Books I read in November

I finally managed to get to a book that has been on my list for some time now- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (by: David Epstein). In it, Epstein makes the case for staying broad in focus- the case being that it will help us to better solve complex problems that often require knowledge across domains. Specializing leaves us siloed and unable to share information at the pace needed to keep working through the world’s needs. There are several interesting case studies in this book, one of which is the woman, Tu Youyou. She is the first and only Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize in Medicine, and also the first Chinese woman in any category. Interestingly, she is not a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, she has no research experience outside of China, and no postgraduate degree. There had been 240,000 attempts to find a malaria cure prior to Tu. She knew of a recipe for medication made from sweet wormwood, written by a fourth-century Chinese alchemist. It led her to experiment with a sweet wormwood extract called artemisinin. Artemisinin became part of the therapy that is now used to treat malaria- helping more than 146 million people since Tu’s application of it. Another case that has been stuck with me since reading this book was van Gogh. He had a very late start as an artist. He first tried art dealing, school teacher, and bookseller. It wasn’t until his late 20s that he devoted more time to art and it was at the encouragement of his brother, Theo, who also bankrolled him. Van Gogh didn’t even live to be 40, yet he is regarded as one of the most famous painters of all time. In his short career, he completed over 900 paintings. Much of what we know about his life and art is from the numerous letters, most of which he wrote to his brother, Theo. He only ever sold one painting in his lifetime. His sister-in-law collected all of his work and letters so that they would survive beyond van Gogh’s lifetime. I have to believe that if I did something 900 times, I too would be very good at it. We must take the pressure off ourselves and our kids to get it right the first, second, or even third time. It’s also a lesson that in life, you can start anew at any age and do something profound and meaningful.

In the Winter months, I have the desire to be homebound. I like to spend long hours in our backyard, or in my bed reading and writing. I have been turning to Mary Oliver and some of her reflections in Winter Hours, and Dream Work. Her writing warms my soul like a hot bowl of chicken soup on a cold blistery day. Pay attention, she urges us. This is something I can re-commit to.

I read Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh on a recommendation from Ryan Holiday, a writer I follow. Lindbergh had quite the life and this book also doesn’t disappoint. A good read to counter the frenetic and chaotic world we live in.

I hope you are getting enjoyment from the books you are reading.