The World's Best Book Summaries
What are the various pieces of a story? How do they all fit together? According to Robert McKee, story structure is a critical element of the most impactful stories. They follow a consistent pattern that organizes all of the devices, such as escalating risk and a coherent theme, that make up the story. Continue reading to learn what McKee teaches about story structure.
What role does self-interest play in capital lending? How is it good for the economy as a whole? According to Adam Smith, capital grows a nation’s wealth. He identifies two main reasons. First, the self-interest of the capital lender encourages them to invest in productive labor. Second, the self-interest of the lender guides them to invest in less-developed portions of the economy and help them develop. Keep reading to learn how lending capital for profit plays an essential role in growing the wealth of nations.
Why was Nelson Mandela arrested? Why didn’t he receive the death penalty? At first, Nelson Mandela wanted to fight apartheid peacefully. Nonviolent efforts went nowhere, so he created a guerilla group that shook things up. This ultimately led to his arrest in 1962. Continue reading to learn about the arrest of Nelson Mandela.
Do you tend to give a preference to the information you hear first? Do you give more weight to the ideas of people you like? Gathering information is the first step in the critical thinking process. However, you should exercise caution. Some information has baggage—biases that distort reality. Keep reading to learn about four common types of biases that can get in the way of the truth.
Why should a story outline take more time than the other steps in the writing process? Should you work forward or backward? In his book Story, Robert McKee details what he believes to be the ideal writing process: Begin with an outline, flesh it out into a treatment, then polish it into a final script. McKee frames this as a process for screenwriters, but you could apply it to stories in any medium. Let’s look at McKee’s advice for how to write a story outline.
Do embargoes lead to smuggling? Does trade benefit both countries? Is a trade deficit a bad thing? Adam Smith disagrees with restricting international trade for three reasons. He argues that it incentivizes smuggling, redirects domestic capital towards inefficient industries, and prevents countries from entering into mutually beneficial trade relationships. Continue reading for an overview of Adam Smith’s theory of international trade.
How was Victor Verster Prison better than the first two prisons where Mandela was held? When and why was he released? Nelson Mandela spent a total of 27 years in three prisons, enduring harsh conditions but never giving up the fight for racial equality and freedom. In his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela writes about the last of those prisons: Victor Verster. Continue reading to learn about Mandela’s time at Victor Verster Prison and his eventual release.
Do both sides of an argument warrant the same amount of consideration? What’s the difference between correlation and causation? You’ve probably experienced this: You hear something that sounds great. But, when you think it through, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. A fallacy could be to blame. The more you know about fallacies, the better you’ll be able to evaluate information and arguments. Continue reading for a brief overview of three different types of fallacies.
When you’re writing a script, how do you come up with compelling scenes? Is there a formula to follow? In Story, Robert McKee breaks down how stories function and uses this theory to explain how you can write a gripping story—filled with compelling scenes. The book is intended for screenwriters, but its principles apply to any kind of storytelling. Continue reading to learn how to write a scene in a script, and discover why this method is so impactful.
What happens when the government meddles with the economy? What do regulated markets produce (or fail to produce)? The development of a nation’s wealth depends on competitive markets in which participants are free to act in their own self-interest. In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith identifies government policies that interfere with this process and slow down economic growth. We’ll explore two regulated market policies that Smith critiques: restricting international trade and subsidizing industries.