A Tale of Two Cities

 
 

Over the past couple of months, the topic of written classics has come to the forefront of many discussions with friends, colleges and family. It surprised me to learn how few of these works I had gone through in my preceding decades. In response to this awareness I have added some of these titles to the ever growing book list. My foray into the ocean of classical must reads began with Dickens and A Tale of Two Cities.

If you have not delved into classical literature since high school, now is a great time to dust off a work or two and see for yourself if these texts hold more relevance now.

Dickens explored the time just before and during the French Revolution through this work of historical fiction. While straight history can, at times, be a bit dry and dense, the characters created by Dickens light the fuse attached to the revolutionary powder keg and walk the reader through a myriad of paths that intersect and intertwine from the streets of Paris to the court rooms of London.

This story does not disappoint and was a pleasant surprise as I was bracing for the depth and or heady text that one expects to come from such classic works. Themes of sacrifice, family, and devotion flow throughout. Good to reconnect with authors and times of the past.

Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self

 
 

Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi is one book that almost any person over the age of 15 should spend the time to read, more importantly, digest. In an age where we are all bombarded by ads, videos, clickbait, work email, spam email, FaceTime, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, CandyCrush, podcasts, news, and a myriad of other distractions, the idea of letting go is both desirable and terrifying for many. Manoush takes the reader through her questions, her research and her approach to a way forward. This is not a self help book by any means but it is, like most things in life, an excellent tool from which one can start to see themselves and launch forward into future possibilities. Whether you feel the crush of a Digital Overload (Ch 2.), or you want to Reclaim Wonder (Ch 7.), this examination of why we need to let our minds wonder and enter back into that uncomfortable place of simple boredom is just the key.

Grey Eminence: Fox Conner and the Art of Mentorship

 
 

If you have not heard of Fox Connor you are not alone. Outside the institution of West Point, the experiences of this retired lieutenant general travels under most radars. A enigmatic man who requested nearly all his notes and journals destroyed prior to his death, Fox Connor remains one of the least know but highly influential Officers of modern day. 

In todays leadership environment where mentorship is a word used almost as often as the word transformational, the story of LTG(R) Fox Connor should be a key part of any mentorship formulas. From being a peer of Patton’s, to an educator of Eisenhower’s and a facilitator of Marshall’s, Fox Connor was an iatrical part of the shaping, developing, educating, and challenging of many of the most notable General Officers of the “Greatest Generation”. Lest not ignore the attainment of LTG to boot.  Edward Cox’s book, “Grey Eminence” attempts to sketch out the life and relationships that made up Fox Connor and how his application of mentorship was viewed by many notable leaders as essential to their own success. A great book to start off a new year.

A special thank you to Joe Byerly, creator of the popular blog From the Green Notebook, for introducing Fox Connor to the team.

Greater Application Book Shelf, 2018

 
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Another wonderful, complex, frustrating, insightful, challenging, and joy-filled year is coming to a close. Through all the twists and turn, long commutes and days off, the GATAC team remains committed to the philosophy of Reading, Thinking, Speaking, and Writing. In keeping with the cornerstone of that philosophy, we present the 2018, GATCT bookshelf. These titles will come as no surprise. The thousands of pages below will offer you personal challenges, new perspectives, unique insight and philosophical disagreement. Dig in an enjoy!

If there are books that you recommend for the start of 2019 or think should be read in the time remaining of 2018, leave a comment or send us an email and let us know!

Have a wonderful December and finish 2018 STRONG!


Greater Application's Book Shelf, 2018

 

Initial books on the shelf for 2019

 

The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone

Honesty, a social, moral and professional imperative that almost all of us follow. right? For those of you who agree with that sentiment, this book (The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone) might surprise many of you. Externally, many of us espouse to at least one of the three (social, professional or moral) imperatives that prescribe honesty as not only a virtue but as a rule/requirement rather. Dan Ariely, along with numerous other researchers have collected a sizable amount of data that suggests, we are not as honest as we would leave ourselves to believe. As a behavioral economist, Dan has conducted original experimentation, demonstrating that when given the chance society, both individually and in collective groups fall to dishonest actions. Moreover, this text discusses how learning from ones mistakes might just be too late in the honesty cycle to affect changes in behavior. For those who read Leonard Wong and Stephen Gerras paper “Are We Lying to Ourselves: Dishonesty in the Army Profession”, this book furthers the discussion from a social rather than professional perspective.

Read, Think, Talk, Write - this book covers it all!