Very funny and wise, not your usual “spiritual” autobiography!

Junger reconstructs the voyage of the doomed fishing boat Andrea Gail, combining fascinating science reporting with vignettes of the lives of the fishermen of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Fills out and humanizes the stereotypes found in the filmed version.

A book for writers from the author of Traveling Mercies. Just as funny, but not quite as moving, for obvious reasons.

This book was fascinating. An amazing true story. I’m surprised it hasn’t been filmed already…

Funny in a totally smart way. The first piece, though, was not the best introduction to the book. I would start reading at page 7 instead…

Side-splitting, salacious, scandalous, sexual, silly stories.

One of the best history books I’ve read, reminiscent of David Remnick’s “Lenin’s Tomb,” but of course about the Middle East instead of Russia. This book has added immeasurably to my understanding of some of the current issues facing the world. The author also writes a twice-weekly column for the New York Times which is also insightful, though only in 800-word bursts.

This is a great overview of American “indie” bands of the 1980s, with individual chapters on such legendary bands as Fugazi, Black Flag, Sonic Youth, Mission of Burma, H

This is a great book, compiled from many many interviews with pioneers of the mostly American punk scene in the 70s. There’s stuff here about the Velvet Underground, MC5, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, New York Dolls, Ramones, Bowie, Dead Boys, Patti Smith, Television, Blondie, almost everyone involved in the birth of the punk movement in the US. If only there were a book like this about the UK scene.

I saw Po Bronson at South by Southwest Interactive this year and immediately knew I needed to read this book. His presentation helped me begin thinking of the direction I wanted my life to follow. And now the book is helping to motivate me to do the hard thinking I need to do.