(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best arts & literature biographies

I'm gonna do a top 5 here:

1. Catch-22 - I love this book so much. It is my very favorite book ever. It gets funnier every time I read it. I know it's about war, but it feels applicable to so many areas of life that its impossible not to take something new from it with every read.
   
2. One Hundred Years of Solitude - it's a beautiful book that explores relationships and families and how our histories travel with us. Another book I could read again and again.
   
3. The Outsiders - I grew up poor and this book did a really great job of breaking down what it felt like to be in the wrong class. It's beautiful and sad and way more meaningful to me than I want to admit.
   
4. The Harry Potter series - the only book I have ever attended a midnight release for. They were magical and whimsical and just all around fantastic. I can't wait until my kids are old enough to read them with me.
   
5. A Farewell to Arms - I love Hemingway. I love everything about him and this was the book that introduced me to him. It was the first book I read where there was no happy ending and the hero didn't prevail and somehow it was okay for him to write that.
   
   If I win I would really, really appreciate a copy (new or used) of Black Sabbaths Master of Reality. It's on my books wish list and its the book I want to read most out of all of them. Thanks for the contest! Enjoy the rest of your book!
   (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0826428991/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?colid=11ZJ2KAFYBXDG&coliid=I1WLU1WU18169&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC)

Brandon Johnson comptrols for the fourth episode in a row; Jeff will finally return the following week.


Dan's Instagram songs have really taken on a life of their own (especially now that he has a self-driving car).


Dan is referencing the bizarre (and highly meme-able) story about Trump touching a glowing orb in Saudi Arabia.


The image of feeding checks into the heart monitor is so hilariously dystopian -- it really conjures up the perfect genre-based feeling.


Dan's Kumail impression still isn't great (or even good, really), but it's come a long way. Not sure when his previous attempts were, but it's definitely been a while.


I had entirely forgotten about this pug rant, but it is absolute gold. His rescue dog joke didn't land for me because I immediately thought of a pug trying to rescue someone instead of a dog being rescued. Also, Dan is referencing the music video for Blind Melon's "No Rain", which has such a heartwarming concept.


I really don't know what to make of Dan's approach of not hiding red flags but waving them like a matador. Maybe it's a good way of getting rejections out of the way early on so time isn't wasted on people who are pretty certain to not end up working out anyway.


"In his defense, he didn't know what he was doing was illegal." I love how this is just thrown away.


"Getting defensive over nothing" is such a pithy summation of Dan's M.O., isn't it? It's good that he's at least acutely aware of it here, and I think therapy continues to ameliorate this tendency.


This is such a beautiful title quote, though.


It's really incredible how "Ram Dass ain't no joke!" was set up four episodes ago in "The Final Meltdown." Brandon Johnson, you sly motherfucker.


Nothing is funnier than imagining someone narrating their own mushroom trip.


"It never gets any better than sitting under a tree, grooming each other, and waiting to die."


Fred Stoller doesn't feel to me like the best fit for Harmontown (maybe it's his particular energy or older comedy style), but he's at least entertaining. Here are My Seinfeld Year and Five Minutes to Kill.

Scott's tome is an interesting historical event unto itself, but I don't think it's that instructive in any greater capacity. Milbourne Christopher's history is good for breadth, but not as much for depth. Everything by Jim Steinmeyer is probably a good idea.

If you're writing about women in magic, some more detailed biographical work is probably in order. Bill Kalush's Houdini book doesn't say much about Bess, but I think that a lot can be learned by reading between the lines. It's also very informative about the "Golden Age" boys club and the feud between magicians and spiritualists.

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Houdini-Americas-Superhero/dp/0743272080/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313429451&sr=8-1

On the same subject, the David Abbott books by Todd Karr and Teller are amazing. Abbott's wife helped a lot with the act, and the first book gives a lot of details about the development of magic and spiritualism in the US:

http://miraclefactory.net/zenstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=75

The Karr/Teller Germain books are also good, but not as interesting with regard to women and apparently out of print.

Our Magic, by Maskelyne and Devant, is one of the most influential books ever written on the way that magicians see themselves. Like Scott it isn't a historical analysis or overview, it's a historical document. There will be a whole lot in here that will help you represent magicians convincingly. Lybrary.com has a cheap pdf version if you don't have a kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/Our-Magic-ebook/dp/B004Z8L26Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1313429822&sr=8-4

Houdin's instructional books and memoirs are also held in high regard by magicians, and also give a lot of information about their own particular historical context:

http://www.amazon.com/Conjurers-Confessions-M-Robert-Houdin/dp/1425017150/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313429966&sr=1-1

I think a lot of knowledge about magic history still hasn't really been culled out of the books of tricks. In particular, the recent history (say 1940 to present) hasn't seen much analysis in print. If you want a historical view on that timespan, it's probably more efficient to consult a magician– or a few.

If you have specific questions feel free to message me and I'll give you an email; women and magic is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. If not, I think that most of the books mentioned previously and all of the ones I've linked are very good. In particular, the Karr/Teller volumes are incredibly valuable for the depth of historical knowledge that they contain. The Kalush book is a no-brainer because of how easy it is to get and how rigorously researched it is.

Hopefully that helps somewhat.

A Fan's Notes while not so much an in depth football book as it is a literary work, A Fan's Notes is still a brilliant read for any football fan. Deals with the authors alcoholism, nihilism, the bizarre relation a fan has to his team, and the fear of spending ones life on the sidelines of the action. An all around excellent read. It does have some nice insight to the 60's Giants as well.

Some other more traditional books I'd recommend would When Pride Still Mattered, Run to daylight, Instant Replay, and for one none packer book: Badasses. All four of those provide excellent looks into storied franchises at their best, and When Pride Still Mattered is the definitive book for the NFLs greatest coach.

Thanks OP, I've been meaning to make this thread for awhile now and I love reading books about football and sports in general. I really do heavily recommend A Fan's Notes though, that novel is excellent.

And while I'm still here I guess, even though it isn't football, I'll quickly recommend A Season on the Brink as one of the greatest sports books ever.

EDIT: On the off chance anyone takes an interest in this I have lots more I could recommend.

I coach HS men's lacrosse and college men's rowing

My major was sport psych, so I learned a lot of useful tools in the classroom but also found it really helpful to read about other people who actually applied stuff in the real world. Even if our situations aren't the same and it's not 100% applicable, I like to read about successful coaches just to see what I can pick up from them.

Textbook: Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. It's cheap and really useful as just what it sounds like--laying a foundation.

Textbook: Sport Psych Handbook. Also cheap and useful, lot of good information.

Pick up something by John Wooden and read it. You don't have to believe 100% of what he says, but every coach should know some basics of positive coaching and sport psych, plus just having it as a piece of cultural literacy.

When the Game Stands Tall was a great book about a coach who took a program from nothing to The Streak. Haven't seen the movie.

Education of a Coach by David Halberstam, a fantastic sports writer, about Bill Belichick. Biographical and written with a lot of input from Bill himself.

If you have anything you're particularly interested in, let me know and I can maybe provide some more specific recommendations. Regardless of what sport/age you coach, the above are all good and useful books.

Well, thanks for the advice then!

I just wish that the particular subset of Western society that considers young men like yourself who have grown up with a strict, fundamentalist family as having ideals fundamentally opposed to their "western values" had a chance to meet or interact with you.

Here you are, living in a place and surrounded by values that are so unlike anything many of us in the Western world have experienced and you're cracking jokes about 'fursonas' on Reddit. If you didn't tell us in this TIFU post, I doubt anyone would be able to tell that you're not some 20yo from New Jersey.

I know the world is unfair, but it seems to be almost cruelly so when -- based on your interactions with people on this site -- someone like yourself, who clearly would fit perfectly into a society whose values align with your own is not in a position to actually become a part of that society.

I've enjoyed our conversation and not to harp on this point, but please continue to consider leaving your country. Any other place would be lucky to have you. I know that family ties are strong, but you didn't pick your family and ultimately you do not owe your life to them.

You truly do not need to live the rest of your life unhappy, feeling like you don't belong, married to someone you have to "learn to love." There is so much shit in the world but there is a lot of good too. I know it seems impossible to leave, but that's an illusion. It would be hard and dangerous as fuck, but not impossible. (Edit: as I wrote here, claiming asylum is absolutely something you can do and your situation is exactly the kind of thing it was designed for)

There is a fascinating book I read some time ago called "Dear Leader: My Escape from North Korea", written by a high-level North Korean official who does something like what you've done: he accidentally gives a prohibited magazine that he signed out from a "restricted" NK library to a friend who then forgets it on the subway, leading to the magazine being turned into the secret police and the author interrogated. He talks his way out of the interrogation for the moment, but knows that his life as he knows it is over and that he'll be re-arrested and likely killed the next day.

He ends up on the run and eventually ends up in China, with no money, no family and no friends. It's an absolutely fascinating read and I highly recommend it.

I figure it might be difficult for you to purchase books online, so I've uploaded my epub copy (and a PDF conversion if you have trouble opening the EPUB). I'll PM you the link so the mods don't delete my comment if they stumble across it.

Have a good life and like I said, if you ever need anything feel free to PM me.

Well, a novel is a novel-- I'm sure you're familiar with that sort of presentation. And your non-fiction can certainly be done as a novel. Many years ago I read the story of a guy who walked across America, for instance (I think http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Across-America-Peter-Jenkins/dp/006095955X is the book, but I'm getting old, and I've read a total of well over 2000 books: so I'm fuzzy on some of them now). One famous book about traveling was done more from a philosophical viewpoint than strict documentation: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, where a dad and son biked across the country (among other things), I believe. Sorry: I'm not so good at coming up with examples of travel books off the top of my head. At the moment those two are the only ones by third parties I can recall reading. For a third example, I can only think of my own book Deep in the Throat of Texas, about when I traveled from Tennessee to Texas during a 1970s summer college break for work, and found lots more adventure and excitement than I expected.

Although they're not travel books per se, several of Clive Cussler's fictional action/adventure books seem to contain a wealth of local factual details on many exotic locales which would seem impossible for him to have included without firsthand experiences in the places.

As for some of the downsides to or arguments against your ever doing such writing, you'd at least enjoy this one upside (in nonfictional works anyway): that the writing would be autobiographical. I've written nonfiction, fiction, and autobiographical material, and must say writing about oneself can be pleasingly nostalgic, and even therapeutic (some of mine I did partly as a comfort while going rapidly blind, for instance (a couple operations afterwards restored my sight-- at least so far)). So you might enjoy that form of the writing, just for that reason alone.

You also have the possible huge advantage over many writers of possessing a ready-made partner in the deed: your wife. She could help you recall more details of events, offer a female perspective to your male on the experiences, help you brainstorm ideas for 'what if' fiction spin offs, and perhaps even work with you on the actual writing, editing, and proof reading of the manuscripts.

The Genius: How Bill Walsh Reinvented Football and Created an NFL Dynasty
https://www.amazon.com/Genius-Reinvented-Football-Created-Dynasty/dp/0345499123/ref=sr_1_74?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475238145&sr=1-74&keywords=nfl+book

Jaws might be loudmouthed idiot on tv, but he co-authored a pretty darn good book
The Games That Changed the Game: The Evolution of the NFL in Seven Sundays
https://www.amazon.com/Games-That-Changed-Game-Evolution/dp/0345517962/ref=sr_1_67?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475238131&sr=1-67&keywords=nfl+book

And all hail Belichick
War Room: The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team
https://www.amazon.com/War-Room-Belichick-Building-Perfect/dp/006208240X/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475238058&sr=1-11&keywords=nfl+book

The Education of a Coach
https://www.amazon.com/Education-Coach-David-Halberstam/dp/1401308791/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475238301&sr=1-1&keywords=david+halberstam+belichick

Pretty funny insight into players perspective:

The Rookie Handbook: How to Survive the First Season in the NFL
https://www.amazon.com/Rookie-Handbook-Survive-First-Season/dp/1682450341/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1475237975&sr=8-4&keywords=nfl+book

Also Pete Carrolls book Win Forever is an excellent read.
It has more to do with his Trojan days, but is a very clear telling of his coaching philosophy and why he has succeeded in Seattle. That man knows how to connect with people.

Some memoirs... would probably fall under "practical."

• "No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love and Wandering" by Clara Bensen -- Putting this at the top of the list because I love the concept so much. Girl meets a guy and they decide to go on a multi-week trip to Europe together... with no luggage. Basically, all they have are the clothes on their back and what they can carry in their pockets / purse. (I learned later that said boyfriend is Jeff Wilson, aka "Professor Dumpster," the college professor who lived in a retrofitted dumpster to show people how lightly one can live on the earth. More here: The Dumpster Project )
  
  
• "The Unsettlers: In Search of the Good Life in Today's America" by Mark Sundeen -- About three different couples that attempt homesteading in three remarkably different ways -- one in a traditional homestead on an old Amish farm with no electricity Northeastern Missouri where they teach others, one on an urban homestead in Detroit, and one on a farm attempting to be organic in Montana. This is probably the quirkiest, most offbeat title on the list and the one closest to my heart (possibly tying with "No Baggage.")
  
  
• "The Big Tiny: A Built-It-Myself Memoir" by Dee Williams -- About a Boomer woman who builds her own tiny house to live in.
  
  
• "Living Large in Our Little House: Thriving in 480 Square Feet with Six Dogs, a Husband, and One Remote" by Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell -- About a woman and her husband who were forced (due to financial circumstances) to live in their vacation cabin in the woods and ended up making it their full-time residence.
  
  
• "The Shepherd's Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape" by James Rebanks -- About a guy who still raises sheep the traditional way in the Yorkshire Dales area of the UK. He's also published a photography book (since this memoir was a runaway bestseller across the pond) and has a beautifully quirky Instagram account worth a follow.
  
  
• "Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living" by Elizabeth Willard Thames -- About a young woman in New England who decides with her husband to eschew superfluous purchases for a few years so that they can build up their savings enough to buy a farm in Vermont and raise their family without the need to work. While I know reaction to this writer have been mixed (it's very "you can do what we did too", despite the fact that the couple had no student loan debt and were from middle-class backgrounds with self-sufficient parents), it is quite inspiring, and reinvigorated my attempts at making conscious purchases.
  
  
• "Walden on Wheels: On The Open Road from Debt to Freedom" by Ken Ilgunas -- About a post-college guy's adventures in living minimally in his twenties while attempting to pay back his student loans. While there are a number of different experiences he discusses, the main focus is on him deciding to live in a van while pursuing a master's degree so as to save on living costs.
  
  
• "No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process" by Colin Beaven -- About a man with a young family who decides he will attempt, while living in their New York City apartment, to create zero impact on the environment for one full year. (This is also the title of a 2009 documentary about the same man, cataloguing his adventure.)
  
  
• "Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping" by Judith Levine -- About a middle-aged writer who decides, along with her husband, to only buy imperative purchases, like food and toilet paper. No clothes, souvenirs, event tickets, etc. I found this to be quite well-written and another inspiring volume.
  
  
• "The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store" by Cait Flanders -- Similar idea to the prior book, but instead it is a young woman living on her own. An enjoyable read, but I did not find it all that well-written.
  
  
• "Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists" by Joshua Fields Millburn -- This book is by the guys who did the "Minimalism" documentary on Netflix. Pretty cookie cutter and not terribly well-written, but again, relatively inspiring. Something I appreciated about this book is that Joshua came from a very tumultuous, working-class background, which sheds a new light on going minimalist. (So often I feel like these memoirs are written by the typical white, affluent, college-educated Boomers or Millennials that have never had to struggle much with want.)

I grew up in Louisiana and always had these at the ready in case another Katrina came by. Barebones and lightweight in case you need to get up and move.


Multitool - Something that's sturdy, offers plenty of options, but also is lightweight. If I got washed out, this would be one of the top things I'd want coming with me.

First Aid Kit - You just never know. Water can hide a lot of nasty stuff like sharp metal edges, broken glass, etc. The kit I've linked to also comes with a multitool.
Water Filtration System - Dehydration will get you before anything else. Southern heat combined with physical exertion takes a lot out of anyone and tiny filtration systems like this will take care of you without adding bulk.

Meal Replacement Bars - You'll ideally want a few days emergency food. I recommend meal replacement bars that are high in protein and fiber and no less than 500 calories. They'll provide decent nutrition and should make you feel satiated for at least 2-4 hours. I don't have a recommendation on this one because there are so many brands and flavors.
Hand Crank Lantern - A reliable source of light that you can crank on your own. Generally, I avoid using generators and the like. I'm paranoid about electricity after flooding occurs.

Whistle - Great for alerting people without tearing up your vocal chords. It's also very, very, very good to have in case animals that shouldn't come by are nearby.
Dust Mask - If your city floods, there's going to be a lot of crud that comes up from the sewers and a lot of things accumulating inside buildings. Save your lungs and your noses.
Portable Battery - I love this age of technology we're in. Charge this a few days before the storm hits and you'll be able to keep your phone charged for days if the power goes out.
Insect Repellant - The ample amount of still water after a hurricane is prime bug nesting. A little repellant goes a long way.
Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman - Or any book really to help pass the time. This is a fantastic read though. :)

The short answer is: you need to save more of your salary, 15%/year isn't enough. At 100K a year, you could feasibly save $50k a year or more if you really tried, even in New York. Instead of an apartment downtown, rent a bedroom in someone's house to bring rent down to $6-700 a month in rent (can you move in with a sig. other?), cancel all extraneous costs (expensive cell phone plans, CABLE, internet too - use starbucks wifi or work). Take your whole bonus and don't spend any of it. Put it into the 401k, which you'll then draw down on to buy your house. If you live frugally for two years you'll have your down payment by the time you're 33.

To buy my house, I spoke with my parents and lived at home for about 14 months at 26 years old, socking away every penny of my $51k salary (I contributed 36% of my salary to my 401k, and paid off almost $15k of student loans - in a year!). I only drove to work and biked everywhere else. I inherently saved on groceries since food was always around. Work paid for my phone plan. I NEVER carried money, just so I wouldn't spend it. I tutored and picked up odd jobs on weekends. When I bought my 4 bed, 2 bath house for $185k (for 3% down taken as a loan from my 401k), I immediately rented out rooms to cover the mortgage plus some. If I couldn't have lived at home, I would have bought a van and a gym membership near my work (no shit). I'd live in the van for a year and keep myself clean at the gym (ask yourself: what is being a homeowner worth to you?). I think if you're like me, a year or so of discomfort is more than worth it to own your own property.

You can do it, you just need to be dedicated to the cause and do what it takes, regardless of what people say. Everyone told me that I was crazy for living with my parents again and that they "couldn't do it". Most, and maybe all, of them do not own where they live.

It's a lot easier to spend less money than make more, esp. at $100k/year (that's a shit-ton of money)! I recommend these sites and resources - they are a constant source of motivation for me:

mrmoneymustache.com
"Walden on Wheels" by Ken Ilgunas http://amzn.com/054402883X

Making $100k, you can easily do this. Find a way to save at least half of your salary for 2 years and you'll have your down payment and set yourself up with good habits as a homeowner. Easy, you can do it!

I agree with all of that, but want to point out that adoption also costs the adopting family money.

Dan Savage's book The Kid is a great read for any gay guys who are considering adopting. (He says that he wanted to call it $300 Per Ounce (or whatever the number was) based on the amount of money they paid in the adoption process and their son's birth weight.)

I think I'm more interested in fostering (which you actually get paid for, although in reality you better be spending more on the kids than the state is giving you), although I'm a bit worried about what it's going to be like taking care of kids who may have any number of emotional, mental, or physical wounds to deal with. I'm not planning on starting any time soon, though, so I have plenty of time for people who went through foster care to convince me that it won't be that bad.

I'll love my Jets until they inevitably kill me from a combination of high blood pressure and other stress related illnesses.

But the reasons I like those two teams are pretty simple:

I LOVED the Dallas teams of the 90's, if only because they drove my Giants fan relatives crazy. But Jay Novacek was also my favorite player, and I played TE in school. Plus I saw them beat the Giants in overtime at the Meadowlands, and Emmitt absolutely dominated despite hurting his shoulder in the first half. If you ever get the chance you should check out Boys will be Boys by Jeff Pearlman, it's a great read.

I loved the Saints ever since I visited NO when I was 10. Fell in love with the entire city really. Those teams in the early 90's Dome Patrol years with Swilling, Walsh, Hilliard, Heyward, Wilks, Martin, Fenerty, Johnson, and all the rest were awesome. I loved using them in Tecmo Super Bowl. Plus they have the coolest unis in the NFL...

The Glass Castle https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Castle-Memoir-Jeannette-Walls/dp/074324754X/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=glass+castle+book&qid=1570769502&sprefix=glass+castle+&sr=8-2

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.
Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.
What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.
For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.

There's a lot of us who feel the way you do. Fifty years in the corporate rat race, in a gilded cage, comfortable but no real freedom, no adventures, certainly doesn't appeal to everyone. I can't stand that kind of life either.

There's so many ways to live a life. You don't have to be stuck in a corporate cage. There's so many other ways to make a living.

One of my big influences when I was in high school, in the early 1980s, was a book by Peter Jenkins, "A Walk Across America", about a young college graduate, disillusioned with the corporate straitjacket he was expected to put on, instead decided to go on a long walk, coast to coast, from the coast of New York, down to New Orleans, to the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. Took him nearly six years to do it, one of the happiest times of his life.

I've done similar, if nothing so ambitious, and my time of wandering too, was one of the happiest of my life. I saw things few people ever get to see.

There's also folks travelling around the entire globe, on very little money. Amazon has lots of books on travelling around the world, if you want. People with less wealth than you have done it via everything from walking across the continents, to motorcycling, to sailing their own boat.

This is the 21st century. There's the internet now, and laptops, and you have those computer skills already. If you don't mind that kind of work, you can do that anywhere. One book that talks about how is "Laptop Millionaire". If you have a laptop and wifi, you can make money anywhere there's wifi access. Or even get satellite internet, which will let you get online from the remotest corners of the planet.

I too was severely depressed, trapped in the city of Denver, badly wanting out. One summer day, with $150 in my pocket and no job, I got on my $10 thrift shop bicycle, with a backpack on, and just started bicycling west. A month-long tour of the Colorado Rockies, done on all of $150. Climbed two 14,000-foot mountains pushed my bike up 11 mountain passes, coasted down the other side--and I'm able to coast for more than 50 miles at a stretch.

That was the happiest month of my entire life. And I did it on less money than most people make in 2 days working a job they hate. I'm so glad I chose to do it then, when I was still young and capable of that kind of exertion.

Read a book, Dove, about a teen boy who sailed around the world, alone, on his own saiboat--and he did it in the days before the internet and GPS.

Not saying that kind of stuff is what you should do. Just saying, life is full of possibilities. And if you want out of the corporate cage, it's possible. If you want more freedom and adventure, it's there. All you need is a little courage, some planning, and a willingness to buck the naysayers who prefer their little gilded cages.

Adventures are so much better when you're still young. You'll learn things you never would've imagined. And you'll build memories you'll treasure for a lifetime.

Nothing wrong with taking a few years off, then returning to the corporate world if that's what you want to do then. Many have done it.

Please read this whole comment; I write it with compassion. You asked for advice! Here's a bunch of inconsiderate words.

You will not have a "normal family" as one half of a straight couple, two biological kids and a dog. You will not have a normal heterosexual relationship. You already know this, you just don't want to deal with it. Either you'll be lying to yourself and your girlfriend (that's not normal!) or you'll be honest with her about your sexuality (which is not 100% straight).

The more quickly you let go of "normal" the less painful it will be. There is in reality NO NORMAL. There are majorities and minorities; that doesn't mean that those in the minority are abnormal. (When compared to people who are 99% straight, you are actually in the minority in this situation.)

Try small steps first. You should tell your friend (with whom you are very close!) that you think you might be gay, or bisexual. See what she thinks about that. You would want her to know this, right?

You don't need to find a Life Partner right now. You're 22. For God's sake, pull your head out of your ass, go out to a (gay) bar and dance your butt off. Try finding a date first, before you start planning your wedding. Slow the fuck down! :)

You can raise children with another man, if you want. You can even fuck a woman and get her pregnant, and then raise the child as your own. You can adopt or foster. Go read The Kid by Dan Savage.

Don't agree to do something you don't want to do, trying to avoid hurting your friend's feelings. It won't help in the long run. Try dating her first? It might work, it might not, you need to find that out first.

>I just wouldn't feel comfortable with that lifestyle. I know my friends and family would accept that I am gay, but I just don't want that.

There is no "lifestyle." You are living a "queer lifestyle" right now because you are queer and your heart is beating. You don't have a choice.

I think that if your friends and family will accept that you're queer, you should also accept that you're queer. Everything will become easier and more honest when you accept it. You won't have to worry about these things. That I can definitely promise!

Dofleini mentions that "what was on [the] desk at the moment."

Broom is much less demanding time-wise, although I agree with your sentiments... Not only is it much less polished than his later work, I think it's also less rewarding. It almost seems as though he was warming up for Jest... I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I read it after Jest & Interviews. For me, it falls into the same category as the early Dickens novels: entertaining in their own right, but more interesting as a window into the foundation for more developed later work.

I'd recommend Brief Interviews or A Supposedly Fun Thing as entry points for Wallace, followed by Infinite Jest if you like what you've read.

If truly interested you should start with Nothing to Envy. Then read Aquariums of Pyongyang:10 Years in the North Korean Gulag as well as Long Road home which give two very good acounts of imprisonment in the Gulags of NK.

After that I really recommend Dear Leader which is a great book written by the founder of New Focus International about his role in the top levels of the propaganda department in Pyongyang and his escape from the country after running afoul of the regime.

After that a more detailed and encompassing view from the start of the Kim regime can be found in Under the Loving care of the Fatherly Leader which I consider to be a must read, but only after becoming a little familiar with the subject as some who read it as their first NK book sometimes don't grasp it all.

Honestly I've read about 15 different books on the DPRK so if one catches your eye I've probably read it and can recommend a book if there is a specific topic you'd like to read about.

I know you were just proposing an example, but I just want to say that the earth is in fact round and we do orbit around the sun. We have sent so many people into orbit, and so many probes into space that give you such a clear view of the earths shape that I personally can't take the idea that the earth is anything but round. I would also urge someone who believes the earth to be in another shape that isn't round to take some time and look at the science of satellites, GPS, and time keeping. They all run on precise measurements based on the earths round shape. If the earth wasn't round, these systems just wouldn't work.

A simple way to prove yourself of this, is to tie a gopro to a weather balloon and launch it. In the footage of the gopro, you will see the curvature of the earth. Now, I digress...

> Does it make me crazy in "your" opinion that I believe it is "possible" that there is a great conspiracy concerning the truth of mankind that we are taught versus what is reality?

It really depends on what you believe and the basis of that belief, along with how quickly you're throwing away the basis of our current understanding of what our reality is. If you're basing your theory one some headline you saw in a tabloid or a small article buried deep in the web, I am going to consider you crazy until you can present to me a lot of facts on why you believe.

I really don't think that providing facts is too much to ask.

> Why do some people think it is insane to question the "facts" that are fed to us?

I highly believe its our education system and how we teach people along with how the scientific community works. We essentially teach people that once you graduate college you know everything, or at least that what people think, that these are the facts. They are taught this is the world, there is where we are, and now go add to it. So people come out with a sense of entitlement when it comes to their knowledge and education. People are rarely ever taught to think for themselves, but rather that the answer is in the back of the book.

I think there is a good number of scientist out there who do question everything. But the problem they find themselves trying to balance is their own credibility while trying explore new findings. So much of what the science community does is based on things they already view as fact. If you introduce a new theory that disrupts all of that, you best have a pretty solid basis to do so. Otherwise you will find yourself discredited and it will make it harder to find funding. On the other side of that you also have scientist who have worked their whole life on a particular subject matter. So when someone comes along and says, "well, what about this?" there can be a lot of push back. Some people just don't want to loose their authority, or loose their life's work from someone who is on the outside.

If you propose questioning science in a public forum to a scientist, they are going to tell you that the science is sound due to peer review and the scientific method based on multiple experiments. That really is the key, multiple experiments that have been peer reviewed. So it can be pretty understandable when someone comes from the outside and says "well, what about this?" that it is immediately met with skepticism. I think you would be pretty hard pressed to find a scientist who doesn't question something. Its what they do for a living. If they don't question it, and scrutinize it, they are probably not a great scientist.

I might suggest to you a great book called But What If We're Wrong? by Chuck Klosterman. In it I think you will find a pretty deep book that examines our current understanding of the universe and questions what would happen if there was found a fundamental aspect to knowledge, that if discovered, would cause us to rewrite everything we currently know.

I like A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by DFW, but haven't read Consider the Lobster.

Echoes Down the Corridor by Arthur Miller - good writing on a variety of issues

The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup by Susan Orlean - portraits of people she interviewed, including a group of teenage Hawaiian surfer girls that made a particularly memorable essay.

Essays of E.B. White - excellent observations and thoughts and insights.

Palm Sunday by Kurt Vonnegut - an "autobiographical collage" so being a fan beforehand helps, but his thoughts are on a range of subjects, not just his own personal history.

Also these two lists look promising.

If you go on twitter #hillarysdouble--then you can see other photos as well. I noticed that one has a small bump on nose (the other one is perfectly straight); one has double-piercing in her ears; one looks 15 years younger, slimmer. The Double also has green eyes (if you scroll to the bottom
you can see a good close-up--this would be another reason for the Sunglasses).

When "Hillary"came out of Chelsea's condo building she also had a strong voice (which you wouldn't expect in someone who passed out just 90 minutes before). Most of those taking video were pretty far away--and in an urban environment it would take a very strong voice to pick up exactly what someone is saying because of all the trucks, cars, etc. 30 or 40 feet is basically shouting distance, especially if the voice is to be captured on a cellphone.

Having a Double has a long history for heads of state and magicians. Hitler had a Double (Doppelganger). The Secret Service also has a long history of working with magicians--Harry Houdini was one of them!!! Harry Houdini even received a passport from the Secret Service which indicated he had been born in the USA (when he had actually been born overseas in Europe). When Houdini went to Europe this important detail allowed him to cover up his past family history (his father was a rabbi). It was a very symbiotic relationship--Houdini also got contacts thru the Secret Service and did some spywork for the US and England during his travels to Germany and Russia.

Over in r/TSBD we have one of the books by H. Keith Melton and Robert Wallace--but the one we don't have is very interesting:

*The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception According to WorldCat, "The manuals reprinted in this work represent the only known complete copy of Mulholland's instructions for CIA officers on the magician's art of deception and secret communications written to counter Soviet mind-control and interrogation techniques." [4]

----------

So, as wild as a Doppelganger may sound--there is a history of magicians working secretly with the Secret Service and the OSS/CIA. There is also a book called Harvey & Lee which extensively researches the possibility that Lee Harvey Oswald had a double which can also be read over at r/TSBD (free pdf).

John Adams by David Mccullough is an EXCELLENT book that really describes the life and times of our second President, as well as the people and places of the revolution. John Adams was a key figure in the times, and his experiences are a great lens with which to view the whole of the time period.

I would most highly recommend this book, it is a great read and genuinely a page turner, which is most rare for a historical biography.

I am also a girl, best friend and I both love marijuana. Its the only thing that keeps us grounded and stable. No matter how bad our day gets, we always have something great to look forward to. So many people have hard lives and sometimes its hard for people to deal with reality or its hard to think about your past. Many people have different ways of relief. Some drink, smoke, gamble, cut them selves, and much more but to each their own. And if its NOT an uncontrollable habit, or screwing up your life or family then why would it be bad? At the least, its just so you can unwind and chill out.

If she's worried about the health aspect I recommend that you buy the book Marijuana Is Safer: So why are we Driving People to Drink?. If she isn't convinced that marijuana is a safe drug then theres no hope for swaying her opinion. It's a true argument on why Marijuana is safe and how it has saved peoples lives.

I liked Ninety Days: A memoir: http://www.amazon.com/Ninety-Days-A-Memoir-Recovery/dp/B00D9TPDHE

I'm not a drug user, but it felt honest and realistic.

Also, if you heard of Craig Ferguson, he wrote a hilarious memoir (http://www.amazon.com/American-Purpose-Improbable-Adventures-Unlikely/dp/0061998494/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404325206&sr=1-1&keywords=craig+ferguson+books) that is also very honest about his addiction to drugs and alcohol. He also is well known for his Talk Show speech about alcoholism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZVWIELHQQY

You have all got to read his biography: The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts. It's a close look at his life from the people who knew him best - friends, family, and co-workers.

As a child I grew up laughing at/with Chris Farley, but this book gave me a new perspective on this man. He really was a tragic figure - deeply religious, caring, and funny, but had an addictive personality and was too eager to please people. The book is really touching and gave me a different perspective on the addiction-fueled lives that so many stars lead.

Worth the read.

I understand it's used :) this is such a great giveaway!!
My favorite book that comes to mind is probably The Glass Castle which is one I randomly picked up in one of those bookshops that is overflowing with books. I also found out this week that it's possibly being made into a movie?! And I'm not sure how I feel about that.

I like to think I do at least one kind thing a day :)
Cowabunga!

I'm surprised that nobody in this thread quoted [this book](http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603581448/"Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?") yet.

This is one of the most interesting books I have read in the last year or so, and it definitely changed my opinion about marijuana (I used to be against decriminalization, because the governement was constantly telling me it was the Devil's weed).

Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? is, surprisingly enough, very objective in its comparison of alcohol and marijuana. I think that marijuana smokers and non-smokers alike will learn interesting facts by reading this book.

A few thoughts:

At one point Lewis and Tolkien were going to write companion novels about space and time. You can see echoes of this in the last chapter of Out of the Silent Planet, the first book in CSL's Space Trilogy when he mentions that space has been cut off from human travel and now any future voyages would be through time. There's also echoes of what might have been in JRRT's Notion Club Papers, which has a time-travel element, but was never published.

In addition, JRRT did not care for the Narnia series because he felt it lacked a coherent theme. However, in the controversial Planet Narnia, Michael Ward posits that CSL actually did have a theme: the medieval view of the planets (The Seven Heavens). There are definitely intriguing arguments made in the book, especially as he combines information from Narnia and the Space Trilogy into his thesis. I wouldn't say it's iron-clad, but if I was still in education, or had the luxury to write papers, this is an area I'd love to explore in depth - specifically the influence of Charles Williams on the evolution of CSL's thought.

If you're interested in aspects of their backgrounds that influenced their worldviews, I would recommend The Discarded Image from CSL (on medieval literature - my favorite CSL book) and The Road to Middle-Earth by Tom Shippey (on the philological undergirding of Middle-Earth). The Humprey Carpenter books are also good (JRRT Letters, Tolkien bio, Inklings bio) as are CSL's letters.

Unfortunately there really isn't any one book that puts all of that into a fun narrative like there is to describe all fo the things that a woman goes through pre, during, and beyond puberty. We just don't experience anywhere near the level of daily difficulty with our hormones and our anatomy to warrant a large selection on narative essay literature.

This is also compounded by our historical bias toward male centric view points making mens health the general topic, simply called Fitness, and womans health the specialty topic.

-----
I've selected the following titles, all are a cross between narative essay and textbook. But they swing more toward a less technical lexicon

The Joy of Sex
Practical Encyclopedia of Sex and Health
The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health

-----

For books by men I respect:
Terry Crews: Manhood: How to be a better man-or just live with one
Nick Offerman: Paddle your own canoe: One man's fundamentals for deliciuos living


-----

To answer the question you kinda asked in your reply...

Pre-ejaculate fluid does not contain sperm. It is created by the Cowper's glands at the base of the penis, completly seperated from the testes. It is also not the same thing as semenal fluid. The misconception about pre-ejaculate comes from a few perfect storm style things occuring in a row.

A) The male must have ejaculated prior to the new pre-ejaculate.
B) Some sperm must have remain behind in the urethra
C) No urine passed through the urethra between ejaculation and new pre-ejaculate

If all of that happens, then the sperm will be picked up by the new pre-ejaculate and expelled from the urethra.

If you want to learn more about Houdini, I highly recommend The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero

He was really an amazing man and there is so many really interesting stories that they do a great job of analyzing some of Houdini's motivations.

When it comes to comedy writing, I suggest checking out Fred Stoller's Kindle Single called My Seinfeld Year. It's his recollections of being a writer on Seinfeld for one season, and what that process was like. There's also a lot of great behind the scenes info (some of which covers writing and development) about NBCs golden era of sitcoms in Warren Littlefield's book, Top of the Rock. If you want to read some scripts, this site is one of the best collections I know of.

Thanks for the reply friend.

I did read his book a couple years ago. It was surprisingly good (surprising meaning I get so tired of the same ol' same ol' cookie cutter celebrity addiction stories). He is really an amazing guy and it was an amazing read.

Amazon link to the book if anyone is interested.

Tom Hardy is another celebrity addict that I admire for the way he approaches his addiction. He doesn't let it define himself as a person but realizes the power it has and the need to remain ever vigilant.

A mental mind fuck can be nice! My boyfriend would love me LONG time if I won him this awesome Chris Farley book! New or used doesn't matter to us :)

I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey ... Thanks for the contest krcook510!!!

The gullibility and smarmy naivete in this thread is just pathetic. Yes. War is bad. What a revelation. Why hasn't anybody else thought of that before?

If you want to feel all warm and fuzzy inside go buy a Hallmark card or go browse /r/aww.

People living in the real world understand that geopolitics is a game of advantage that you can't circumvent by pleading for everyone to join hands and sing Kumbaya. When you appease dictators and cede ground to them you simply enable and embolden their behavior. Furthermore, the South Korean president is hugging and holding hands with a mass murderer who has enslaved over 20 million people, condemning them to a live a life of near starvation and physical/psychological imprisonment. You're the leader of an extraordinarily prosperous, democratic country; have some dignity. You're meeting a piece of human excrement who is feeling on top of the world right now. You shake the man's hand for diplomacy's sake. You don't hug and caress him.

It's just so god damned pathetic how naive people are. What's happening here is that South Korea learned to live under a nuclear DPRK a long time ago. What they can't abide is constantly ratcheting up brinksmanship that is eagerly stoked by a senile reality tv star with the strongest military in the history of the world at his beck and call.

China, RoK, and DPRK have cooked up this appeasement scheme to dupe Trump into thinking he's quelled the DPRK threat. DPRK will keep its nuclear weapons (the announcement that they've completed their nuclear weapons program and no longer need the facility they're shutting down should have been a good indicator of DPRK's intentions for people that were too blind to them up until now) and as we can see here, the Kim regime gets boatloads of photo opportunities, diplomatic prestige, increased security internally, increased legitimacy externally and inevitably sanctions relief. China will benefit from further DPRK stability and increased trade opportunities (and leverage on Trump as well). And South Korea gets to see the sabre-rattling cease and they receive the same benefits China does from prolonged security for Kim regime. They don't want to deal with that humanitarian crisis either. Trump gets a plaque on his wall that says "Best Negotiator Ever" and a polaroid of a North Korean testing facility with a "closed" sign on the gate.

But don't let me get in the way of everyone "awwwwww"ing over this like it's a picture of a cat hugging a golden retriever. Bunch of rubes.

edit: Can't wait to see all the memes come out of this. Kim Jong Un is gonna have his image rehabilitated the same way GWB did lol... But I don't want this to just a useless rant yelling at silly people. So, before you guys start memeing up KJU let me give you guys a short reading list of DPRK books I've greatly enjoyed (I've been fascinated with DPRK for at least a decade):

• Dear Leader: My Escape from North Korea. This is a great firsthand account of an "inner" party member who lived the relatively high life in Pyongyang as a propagandist.
  
  
• Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea Exactly what it sounds like: biographies of normal people who live(d) in DPRK over the last 30 years. This book is shocking, sickening, heart wrenching, triumphant, and any other superlative descriptor you can think of. Can't recommend it enough.
  
  
• Aquariums of Pyongyang. Nothing to Envy describes gulag life in detail but this book delves into it exclusively and I found myself enthralled but revolted at the same time. You'll have to take breaks to process the horror and atrocities it describes.
  
  So yeah, check any of those books out then come back here and see if you're still inclined to "oooo" and "awww" and talk about how sweet this is.

Coincidentally, Chuck Klosterman just released a new book like 2 days ago - But What If We're Wrong? So that's an option.

In that vein, I also really enjoyed Gene Weingarten's The Fiddler in the Subway, which is a collection of his features and columns for the Washington Post. The headline story is about a stunt where they get a world class violinist to play in a DC Metro station to see if anyone will notice, but the other stories are quite good as well.

If you liked Consider the Lobster, then you will also very probably like A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again and Both Flesh and Not.

Edited to add that Everything and More is also very good, though it's not a collection of essays.

Buying a book is not about obtaining a possession, but about securing a protal. How true that sentence is!

Thanks so much for the contest!

Where to start....

You're OK It's Just a Bruise - A Doctor's Sideline Secrets About Pro Football's Most Outrageous Team by Rob Huizenga. As a team doctor for the Raiders during the 80s, Huizenga has access to Al Davis, Howie Long, Lyle Alzado, and others. Another in a long line of books that shows player medical treatment is poor.

Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football by Dan Moldea. Eye opening stuff about the connections between the owners and the mafia. It raises suspicions on rigged games in the history of the NFL and also goes into the gambling connections.

Bringing the Heat by Mark Bowden. A great book about the Eagles of the early 90s. It goes into the lack of injury treatment, follows Reggie White and Buddy Ryan, and touches on Jerome Brown's death and it's impact to the team.

Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty by Jeff Pearlman. I grew up hating the 90s Cowboys, but it was nice to read about the inside of that team. The book goes into the personalities, the Jones-Johnson clash, the Irvin - McIver stabbing, and the cocaine houses.

The Dark Side of the Game by Tim Green. Another great book that goes into detail about drug tests, injuries, treatment, and everything that goes on in an NFL locker room. One of my favorites.

Happy to Be Alive by Darryl Stingley. This is an autobiography of receiver Darryl Stingley chronicling his life before and after the paralyzing hit by Jack Tatum.

Meat on a Hoof by Gary Shaw. It talks about college football at UT in the 70s. The treatment of the players was pretty shocking to read. This is one you can find cheaper in a used bookstore.

r1b4z01d said it first, but I'll say it again. The book, Marijuana Is Safer, is a sensible discussion of why marijuana deserves a better reputation, and why it should be legalized. It's all based on good science and history, and is an overall good read. Check your local library for a copy, and leave it on their night stand.

Adams deserves more credit then they do. Adams was the key figure in pushing for independence. Strongly recommend https://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-David-McCullough/dp/0743223136

Great book about the man.

I'm reading this book right now: can't say if the whole thing is great, but the first chapter and half are (although he uses a thesaurus a little much for my tastes) excellent; it's about his adventure from to independence. Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilguskas

http://www.amazon.com/Walden-Wheels-Open-Road-Freedom/dp/054402883X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372982298&sr=1-1&keywords=walden+on+wheels

The principal biography is the authorized one by Humphrey Carpenter. (Stay away from the one by Daniel Grotta, which contains considerable misinformation.) There's also a very good book about Tolkien's experiences in WWI, Tolkien and the Great War, which I highly recommend.

Beyond that, if you want more information, seek out Hammond and Scull's two-volume J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide.

Fact:

North Koreans generally refer to pretty girls as "Section 5 girls", as they will likely be impressed into service by Section 5 of the Organisation and Guidance Department, which is responsible for Kim Jong-il's private life. Section 5 maintains his guesthouses and villas, and maintain the food and "entertainment" there.

The girls are selected at 13, undergo annual examinations until 16 for final selection, do a year of training, and are stationed from the ages of 17-24 at different Kim holiday homes and retreats.

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Dear-Leader-Escapee--A-Inside-North/dp/147676655X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409241737&sr=8-1&keywords=dear+leader

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by DFW is pretty entertaining, and according to Amazon has 368 pages.

Currently enjoying But What If We're Wrong?

Super interesting.

It's not a book. This is an excerpt from a commencement speech by David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College. If you like this, you should definitely check out the full speech or check out one of his three collection of essays. He's also got a number of short story collections, including a particularly famous work Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. He's probably most famous for Infinite Jest, a novel well over a thousand pages in length.

If you've never read it, there is a 33 1/3 book about Masters of Reality that is a fictional story about a young kid who gets put into a psych facility because he listens to sabbath and smokes weed and it's all about how Black Sabbath helps him get through the ordeal. It's super short, and I've probably read it at least six or seven times. It simultaneously tells a fictional story and breaks down the record at the same time. It's amazing, I can't recommend it enough.

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Sabbaths-Master-Reality-33/dp/0826428991/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538611851&sr=8-1&keywords=master+of+reality+33+1%2F3

Plus it's George Plimpton, who is a legitimately good writer.

Another good one is The Education of a Coach, by Pulitzer winner David Halberstam.

$7.95 on amazon.com for the paperback :)

It's well worth a read. I really enjoyed reading it again.

About older times:

Slingin' Sam

Instant Replay

Boys Will Be Boys

Newer Releases

Driven: From Homeless to Hero, My Journeys On and Off Lambeau Field

The New Orleans Saints Story: The 43-Year Road to the Super Bowl XLIV Championship

I really liked "The Real All-Americans" about the Carlisle Indian School. Although it has nothing to do with the NFL. Except that Jim Thorpe played for them and he played in the very very early NFL.

I also really liked "The Education of a Coach". A biography of Bill Belichick. Obviously this would have limited appeal outside of NE.

You could always read his book, which details his views pretty extensively.

It's pretty good actually.

I don't know any but I am currently reading "The Kid" by Dan Savage where he talks about adopting a child with his boyfriend. Pretty entertaining so far.

Go to a community college for 2 years before university, get a job, save every cent, get scholarships, sell your stuff, borrow textbooks from friends, find a cheap room to rent, and eat nothing but ramen. That's how i did it.

Here's a book by a student at Duke who secretly lived in his van to escape debt. If you're interested, I recommend it: http://www.amazon.com/Walden-Wheels-Open-Road-Freedom/dp/054402883X/ref=la_B00CHGS5YI_sp-atf_title_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398049979&sr=1-1

Gracias for the answer. I'd love an AMA too. This reminds me of A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins, who set out to find 'America' in the wake of the Vietnam War. He came through Alabama, and even had our infamous Governor Wallace invite him to his office to wish him well.

Whether it's walking across America or just the Appalachian Trail, I hope to do the same some time soon (esp. since I graduate from AU this May). Both Peter and Anthony remind me of how possible it is.

John Adams by David McCullough. Amazing book. Such an interesting journey with so many interactions with historical events. And it was real... which is easy to forget.

Yeah. that and there were at least four shows shooting for my demographic with similar "partners who come to love each other" crap main lines. Warehouse 13, that spy show with the blond chick and blind techie (covert operations?), Bones, NCIS does it from time to time...

So I turned off the TV and haven't looked back. I can thoroughly recommend John Adams' biography for intrigue, world travel, duty, rogues, and romance.

This is a tangent, but if you ever want to change your own mind, one of the best biographies I ever read was told oral-history-style - The Chris Farley Show

Harry Houdini did far, far more in his life than people will ever remember. He's a bit of a hero of mine, particularly after reading this excellent biography about a hundred times. He was a pilot, an inventor, a middle-distance world-record holder, a possible spy, and a man who spent countless hours debunking frauds and con artists of all kinds, among many other things. He's one of the most fascinating humans of the twentieth century, and far more accomplished than even his reputation would imply.

My Lobotomy by Howard Dully is fantastic. The NPR piece that started it all. Amazon link. It's pretty much about what you'd assume, a man having a lobotomy as a child and what happens after that.

The Glass Castle is another really good one. If you ever thought your parents were weird or grew up without money, you need to read this. It's beautifully written.

I'll throw in another recommendation - "Dear Leader" the story of Jong Il's personal poet who fled. Unbelievable tale of how the top 1% lives in NK versus the abject poverty of the other 99%.

It has a lot of info that was new to me, as an example, there are people whose job it is to look for attractive girls in junior high schools who are sent (their consent is never asked for) to special resort hotels as slaves. A depressing fact for sure, but if you listen to Robert Evans you probably will appreciate the book.

​

https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Leader-Escape-North-Korea/dp/1476766568

John Adams

This guy lived an amazing life first off. Second reading his Bio is a really good way to learn about the American Revolution and 18th century Europe. \

http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-David-McCullough/dp/0743223136

Boys will be boys. Such a great look back on what being a football superstar was like before the age of social media and before when everyone had a phone.

I kinda even hate the cowboys but I still really enjoyed it and think back on it from time to time. Some of the stories stay with you.

When Pride Still Mattered is one of the best football books around.

Also, What it Takes to be Number One.

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Safer-Driving-People-Drink/dp/1603581448

I'm sure there are some other good books out there, but I just finished this one and it makes some very good comparisons about the dangers of alcohol vs marijuana. For those who don't know a whole lot about the subject, i think it would be a good place to start.

You dad sounds like he would love Nick Offerman's (Ron Swanson) book "Paddle Your Own Canoe"

http://www.amazon.com/Paddle-Your-Own-Canoe-Fundamentals/dp/0451467094/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418134129&sr=1-1&keywords=paddle+your+own+canoe&pebp=1418134130597

When Pride Still Mattered - a biography of Vince Lombardi. It's about football (so it's acceptable to read at 16) and I always find that reading biographies or autobiographies of significantly influential people (no matter what they influence) gives me some insight into humanity.

Humphrey Carpenter's biography is quite good, and pretty widely available, I think.

This is oddly specific, you can gift him a planer even if he isn't proficient with it. It is very nostalgic and as a woodworker he could understand/appreciate its use.

Or

Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman

Kind of related, A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins was a very enjoyable non fiction read. Check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Across-America-Peter-Jenkins/dp/006095955X

I'm in the middle of 5 different books because I am a bit of a moody reader (sometimes I'm in the mood to read something funny, other times I want something mysterious, something informative, something that will give me second hand embarrassment, etc.)

Currently I'm reading:

• Everything's Eventual by Stephen King
  
• Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
  
• Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman
  
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  
• The Food Truck Handbook by David Weber
  
  On my "next to read" list:
  
  
• The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
  
• Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

great football book, not college but still one of my favorites

here

If you like the writing style of Michael Lewis, you need to check out this book. Lewis wrote a fantastic book on a way to look at baseball that no fan had ever seen before. He based his hugely successful baseball book on The Hidden Game of Football, now out of print but available used.

For pure storytelling, you have to read "When Pride Still Mattered". This biography of Vince Lombardi is nothing short of a masterpiece, and it's no surprise. It's written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author in a style very different from most bio works.

China would likely move south in order to expand their borders and create some sort of buffer zone. They would also secure their border to contain refugees. They are not fond of North Korean civilians. This book talks about it, as the guy escaped and travelled through China to get to South Korea, all while being hunted by authorities who would have sent him straight back to the North.

This is the first memoir he put out, and he has another one on people whom he admires, called Gumption. I have Paddle Your Own Canoe on Audible so he reads to me. It's incredibly relaxing.

If you haven't already, I recommend reading/listening to Craig's memoir American On Purpose. He's really such an intelligent man.

Some of my favorite late night appearances have been on his show. Two of them being Stephen Fry's appearances with an audience and without.
Craig's show was rarely about the promotion of someone's project, and much more about making a real connection. I miss that in late night television.

1995, mostly about lost highway. http://www.lynchnet.com/lh/lhpremiere.html
also found in A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again
https://www.amazon.com/Supposedly-Fun-Thing-Never-Again/dp/0316925284/
an excellent read throughout that gets to the core of how lynch works

A good book for anyone interested in this post: https://www.amazon.com/But-What-If-Were-Wrong/dp/0399184120

Have you read this? The Chris Farley Show. It's a great book about him.

He wrote this which is a short but fun read: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B006Z499M0/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1474656818&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=fred+stoller&dpPl=1&dpID=41JFf6mGzOL&ref=plSrch

NYT bestseller and it's very popular on Amazon. Might check it out.

http://www.amazon.com/Glass-Castle-Memoir-Jeannette-Walls/dp/074324754X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310196193&sr=8-1

If you're interested he did an interesting book about a black Sabbath record a while back: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0826428991?pc_redir=1407182053&robot_redir=1

Fred Stoller's book My Seinfeld Year
(http://www.amazon.com/Seinfeld-Year-Kindle-Single-ebook/dp/B006Z499M0) is a good look into the writing process of that show.

Apparently the way it worked was a writer had to pitch & get approved a Jerry story, Elaine Story, Kramer story & George story, then map out how all the stories intersected w/ each other.
Once Larry & Jerry approved all this, the writer had permission to write the episode.
Once done, they turned it in & Larry & Jerry proceeded to punch it up. Sometimes only changing a few names, other times rewriting every joke until nothing was left but set pieces & structure.

The Glass Castle, by Jennette Walls was the last book I remember enjoying before school killed my love for reading. (They made us annotate purely Charles Dickens, making us ignore plot, but rather focus on rhetorical devices; and even then I wasn't too fond of his tales). As of now, my English AP class is having us read Narrative of the Life of a Slave by Frederick Douglass. This is the first book we are reading in-class this school year, but this is the first time I get to read without annotating and can actually enjoy the book!!

This is an incredible book on this exact subject. The author worked in the heart of the propaganda machine and was responsible for coming up with the stupid, mythological stories about the amazing feats of the Dear Leader that are taught to North Korean kids as fact. He knew it was all nonsense but his life was relatively great so it wasn't in his interest to rebel. He did start to doubt the regime though, inevitably, and eventually escaped.

I read this book in about two sittings - I couldn't put it down, it's so gripping! What was incredibly fascinating was how he explained the ascent of Kim Jung-il, the son of Kim il-Sung. Kim Jung-il hated his father and wasn't actually chosen to succeed Kim il-Sung, as it's commonly believed. Kim Jung-il orchestrated a power grab before his father's death using his relatively low-level job in the propaganda office. In his job, he realised the true potential of propaganda and how it could be used to manipulate and control. He used his position to control the flow of information to his father before eventually cutting him off completely. This allowed him to set up an alternative centre of power around himself, the real power, alongside the pretend power of his father. Fascinating stuff.


https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Leader-Escape-North-Korea/dp/1476766568/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492589026&sr=8-1&keywords=Dear+Leader%3A+My+Escape+from+North+Korea

The best description I've ever read of why to go Uncircumcised was in Dan Savage's book The Kid

http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Safer-Driving-People-Drink/dp/1603581448/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312130148&sr=1-2

This one is the best IMO.

This book actually began my red pilling, I saw the intent and sacrifice of the founders for the first time. One of the most well written books ever and it is based on true precise history. All the letters written between Adams and others were a key part of the historical picture. The HBO series is also great but read the book first.

https://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-David-McCullough/dp/0743223136/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1487202896&sr=8-4&keywords=john+adams

Ken ilgunas' book Walden on Wheels is a great read about just this.

https://www.amazon.com/Walden-Wheels-Open-Road-Freedom/dp/054402883X

The Glass Castle is a great read

The Education of a Coach - David Halberstam. Great book about Bill Belichick

https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Leader-Escape-North-Korea/dp/1476766568

Great book.

Seems like you might like this book

If anyone has the chance you should read The Chris Farley Show to learn just how true that statement is.

There's a great book you should read about the 90s team. Double-check with your dad first, though, okay? It does address somewhat mature themes. (I know, 17, but.)

Boys Will Be Boys.

Have you ever read The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls?

It is equally amazing, engrossing, and super hard to read.

Of course the book by David McCullough is excellent.

This book states that these women 'serve' between the ages of 17-24 and that they're selected at the age of 13. This book then states that "Pleasure girls retired from the corps at 22, after which they were often married off to other members of the elite."

Why are you specifically choosing a same-sex couple? I'm a lesbian and seriously want to thank you for making a decision that will mean the world to one lucky couple.

On a related note, Dan Savage and his partner adopted their son in an open adoption. I highly recommend his book, The Kid.

Here's a kindle single by someone who wrote for Seinfeld for a year. He was a writer and also played the character Denim Vest.

From what he writes, it sounds like writing for Seinfeld was not such a dream job and a lot of people didn't last very long.

Walk Across America it is a fantastic book.

Awesome. I own a copy of Craig's autobiography. A pretty good read about a very rock'n'roll life and his struggles with alcohol and drug abuse.

Have you read Dan Savage's book about the process? It is called the kid, it is from 2000 so you should be able to find a second hand one in a used bookstore by now.

I have seen other redditors asking this over in /r/lgbt if you want to search for previous posts over there.

I suggest reading The Glass Castle It is about rising above family circumstances. You may find some inspiration here.

A Walk Across America

Not exaclty what you're looking for, the author walked, didn't run. I read the book in high school and I enjoyed it at the time, although I couldn't really tell you much about it now.

Years ago we enjoyed A Walk Across America

This book - Dear Leader - really explained it well to me through the eyes of a defector who had actually met Kim Jong-Il and was his poet laureate.

It was fascinating how he went from believing the propaganda to seeing the truth.

There's a personal memoir that's pretty much all about this. http://www.amazon.com/Glass-Castle-Memoir-Jeannette-Walls/dp/074324754X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462804591&sr=8-1&keywords=glass+castle

This is my favorite story about crossing america on foot.

A book that sounds relevant to your class that might interest you (full disclosure: haven't read it yet) is Chuck Klosterman's But What If We're Wrong?: Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past.

What I saw about your childhood made me think of this book. http://www.amazon.com/The-Glass-Castle-A-Memoir/dp/074324754X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347259290&sr=8-1&keywords=glass+castle
It's a good book, you should read it.

someone send this book to this kids parents.
Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are They Driving People to Drink

If you are interested in this kind of thing, Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee is a must read. He is an insider who escaped and gives unprecedented inside views.

Hamilton was a controversial figure to say the least. During his time in Washington's cabinet, he was fundamental to the creation of the policies of the Federalist party. He was frequently reviled by the Democratic-Republican press, accused of being a secret monarchist, enriching himself at the expense of the government, and poisoning the mind of the otherwise perfect George Washington. He also did not have positive relationships with either Jefferson or Adams. While Jefferson thought his policies were dangerous Adams disliked him for much more personal reasons. During the elections of 1792 and 1796, Hamilton secretly lobbied against Adams, ostensibly so that Washington would be elected unanimously. Not surprisingly, Adams took that personally, and never forgave him.

One of the frequent criticisms that was lobbied against Hamilton was that he was too ambitious. During the quasi-war with France (1798-1800), Adams placed Washington in charge of the army in case of a French invasion. Due to Washington's age, he appointed Hamilton to be his deputy, meaning that he was essentially in control of the army. When it became clear that France was not going to invade, and the army would not be needed. Hamilton began to suggest various other military targets that he could attack (Florida or Spanish Louisiana). Southern Democratic-Republicans also spread rumors that Hamilton planned to march on them, placing himself at the head of a coup.

While he may have been interested, Hamilton never really had an opportunity to run for president. Of the 4 elections he lived through (he died in 1804), two were unanimously won by Washington, and John Adams was the Federalist candidate in the other two.

As to whether or not he could have won - probably not. He was despised by the Democratic-Republicans and distrusted by some members of his own party. Additionally, after Jefferson's election in 1800, the Democratic-Republican party controlled the presidency for the next 30 years. So even if he had not died in 1804, he may never have had a good opportunity.

Finally, another strike against Hamilton was his involvement in the 'first American sex scandal.' Democratic-Republican newspaper editor James Thomson Callender published that Hamilton had been making secret payments to James Reynolds. After Reynolds was jailed for a financial scheme, Callender insinuated that Hamilton was involved. Hamilton responded by stating that he wasn't involved in any such scheme, he'd just been sleeping with Reynolds' wife. (He even issued a pamphlet saying such.) This scandal, combined with the general dislike for him throughout the country would almost certainly have kept him from ever being elected President.


Further Reading

• Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
  
  
• [Washington a Life by Ron Chernow] (http://www.amazon.com/Washington-Life-Ron-Chernow/dp/0143119966/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462079461&sr=8-1&keywords=washington++a+life)
  
  
• John Adams by David McCullough

You will have more time to study. You may want to read: https://www.amazon.com/Walden-Wheels-Open-Road-Freedom/dp/054402883X

I'd suggest you live in your current car before you go to university if you can, even if only for a couple of weeks. See how you like it, and don't cheat. If it is OK but you just need to make a couple of tweaks, good to go. If it is miserable or stressful and you think somehow a pretty van with high tech gizmos will make it work -- I'd caution against going forward.

This is a good place to start. If I weren't a lazy shit I'd dig up some of the letters that Lewis and him traded, but I can't find them anymore.

But What If We're Wrong

It came out like 3 days ago

Thought I'd provide some Amazon links to these fine suggestions, along with a few of my own.

J.R.R. Tolkien Companion & Guide US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0008214549/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Jc.DCb1A3J8V6

​

Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/000755690X/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Qe.DCbHG7HWXM

​

Art of the Lord of the Rings US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544636341/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_3f.DCbB8Y2ZNZ

​

Art of the Hobbit US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0547928254/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_ng.DCbCX2CT65

​

Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1851244859/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Vg.DCbSEH99RE

​

Rateliff's History of the Hobbit US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CF6AZWK/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Dj.DCbGWY7970

​

Fonstad's Atlas of Middle-Earth US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618126996/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Kk.DCbC2XF6NT

​

Letters of JRR Tolkien US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618056998/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_ml.DCbREBRZH4

​

Carpenter's Tolkien: A Biography US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618057021/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_xm.DCbY976PAE

American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot

Archives for the links in comments:

• By somercet (usatoday.com): http://archive.fo/jltcT
  
• By somercet (amazon.com): http://archive.fo/UKNOe
  
• By Rixgivin (cancer.gov): http://archive.fo/VkRGF
  
• By Unplussed (cancer.gov): http://archive.fo/VkRGF
  
• By Konsaki (weather.com): http://archive.fo/iO285
  
  ----
  I am Mnemosyne 2.1, Archives for the Archive God! ^^^^/r/botsrights ^^^^Contribute ^^^^message ^^^^me ^^^^suggestions ^^^^at ^^^^any ^^^^time ^^^^Opt ^^^^out ^^^^of ^^^^tracking ^^^^by ^^^^messaging ^^^^me ^^^^"Opt ^^^^Out" ^^^^at ^^^^any ^^^^time

Dude, do yourself a favor and read [Boys Will be Boys] (http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Will-Be-Cowboys-Dynasty/dp/0061256811), your team was delightfully fucked up in the 90's!

When you have a chance grab a copy of this book. I've read it a dozen times. I just bought 4 more copies as Christmas presents for all my grandchildren old enough to read

http://www.amazon.com/When-Pride-Still-Mattered-Lombardi/dp/0684870185

He has a short kindle book on amazon, its kind of interesting.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006Z499M0/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1397004404&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40

This wasn't written by Belichick, but is an excellent read: Education of a Coach by Dave Halberstam. I read this 5 or so years ago and it made me completely re-think how I viewed coaches in the NFL. I highly recommend it.

Hell, I'm going to go home after work and start re-reading it now that I'm reminded of it.

I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but Boys Will be Boys is an entertaining read. It's about the cowboys in the '90's and their crazy shenanigans.

http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Will-Be-Cowboys-Dynasty/dp/0061256811/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426266643&sr=1-1&keywords=boys+will+be+boys

David foster Wallace discusses Lynch (with a large focus on Lost Highway) at length in this fine book. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316925284?pc_redir=1404145978&robot_redir=1

I thoroughly recommend it.

I read this.
https://www.amazon.com/Walden-Wheels-Open-Road-Freedom/dp/054402883X
Not a bad read. It might include some thoughts you had not considered. The author was at Duke. North Carolina is considerably warmer than chicago.

I grew up in Alaska. You can effectively draw a line from Anchorage to Buffalo NY and pull that middle section way down into Chicago and Gary and get approximate winters. Chicago is arguably worse than Anchorage because Anchorage has mountains between it and the arctic circle. The midwest has a whole lot of nothing.

Anyways...The reason I drone on and on about that is that winter can really exhaust you. And it is a slow attrition. Picture this: Its january. You are tucked in a library study carrel. The library is about to close. And soon you have to leave. To walk across campus. It is 20F out. And thats before taking the wind into account. You will walk a mile in that deep freeze to arrive at home...where everything is just as frozen as the outdoors. The only difference is the wind. Inside you wait for the van to warm up. your hands are stiff and clumsy.your feet ache. much of what you own is wither frosty, or when it warms, wet. This is day 60.

Okay I do engage in a little hyperbole there. Worst factors all at once and all that. But this is the sort of thing that leads to Cabin Fever which you really dont need when you are studying. I'm not trying to scare you off. Just offer some thoughts to consider. Do the research and if you decide its what you want, then jump in with both feet

This book https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Leader-Escape-North-Korea/dp/1476766568 written by a defector has a part where he mentions that the common speech of Chinese Koreans is pretty much the same dialect as that of the northern North Hamyong province of DPRK.

> even at the cost of denying the mother agency and bodily autonomy

We Westerners are apparently okay with locking children into prisons for 9 years (12 years, 9 out of 12 months) when they could pick up the same skills in less time with less "formal" schooling. We also work for many months to pay taxes before we make enough to take home. You'll need to come up with a better excuse.

This "lost autonomy" is only from the date when the woman becomes aware of her condition, the loss is pretty much limited to, "you'll be a bit fat for a while, then lose most of it all at once."

Most anti-abortionists would gladly make birth control free to all women in exchange for the elimination of abortion. But for some, abortion at 8 months is preferable to them wondering what happened to the child they gave away. Gotta preserve that autonomy somehow.

BTW: A (very funny) discussion of open adoption was given by Dan Savage of all people.

Read the book Marijuana is Safer:

http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Safer-Driving-People-Drink/dp/1603581448/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331844655&sr=8-1

That's all you need right there. Unless you're arguing for medical marijuana, in which case you would probably want to start at NORML's website.

Need a book to read? My English teacher read this to us in grade school. http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Across-America-Peter-Jenkins/dp/006095955X

Reminds me of a modern day version of Peter Jenkins, "A Walk Across America".

Will Oregon do?

I should read more.

Here's the book from Pearlman

You should read this book: https://www.amazon.com/Boys-Will-Be-Cowboys-Dynasty/dp/0061256811

Unlike Sir Anthony, Craig calls himself an American and actually wrote a book about this subject.


https://www.amazon.com/American-Purpose-Improbable-Adventures-Unlikely/dp/0061998494

Klosterman

https://www.amazon.com/But-What-If-Were-Wrong/dp/0399184120

But What If We're Wrong?: Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past by Chuck Klosterman

The latest Chuck Klosterman book deals with this a bit near the beginning.

http://smile.amazon.com/Paddle-Your-Own-Canoe-Fundamentals/dp/0451467094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425977465&sr=8-1&keywords=nick+offerman

There's a book called Walden on Wheels by a guy who went through graduate school at Duke doing this.

Give them a copy of Walden on Wheels?

https://www.amazon.com/Walden-Wheels-Open-Road-Freedom/dp/054402883X?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=054402883X&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=yahfin-20

Its been done before, and he wrote a book about it.

http://smile.amazon.com/Walden-Wheels-Open-Road-Freedom/dp/054402883X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413762133&sr=8-1&keywords=walden+on+wheels

Uh. What about J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter?

Tolkinova biografija, svaki bitan trenutak je napisan, od rodjenja do vecnosti :).

George Washington

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

Andrew Jackson

Those are my suggestions to get you started.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I very rarely read Non-fiction, but this book was riveting.

Have you ever read the book Glass Castle? You might relate in some (but not all) ways. http://www.amazon.com/The-Glass-Castle-A-Memoir/dp/074324754X

Closest is $7.29

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/074324754X/ref=aw_ls_2_2?colid=JVBSWDSMLOPX&coliid=IJGLW3KATKXW4

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Sabbaths-Master-Reality-33/dp/0826428991

Sunset Tree is one of the most emotionally charge albums I've ever heard.

Also, he's a writer too.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Sabbaths-Master-Reality-33/dp/0826428991

Dear Leader by Jang Jin-Sung

Here is the mobile version of your link

I'll just leave this here... Enjoy

https://www.amazon.com/But-What-If-Were-Wrong/dp/0399184120

I'd take Brady vs Manning off that list. The writing was so disappointing poor (IMO) that I didn't make it even halfway through the book. The sentence construction is just so awkward, like the guy is writing some bad Tom/Peyton fanfiction and doesn't know how real people talk.

The Education of a Coach was a really good read, if you want something Pats-related and don't mind that it was published in 2006.

I'll also always recommend The Blind Side by Michael Lewis, highlighting the importance of offensive tackles.

Amazon link to the book. If you "look inside" and search for the word "paper", on page 3 it says,

> After [Kim Il-Sung's] death [...] the status of novelists changed. Poetry became the literary vogue. This was not due solely to Kim Jong-Il's preference for the form. The phenomenon was reinforced, if not triggered, by a shortage of paper when the North Korean economy collapsed and people scrambled just to survive. When there wasn't even enough paper in the country to print school textbooks, not many people could afford to own a hefty revolutionary novel. With poetry, however, the necessary tenets of loyalty to the Kim dynasty could be distilled potently into a single newspaper page. Thus poetry emerged as the dominant literary vehicle through which Kim Jong-il exercised his cultural dictatorship.

Of course, it's probably not easy to independently confirm Jang Jin-Sung's version of events. Someone with more knowledge of North Korea than me should probably answer that.

I started off with Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy since I have a history of depression... the principles are solid, and it's something I continue to work on every day. It would be silly to expect decades of negative reinforcement to be rewired instantly.

Other books:

The Power of Now

The Power of Habit

And this is one I haven't got yet but it's next on my list: Paddle Your Own Canoe because Nick Offerman is a BAMF.

That one is a memoir by Jeannette Walls. It's about her and her family. She grew up in poverty, although I think those in poverty live better than what she and her brothers and sisters went through. WOW, I'll tell you It's a crazy story. The glass castle comes from something her father would say to her. I don't want to go into it too much in case you decide to read it. Here is the link on Amazon.