My top five books read in the last year in no particular order. Please share your top books of the year.
Each book shares the common link of seeking to find a way to communicate to an audience through understanding and empathy.
From kings to kids and everything in-between.
Hitchcock: A Definitive Study of Alfred Hitchcock by Francois Truffaut
“The art of creating suspense is also the art of involving the audience, so that the viewer is actually a participant in the film” – Alfred Hitchcock
Wolf Hall: A Novel by Hilary Mantel
“He thinks, Gregory is all he should be. He is everything I have a right to hope for: his openness, his gentleness, the reserve and consideration with which he holds back his thoughts till he has framed them. He feels such tenderness for him he thinks he might cry”
The 42nd Parallel (U.S.A. Trilogy Book 1) by John Dos Passos
‘I want to rise with the ranks, not from the ranks,’” said Mac.
Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Arun Gandhi
“Classifying and judging people promotes violence”“When we are in contact with our feelings and needs, we humans no longer make good slaves and underlings.”“Expressing our vulnerability can help resolve conflicts.”“Depression is the reward we get for being “good.”
Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn
“Over many years, researchers have found that “the more conditional the support [one receives], the lower one’s perceptions of overall worth as a person.”
“People who, as a rule, don’t think their value hinges on their performance are more likely to see failure as just a temporary setback, a problem to be solved. They also seem less likely to be anxious or depressed.”
“My friend Danny recently summarized what he’s learned from years of fatherhood: “Being right isn’t necessarily what matters.”
Collected Reading 