I was reading Bill Bryson’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything” and was thinking I might have chosen to become a scientist/geologist/astromist/you-name-it if I were to read this book back then when I was 15. Just why can’t our “official” textbooks written that way? A little more thoughts on this and I realized there are actually more books that I really wish they were my textbooks! And here I go (in alphabetical order):
A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam - Karen Armstrong
A book I would give to my son and force him to read it up before he could choose where his faith lies. A book I wish I could have read earlier when I was performing the daily-must-do-or-get-out-of-my-house family rituals at home.
A Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson
Maybe it’s because I am a history buff, but somehow knowing the process of how certain scientific “facts” became facts make science much more interesting to me. I would have given science a serious consideration as my career if I have read this book back then when I was still wondering why I need to know the law of motion…
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything - Steven Lewitt
This book should be compressed into a single chapter and slot into all economics textbooks as the introductory chapter. Please tell me how something could affect my life before showing me the supply and demand chart, thank you.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies – Jared Diamond
I truly believe that the world will suffers less conflicts if everyone in the world reads and understands this book. We are who we are not entirely because we are born superior or inferior to others, but of whole lots of other factors.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Steven R. Covey
This book answers all questions you want to know on how to become successful in whatever that you want to do. I was excited, but I never have the consistency to practise. Stop telling me you don’t have enough time!
The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins
A book that could never become a textbook in school, not in my lifetime I think. A book I would let my son read if he tells me he believes in god, nonetheless.
Let me know if you have others for me to add to the list!
