Summer Reading: Selected Books for 2020
The Great Influenza by John M. Barry
One of the heros of the 1918 Pandemic was Dr. Oswald Avery Jr. who was a Canadian-American physician and medical researcher. He dedicated his life on understanding what caused the pandemic and isolated DNA. His ground-breaking work resonates today as the world develop a vaccine for Covid-19.
In 1944 with his co-workers isolated DNA as the material of which genes and chromosomes are made. In 1953, building upon Dr. Oswald Avery Jr work Cambridge University scientists James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick announce that they have determined the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule containing human genes.
Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Mandela provides valuable leadership insights, “I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Grant by Ron Chernow
Frederick Douglass, the famous American thinker said of Grant, “I see in him the vigilant, firm, impartial, and wise protector of my race from all the malign, reactionary, social, and political elements that would whelm them in destruction.” In 1885, President Ulysses S Grant died a hero. Revered in the north for his victories against the Confederacy in the American civil war, he was respected in the south for his generosity towards disbanded rebels, whom he permitted to return home in peace after their commanders’ surrender.
Range by David Epstein
David Epstein examined the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields — especially those that are complex and unpredictable — generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see. It is never too late to have a breakthrough success.
