9 Books (and a Play) I Read in 2022 That You Should Read in 2023 …
By Grant Hiskes
2022 was a trip. I spent the first four months of the year in Barcelona and was able to check out ~15 other cities across the pond as well. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to learn a lot about the rich history of both Barcelona and Spain and build some great friendships. My two favorite classes were Contemporary Spanish Cinema and Architecture and Landscape in Spain. I have linked my final essays which were done on Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth and a cultural phenomenon known as “The Bilbao Effect”, respectively (they are in English). Then, I came back to the states for a hot Texas summer. I also read a lot of fiction this year. In fact, I don’t think I have read as much fiction since I knocked out The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. I have included only one work of fiction on this list, but reading those novels was real good food for the soul as all but one came as personal recommendations from dear friends. So, those are better kept as 1:1 recommendations as opposed to my list of general recs below that includes 9 other books and a play. I hope at least one piques your interest …shall we?
The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America - Louis Menand
This 2002 Pulitzer Prize for History winner was the densest book that I have read to date (almost grew out a buzzcut just trying to finish it) If you winced at “History” or “dense”, just skip to 2.
After fighting and living through the Civil War, the men discussed in this book experienced a moral dilemma. They saw the variety of interests of the Civil War was not as cut and dry as “pro-slavery” versus “anti-slavery”. Their brothers and friends were fighting for and against causes that they both agreed and disagreed with; they suffered and died for both too. Subjects like Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr, a future Supreme Court Justice, led the men of the Twentieth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, close friends who he grew up with, into battle knowing many of them would die. (He was my age, 22, at the time). Holmes suffered near-fatal wounds in the war and took note of interesting changes in his mental state. He recalls being told he was going to die after being seriously wounded, peacefully coming to terms with his fate but then quickly changing course mentally when he was told he then had a chance at survival. Death no longer felt like an option to him after that. Experiences like these transformed the ideologies of the subjects of this book. The different worlds they lived in before and after the war indicated some dominant ideology had prevailed and led them to devise the philosophical approach of “pragmatism”.
According to Philosophy Basics, pragmatism “asserts that any theory that proves itself more successful in predicting and controlling our world than its rivals can be considered nearer the truth”.
Given I am still working through the ideas of this book months later, I’d say the book was quite stimulating.
Phew … now let’s talk hoops.
Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski - Ian O’Connor
I know, I know … Fuck Duke. Given 2022 was Coach K’s last season though, I found it fitting to read the longtime Duke (and Chicago-born and bred) head coach’s biography which was also released in 2022 despite the Blue Devils being a perennial frontrunner for ‘Most Hated College Basketball Program’. This book has a lot of college basketball history and illustrates a lot of the wisdom in leadership 5x National Champion Coach K picked up in his time at West Point in addition to what he picked and chose from mentors like the notorious hot head Bobby Knight. This is my book rec of the year for sports fans.
Pygmalion - George Bernard Shaw
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable man persists to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” - George Bernard Shaw
The only play and work of fiction to make this year’s list, the namesake stems from the Pygmalion in Greek mythology who falls in love with a statue of a woman that he designed himself. You can read this play in one afternoon, so I will not spoil it. I believe that the play delivers a strong message regarding the power of articulation and presentation in garnering respect for one’s thoughts and ideas. I feel that the play also delivers a strong warning against falling in love with the ideas of how you wish things would be or how you want people to be because those ideas are not always all that they once seemed when they become reality.
The Meta-Verse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything - Matthew Ball
Most people are SICK of hearing about the meta-verse, but with all of this hype around “the meta-verse”, Web3, blockchain, etc, I caved and checked this book out. I have a very elementary (if even that) understanding of computer science, coding, information systems, etc but Matthew Ball does a great job of explaining how the different technologies impacting the buildout of the meta-verse work and also what “the meta-verse” really means in general. Ball explains how the meta-verse has the potential to revolutionize a wide array of elements of our daily life while also explaining the technological limitations that are still working against the technologies in the near term. I 100% recommend this book if you do not really know what all the hype is about and do not know a lot about technology yet but are still curious to learn more.
Creativity Inc. - Ed Catmull
Shoutout my pal Sam Hoffman for this rec; this was probably the best book I have read to date from a corporate executive. As you may see in the fine print of the (overly large) image above, Ed Catmull is the co-founder of Pixar and former President of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Catmull really leaves his ego at the door to give very insightful advice, anecdotes, and examples regarding effectively leading teams where creativity and inspiration are of the essence. The book also incorporates advice and insight Catmull learned from Steve Jobs, who was Pixar’s largest stakeholder.
One statement Catmull recalls from Jobs really stuck with me: “[Jobs] used to say regularly that as brilliant as Apple products were, eventually they all ended up in landfills. Pixar movies, on the other hand, would live forever. [Jobs] believed, as I do, that because they dig for deeper truths, our movies will endure, and he found beauty in that idea” (308) … the power of stories.
The Art of Gathering - Priya Parker
Priya Parker’s book is all about fostering rich, meaningful in-person interactions. The book discusses strategies for managing gatherings of people of diverse backgrounds who may not know each other to ensure they feel comfortable contributing and sharing. Understanding how to be a considerate host and gracious guest is also discussed. This was my mom’s first recommendation for me last year, so take her word for it! <3
Manufacturing Consensus - Samuel Woolley
This was a late add to the list. I just read this one a couple of weeks ago after attending a guest lecture from the author (and University of Texas professor) on campus. Woolley’s research focuses on how state actors (like Narendra Modi and the BJP in India and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey), political campaigns, journalists, nano-influencers, and internet trolls have leveraged automation and anonymity to create bots and spread disinformation and misinformation by creating “illusions of popularity” on social media. These are very powerful tools and function as a double-edged sword. I really liked this book because the information was presented very objectively and did not feel like “fear-mongering” in the slightest. I definitely recommend this book if you are interested in understanding how the power of social media has been harnessed in political movements.
American Demon - Daniel Stashower
I found this one on Amazon Books after having to find a “not overly popular” or new release book to develop as my project for my Producing Film and Television class last semester. I chose it because the non-fiction book is about the Chicago legend Eliot Ness, the young Prohibition-era agent that is credited with taking down the notorious gangster Al Capone. This book focuses on Ness’s life after Chicago, moving to Cleveland, and his trials and tribulations in trying to take down the infamous Cleveland Torso Murderer. A good read for true crime fiction fans, I also found this story to be a meditation on the pros and cons of ambition (as seen in Ness’s fall from grace).
The Infinite Game - Simon Sinek
This Sinek book serves as a roadmap for thriving in what Sinek calls “the infinite game”, which is distinguished from “finite games” like sporting events, beating quarterly earnings, or short-term goals. Sinek discusses five practices that leaders must adopt for succeeding in “the infinite game”, like managing companies for long-term success. The practice that resonated most with me was to “advance a just cause”. I believe this practice can also lead to efficient energy management in one’s personal life.
I also found his practice of “studying your Worthy Rivals” to be very interesting as well. Sinek mentions how maintaining a “worthy rival” can help us not only get better at what we do but also help us get clearer on why we do what we do. Interestingly enough, the “Worthy Rival” Simon Sinek mentions is none other than the author of Rec #10, Adam Grant.
Think Again - Adam Grant
Adam Grant has been one of my favorite authors since I read his book Originals back in high school. In his latest book, the organizational psychology professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania talks about the power of knowing you do not know everything and continuing to ask questions as you lead. Grant discusses how overconfidence and lack of curiosity can lead to your demise as an individual but also as a business leader where you are also responsible for others. On that note, I feel like this is a good book to end this year’s list.
I look forward to more and more reading in 2023. If you have any recs for me, please click here! If none of these books caught your eye or you want more books, check out my previous lists linked below.
