Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: "No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness". That Aristotle quote couldn't be any more true then in the tale of New York Post writer Susannah Cahalan. What started out as a potential bed bug scare turned into total psychosis. The author, who was also the individual inflicted with the mental illness, literally went mad for over a month of her life. Her memory of the time is almost non-existent. After tons of misdiagnosis, one doctor finally came to realize what was wrong: a disease that was only discovered three years prior. If this would have been a few prior, when the disease was not yet discovered, where would she be today? Most likely a life spent in a mental institution or an early grave. This was one of the most interesting books that I've read all year.
An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff: This book is based off a Chinese proverb that reads, "An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break". This story begins in the late 1980's in New York City. During this time, the city was deep into a crack epidemic with no end in sight. One day, a women walks down the street and a young, 11 year old boy asks her for change. She continues walking but something makes her stop. Something makes her turn around and talk to that boy. She took him to McDonald's for a meal and since that day, a relationship was built. A very quick read and amazing story.
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell: Gladwell is hands down my favorite author to read. His books are thought provoking and most, if not all, are on the best seller list. In this book, he somehow manages to connect the David and Goliath tale (which, according to Gladwell, was not as big of a mismatch as one might think) to Civil Rights, Dyslexia, Criminal Activity and a whole slew of other things. I was excited to read this one and it did not disappoint.
Fiction:
The Skeleton Box by Bryan Gruley: This book was my months fiction choice. After a series of burglaries paralyze a small town, a local reporter finds himself in the center of it all. A women was found dead in his Alzheimer stricken mother's house. As it turns out, his mother may know more than she is leading on. There are too many twists and turns in this book to write a coherent summary.
Fitness:
Power to the People by Pavel Tsatsouline: Growing up, my father always used to joke (at least I thought he was) that the Russians never took a day off from training. After reading this book written by a crazy Russian, I don't think my dad was kidding. Below are some of the key points learned from this book:
- The commies were not motivated by vitamin sales. They wanted one thing: athletic supremacy
- Tension. Learn how to tense your muscles and you will get stronger, bulk free.
- The burn you feel is lactic acid buildup and has nothing to do with muscle toning. If you want to feel a burn, like Dr. Fred Hatfield said, "light a match".
- There is NO correlation between getting sore and getting stronger
- If hard work is all it took to get strong, there would not be such a thing as sports science
- Ken Hutchins: By and large, people do not get injured from using too much weight...people get injured because of their behavior with a heavy or light weight.
- Pressure near the fleshy part of the palm causes a stabilization response in the upper arm. This will aid in stability in the upper arm, most notably the triceps. Gloves reduce that pressure.
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