A Reason to Read and a Recommendation
Harry S. Truman — 'Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.'
Are you a reader?
I once heard that in today’s world we learn and gather more information in two weeks then someone would have in his or her entire life in the 19th century. That’s astonishing. But the information we collect, is it all good information? Information is widespread across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Pintrest, the entire Internet, TV, etc. Is all of this useful information we are absorbing? Probably not.
Time is very valuable because there just isn’t a lot of it. It is hard to find time to read. My own personal goal is to read 30 minutes before I go to bed each night for a number of reasons, including getting a good night sleep.
According to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation, 95% of people use an electronic device within the hour before bed. Researchers caution that the artificial light from tablets and smartphones can suppress the release of the sleep hormone melatonin, preventing a good night’s sleep. "Electronics are ruining our sleep,” advises Dr. Lisa Shives, a medical expert for SleepBetter.org and founder of Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Illinois. “They just shouldn’t be in the bedroom. If you must have your iPhone nearby, find a charging station just outside the door.” Megan Kaplan wrote an interesting article on why reading before bed is a good thing.
One leader once told me they want to read but don’t know what? My answer, read something you like. Here is one recommendation that I highly recommend:
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Hailed as the top nonfiction book of the year by Time magazine
Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography and
The Indies Choice Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year award
This book tells an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity. Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit. The story tells of Louis Zamperini, who as a boy had been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown eventually spending over 2 years in a POW camp in Japan.
Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.
This book is now going to be a major motion picture this year, written by Joel and Ethan Coen (writers and directors of No Country for Old Men, Fargo, Big Lebowski).
I have added a video that serves as a great introduction and epilogue to this incredible story. It speaks on the author’s relationship with Louie and portrays a man who heals from the power of forgiveness. Watch below and buy the book. You will not regret it.
Praise for the Book
“Extraordinarily moving . . . a powerfully drawn survival epic.”—The Wall Street Journal
“[A] one-in-a-billion story . . . designed to wrench from self-respecting critics all the blurby adjectives we normally try to avoid: It is amazing, unforgettable, gripping, harrowing, chilling, and inspiring.”—New York
“Staggering . . . mesmerizing . . . Hillenbrand’s writing is so ferociously cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don’t dare take your eyes off the page.”—People (four stars)
“A meticulous, soaring and beautifully written account of an extraordinary life.”—The Washington Post
“Ambitious and powerful . . . a startling narrative and an inspirational book.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Marvelous . . . Unbroken is wonderful twice over, for the tale it tells and for the way it’s told. . . . It manages maximum velocity with no loss of subtlety.”—Newsweek
What are you reading?
Add a comment or send me an email if you would like some suggestions.