The World's Best Book Summaries
When you’re sick or injured, can homeopathy cure or heal you? Although some people swear by homeopathic remedies, many people say homeopathy doesn’t work. One person suggesting homeopathy doesn’t work is Tara Westover. In her memoir Educated, Westover writes about her family’s anti-medicine stance and her parents’ dependence on homeopathy rather than hospital visits. Below, read about how homeopathic remedies were used in her childhood home.
Who is Brer Rabbit? And why is he so important to the history of the Civil Rights Movement? Brer Rabbit is a popular character in Southern lore who uses his wits to outsmart characters who are stronger and more powerful than he is. We’ll cover how the Brer Rabbit stories inspired the leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement, and what you can learn from both the stories and the movement.
Losing a parent is one of the most devastating things that can happen to a child. But, once the initial, most acute grieving subsides, is it possible that losing a parent can make a child stronger? We’ll cover the theory of “desirable difficulties” and look at why it may not be a coincidence that some of the most successful people in history lost a parent when they were young.
What are desirable difficulties? Are all difficulties desirable? Desirable difficulties are so-called disadvantages that can actually be strong advantages. They build resilience and make you seek surprising strengths despite having the difficulties. We’ll cover three desirable difficulties — disability, tragedy, and having nothing — and look at why these difficulties may make you stronger than you would have been without them.
From an early age, we’re taught that working well with others is imperative for success. But are there advantages to having a disagreeable personality? Sometimes, the most powerful people we know are the most disagreeable. We’ll cover why some of these powerful people may be able to credit their disagreeable personalities for their success.
Every parent knows the benefits of smaller class sizes: more attention, higher achievement, and a sense of community, among other benefits. With so much to love, what could be bad about smaller class sizes? The benefits of smaller class sizes are valuable, but smaller isn’t always better. We’ll look at examples from around the world that demonstrate that it’s possible for a class to be too small.
A surprisingly high percentage (one study says ⅓) of successful entrepreneurs and business leaders are dyslexic. Are they successful in their careers despite their dyslexia or, perhaps, because of it? Is it possible that there are some dyslexia benefits? We’ll look at unexpected dyslexia benefits and examples of real-life entrepreneurs who have used their dyslexia to their advantage.
Can money buy happiness? Some might say it depends on who you ask, but social scientists might say it depends on how much you have. Learn how money affects your levels of happiness, why more isn’t necessarily better, and why more might actually be worse.
Overview of Law #17: Keep Others in Suspense: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability Because people crave predictability and a sense of control, you can throw others off balance and even terrify them by cultivating an air of unpredictability. While your opponents are stressing themselves out by trying the explain and anticipate what you’re doing, you can achieve your objectives almost unnoticed.
In 12 Rules for Life, Rule #2 is “Treat Yourself Like Someone You Are Responsible for Helping.” What does this mean? Why would you not treat yourself like you’re helping yourself? Why do you treat other people better? This is what Jordan Peterson’s Rule 2 covers.