Mere Mortals Book Reviews

Tim Ferriss, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, shares his book a Tribe of Mentors, a choose your own adventure type book where you can pick and reach from 130+ of the world's top successes. Hand in hand with the existing book review, the team went through some of the favourite quotes we encountered through this book (note there is a LOT of quotes in this one). Juan...

Tim Ferriss, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek , shares his book a Tribe of Mentors, a choose your own adventure type book where you can pick and reach from 130+ of the world's top successes. Tim uses a great selection of questions that allows each of the individuals in the book to share open and honest insights into their life and how they handle things like "how to...

In this video I go over some of my favourite quotes from abridged version of 'The Gulag Archipelago'. These are select snippets that highlight the most important passages of the book where I will then adding my own personal reflections on the quote and why it struck me so deeply. If you are looking for a general overview of the book, please head to the Book Review, which gives a synopsis of the pr...

Nature vs Nurture, which is more influential? This is one of the queries that pop up when reading 'The Call Of The Wild' by Jack London. Probably the most well known of his works, it is very similar to 'White Fang' in many ways. We follow a St Bernard cross Scotch Collie named Buck as he returns to the icy wilderness of Northern Canada. Along his journey he rediscovers his baser, deep rooted insti...

What can be learned from the senseless death of millions and how can we ensure it never happens again? 'The Gulag Archipelago' is a three-volume work that transformed the World's opinion on the USSR and communist ideology. The author, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, spent 8 years in the forced labour camps before being released under the sweeping reforms put in place after Stalin's death. He wrote of his...

"To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation".  This is a quote taken from the book 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho. It is a relatively short book of a simple story; a young shepherd goes on a journey to find his treasure. However the tale is enrapturing and one can't help but be drawn in and identify parts of oneself in Santiago, the Andalusian shepherd. Although it primarily addresses...

Have you read one of the best books that Latin America has to offer?  '100 Year of Solitude' is the magnus opus of the Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. Although only published in 1967 it is already a classic book of worldwide literature. It is a long meandering tale that tells the story of the Buendía family in the magical town of Macondo. Numerous generations are born and die as they intera...

How would 19th century British folk handle a situation of their children growing to the size of 4 story buildings? If you have ever asked yourself this very specific question than 'The Food of The Gods and How It Came To Earth' by H.G. Wells is the perfect book for you. The book raises some interesting questions one of these being: are there inventions/discoveries that can or should be un-invented...

What is it like to have bipolar disorder?  'An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness' is a biography by Kay R. Jamison, a doctor/psychologist who researches this very topic and who also is afflicted with the same disorder. Previously known as manic depression, it is a mental disorder with a strong genetic component that results in intense mood swings with little ability of regulation. She te...

'White Fang' is the tale of a wolf cub who is born in the wild, learning the call of the wild and the brutal lessons of nature. Through a gradual period of interacting with indigenous and white Americans, he gradually becomes tamer, but still with the spirit of a wolf within. The story lends itself to children but is masterfully told and can draw in a reader of any age. While a captivating tale, i...

'Meditations' are the reflections of Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161-180 AD, renowned for his wise ruling as 'The Philosopher'. The book is a collection of personal notes to himself and is split into 12 chapters (or books) each containing many small quotes/larger thoughts on Stoic philosophy, the nature of Death, living in the present moment and dealing with emotions (amongst other subject...

A hectic account of trench warfare by a born soldier! 'Storm of Steel' by Ernst Jünger is a first person account of life during World War I as told through the eyes of a young German soldier. There is no particular plot, closer to a diary of his experiences on the Western Front during engagements such as the: Battle of Ypres, Battle of Cambrai & the final German spring offensive. It's not a po...

'All Quiet On The Western Front' is the harrowing experiences of fighting and dying, as told by a German WWI soldier. The author uses an alter-ego of Paul Baümer to fully describe the brutal reality of average life in the trenches. The book details the minutiae of frayed shell shocked nerves, mind-numbing boredom and explosive sudden bloodshed. One of the central themes we understand from the book...

'Pinocchio' by Carlo Collodi is the 1883 classic children's book of a puppet come to life . Though written for children it initially had a very tragic ending, with poor Pinocchio left for dead, hung by the neck from a tree. Thankfully Collodi added more chapters to the book and we now have an uplifting ending to the tale. It is is surprisingly deep with many life lessons (such as reaping what you...

From one of the most distinguished admirals of our time and a former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, a meditation on leadership and character refracted through the lives of ten of the most illustrious naval commanders in history, alongside the 10 characteristics of effective leadership. Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/ Support the show

"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." Above is a typical funny passage that one can find in 'The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe' by Douglas Adams. This is the 2nd book of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy trilogy and follows the adventure of Arthur, Ford, Zaphod and Trillian as they continue their ran...

This episode of the Mere Mortals book review covers 'The Wealth of Nations' by Adam Smith. This is a classic book of economics that lays out the general principles of wealth, particularly in relation to nations. It is a dense, long book to get through and has the old style of English language (it was first published in 1776), making it very difficult to read. I personally could only get through ab...

'Invisible Man' is a commentary of American society in the late 1940's as told from the perspective of an unnamed African American narrator. The book is fictional but contains similarities to real events experienced by Ralph Ellison during his lifetime. It changes between pure narration to lyrical prose, poetic drama and even fantastical dreamlike scenarios. The narrator experiences a loss of iden...

An exploration into the inner world of yourself. 'Demian' by Hermann Hesse is a psychological journey of facing fear, pursuing the inner voice and preparing oneself for a life of lonesome transcendence. Young Emil Sinclair grows out of adolescence into early manhood with the help from his enigmatic friend Max Demian. The book is narrated by Sinclair and reveals the challenges he must confront to t...

A book that is 'For Madmen Only'! 'Steppenwolf' by Hermann Hesse is the semi-fictional, semi-autobiographical tale of Harry Haller, a man whose nature is part man and part wolf. Hesse wrote this (his 10th novel) in 1927 during a prolonged existential crisis caused by the Great War, marriage problems and a severe depression. It explores themes of suicidal depression, the plurality of inner voices/d...

What can terrorists teach you about how to negotiate? 'Never Split The Difference' by Chris Voss (with Tahl Raz) is about how to use negotiation skills in real life. The main author is an ex-FBI negotiator who learnt the principles of effective negotiation from real world experience with kidnappers, bank robbers, terrorists, sales people, academics and businessmen. The book is an exposition of his...

This episode of the Mere Mortals book review covers 'Elon Musk' by Ashlee Vance, published in 2015. The book is a biography of the billionaire and founder (somewhat disputed) of SpaceX, Tesla & SolarCity. We are taken through a journey from his early childhood in South Africa, rich tech startup kid to fighting for his businesses during the 2008 GFC and beyond. A somewhat polarising and tempera...

This episode of the Mere Mortals book review covers 'On Liberty' by John Stuart Mill, published in 1859. The book is an essay of his ideas regarding freedom, liberty, the shortcomings of democracy, role of the government and human rights. It is split into 5 parts: introduction, of the liberty of thought and discussion, of individuality as one of the elements of well being, of the limits to the aut...

This episode of the Mere Mortals book review covers 'Scale: The Universal Laws of Life And Death In Organisms, Cities And Companies' by Geoffrey West. This book promised to deliver so much, but unfortunately fell a little bit short. In it a theoretical physicist turned biologist tries to discover what characteristics of animal, cities and companies are similar independent of size. He manages to sh...

This episode of the Mere Mortal book review looks at 'The Rape of Nanking' written by Iris Chang and 'Man's Search For Meaning' by Viktor Frankl. Both books are focused on massacres that occurred during WWII, but take different perspectives. Chang's book is more of a history of the event, a way to highlight to the world the tragedy in Nanking. Frankl's book deals with the reason why we live and is...