Some of My Favorite Books, 2015
I’m writing on my new blog every day for thirty days straight. This is the nineteenth one.As a kid, I didn’t enjoy reading. Let me clarify. I never have liked being told what to do. I don’t think that I have authority issues, but every time someone gives me an order, I buck like a bronco. I could really go on a tangent here about how our educational system doesn’t encourage much individuality, but I will leave that for someone who knows more about education. So. Where was I? Oh yeah. Reading.As a kid, I identified reading as the activity that took me away from playing video games. But once I got out of school, I started reading. I have a Los Angeles Public Library card now, and I use it regularly. I love reading. I actually realized, outside of school, that I love learning and books are a fantastic way to learn. How novel. Pun intended.Anyways, I thought I’d list some of my favorite books as well as the books I’m currently reading. I can’t really explain the meteoric impact that some of these books have had on my life, but I’ll try.A side-note. For this list, I’m excluding books on acting. Maybe I’ll do another post in the future on acting books I’ve read and enjoyed. But for today, I'm keeping it more general.
The Rise of Superman by Steven KotlerYou want inspiration? Come get it. From the book description on goodreads.com, “At its core, this is a book about profound possibility, what is actually possible for our species, and where-if anywhere-our limits lie.” I read this book while I was training for my half-marathon earlier this year, and I feel myself wanting to pick it up again. If you want to be inspired to be great at anything, read this book and come to understand that greatness is within reach.Radical Acceptance by Tara BreachThis book was recommended multiple times on the Tim Ferris Show podcast (which I highly recommend). As a Catholic, I think I have a predisposition to think of myself as flawed. I am too hard myself as a result. This book has helped strip me of my self-imposed suffering. In the book description’s own words, “when we stop being at war with ourselves, we are free to live fully every precious moment of our lives.” I think this is a must-read for anyone who is too hard on themselves. I plan on reading this book on repeat for the foreseeable future.The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy GallweyIn my opinion, this is a companion book to Radical Acceptance. I wish that someone recommended this book a long time ago. It was recommended by my improv coach as “the best book on improv” she’s ever read. I see it as “the best book on performance” I’ve ever read – performance on stage, in front of a camera, or on a court. It really elaborates on how destructive negative self-talk can be. It taught me how to think of things much more constructively and how to take the focus off of myself while performing. I need to read this book again.So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal NewportI don’t know if I love or hate this book. This is an interesting book for an actor because it really preaches that we, as a culture, shouldn’t be worried about pursuing what we’re passionate about to be happy. It’s almost the antithesis of the Rise of Superman. Simple, Newport preaches that we should find ourselves in jobs where there isn’t a low ceiling and we have the flexibility to direct what we work on. Then, we should stay it in long enough to be good at it. Then we’ll be happy. This book was eye-opening, and I consistently think about it as an actor pursuing what I'm passionate about instead of something more practical. What I’ve discerned is that I didn’t become an actor to be happy (so I can expect the unhappiness that the difficulty of this career presents), and that I plan to do it until I am considered “good” at it. Then, I think I will achieve the success that I expect. Then maybe I can write a counter to this book - "Why Passion Trumps Playing It Safe If You Don't Care About Being Happy All the Time".The Power of Habit by Charles DuhiggI don’t remember how I found this book, but it has been instrumental in forming habits that have shaped my entrepreneurial lifestyle (yes, I consider myself an entrepreneur). It’s really hard, coming out of college, to structure your time when you’re the boss. Because of this book, I make my bed every morning, I floss regularly, and I have structured morning and evening routines which have made it much easier to make progress in my career. I think this book is a fundamental read for anyone who wants to get over bad habits or build new, productive habits that can upgrade your life.Frankenstein by Mary ShelleyAs someone who tends to devote too much time to their career, I love this book. Dr. Frankenstein is a man who devotes too much time to his career and in the end is killed by his work. For me, it’s simply a reminder that I have a life to live outside of acting.Songs My Mother Taught Me by Marlon Brando and Brando: The Biography by Peter MansoBack in 2013, I decided to study Marlon Brando. I watched the majority of his movies. I also read his autobiography, Songs My Mother Taught Me, and a definitive, 1000-page biography, Brando: The Biography. This all gave me a very complete picture of Brando’s life and career. A very dark picture. I didn’t find what I expected. One of America’s greatest actors was one of its most troubled. His life is a cautionary tale for the actor and one of the most interesting American stories that I’ve encountered.
In the future, I plan to have a section on andrewpish.com where I list some of my favorite books and the books I’m currently reading.I love what I’ve learned from reading. I think that reading is fundamentally unappreciated in our culture. That is a tragedy. But I don’t think we are to blame. In school, we’re not taught to read what interests us, we’re taught to read what a board of directors thought should interest us. I don’t list these books in that way. I’m listing these books because they were inspiring to me, and if you’re interested, I know they can be inspiring to you.Let’s get out there and read.