The World's Best Book Summaries
What is a controlling idea? What role does it play in a story? How many should one story have? A controlling idea, Robert McKee argues, is the glue that holds a story together. In his book Story, he explains why it’s important and how it works. He also shows writers how to connect all of the scenes of a story to the controlling idea. Continue reading to learn what McKee teaches about this important aspect of a story.
What does it mean to get a “good deal” on a product? What’s the natural price of a good? When supply and demand are in equilibrium, goods will be sold for their natural price. Adam Smith explains that the natural price is the cost of bringing a good to market. He discusses this concept in his classic work The Wealth of Nations. Read more to understand natural price and the three primary costs that determine it.
What was prison like for Nelson Mandela? Why didn’t he try to escape? Nelson Mandela spent a total of 27 years in three prisons. He endured the worst 18 of those years, from 1964 to 1982, in Robben Island Prison. He writes about the experience in his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. Read more to learn about Robben Island, Mandela’s first prison.
Why are neurotransmitters important? How do they impact our abilities and daily lives? In The Rise of Superman, journalist Steven Kotler explains how athletes are able to perform seemingly superhuman feats—it all comes down to mastering flow, or a state of deep focus, he says. He further explains why neurotransmitters are important for achieving this state of flow and boosting performance. Read on to learn why neurotransmitters are important for brain performance, according to Kotler.
What are some common biases and fallacies that you should be aware of? What’s a logic tree, and how can it help you make decisions? The book Critical Thinking, Logic & Problem Solving explains the process of critical thinking and shows how to apply critical thinking to solve problems more effectively. The book also explores how to craft logical and effective communication and stories. Continue reading for an overview of this highly practical book.
What is Chris Bailey’s The Productivity Project about? What is the key message to take away from the book? The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey is the culmination of his year-long project to become as productive as possible. Bailey spent the year after graduating from business school researching, writing about, and experimenting with productivity. Below is a brief overview by The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey.
What is healthy sex in a relationship? What are the benefits of healthy intimate relationships? Having healthy sex in a relationship starts with reframing how we think about sex in the first place, claim the authors of The School of Life. According to them, our society has come to believe that sex should just be easy and fun, yet the authors argue that human desire is much more complicated than this. Read on to learn how the authors define healthy sex in a relationship and why it’s so important.
Did you know you can take magic mushrooms for depression? What are the benefits of using psychedelics for treating mental illness? Are there risks? For years, people have been using psychedelics to treat mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. If you think this treatment might be right for you or a loved one, check out Merlin Sheldrake’s book Entangled Life, which provides important information about using magic mushrooms for depression. Below we’ll look at the benefits of psychedelic treatment for mental illness as well as the risks.
What are the best Just Mercy quotes to remember? What do these quotes say about the quality of the criminal justice system? In Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson describes the injustice many incarcerated victims face when they’re sentenced to death row. Drawing from all the cases he worked on as a lawyer, Stevenson gives insightful commentary on corrupt justice and making things right in the system. Keep reading for the best quotes from Just Mercy with explanations.
Want to read an overview of The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen? What is the network effect and how can it help your business? In The Cold Start Problem, Andrew Chen explains how to build a startup that uses the network effect to compete with the established giants in your industry. In the book, Chen offers tips on building a network-based business from scratch. Read on for an overview of Andrew Chen’s book The Cold Start Problem: How to Start and Scale Network Effects.