Portman Wills

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2014201320122011

Most Thought-Provoking Books of 2011

  1. Thinking, Fast and Slow
    by Daniel Kahneman published October 25, 2011
    Summarizing a lifetime of research from Kahneman and Tversky. One of the most important books I've ever read and impossible to summarize in 25 words.
  2. Steve Jobs
  3. by Walter Isaacson published October 24, 2011
    Brutally honest accounting of the brilliant but flawed entrepreneur. For me, ends up debunking the "great man" view of history.
  4. Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void
    by Mary Roach published April 4, 2011
    Mary Roach, with her gift for clinical observation, weaves together the comical, trivial, and perverted peccadillos of living in space.
  5. Overhaul: An Insider's Account of the Obama Administration's Emergency Rescue of the Auto Industry
    by Steven Rattner published September 13, 2010 (I'm late!)
    I'm pessimistic of large-scale government programs, but Rattner's first-person account of the General Motors bailout makes as good a case as I've read.
  6. Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
    by Joshua Foer published March 3, 2011
    Foer reads about world memory championship, becomes fascinated with the subculture of memory professionals, and then ends up becoming a world champion himself.

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