Episode · How I Write · 2023-08-23
David Perell & Jimmy Soni: books mentioned on How I Write
How to Write Like An Athlete | with Jimmy Soni | How I Write Podcast
David Perell discussed Zero to One by Peter Thiel and others. Jimmy Soni recommended A night to remember by Walter Lord, and discussed Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance, The PayPal wars by Eric M. Jackson, Elon Musk and the Quest for a Fantastic Future Young Readers' Edition by Ashlee Vance, Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, The Everything Store by Brad Stone, On Writing Well by William Zinsser, and The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Zero to One
Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters is a prominent business and technology book that challenges conventional startup thinking.
Discussed“I felt like I had a unique insight that like a lot of people had read Zero to One, and then the the sort of secret was that Zero to One was based off of memetic theory from René Girard, who was his professor at Stanford.”
Where to get it
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Elon Musk
Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance is a comprehensive biography examining the life, career, and turbulent relationships of the high-profile entrepreneur.
Discussed“I bought Ashley Vance's book about Elon Musk.”
Where to get it
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The PayPal wars
Discussed“I bought Zero to One, I bought the PayPal Wars, I bought other books about these people, I bought Ashley Vance's book about Elon Musk.”
Where to get it
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Elon Musk and the Quest for a Fantastic Future Young Readers' Edition
Elon Musk and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance is a comprehensive biographical account chronicling the life, career, and entrepreneurial ventures of Elon Musk across companies like Tesla and SpaceX.
Discussed“I bought Ashley Vance's book about Elon Musk.”
Where to get it
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Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand is a celebrated work of nonfiction that chronicles the improbable journey of a small, underdog racehorse and the resilient team that guided him to greatness during the Great Depression.
Discussed“Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Seabiscuit and Unbroken. I I just I marvel at her. I marvel at her actually as a person. She has chronic fatigue syndrome and she still manages to write these incredibly insanely detailed books.”
Where to get it
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Unbroken
Laura Hillenbrand's bestselling biography Unbroken tells the extraordinary World War II story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who survived a plane crash, weeks adrift on a raft, and brutal captivity in Japanese prison camps.
Discussed“Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Seabiscuit and Unbroken. I I just I marvel at her. I marvel at her actually as a person. She has chronic fatigue syndrome and she still manages to write these incredibly insanely detailed books.”
Where to get it
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The Everything Store
The Everything Store by Brad Stone is a definitive corporate history chronicling the turbulent rise of Amazon and the relentless business philosophy of its founder, Jeff Bezos.
Discussed“The book that I read, I mean I must have been 16 or 17 times all the way through, was The Everything Store by Brad Stone. And as a little actually as it's like a little scary. My friends told me never to admit this, but whatever.”
Where to get it
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On Writing Well
William Zinsser's On Writing Well is a widely acclaimed classic guide to non-fiction writing that emphasizes clarity, simplicity, and the removal of clutter from prose.
Discussed“So, writes about something like how how the word soft has a feel to it. Like soft, right? Is is different than smooth, right? Like like Yeah. Yeah, a lot of reading happens in the ear, right? And so, we I I I'm often thinking about warmth as like the quality of Like what does it mean when somebody sees”
Where to get it
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A night to remember
Walter Lord's A Night to Remember is a classic narrative non-fiction account that meticulously reconstructs the tragic sinking of the Titanic.
Recommended“I recently read this wonderful book called A Night to Remember, which is about the sinking of the Titanic. It's like one of the better books I've I've read in the last little while. And I know how that story is going to end. We all do. But I was riveted from page one to the end.”
Where to get it
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The Power Broker
The Power Broker by Robert A.
Discussed“People 100 years from now will still be reading The Power Broker by Robert Moses. They will still be reading Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand.”
Where to get it
