Books to Get You Thinking
For book lovers, every summer brings with it recommended reading lists brimming with enticing titles of every shade and hue – mysteries and thrillers, memoirs, and nonfiction to enjoy outdoors in your backyard, on a sunny beach, or just curled up on your favorite couch in the cool of your home. Stephen King, in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, proclaims “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” For all of you who enjoy a good work of nonfiction, the year 2021 has seen the publication of some outstanding reads. Here is a selection of a few fascinating titles owned by the Mercer County Library System that would make for great summer reading!
Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgement by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony and Cass Sunstein
This book is the result of an interesting
collaboration between three distinguished scholars - Daniel Kahneman from
Princeton University; the 2002 Nobel Prize winner and author of Thinking Fast and Slow, Oliver Sibony, Professor
of Strategy at HEC Paris; and Cass Sunstein, Director of Behavioral Science and
Public Policy at Harvard University. The book highlights the phenomenon of noise
– the wide disparities in individual opinions, judgements and decisions that can
exist among different professionals on the very same issue. This is most evident in domains like medical
diagnosis, insurance underwriting, judgments in criminal cases, and job
interviews. The authors attribute the significant variability in decisions to the
twin factors of bias and noise. While
the impact of bias in decision-making has been recognized and discussed
extensively in earlier literature, this book explores in detail the role and
pervasive nature of noise in decision making.
The authors present methods to measure noise while discussing strategies
to counteract it. They identify the
phenomenon of systems noise and how, in group situations, noise can
amplify. Many case studies are reviewed
to illustrate the mechanics of noise and the authors have proposed several
check lists and corrective actions (decision hygiene) to achieve consistent
decision making. It is important for organizations
and businesses to recognize the enormous costs that emanate from inconsistent
decision making and focus their strategy and operation management on eliminating
it. The research incorporated in the book presents a milestone and an understanding
of the interplay of bias. Noise in
decision- making has far reaching implications.
Elizabeth
Kolbert is a writer for the New Yorker who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for
her earlier book, The Sixth Extinction:
An Unnatural History which brought attention to the existential threat we
face from climate change. Her new book takes the discussion on climate change
one step forward by critically examining the feasibility of large-scale
technology interventions to reverse the ecological consequences of global
warming. The author investigates several
large geo-engineering projects of the past, revealing that most of these
projects have either failed or created a new set of problems, which in turn
then require even more comprehensive solutions. One case study that she discusses
is the engineering effort to save New Orleans from sinking that involved an elaborate
network of levees, embankments, and floodwalls. Another interesting example highlighted
by the author is a project in Chicago that reversed the flow of the Chicago
River to avert the drainage of sewage flow to Lake Michigan. One of the consistent themes that emerges
from Kolbert’s review of these projects is the enormous scale of human effort that
will be required to tackle climate change along with the inherent human limitations
to anticipate the negative impact of technology. Based on countless interviews with
researchers and professionals in the field, the book provides a succinct view
of the innovative projects being undertaken in many parts of the world. The
projects include some that are highly controversial, while others have
groundbreaking potential. The most
compelling message of the book is the urgency, and the scale, of global efforts
that are needed to save our planet. This
book is a pivotal study which will shape the debate on mankind’s future and
what we have lost in our quest to conquer Nature.
Simon Winchester has a long and distinguished
career in journalism and has written several outstanding books including The
Perfectionists and The Professor and the Madman. In this new work, the
author presents extensive research and analysis on how ownership of land has
played a pivotal role in the progression of our civilization, as well as in the
evolution of our political, cultural, and social institutions. The scope of the
book is enormous and the narrative moves at a brisk pace, revealing the complex
facets of land ownership. He talks about the geological forces that have shaped
the formation of the land which we inhabit today, how the emergence of
agriculture created an urge to find fertile land, and how battles have been
fought to establish national boundaries and assert rights to exploit the
land. There is also a story of a brave
researcher who spent four decades in measuring the size of the land spanning
the earth, as well as a century long quest to create an exquisite map which
truly represents the land in its myriad forms, terrains, and topology. The author explores how many communities have
approached land with humility and cared for its preservation and how reckless
industrialization, political expediency and greed have caused havoc and the destruction
of land resources. The book urges us to
reevaluate our relationship with land. One the most remarkable narratives is
the impact of climate change on land.
While through the ages, mankind has assumed the immutability and permanence
of land, Winchester provides a compelling perspective that an irreversible
decline is imminent, and we need to redefine our social and political
priorities to ensure that land, in it most enchanting and magnificent form, is preserved
for future generations.
- by Nita Mathur, West Windsor Branch
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