My Top Books of 2017, Ranked

Why don’t people read anymore?!

A list of all great books is hard to make. Yet here we are. Here are the books that left a mark with me.

1. Homo Deus: This book was a worthy sequel to Sapiens — a dive through the shift from classical liberalism to a society build on technology and what that means. “This is the best reason to learn history: not in order to predict the future, but to free yourself of the past and imagine alternative destinies. Of course this is not total freedom — we cannot avoid being shaped by the past. But some freedom is better than none.”
2. Survival In Auschwitz: The title says it all and so does this quote: ““In fact it is not a question of a human incapacity for a state of absolute happiness, but of an ever-insufficient knowledge of the complex nature of the state of unhappiness; so that the single name of the major cause is given to all its causes, which are composite and set out in an order of urgency. And if the most immediate cause of stress comes to an end, you are grievously amazed to see that another one lies behind; and in reality a whole series of others.” — Primo Levi
3. The Rise Of Superman: Incredible book about extreme sports athletes pushing the limits of human performance and hacking their body into “flow” states. This book made me realize that most people are not pushing themselves to peak performance across most domains and left me an extreme optimist for the future of creative work.
4. Pre-Suasion: This book is kind of mind blowing as was Cialdini’s first book Influence. Did you know that if you are holding a warm beverage, you are more likely to react positively to requests?
5. Tribe: Sebastian Junger reflects on our modern society and why people who come back from war miss the camaraderie and togetherness that being part of a military group enables.
6. Originals: Adam Grants book is packed with wisdom on organizations, change and creativity. I wrote a detailed review of the book on my 12 takeaways here.
7. 4-Hour Workweek: I’ve been a fan of Tim Ferriss for a while and finally got around to reading his popular first book. A solid roadmap on creating your own business, creating freedom in your life and detaching from traditional paths. Pairs well with the…