Book One: The Sports Gene by David Epstein. It is a book on how genetics as well as training and conditioning affect human athleticism. It explores common conceptions as well as misconceptions pertaining to these concepts. It gives advice on how you can be the best athlete possible based on your body of work and what you were born with.
Book Two: American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It is a book of the adventures of Shadow Moon, an ex-convict who lost his wife and the rest of his life until he meets Mr. Wednesday (Wednesday is derived from Odin's Day). The book entails the fight between the old gods such as Odin and the new gods such as the internet, technology, and drugs in an Americana setting. I am very interested in world history as well as synthesizing into continuities that apply today. I also heard that Norse Myths and Legends are very cool. I failed to finish this book because it slowed down a little bit and I ran out of time in the middle of last school year, yet I plan to try again at some point.
Book Three: Cosmos by Carl Sagan. This book is very hard to read. It is basically a textbook filled with stuff I am interested in. In seventh and eighth grade, I watched Neil DeGrasse Tyson's "Cosmos" (my favorite TV show, see blog post #1) and this inspired me to try to read some of Sagan's book. This summer, I rewatched the series and tried to read some more of the book. I also knew that I would be diving into more complex science the year on school, so I thought it might help. (Both the series and the book are epic summaries of the field of astrophysics through a less complex and more philosophical lens) It turns out, I was able to understand a lot more, yet there is still a lot I did not. Maybe I will try again after senior year.
Book Four: The Teenage Brain by Frances E. Jensen. Of course I read this book, but I felt it was worth mentioning. I have not had the opportunity to take Psychology in High School due to my commitment to band class, however it is something I am interested in. This provided an insight into how it applies to me. The one problem I have with the book is that it does not seem like I am the intended audience. It seems like the intended audience is parents who need to seek comfort because for one reason or another they cannot deal with their teenage children and their struggles need to be justified by scientific evidence given in an argument style by Jensen. Despite this, my favorite thing about this book as well as psychology in general is that feelings and instincts that one takes for granted actually have an intricate scientific explanation. It feels like it gives me control over these feelings, like I can manage any pain or other negative feeling because I think of it as an electric signal sent up my spine to my brain rather than an integral part of my life.
i hate that you are better read that i am
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