Post: #1

Hey gents,

I'm trying to find some non-fiction to read. I've finally gotten a taste for it and I want to keep reading. I'm a big fan of fiction, but a man cannot live in fantasy alone.

The last book I finished was "Black rednecks and White Liberals" by Thomas Sowell. Definitely an interesting read to say the least.

Thanks,

fortis

Post: #2

That's pretty vague. What areas of non-fiction do you like?

I read pallets worth of military and general history. If you want a recc along those lines, let me know

Post: #3

I like psychology and religion are my favorite subjects. I like knowing why everyone is so fucking crazy. History is also a secondary interest of mine. I've been considering reading "guns, germs, and steel" because I've heard such good things about it.

Post: #4

Man's search for meaning by Viktor Frankl

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer

Both are great.

Post: #5

(03-01-2015 08:30 PM)Fortis Wrote:  I like psychology and religion are my favorite subjects. I like knowing why everyone is so fucking crazy. History is also a secondary interest of mine. I've been considering reading "guns, germs, and steel" because I've heard such good things about it.

I strongly recommend Paul Johnson's A History of the Jews and A History of Christianity in the religion realm. Ive not read GG and S yet, but Shirer's book is an engrossing popular read. For a definitive history of Nazism, I recommend Evans' 3-volume series, The Coming of the Third Reich, The Third Reich in Power, and The Third Reich At War. The current gold standard for Hitler biographies is Ian Kershaw's.

Post: #6

The Ascent of Money- Niall Ferguson

Post: #7

^ Vin is that a book about Econ?

Post: #8

(03-02-2015 09:54 AM)Fortis Wrote:  ^ Vin is that a book about Econ?

It's about money, the history of money, some history of central banking, and the rise of money in trade.

Post: #9

(03-01-2015 08:30 PM)Fortis Wrote:  I like psychology and religion are my favorite subjects. I like knowing why everyone is so fucking crazy. History is also a secondary interest of mine. I've been considering reading "guns, germs, and steel" because I've heard such good things about it.

You should really read guns, germs and steel. It was mandatory reading when i was studying to become a history teacher. It's a very interesting read.

Post: #10

Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" is a hugely important text.

Armstrong's "A History of God" is focused on the three major monotheistic religions and is a massively important text when making a comparison between the three. It's purely historical and has little criticism of carrying a bias. I'd say it's a finishing book when exploring religion. It assumes a great deal of knowledge prior to reading, and was an incredible slog for me to get through. I'd imagine I would take more from it if I had done more reading on the subject prior. Nonetheless, if you can tolerate it, few books will cover the topic more comprehensively.

Lastly, Cialdini's "Influence" is the foundation of how to sell ideas to other people.

Post: #11

Ride Shotgun on the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. This was an awesome book and a great account of the immediate aftermath of arguably the most famous assassination ever.

Post: #12

Hey guys,

Thanks for the recommendations. Much appreciated.

Post: #13

Not religion or psychology - nor a history book in the traditional sense - but nonetheless a book broad in scope and thoroughly compelling.
A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson.
http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-Near...everything

I read it ten years ago and I've just started reading it again a couple of days ago.

   

Post: #14

(03-01-2015 08:30 PM)Fortis Wrote:  I like psychology and religion are my favorite subjects.

For a good combination of the two, try "Fear & Trembling" by Kierkegaard. Or if you want something a little heavier, try his later book "The Sickness Unto Death".

Post: #15

(03-01-2015 08:30 PM)Fortis Wrote:  I like psychology and religion are my favorite subjects. I like knowing why everyone is so fucking crazy. History is also a secondary interest of mine. I've been considering reading "guns, germs, and steel" because I've heard such good things about it.

This book fucked me up for a long time:



The author uses ideas from psychologists like Otto Rank and Freud and philosophers like Kierkegaard (he was mentioned in this thread) to explain how everything we do is essentially a defense mechanism to stave off the knowledge of our own impending demise. Perhaps it'll provide you some insight into why everyone is so fucking crazy.

Post: #16

And the Band Played On.

Post: #17

Death by China By Peter Navarro and Greg Autry.

Details the rise of China and how big a threat it is to the Free World.

Post: #18

(03-01-2015 08:30 PM)Fortis Wrote:  I like knowing why everyone is so fucking crazy.

Remember what I said about forbidden knowledge? That's a heavy burden for a man to carry.

Post: #19

"The True Believer" by Eric Hoffer. A mix of history and psychology, analyzing why people join mass movements. Lots of great insights into human nature.

"The Crowd" and "The Psychology of Revolution" by Gustave Le Bon. Also a mix of history and psychology, focused on mass/mob movements and revolutionary movements respectively.

"The Byzantine Empire" and "The Dark Ages" by Charles Oman. Former is a primer on the Eastern Roman Empire from the foundation of Constantinople to the aftermath of the Ottoman conquest. The latter is a primer on Western European history from the fall of the Western Empire to around 1000AD. Both books are filled with historical events and persons and places you either never heard about or have only ever encountered as footnotes, placenames, or trivia. (On the downside, I came away from reading the former with a deep loathing for Byzantium. So be warned.)

Post: #20

(03-01-2015 08:30 PM)Fortis Wrote:  I like psychology and religion are my favorite subjects. I like knowing why everyone is so fucking crazy. History is also a secondary interest of mine. I've been considering reading "guns, germs, and steel" because I've heard such good things about it.

It's a good book, well worth a read, but note a couple of things: first, the foundational assumption of what can't be behind the wealth of nations, and second, that many of his suppositions have since been proven false.

3 hour video discussing aspects of this:

Post: #21

If any of you are interested in True Crime at all, I cannot recommend a better book than "Serpentine" by Thomas Thompson.

It is about a French national of Indian/Vietnamese descent who went around killing hippie chicks in Southeast Asia in the seventies.

His name was Charles Sobhraj.

What makes the book stand out is not just the writing but the sheer nerve, sophisticated manipulation, and ruthlessness of the subject.

There were times reading this book where I thought it couldn't get any crazier or more intense, and it did.

This guy was like the Ronaldinho of evil, with moves not only two or three steps ahead of everyone else, but multiple moves happening at once, and instantaneous improvisations when situations changed or opportunities presented.

The level of evil creativity would stun me sometimes, and it felt like I was reading a murder mystery by some amazing new unknown author.

It is well written too, and if you want, go check out all the reviews on the Amazon page. True Crime never gets this level of breathless awe.

https://www.amazon.com/Serpentine-Serial...B01N5EQU2D

If you want to get an idea of the larger than life nature of his life, his Wikipedia page has some good details:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sobhraj

Quote:Sobhraj is widely believed to be a psychopath. He was driven to murder as a means to sustain his adventurous lifestyle. This, as well as his cunning and cultured personality, made him a celebrity long before his release from prison. He enjoyed the attention, charging large amounts of money for interviews and film rights. He has been the subject of four books and three documentaries. Sobhraj's return to India, where he was still eagerly sought by authorities, is believed to be the result of his yearning for attention and overconfidence in his own intellect.

Quote:In Kabul, the couple continued robbing tourists on the "hippie trail", only to be arrested once again. And again, Sobhraj escaped in the same way he had in India; feigning illness and drugging the hospital guard. This time, Sobhraj fled to Iran, leaving his family behind. Chantal, although still loyal to Sobhraj, but wishing to leave their criminal past behind, returned to France and vowed never to see him again.[9][11]

Sobhraj spent the next two years on the run, using as many as 10 stolen passports. He passed through various countries in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Sobhraj was joined by his younger brother, André, in Istanbul. Sobhraj and André quickly became partners in crime, participating in various criminal activities in both Turkey and Greece. The duo were eventually arrested in Athens. After an identity-switch plan went awry, he escaped, but his brother was left behind. André was turned over to the Turkish police by Greek authorities, and served an 18-year sentence.

Quote:Sobhraj retired to a comfortable life in suburban Paris. He hired a publicity agent and charged large sums of money for interviews and photographs. He is said to have charged over $US15 million (according to advocate and former police inspector Bishwa Lal Shrestha, who investigated the case, framed the charge sheet and registered the case in court) for the rights to a movie based on his life.

He did all this shit in the seventies. In 2008 he persuaded some chick 44 years younger to marry him and then she ended up on a reality show.

Quote:In 2008, Sobhraj announced his engagement to a Nepali woman Nihita Biswas (who later participated in the reality show Bigg Boss). On 7 July 2008, issuing a press release through his fiancée Nihita, he claimed that he was never convicted of murder by any court and asked the media not to refer to him as a serial killer.

These aren't even spoilers, they are just scratching the surface. This person is unbelievable.

There's a documentary out there too.