Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

Author: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

If you are a leader of a group, it is expected that you own the success or failure of your team. In this book, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin take this ownership to another level. They recount incidents in their successful battle at Ar Ramadi to underscore the fact that “Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame”. There is no shortage of pithy statements sprinkled throughout the book, like “there are no bad teams, only bad leaders”, that highlight the huge impact the leader has on the outcome of the team.

The book is organized as a series of vignettes from their battles in Iraq each one tailored to highlight an aspect of leadership that is broadly applicable to business as well. The authors give first hand accounts of what must have been some of the most deadly battlefields that US soldiers have been deployed to. These stories are clearly meant to illustrate a principle, but since they are disjointed, I found it hard to identify with the story except for the most obvious point that they were trying to make.

Since I was reading the book on a kindle, I made it a point to highlight several passages in the book as I encountered them. When I was done, I went back to look at them. While I can’t say that I incorporate all of them in my repertoire, I have to confess that most of them seemed rather obvious and not particularly insightful. There are terms that seem to be taken out of a Navy SEAL handbook, like “Cover and Move”. This might have a lot more meaning in a battle situation, but their translation in a business setting was “Teamwork”. I didn’t need a battle story to understand the importance of working together as a team.

Then there was “Prioritize and Execute”, another pithy slogan. Here is what they say a leader must do:

• evaluate the highest priority problem.
• lay out in simple, clear, and concise terms the highest priority effort for your team.
• develop and determine a solution, seek input from key leaders and from the team where possible.
• direct the execution of that solution, focusing all efforts and resources toward this priority task.
• move on to the next highest priority problem. Repeat.
• when priorities shift within the team, pass situational awareness both up and down the chain.
• don’t let the focus on one priority cause target fixation
• maintain the ability to see other problems developing and rapidly shift as needed.

This is very practical advice and I am sure it bears repeating every now and then. It just wasn’t very compelling for me and came across as rather trite. Another piece of advice is for leaders to start their day early, so that they have more time to be better prepared. I would love to meet the leader who hadn’t considered this tactic until he read it in the book.

In summary, Extreme Ownership is taking complete ownership for everything in your organization, regardless of who did what, or the events that may have transpired. This is very useful advice and a mindset that all leaders should try very hard to embrace. The rest of the principles in the book seem rather obvious and the narratives are short disjointed passages that seem forced to make the point.

Ten Drugs: How Plants, Powders, and Pills Have Shaped the History of Medicine

Author: Thomas Hager

The author doesn’t make much of an argument for why he wrote about these 10 drugs. But suffice it to say that they are some of the more popular drugs in use today. Normally authors put their best material first, but my experience with the first chapter was not a good one. Since it took place thousands of years ago, there was no narrative to hook the reader and it read more like a boring history book.

The second chapter was on vaccination and being more recent, was full of interesting details that made for a great story. While I knew about Lady Mary Montagu, I have to admit that Thomas Hager very eloquently narrates her push to make inoculation widespread in England. 

The subsequent chapters are hit and miss. The discovery of Sulfa drugs is well done, bu the CPZ story is not particularly interesting. Nevertheless, the book is entertaining and educative. I recommend this to anyone curious about how some of our blockbuster drugs came to be.

I Wrote This Book Because I Love You: Essays

Author: Tim Kreider

This book is about Tim’s struggles. He doesn’t make much money. He is an adopted child and has attachment problems, which he is clear to point out, are unrelated. His one true companion, his cat, is suffering from dementia and incontinence. But his most important struggle is his inability to form a long term relationship with the opposite sex. What he lacks in longevity, he makes up in quantity and in one chapter after another he introduces us to the wide variety of women that he dated. They range from Annie who ran off to join a circus, to Zoey who’s a prostitute by profession. Most often, he reflects on himself and why he was attracted to them.

Tim writes beautiful prose. I found myself reading many sentences over and over again to appreciate and savor the meaning. This is, what I believe is called, a book for writers.

Elemental: How the Periodic Table Can Now Explain (Nearly) Everything

Author: Tim James

If ever you wondered how the Periodic Table came to be, then this is the book for you. Tim gives a great overview of how the element chart came to be along with some very insightful observations of their impact on life. He adopts a non-technical style that makes for quick reading for anyone even remotely interested in Chemistry. You will learn about each of the elements in the Periodic Table and the fascinating people who discovered them. You will also learn about why the periodic table is shaped the way it is. This is a brilliant and enjoyable book that will bring Chemistry to life for you. 

The Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World

Author: Joseph Menn

As a relative newcomer into the cybersecurity arena, this was a welcome backstory of all the hactivism of the last two or three decades. It helped me relive some of the stories like “Back Orifice” which I was only peripherally aware of a long time ago. I learnt that the Cult of the Dead Cow (cDc) was the origin of many of these white hat organizations that helped us stay one step ahead of the bad guys. From the book I gathered that they were more of a “performance art group” than the traditional security technologist, although they did have several of those in their midst. Towards the end, they crossed paths with Julian Assange and other folks associated with WikiLeaks. 

I found it difficult to follow the story as it arced through the different organizations like cDc Ninja Strike Force, L0pht, Legion of Doom, Masters of Deception and @stake. I couldn’t tell what their relationship to cDc or the story was. I also felt that the author relied very heavily on the members of cDc for this narrative and consequently it comes across as a relatively one-sided book. To get another perspective, read the review from C. Thomas on Amazon.

In summary, I wouldn’t recommend this book unless you have a particular desire to learn about the history of cybersecurity. 

The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler

Author: Thomas Hager

This book is centered around Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch, two brilliant German chemists whose collaboration led to the creation of a method for synthesizing ammonia on an industrial scale. The significance of this discovery cannot be overstated—it revolutionized agriculture by enabling the mass production of fertilizers, fundamentally changing the dynamics of food production and distribution. This meticulously researched narrative weaves together science, history, and biography, providing readers with a compelling account of a technological breakthrough that transformed the world.

The book describes the intense competition between German and British scientists to find a solution to the nitrogen fixation problem. It explores the scientific rivalry and nationalistic motivations that drove researchers on both sides to solve a critical issue in agriculture and explosives production.

The author sheds light on the engineering challenges faced by Carl Bosch in scaling up the Haber-Bosch process for industrial production. The complexity of turning laboratory discoveries into large-scale, practical applications is a recurring theme throughout the narrative.

Hager skillfully delves into the personal and professional lives of Haber and Bosch, offering readers a glimpse into the complexities of their characters and the moral dilemmas they faced. The dual nature of the Haber-Bosch process, which contributed both to increased food production and the production of explosives during World War I, adds a layer of ethical complexity that the author navigates with nuance.

In summary the author conveys some complex scientific information coupled with a compelling narrative that makes for an interesting read.

An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System

Author: Matt Richtel

In this book, Matt provides us with a captivating exploration of the complex and fascinating world of immunology. He weaves together the stories of individuals whose lives have been profoundly affected by the immune system, providing a human touch to the scientific exploration. 

The book delves into the history of immunology, from its early days to the cutting-edge research happening today. Richtel explores the ways in which our understanding of the immune system has evolved, highlighting the dedicated scientists who have shaped the field. The narrative is enriched with anecdotes, case studies, and interviews, making the science both relatable and compelling.

I love his analogy of the inside of our body to a festival. He says “life is a raucous festival, your body like a sprawling party, a chaotic and exuberant affair populated with a variety of cells.” There are indeed many threats to this “festival with open seating,” where, given the “porous nature of our bodies’ borders […] just about every organism that wants to get inside us can do so.”

He uses the immune system as a metaphor for describing everything in his character’s life. It’s like the immune system is his hammer and everything looks like a nail. Here’s an example when he is describing Nazi Germany: “This nationalism proved to function as an autoimmune disorder: Hitler was attacking productive, healthy, essential parts of the whole of Germany and Austria.” You might find it cute once or twice, but I tired of seeing these kinds of comparisons over and over again.

We have two types of defense mechanisms: One is innate and the other is adaptive. Innate are the phagocytes that swallow the bad guys and natural killer cells — what a cool name — that kill the invaders. However, these can get overwhelmed if we have a major intruder that is overwhelming the innate defense mechanisms. That’s when the adaptive system kicks in. It is composed of B cells and T cells, the two major types of white blood cells in our body. The B is derived from bone marrow and the T is derived from the Thalamus. B cells produce antibodies that neutralize the toxins, block viruses from entering cells and mark pathogens for destruction by the killer T cells. 

Richtel also tackles the broader implications of immune system research, touching on topics such as personalized medicine, the microbiome, and the delicate balance between immune response and autoimmune diseases. I was fascinated to learn about the many different defense mechanisms that are working day in and day out in all of us.

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive

Author: Stephanie Land

From the moment it was released this book got a lot of attention. I was in the middle of reading Educated,  a book about a young girl breaking out of from her very conservative family to not only get an education, but a PhD from Cambridge  when I saw the review in the New York Times. Reading the review for “Maid” I conjured up an image of another young impoverished girl, this time with the added complication of being a single mother, struggling to make ends meet, working as a maid. There’s something about these stories that is compelling, because they are often written by human beings who have fought against insurmountable odds and made something out of themselves.

Stephanie’s descriptions are lucid and there is an authenticity that grips you throughout the novel. I felt like I was listening to a friend’s story about their life. Only this friend, has kept a journal and is able to clearly narrate the key events in her life.  On the flip side, there’s not that much interesting stuff that is happening. That is quite understandable given that she was dirt poor and trying desperately to provide for a stable environment in which she could bring up her daughter. While it was interesting to learn that maids do have the ability to learn a lot about the occupants, they are missing the most important piece which is interaction with their client. We get to read about Stephanie's speculations on the lifestyles of the folks who inhabited the houses she cleaned, which isn’t enlightening or interesting.

I definitely recommend the book to get a better understanding of the lives of the poor in the US. But don’t expect to be entertained in the process.

Becoming

Author: Michelle Obama

At the time of this writing, Becoming has 5 stars with 10,000+ reviews on amazon. My guess is that most people want to love this book. Michelle, clearly is a role model and leader from whom we can learn a lot. I found the story of her early years quite compelling. Her father, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, lived his life without talking much (or anything at all) about his illness. All of her relatives and neighbors in those years are interesting to read about and absorb.

However, once she met Barack, the narrative got a little shallow. I felt that she was being very careful not to talk about any secrets or opinions that would cast them or the people around them in a bad light. Consequently, I found it hard to get through the second half of the book. I do realize that the Obamas are relatively young and still very much in the political spotlight. I would have preferred her to focus only on the things that she feels comfortable to talk about openly and not drag the reader through 450 pages of circumspect biography.

The Breakthrough: Immunotherapy and the Race to Cure Cancer

Author: Charles S. Graeber 

We are at an inflection point in the race to cure cancer. As of June 2018, there are roughly 1000 new immunotherapy drugs for cancer that are being tested for FDA approval. In addition to this, thousands of pre-clinical phase experiments are being conducted in the field of immuno-oncology. The sheer volume of this is unprecedented and is a good indication that we are on the cusp of some big breakthroughs in the race to cure cancer.

Given the volume and complexity of the subject, I assumed this book would be full of medical jargon and a pain to read. But boy was I wrong. Charles S. Graeber has included stories of early pioneers and patients to bring out the drama in the discovery of these new breakthroughs. There are good luck stories that will leave you overjoyed with the new discoveries, and hard luck ones that are probably more common in today’s fight against cancer. This book is a must read for anyone trying to get a handle on the latest and greatest breakthroughs in the race to cure cancer.

One of the reasons I blog is to write down some points that will help me recall the details at a later date. What follows is an explanation of the key concepts and you can skip it if you plan to read the book. 

There are two distinct types of leukocytes or white blood cells in our body.  B cells, come from bone marrow  and T cells arise from the thymus. B and T cells recognize invaders by the shape of molecules - antigens - on the surfaces of the foreign bodies.  B cells generate antibodies that stick to antigens on the surface of the invaders, stopping them in their tracks while the T cell’s specialty is to recognize a compromised body cell (e.g. through a virus infection) and then kill it. 

Given the above defense mechanism, you would expect the T-cell to recognize a cancerous cell and kill it. However, this clearly is not happening in most cancer patients and their malignant tumors grow uncontrollably, eventually destroying vital organs in the body. It turns out that there are a few safety mechanisms in play that the cancerous cell uses to halt the T-cells in their tracks.

The first one is called CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein#4). This is one of the checks and balances in our immune system. It is a safety mechanism to prevent our T-cells from going into overdrive and destroying normal body cells; something that happens with auto-immune diseases. A cancerous cell has evolved to generate CTLA-4 thus holding back the T-cells from attacking them. One of the new treatments for cancer is to block CTLA-4 unleashing the fury of the T-cells on the cancerous growth. Often this resulted in the tumors melting away in a matter of days or weeks. Unfortunately, blocking CTLA-4 can cause major side-effects for people with a hyper-active immune system. In some cases this could result in serious bodily harm and even death. 

The discovery of CTLA-4 encouraged researchers to search for other checkpoint inhibitors and they soon identified a new one called PD-1, short for programmed death. This name turned out to be a misnomer, but it is an antigen on the T-cell surface that has a ligand pair, PD-L1 that is found on the cancerous cell. The PD-1/PD-L1 pair is like a secret handshake used by the cancer cell to convince the T-cell not to kill it. Blocking the PD-L1 found on the tumor is an effective way to allow the T-cells to do their job and destroy the cancerous growth.  The other benefit of this treatment is that it has fewer side effects than blocking CTLA-4. 

More recently researchers are fighting cancer with “cellular therapy” which uses whole living cells as the “drug”. One of the most promising is something called CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell).  This involves extracting T cells from the patient and then inserting designer genes in them that will generate antibodies that target the specific cancer. These are cultivated in the lab and then re-injected back into the patient. With today’s technology the round trip of this treatment can take 21 days and cost upwards of a million dollars.  Although it is prohibitively expensive and can only be used for a few patients, it is proving to be quite effective. 

Based on all of these discoveries, and the numerous trials that are underway now, the author is hopeful that we will find more effective cures for this ravaging disease.  He says, “As a group, cancer immunologists trained hard to get lucky.”  We might be on the verge of getting lucky with finding a cure for cancer. 

Educated: A Memoir

Author: Tara Westover

I read the synopsis and I thought sure, this is another book about a poor and underprivileged kid overcoming the odds and making it into Harvard and finally graduating with a PhD from Cambridge. But on reading the book I was amazed to learn that in rural America there are families that can be so isolated  that you wouldn’t believe they live in the United States.

Tara’s description of her life in rural Idaho is gut-wrenching. I am sure that most families are not as dysfunctional as she describes and the Westover homestead is more the exception than the rule. Nevertheless it opened my eyes to how different life can be deep in the heartland.

I won’t go into the description of hardship and abuse, but what makes this book memorable is the clarity and equanimity of her prose. I am guessing that she must have kept a journal since she is able to recreate the events of the past with uncanny detail. It makes for a heart thumping read and you will find yourself turning the pages eagerly to find out what misery lies in the next chapter.

Overall, this is a great book that is both entertaining and eye-opening.

Positioning: The Battle for your Mind

Author: Al Reis and Jack Trout

This is the grand-daddy of a multitude of books that have been written on the power of Positioning when you are trying to communicate effectively to a customer. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. To be successful today, you must touch base with reality. And the reality that really counts is what’s already in the prospect’s mind.

If you think you will change the mind of the customer, then you are on a path to advertising disaster. According to the authors, millions of dollars are wasted every day by companies trying to change the minds of their prospects. A key insight for me is that rather than looking at your product to come up with a solution, you look for it inside the mind of your prospect.

I got a chuckle out of the free marriage advice. “You build brand loyalty in a supermarket the same way you build mate loyalty in marriage. You get there first and then be careful not to give them a reason to switch.”

Words of wisdom to live by “if you can’t be first in a category, then set up a new category you can be first in”.

Some things are quite obvious but it’s good to read it in black-and-white. “Don’t fight perceptions with facts. Perceptions will always win.”

The authors clearly chose their words very carefully in the book. As an example, I was amused with the choice of numbers in these lines.  ”For every six bottles of Coke sold, Pepsi manages to sell only four.” The authors could very well have said for every three bottles of Coke sold, Pepsi manages to sell only two. Maybe he didn’t use the smaller numbers because the difference didn’t seem as big.

Some striking observations on how international travel has gone from being a privilege of the wealthy to within the reach of the common man. “There was a time when the flight attendants were young and the travelers old. Now the travelers are young and the flight attendants are old.”

This book is a classic that doesn’t need my recommendation!

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Author: Otessa Moshfegh

Authors come up with all sorts of strange premises to grab the attention of the reader. This one is off the charts. The main character is a privileged, rich adult who is in denial about her depression. She is fed up of society and socializing and so decides to just sleep in, every single day of the year. 

As I turned every page, I was curious to see how she could write an entire book with the main character sleeping or planning to sleep, and that is an amazing feat that only someone who has great writing chops can pull off.  Along the way you are treated with some dark humor, substance abuse, philosophy, psychology.

The book is a quick read and you'll probably either love it or hate it.

There There: A Novel

Author: Tommy Orange

This book was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2019 and won the American Book Award in the same year. With serious credentials like that there is no question that the book is beautifully written and an interesting read. It captures the trials and tribulations of present-day Native Americans living in Oakland, California. The book follows the lives of a dozen characters and explores what it means to be an urban Native American Indian in the US today. 

The book has an air of authority about all things Native American and it probably comes from the fact that the author, Tommy Orange is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and was born and raised in Oakland, California.  This is his debut novel and judging by the reception in the media, it has been a huge success.

Small Fry: A Memoir

Author: Lisa Brennan-Jobs

This is a beautiful book that takes the reader through the early private life of Steve Jobs. Chrisann Brennan had a relationship with Steve Jobs in the seventies and Lisa Brennan-Jobs was born in 1978.  For many years, Steve denied paternity but finally accepted it in the eighties and developed a connection with her. This memoir explores the ups and downs of this relationship and provides a rare and unfiltered view into their world. 

One example is the story of how he bought her a car when she was a teenager.  Despite his immense wealth at the time, he insisted on buying her a used VW Beetle to teach her the importance of frugality and hard work. 

Another more painful example is the one where she confronts her father on the naming of the Apple Lisa computer. He insists that it stands for Local Integrated Software Architecture and denies her the joy of having a computer named after her. 

In the end, Steve leaves a considerable amount of money to Lisa and so hopefully all is good moving forwards!