In this ground-breaking book, Katy Milkman reveals a proven path to help readers move from where they are to where they want to be. Drawing on her original research and the work of her world-renowned scientific collaborators, Milkman shares strategic methods for identifying and overcoming common barriers to change, such as impulsivity, procrastination, and forgetfulness. The book offers innovative approaches like 'temptation bundling,' using timely reminders, and creating 'set-it-and-forget-it systems' to make change more achievable. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring solutions to specific roadblocks and using science to stack the deck in favor of successful change.
Roland Huntford's "The Last Place on Earth" offers a compelling narrative of the race to the South Pole, focusing on the contrasting approaches and personalities of Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen. The book delves into the meticulous planning and preparation of Amundsen's expedition, highlighting his pragmatic approach and focus on efficiency. In contrast, it portrays Scott's expedition as plagued by poor decision-making, inadequate equipment, and internal conflicts. Huntford masterfully weaves together historical accounts, personal diaries, and expert analysis to create a gripping tale of human endurance, ambition, and tragedy. The book's detailed examination of the expeditions' logistical challenges and the harsh realities of Antarctic exploration provides valuable insights into the complexities of early 20th-century polar exploration. Ultimately, "The Last Place on Earth" serves as a powerful testament to the human spirit and the enduring allure of the unknown.
Master of the Senate is the third volume in Robert Caro's biography series, The Years of Lyndon Johnson. The book focuses on Johnson's rapid ascent in the U.S. Congress, especially his time as Senate majority leader from 1949 to 1960. It explores how Johnson transformed the Senate through his political acumen, manipulating Senate rules, building coalitions, and securing legislative victories. The book also delves into Johnson's battle to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1957, his relationships with other senators, and his strategies for maintaining power within the Senate. It provides a comprehensive look at how legislative power works in America and Johnson's role in shaping the Senate into a more effective legislative body.
This monumental biography by Richard Norton Smith delves into the life of Nelson Rockefeller, detailing his political career, personal struggles, and contributions to modern art. It provides a nuanced portrayal of Rockefeller's ambitions, challenges, and legacy as a progressive Republican leader.
I got my start as a blogger. But more specifically, I got my start as a health policy blogger. My first piece of writing I remember people really caring about was a series called “The Health of Nations,” in which I checked out books from college library, downloaded international reports, and profiled the world’s leading health systems. It was crude stuff, but it taught me a lot. The way we do health care isn’t the only way to do health care. It’s not the best way, or the second best, or the third.
Ezekiel Emanuel is a bioethicist, oncologist, and co-director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Health Transformation Institute. He was a top health policy advisor in the Obama administration, he’s a senior fellow at the Center for American progress, he makes his own artisanal chocolate, and he’s got a new book — Which Country Has the World’s Best Healthcare? — where he goes into more detail than I ever did, or could, to profile other health systems and rank them against our own.
So, yes, this is a conversation about which country has the world’s best health system. But it’s also about how innovation in health care actually works, whether there’s any evidence private insurers add actual value, whether health care is the best investment to make in improving health (spoiler: no), how do you improve a health system when half of the political system will fight like hell against those improvements, and much more. Emanuel has also been doing a lot of work on coronavirus policy, and so we spend some time there, discussing the question that’ tormenting me now: Are we simply giving up that fight? And is there even a politically viable option to giving up, given how much time the government has wasted and how exhausted the public is?
Book recommendations:
Master of the Senate by Robert Caro
The Last Place on Earth by Roland Huntford
On His Own Terms: A Life of Nelson Rockefeller by Richard Norton Smith
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The Gray Area with Sean Illing 
