Five books that shaped my thinking
No ranking but five short stories about books and the moments when I read them.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas Adams. I was sixteen. A book that taught me that absurdity is not a lack of seriousness, but its highest form. The answer to the ultimate question is 42. That's funny until you realize it's also true: the answer is always random. The question is what counts.
The Omnivore's Dilemma — Michael Pollan. Read it during a period when I ate a lot and thought little about what. Pollan follows four meals from source to plate. The industrial meal, the organic, the local, the home-made. The book not only changed how I eat, but how I look at systems. Every chain has an origin that someone would rather keep hidden.
Lord of the Rings — Tolkien. Read it three times, a different book each time. The first time was an adventure. The second time the language. The third time the melancholy — the realization that victory always means loss.
No Country for Old Men — Cormac McCarthy. A book about the end of intelligibility. Sheriff Bell tries to make sense of the world and fails. Not because he is stupid, but because the world has changed beyond his comprehension. I often think about it when I watch the news.
Acting in an Uncertain World — MIT Press. An academic book about how to act when you don't know everything. Relevant for every advisor, every parent, every person who has to make decisions with incomplete information. Spoiler: that's everyone.