Brighton Non-Fiction Book Club

2024 Year in Review

Books by GPA

Working - 4.00

The Wager - 3.50

Wasteland - 3.44

The White Death - 3.33

How to Hide an Empire - 3.33

Nature's Best Hope - 3.33

Zero - 3.33

The Country of the Blind - 3.33

How to Catch a Mole - 2.17

Metazoa - 1.89

Andy's Top Three:

The Wager

Wasteland

The White Death

Gabe's Top Three:

Working

Wasteland

The White Death

Paul's Top Three:

The Wager

Working

Nature's Best Hope

Non Book Club Books and Articles We Enjoyed in 2024

Andy:

Everyday Vitality: Turning Stress into Strength by Samantha Boardman

Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

The Ritual Effect by Michael Norton

Free-Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Paul:

Thelonious Monk by Robin Kelly

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

The Black Muslims in America by C. Eric Lincoln

Abundance - by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson - April 2025 - selected by Andy

Paul: "This book evolved from an article that appeared in The Atlantic, and it kind of felt like it could have just stayed as an article or podcast episode. There are definitely some interesting ideas, but it's lacking in depth of research and storytelling, and just not quite as meaty as I'd expect out of a hardcover book I paid $32.99 for. Mostly we are getting a very 2025-specific summary of two people's ideas for how to revamp the liberal agenda in America to actually get stuff done. Hopefully some of this stuff comes to fruition, but either way I don't see this book having much of an audience (or resale value 😩) five years from now." C+

Eating to Extinction - by Dan Saladino - March 2025 - selected by Tommy

Gabe: "Overall I liked this book. I thought he did a good job making his point using a huge variety of foods, and I liked how the chapters were in bite-sized sections. Somehow, though, I didn’t find my heartstrings pulled all that much. Maybe because the format got so repetitive? Still, I mostly liked it." B+

Paul: "An impressively researched and mostly fascinating travelogue of the world's rarest (and presumably tastiest) foods that are in danger of being wiped out by global homogenization. Each short chapter is basically a standalone story of the particular food, but in reading all these vignettes, some major themes emerge. You could probably get away with reading any random 10 or 15 of these and still get that big picture, but it was fun to learn a little about all of these unique foods and the people who are dedicated to keeping them alive. Now if only I could find a way to get my hands on some skerpikjøt and some perry to wash it down." B+

Metazoa - by Peter Godfrey-Smith - January 2025 - selected by Paul

Gabe: "I didn’t retain much beyond the idea that the march towards cognition happened incrementally and over a super long time." D

Paul: "Searching for the evolution of consciousness is a really great idea for a popular science book, but this one left me pretty disappointed. The writing is academic and dry, while also lacking in scientific clarity and cohesiveness. PGS's background in philosophy and octopus-observing gives him a unique angle to interpret this stuff, but I think we really needed someone with a stronger handle on evolutionary biology to present this information in a more coherent way and help the average reader get closer to some satisfying answers." C-

Tommy: "Metazoa covers eons of evolution of the mind in the most basic animals through to humans, and many in between. Godfrey-Smith details several philosophies about the mind and what precisely it means to be conscious and sentient. He notes there are different layers and varying degrees to both of these elements and that science has shown many animals are further along these scales than one would think. The most memorable example was that of agitated vs. recently rewarded bees and the impact on risk aversion vs risk taking. Much of the book is dedicated to sea life and Godfrey-Smith interweaves his own stories of observing animals during his dives. These stories often interrupted the flow of his writing and distracted from the broader points being made. Metazoa is written in a friendly and informal manner, which I found enjoyable as it helped combat the often dry subject matter. When I saw AI mentioned in the last chapter, I initially rolled my eyes, but after taking a beat and keeping an open mind, I realized Godfrey-Smith articulated thoughts around AI, and its inability to have an actual mind (at least with current technology), that I’ve held for years. The evolution of the mind over billions of years likely won’t ever feel truly reproducible to me, even if I could never explicitly differentiate between AI and a human. Ultimately, Godfrey-Smith sold me on his primary idea - “we are not extra, not additions to the physical world, but aspects of its workings. We are of these activities rather than merely tied to them or made by them.” B

The Wager - by David Grann - November 2024 - selected by Jachles

Gabe: "Decent, but kind of blurs with all the other stories of shipwrecked/cannibalism/18th-century seafaringness." B

Paul: "Grann, you've done it again. This was page-turning narrative non-fiction at its absolute best. Once the action took to the seas, it was really captivating stuff, culminating in the absolutely wild details of the in-fighting on the island and the miraculous escapes. From the Typhoid outbreak, to the scurvy and starvation, all the way to the eating of the seal blubber shoes, the grisly details are rich, vivid, and pretty much nonstop. In the hands of a gifted researcher and storyteller like David Grann, this material really lifts off." A

Working - by Studs Terkel - October 2024 - selected by Gabe

Gabe: "I thought this book was pretty good. I really liked the broad array of professions Studs included, and often found myself forgetting that the job being described was from 50 years ago and not today. That, or realizing how obsolete some of the jobs are. My knock on the book would be how most of the interviews didn’t get into the meaning of the job for that particular person. I wanted more of that, because what there was was great." A

Paul: "Hugely influential when it first came out and still surprisingly relevant and enjoyable today. This hefty oral history doesn't have any of the qualities of a traditional page-turner, but there were many moments where I found myself binge-reading interview after interview in a strange 1970's-average-joe-induced trance. There are plenty of meaty themes to explore - the meaning of work, how we spend our time, race and gender dynamics, capitalism, people complaining about hippies - and I thoroughly enjoyed the exercise of looking for these themes among hundreds of loosely organized interview transcripts. Studs had a gift for getting people to speak their truth, and while his direct words are rarely on the page, this book still gives you a sense of his unique ability to connect with people. And if you're still not convinced to go snag a $130 copy of this book, maybe listen to my good friend Lin-Manuel Miranda, who somehow wrote two songs for a reboot of Working the Musical (how does this exist??)." A

How to Catch a Mole - by Marc Hamer - August 2024 - selected by Krebs

Gabe: "Meh. I didn’t love the poetry or the poetic writing about moles and mole-catching, but I liked when he talked about aging and what that meant for him." C+

Paul: "I'm all for Marc Hamer's worldview (appreciation of nature, slow down, embrace aging), but as a book this really didn't do it for me. The poetic musings often felt pretentious and slapdash, and there wasn't much in the way of narrative storytelling or coherent scientific info. Respect to Marc for finding an audience for his unique style of nature writing, but it was a miss for me." C

The Country of the Blind - by Andrew Leland - June 2024 - selected by Andy

Gabe: "This book was okay. I found the most interesting parts to be when the author was describing the different organizations and support systems that exist to help blind people, as well as their history and dynamics. I didn't love his philosophizing on what losing his vision might mean. Okay overall." B+

Paul: "First of all, Krebs and I listened to this entire book on bluetooth speakers while biking through rural Vermont. There was something magical about blaring a nonfiction audiobook on max volume while cruising through picturesque rural landscapes, so my overall impression of this book is probably slightly enhanced. It was a touch navel-gazey (even by memoir standards), but once I got into the flow, I really appreciated how thoughtful and analytical Leland was in telling the story of his own experience going blind. The interwoven big-picture historical context was helpful for the flow, and the details of the feuding American blindness organizations was particularly fascinating. There were moments that felt a little too summer 2020 (excessive use of intersectionality, many covid references, etc.), but there was also plenty of humor to offset some of the self-seriousness, as well as many legitimately touching moments, especially in the sections that explored how blindness affected his relationship with his son. Lastly, a quick bonus review from Jane Kriegler, whose husband is blind, and who also read this for her book club.

Me: What'd you think of the book?

Jane: Meh

My grade, however, is a..." B+

Zero - by Charles Seife - May 2024 - selected by Tommy

Wasteland - by Oliver Franklin-Wallis - April 2024 - selected by Paul

Andy: "Definitely thought provoking. I don't think most people think about their trash. The fact that we don't see where it goes isn't a good thing. I like how he talked about his realization about reduce, reuse, recycle. That it should actually be done in that order." B+

Gabe: "I really liked this book. I thought it was well organized, and that the author did a great job of pointing out the nuance in the world of waste. As in, not everything is cut and dry good or bad. My only knock was there felt like too much data out of context. But overall, a great book that left me feeling morally confused, which I liked." A-

Paul: "Fascinating look at what happens to our waste once it leaves our hands. Franklin-Wallis has a conversational writing style from his men's magazine days, which made this a lively and quick read. He also did admirable legwork to actually visit all of the places he reported on in the book, introducing us to a memorable cast of experts and freegan weirdos. There are no easy answers here, which can certainly feel disheartening, but reading this book was a great reminder of the power of simply buying less. So next time someone tries to shame you for wearing a 25-year-old Brighton lacrosse pinny, throwing your food waste in hole in your backyard, or licking a plate clean at a restaurant, just know that you are absolutely doing the right thing." B+

The White Death - by McKay Jenkins - March 2024 - selected by Jachles

Andy: "This was an enjoyable read for me. It didn’t feel like it dragged on too long and the author did a good job setting the scene. I felt I was in Glacier National Park with the rescuers. I enjoyed that background on avalanches which I didn’t know much about." B+

Gabe: "I liked this book." B+

Paul: "This book tells the tragic story of five teenage mountain climbers who were killed in one of the worst avalanche disasters in American history, while also weaving in a scientific and cultural overview of avalanches in general. Jenkins does a good job of respectfully honoring the legacy of the climbers by telling their story in a very human way. The best parts of the book for me were the philosophical and poetic musings about man's relationship with mountains, and while I left this book feeling absolutely no desire to ever go mountain climbing, it provided a fascinating and empathetic look into the psyche of people who feel a spiritual calling to climb." B+

How to Hide an Empire - by Daniel Immerwahr - February 2024 - selected by Gabe

Gabe: "I generally liked this book. I thought it was pretty interesting and covered a topic I knew little about. It did feel like the author spent too long on the history of the Philippines and Puerto Rico without ever really getting into the current situation there, but I thought the part about standards was awesome and super eye opening to think about." B+

Paul: "Well-written, insightful, and funnier than a 400-page book about American Imperialism had any right to be. Immerwahr has a lively writing style that made this fresh perspective feel even fresher. I found the first half a bit more engaging, as it followed a chronological timeline and provided surprising detail and context that definitely wasn't covered in Mr. Lutterbein's AP American history class. The second half consists of more standalone chapters, many of which were quite interesting (shoutout to the crowd-pleasing chapter about standardization), but I found it lost some momentum towards the end." B+

Nature's Best Hope - by Douglas Tallamy - January 2024 - selected by Krebs

Paul: "I've been on the anti-lawn train for years, so this book was really preaching to the choir, but it was some damn good preaching. By replacing our lawns with native plants that encourage biodiversity, we can help the environment, save money, and bring the joys and beauty of nature to our doorstep. Seriously, what's stopping us!? Tallamy is a clear and concise science communicator, and his passion for nature came through on just about every page. I particularly enjoyed the FAQ section, where Tallamy seemed to shed his gentle environmentalist persona, unleashing some savage clapbacks on his (hypothetical?) haters." B+

2023 Year in Review

Books by GPA

The Perfect Mile - 3.47

Huey Long - 3.33

California Burning - 3.13

Pale Horse Rider - 3.07

The WEIRDest People in the World - 3.00

Beaverland - 2.53

Fight Like Hell - 2.33

The Gray Lady Winked - 2.13

Andy's Top Three

The Perfect Mile

Pale Horse Rider

Huey Long

Gabe's Top Three

The Perfect Mile

Huey Long

The WEIRDest People on Earth

Jachles's Top Three

California Burning

Pale Horse Rider

Huey Long

Paul's Top Three

Huey Long

The Perfect Mile

Pale Horse Rider

Tommy's Top Three

The Perfect Mile

The WEIRDest People on Earth

California Burning

Non Book Club Books and Articles We Enjoyed in 2023

Andy:

You're Not Listening by Kate Murphy

Finding Ultra by Rich Roll

Attention Span by Gloria Mark

The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

Gabe:

The Last Action Heroes by Nick de Semlyen

Billionaire Wilderness by Justin Farrell

Labyrinth of Ice by Buddy Levy

Jachles:

Did Demolition Man Predict the Millenial? by Kabir Chibber from The New York Times

Paul:

Stay True by Hua Hsu

How to Read Nancy by Mark Newgarden and Paul Karasik

Wail: The Life of Bud Powell by Peter Pullman

The Number Ones by Tom Breihan

Left Back by Diane Ravitch

Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith

The Garden State Parkway's Jon Bon Jovi Rest Stop is Playing Fast and Loose With Famous Quotes by Dan McQuade from Defector

Tommy:

Helgoland by Carlo Rovelli

Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter

We're all Stochastic Parrots by Goutham Kurra

Why AI Will Save the World by Marc Andreesen

The Perfect Mile - by Neal Bascomb - November 2023 - selected by Andy

Andy: A

Gabe: "I thought this was a pretty good book overall. I liked how it bounced around between the three main guys, and appreciated how it gave a window into sports of that era. The book did feel repetitive in structure, but I get how that added to the dramatic tension of who would break the 4-minute mark." B+

Jachles: B+

Paul: "Well-written, entertaining, and (mostly) uplifting story of the race to break the four-minute mile barrier. The biographies of the three men are interwoven with dramatic recaps of the key races, which Bascomb skillfully narrates with drama and excitement. He talks a lot about this particular moment marking an end to the "amateur era" of sports (for better and worse), and I think the writing style is also evocative of the pre-TV era of sports, when a sportswriter's primary objective was to make you feel like you are in the stadium, soaking up the sights and sounds." B+

Tommy: B+

The WEIRDest People in the World - by Joseph Heinrich - October 2023 - selected by Tommy

Andy: B

Gabe: "I thought this book started pretty slow, and found the first 40% or so quite repetitive. Once he made the transition to exploring how the church’s marriage and family policies grew into our WEIRD society, though, I thought the book really took off. Great discussion, too." B

Paul: "When I first picked up this book, looked at the title, and began reading the introduction, I totally thought it was a thinly veiled argument for white supremacy. After reading the book, it's clear that that was never Heinrich's intent, and he does eventually acknowledge all the horrible things that western cultures have done in recent history. But there is a certain tone-deafness in the introduction of his thesis - "hey you, you're WEIRD! Isn't that crazy!" - that I could never quite shake. The argument itself is quite compelling, and I ended up feeling pretty convinced that the western way of thinking is highly unusual and has had a tremendous impact on the world, for better and worse. Was it necessary to include literally hundreds of scatter plots involving cousin marriage to convince me of this thesis? Maybe! Did the scatter plot about blood donations vs. cousin marriage lead me to immediately make an appointment to donate blood? Absolutely!" B

Tommy: B

Pale Horse Rider - by Mark Jacobson - August 2023 - selected by Paul

Andy: A-

Gabe: "I liked this book quite a bit at first, as it was fun and interesting to read about aliens and JFK and the rise of Bill Cooper into pop culture. I lost interest as the book went on, though, as it became clear that mostly the book was a paraphrasing or cliff notes version of Behold a Pale Horse and not much of anything in the way of analysis. Foiled again by a subtitle." C

Jachles: B+

Paul: "I learned of this book a few years ago when a man on the street roped me into a 20 minute lecture about numerology, hidden messages in dollar bills, and (according to him) the ultimate source of truth - William Cooper's Behold a Pale Horse. When I got home and googled it, Mark Jacobson's New York Magazine article about Cooper's influence on hip hop culture was the first thing to pop up, and I quickly devoured it. Similar to the article, this book is a whirlwind of pop culture, history, sociology, and just plain weirdness. In a single paragraph, Jacobson may bring up Ol' Dirty Bastard, ancient Babylonian texts, and secret government files about aliens. Cooper himself comes off as a troubled and tragic figure, but it was fascinating to think about his influence on the current landscape, where misinformation and conspiracy theories run rampant." B+

Tommy: B