (and liked to wear just a shirt to bed.) Things were "safer" in the 1950s, with kids roaming around without safety gear. The family also had a trip to New York where they stayed at a cheap hotel in Harlem, and even had the cops ask them to leave. (They stayed.) Bill had a friend who would always get the rap for getting in trouble, such as nearly burning down the house. For drinking, they started making fake ids out of old checks. Then the friend discovered it was easier to just steal from the grocery store and then grab pallets worth from the distributor. The book title refers to his superhero alter-ego.  The book is a funny, short tale of growing up in a different time.

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath, edited by Karen V. Kukil

I wonder how she feels about having her journals published completely. Perhaps she expected it all along, as they do seem very polished. Many of the thoughts from these journals went into her novel Bell Jar. In the start, she is very concerned with boys and sex. There are conflicting thoughts on a desire for a writing career and for raising a family. These thoughts continue on through later entries. There are also thoughts on suicide which provide prelude to her eventual death. The editors add a few comments, with the most valuable indicating gaps. She comes across as a social arts type.

There Were Giants in the Land: Episodes in the Life of W. Cleon Skousen

There Were Giants in the Land: Episodes in the Life of W. Cleon Skousen by W. Cleon Skousen, Jo Ann Skousen and Mark Skousen

W. Clean Skousen's family members assembled an autobiography from his journals. Skousen was born in Canada, then served a church mission in Europe and then came to live in the USA. He spent time working for J Edgar Hoover in the FBI. He was later a university professor and a police chief before focussing on his National Center for Constitutional Studies. The organization advocated a conservative focus on the study of the constitution and it's religious basis. In addition to the political writings, he also wrote parenting works and a "thousand years" series of books on the Old Testament. He was very devoted to his organization and his brand of conservative principles. However, he had trouble with others that differed in the way to run things. His anti-communist beliefs were perfect for the cold war mentality and seemed to reach the mainstream peak during the Reagan era. After the end of the cold war, his relevance appeared to wane.

Born to Run

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

This is a fairly long memoir that also moves too fast. It feels that it rushes through key points as side notes, almost putting an afterthought that a song was "Born to Run". I don't remember anything mentioning how he got the nickname "the Boss".  Either I missed it, or it was not mentioned. The book follows the typical rock star format. He struggled initially and barely made ends meet as he was trying to get the career off the ground. He stuck with it and then became a super star. His career arcs up until he has the greatest mainstream success with the misunderstood "Born in the USA". Then he continues on. 

Family of Spies

Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor by Christine Kuehn

Grandpa was Nazi spy with interesting history in Hawaii. There were rumors of "baby spy" in the family that would go try to get intel. This book is part memoir and part family history. The author explores the skeletons in his family's closet. They were raised as an all American family. However, Grandpa was executed as a spy. (Though the family gives other reasons for what happened.) The book is an interesting exploration of interrelated bits of World War II history.

Source Code: My Beginnings

Source Code: My Beginnings by Bill Gates

Bill Gates had the perfect childhood to set himself up to launch Microsoft. His parents were dedicated to their family, but gave their children significant autonomy. His mom was highly involved in community organizations and had many connections. His father was a lawyer. There were entrepreneurs in his family tree as well as a doting grandma that helped teach logical thinking through games. He enjoyed learning what he wanted to learn and struggled in school and socially. He would have been diagnosed on the autism spectrum today. His parents didn't give up on him or try to force him in a certain path. They had him engage in common youth activities. They let him learn on his own terms. He ended up enjoying some of the "punishments" he received in school (such as working in the library.) His parents helped him to "fall up" out of the public school to attend private Lakeside school. There he was able to find another socially awkward friend as well as other "geeks" who would help found Microsoft.

Lakeside was one of the few places that had a computer for students to access. Gates was drawn to the computer. He would spend time thinking in code and how to program. Through connections, he and some friends were able to get access to other computers at companies and the University of Washington. He had friends in older grades, such as Paul Allen that could get access. They were able to work on business projects finding bugs and coding - all while still in high school. Their parents helped support them as well as get them further connections. He was able to get into Harvard and explore other academic interests. There he met others with complementary skills. Then the first real home computer came out. He and his friends had experience and created a basic interpreter. They were able to sell it and create an appropriate contract that would help them defend their rights. They would later be able to defend their rights to allow the company to continue. 

Bill Gates was at the right place at the right time and had the proper support as well as the personal interest and drive to keep with his company. There are so many ways that Microsoft could have failed to be, yet it somehow managed to be the behemoth it is today.  

Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative

Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative by Glenn Loury

This book has a lot to unpack. It includes "Black Conservative" in the subtitle. However, he is far from the typical conservative. His most cited economic paper advocates redistributing money from the rich to the poor. (The societal benefits of the poor having a few extra dollars were found to be much greater than the losses experienced by the wealthy.) However, he also published papers against affirmative action. (A lower standard for certain groups would allow them to get through the door with less skill which would end up setting them back as they are not prepared to achieve.) At times he was embraced by the right. At times he was loved by the left. He didn't blindly adopt the beliefs of either side. Instead, he focussed on what he believed in. His beliefs were also not necessarily reflected in his actions.

He dropped out of school only to come back later. (Hence one possible positive meaning of "late admissions".) He received a PhD from MIT and later served as a tenured professor at multiple Ivy League schools. He advocated for black families to stick together, yet he he was not involved in his first son's life. He was in long term marriages, yet was also a serial philanderer. He is comfortable having erudite academic discussions as he is going to the ghetto and pursuing crack and prostitutes. (The "late admissions" could be all the confessing he does in this book about his bad behaviors and the people he has hurt.) He had been arrested on drug charges and spent time in rehab. He was nowhere near perfect and did not expect other people to be perfect. However, he does want to see people putting forth the effort to improve themselves. The book is an interesting story of the challenges in a life you cannot pigeonhole together with an interesting evolution of economic thought. 

My Effin' Life

My Effin' Life by Geddy Lee

Before jumping into his rock and roll memoir, Geddy starts with a narrative of his parents' experience in the holocaust. They were Polish Jews who survived the experience (unlike many of their family members that were killed.) After their immigration to Canada, Geddy's experience in the Toronto suburbs begin. Geddy Lee is a mangling of the English version of his original Yiddish name. As a Jew he was on the outcast of youth culture. He took to the bass, while also smoking and eventually doing drugs. He was in the same class as Rick Moranis, but they were not super close. He did befriend future Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson (who also changed his name from the Serbian original.) After bouncing around a few bands, they formed Rush, only for Geddy to be kicked out and later rejoin. John Rustey, their original drummer left the band shortly after their first album. (He was having trouble and there seemed to be a mixture of him stressing and the other bandmates not liking his behavior.) They auditioned drummers and lined up Neil Peart, and the rest his history. They had plenty of the usual rock and roll things. There were plenty of drugs. (Though Geddy admits enough was enough and he ended up quitting drugs and smoking.) All the band members were married and stayed together, with the only second marriage being after Peart's first wife's death. The touring life while married was challenging, but they were able to get through it after counseling.  There were various challenges on the tour, including roadies that had various personal issues. They also had challenges with recording and the business side of things. Rush is a little different from the typical rock band, and this memoir is a bit different, though much is similar to others.

K-Drama School: A Pop Culture Inquiry into Why We Love Korean Television

K-Drama School: A Pop Culture Inquiry into Why We Love Korean Television by Grace Jung

When reading this book, I waffled from loving it to not liking it. Overall, I went for the positive. K-Drama is covered extensively, but is almost incidental to the book. korean Drama serves as a framing mechanism for the author to discuss her life and challenges, as well as the experiences of Koreans and Asians. Koreans has had a challenging history with large falls and rapid rises. Japan occupied Korea, kicked out the monarchs and attempted to wipe out Korean identity. Korea achieved freedom at the end of World War II, only to be divided into two. Many travesties occurred in the Korean War. The war was inconclusive (and technical is still ongoing.) South Korea has a large US military base (despite being an ally.) Televisions were introduced to Korea at this time. The dictatorship ruling the country created a television network to help spread propaganda. Television manufacturers created their own network to sell televisions. Korean Drama came out of this setting. The country suffered from many wounds and still had challenges ahead. Korean dramas were created rapidly and at low cost. There were limits on what could be shown (with the producers often hitten the edge of these limits.) Various tropes, such as amnesia were employed. Dramas also focussed on important parts of the Korean psyche. Society is heavily driven to succeed.  We can see both general as well as individual challenges in the dramas.

The author looks at various dramas and discusses how they relate to her experience (which includes various forms of abuse) as well as Korean life (including adoptions.) She has the power to look beyond the immediate problems. Abusers are people who often suffered from abuse earlier in their life. Ending the cycle is important. She suffered significant abuse from her parents. (In one case she received a huge beating from her mom after her mom misunderstood an elementary school teacher.) She suffered greatly and wanted to separate herself from her family. However, she was able to make peace with them. She is critical of woke people who bring people down for behavior they do not respect. This does not help. Instead we are better understanding and helping others to learn. She received many degrees but was turned off from the academic culture. She finally found an area that she enjoyed. 

The Hiding Place

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill and John Sherrill

A Dutch family lived in Haarlem shortly before World War II. The father was a clockmaker and stressed service and work in the community. There were conflicts breaking out in Europe. However, it seemed that the Netherlands would remain neutral as before. The family occasionally saw Jews in need and had helped them out. After the Dutch army capitulated, the Netherlands came under Nazi occupation. The family helped out more Jews. They became involved in the Dutch underground. At one time a sympathizer proposed they kill a Dutch informer. They would not go that far. They were eventually caught and brought to a concentration camp. The author's sister was also keeping her faith and looking positive. She was even grateful for the fleas they had. (It would later turn out that the guards had let them meet in peace because they didn't want to go to the flea-infested room.) They would maintain their faith in the camps until they were freed. The later half of the book emphasizes Christian thought and maintaining love and faith even under difficult circumstances.

Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons Of A Hardwood Warrior

Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons Of A Hardwood Warrior by Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty

Phil Jackson explores the spiritual dimension of his basketball career. He was raised as a child of Presbyterian ministers. However, he never experienced speaking in tongues and felt that he had not filled the jump in the spiritual journey. He later was attracted to Zen and meditation. He still maintianed some of the key Christian teacheings of love with his Zen practice. He used this as part of his early basketball career. His NBA playing career gradually shifted to coaching. When he was coaching the bulls he worked to balance the extreme talent of Michael Jordan with the needs of a team. There were times that players had important life experiences that needed to be addressed. (Such as the death of Scottie Pippen's father.) The book is abridged and ends in the middle of the Bulls run. Much of it is repeated in his later book spanning his entire NBA career. 

Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success

Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success by Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty

This is books is primarily a linear narrative of the life of Phil Jackson. He grew up in the upper midwest in a religious family (both parents were preachers). He took to basketball and eventually made it to the NBA to play for the Nicks. He was never a super star, but was a role player. He earned two championships as a player (though he was out injured for a season where he got it.) At the time, life in the NBA was not glamourous or well-paying. Some of the college students had better experiences. He was drawn towards coaching. He had various experiences (including in Puerto Rico.) He eventually was an assistant for the Bulls. They had Michael Jordan and some potential. Management decided he was best to get them over the cusp. They fired the coach and made him head coach. After some challenges, he was able to put together 2 three-peat championships with the bulls. Part of it involved helping the team to be more balanced rather than dishing everything to Jordan. He took time off, then took the Lakers job. There he won three championships with Kobe and Shaq. Again, he needed to work to get them to be team players. After some down years, he was able to win two more with Kobe. He stayed on for another season after the last championship where they failed to win. In between the championships he also had some bad years. The pain of defeat helped encourage him and his teams to play for more victories. He also talks about some of the meditation and other non-basketball work he did. In his time, he worked with some of the best players and got the best out of them. The combination of players and coach seemed to work well.

Raising Hare: A Memoir

Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton

A woman moves out to the British countryside during the pandemic. There she observes a young injured hare. She helps nurse the hare back to health and befriends it. Later she discovers that the hare is a female when it has babies. The hare at first stays in the house, but gradually spreads further outside. It gives birth first outside. However, it later gives birth inside the house. The hare is never really a pet, but still has an affinity towards the house. The author gains greater respect for nature and the challenges we place on hares with urban development. After reading, I finally have a better understanding of the difference between hares and rabbits.

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination: A Memoir

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination: A Memoir by Elizabeth McCracken

The author spent her early adulthood writing while traveling between the US and Europe. She conceived later in life. The baby was stillborn at full term. She grapples with that in her experiences. It is a key part of her identity as she is working through it and trying again. Other issues (such as issues with immigration officials) can be extra stressful during hard times. Some responses by others can be helpful, while others can make things worse. The book is fairly short and probably best for people that relate towards similar situations. 

Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum

Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum by Michael J. Fox and Nelle Fortenberry

Michael J. Fox was a starving artist looking for any opportunity to act. He landed on the sitcom Family Ties. He jumped at the chance to start in the movie Teen Wolf. Then Back to the Future happened. The movie was not working with the current lead and they wanted him to come in and star. He worked on the movie during the night and the show during the day. They could tell the movie would be success from the early screenings and it was. It was one of the few "time travel" movies that really worked. This memoir focuses on the movie, but also provides some of Fox's early background (though it ends after the film is released.) It is timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the film. (Interestingly, that is 10 more years than the difference in the two time periods of the film.) The book is short and to the point, with the audiobook including some bits of dialog from the film.

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad

The author partied a lot as a young adult and jumped around from boyfriend to boyfriend. She decided to get dedicated to work by taking a job in France. She also entered into a longer term relationship. Then she discovered she had cancer. Treatment was a long process. Her boyfriend and her parents provided a huge amount of selfless service. She did not appreciate it enough. She found herself distancing herself from them. She had started writing about her battle with cancer as she was going through the process. It took a while to realize the impacts it had on loved ones. She was not the only one to have life interrupted. There were also the challenges of dealing with life after cancer. With so much focus on beating it, it is easy to lose track of the post-cancer life. She goes on a cross country road trip to try to find herself post-cancer. Discussions with many people help her learn more about herself and relationships with others. Do we spend enough time looking at the social and other non-medical impacts of fighting disease. What is the point of licking a disease if it destroys lives?

The Racket: On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation – and the other 99%

The Racket: On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation – and the other 99% by Conor Niland

Growing up, the author's parents pushed him to focus on tennis. He noticed other parents were not so focussed on a single thing, yet he persevered. He attended sports prep schools and eventually received a tennis scholarship to attend Cal. After college, he struggled just on the outskirts of the "big leagues". He worked his ranking up just beyond 200. He was able to play in qualifying sections of the major tournaments. He was the top ranked Irish tennis player and qualified in a couple big tournaments. He was never a well known tennis player, yet he would continue to work hard. The matter-of-fact tone of his journey separates this from other sports memoirs. He acknowledges he was pushed externally in his youth, yet had the drive of his own. He was able to take advantage of the opportunities, such as receiving a literature degree from UC Berkeley. With all that work, he got a few chances to play in front of big crowds, but mostly stumbled away in anonymity. The book provides insight on how most participants experience professional tennis.

I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki: Further Conversations with My Psychiatrist

I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki: Further Conversations with My Psychiatrist by Baek Sehee, translated Anton Hur

The author struggled with suicidal thoughts and self harm and saw a psychiatrist to talk about the problems. She wanted to quit her job. She felt bad when she succeeded. She did harm herself once and came close to checking herself into a hospital. She also has thoughts about diet and working out. She likes working out, but struggles to determine whether it is for her or just to support men. She does have a partner and a job, so there must also be a more positive side to her life that she is not expressing in the book. She spends time exploring areas both within and out of her control. The book feels more powerful coming from her cultural point of view. She does not have the "I deserve it all" brashness of Americans. She has worked hard and has humility. Her timidity masks deep internal struggles. However, she is also willing to be vulnerable in open about them. (Alas, she died at a young age not long after writing this book.)