Books of the Week

Today's post offers some non-fiction reading suggestions from 4D.

Night by Elie Wiesel
Recommended by Neel Achar

I chose this because I wanted to gain some historical knowledge on the Holocaust. I was also interested in the father-son bond involved in this book. The book is an autobiography which explores the teenage years of the author in his journey to survive the concentration camps. The soul-crushing, depressing tone gives the book a distinctive flavour, although the constant melancholy was sometimes overwhelming, making the book unbearable to read. The author's style is extremely realistic, describing the situation from their point of view as it goes from hopeful to a dire, desperate scenario of survival. I recommend it because it educates us all on the horrors of the Holocaust, providing us with useful historical knowledge. Secondly, it explores the belief in 'God' and how an omni-benevolent being would allow such suffering to his people.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Recommended by Eisa Ohlmeyer

Into Thin Air is a narrative non-fiction book, describing the writer's attempt to climb to the peak of Mount Everest. I haven't finished it yet, but so far it brings a new light to how people prepare to go up the mountain, which seems like a really hard athletic challenge but also a mental one. The writer has an interesting style and apparently his view of events (I haven't read everything that happens yet) was controversial so it is interesting to see his recollection of what took place. It is intriguing because it shows what happened at the most well known mountain in the world and what it is really like up there. Those who are interested in non-fiction with a strong narrative would like it.

What If 2 by Randall Munroe
Recommended by Max Isaacs and William Nicholls

Max: I chose to read this book because I find physics interesting and the explanations in What If 1 fascinated me. The author is also quite well known and this book has been very recommended. It explains random, improbable questions and scenarios scientifically. I loved the crazy questions but also how well and simply the author explained them. The author has a very accessible style and explains the subjects very well: it is written very openly - you don't ever know the next question or where the book is going to go. I would recommend it to almost everyone - even if people aren't as interested in science, they would still love it. 
Will: I was given this book as a birthday gift and I had heard it was very interesting. It is a book about theoretical science.  I liked how the writer would approach such absurd questions with science and logic. He manages to explain quite complicated scientific processes so we can understand and still find humor in the explanation. 

The Disappearing Act by Florence de Changy
Recommended by Lewis Cotton

This is a book about an incident which I've always found particularly interesting, the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in 2014. I liked the way it was written like a thriller documentary. The author came up with a new and daring idea to explain the disappearance which was interesting and also quite a fair approach. I would recommend it, because it is written in a really captivating way, and would be enjoyed by people who like reading a documentary-style book which explores this scary theme.

The Diversity of Life by Edward O Wilson
Recommended by Sayan Parekh

I chose to read this because I am interested to see how nature works and I wanted to see how someone else's perspective and knowledge on this subject would influence my views and understanding on nature and its many life forms. The book wasn't like a boring lecture, with constant information and unnecessarily confusing words: the style was descriptive and poetic, and it was more like Wilson's adventure through the Amazon Rainforest, as he explores ideas about evolution. It is clear that Wilson is very passionate towards the subject and matter of nature and science. He also uses very elegant language to describe the animals, making the science behind it easier to understand. People who enjoy environmental based documentaries or people who are interested in Biology, or considering taking Biology further in their life would enjoy this book.

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
Recommended by Chedly Kaffel

I have had this book lying around in my house for a few years and I was always intrigued by it. It is a geography-based evaluation of geopolitics and how countries' physical geography heavily influences their actions , foreign policy and events that happen within them. I liked the novel approach on modern politics that it brought. The book was written in 2015, and evaluating its predictions due to its age was rather fun. It is structured with one chapter per region/country. Marshall opens with how the country holds its place in modern politics and then goes into the history and geography of the country. He finishes by explaining how these have affected the country's actions on the international stage. I would recommend it to those with prior interest in geopolitics because some of the sections on Eastern European politics become repetitive, and that might put off less interested readers.

A Little History of the World by Ernst Gombrich
Recommended by Ethan Moore

This was a book recommended for History Scholarship last year at my old school, and I never got around to reading it. It's a historical book, which is presented in a chronological format, covering humanity from the Stone Age to the First World War (the book was written in German in 1935). It was very accessible and engaging, which made it easier to read. I often find historical books can be a bit dry, but not this one. The author didn't use quotes or list much historical data in it, so the book creates its own timeline for the reader to work through. I think people who are just getting into or starting to read historical literature would enjoy this book.

Atomic Habits by James Clear
Recommended by James Darke

This is a very well known title in books about self improvement. The author breaks complex ideas down into simple terms, which makes the book approachable and accessible. The writing is straightforward, with lots of real-life examples and stories and the anecdotes break the at times slightly monotonous writing with a new style. I think it is quite a mature book which would suit a more adult audience and people with the discipline to implement the ideas Clear writes about.

Immune by Philipp Dettmer
Recommended by Raymond Vleeshouwer

The author, Philipp Dettmer, has tried to tackle one of, if not the most challenging and complex systems of the body in the most straight-forward, structured and least confusing way possible. The book is worded quite simply without a lot of majorly advanced vocabulary (aside from scientific terms), possibly because Dettmer was born in Germany  and English is his second language. Aside from the incredible simplicity and structured nature of Dettmer's writing on the immune system, I really enjoyed how after a complex system of cells or organ(s) was described, an informative and elegant illustration was shown. I would recommend this book because of how easy a read it is compared to the complexity of the subject. I think that anyone of any age who is remotely interested in science, illness, or the human body could pick up this book, really enjoy reading it and also learn a thing or two.