If you could go back/forward and give your 21, 29, 45, and 77 year old selves a book, then what would it be?

[OTCW]

Something on office politics would have been useful here.

My favourite book on office politics is "The Way of the Rat" by Joep P. M. Schrijvers
Being naturally focussed on things and difficult technical problems I was for a long time blind to Office Politics. You actually have to know something of the game if you want to stay out of the game since "You may not care about Office Politics but Office Politics cares about you".

Schrijvers's worldly cynicism was a real eye-opener to me.

Thanks. I'll check it out for curiosity sake, but I've pretty well checked out of office politics. I'm at an office of 5 now, and if that doesn't work out my next step is to go solo.

[stand@desk]

21- The Normal Personality by Steven Reiss. I think people need to learn about social psychology and how the world works at this age, lose some of their idealism and develop their rationality. Second place would be a basic DIY investing book.
29-I'll second the Taleb Antifragility book. Learn resiliency. Learn that the goal is self preservation instead of taking on the wrong kinds of risk and blowing up.
45-What makes Olga Run, Bruce Grierson. Learning about physical longevity and masters athletics. How to re-find yourself in these ages and beyond.
77-Books that deal with philosophy that prepare you for the concept of death and dying. How to leave the legacy you want and how not to leave a ton of baggage for your estate.

[Stahlmann]

@Stahlmann
I read "Difficult Conversations" recently. I recommend it. If you have to interact with people, but find emotional drama cumbersome, this book teaches you a good approach to handle that. I kind of make a game of it. Like, can I use these tools to chill someone out who has it in for me.

Who is the author? Short play with ebay yields at least 2 different books.

edit: probably this one written by Douglas Stone.

edit2: is https://www.ebay.pl/itm/Offen-gesagt-Al ... Sw1utauq1w German translation (yep, I see different author, but I donąt how thez solve translation issues in Germany)

[Jason]

I
45: A collection of poetry in the hopes that future me might have gained an appreciation for this form of literature that was utterly destroyed during my K-12 years.

I feel it would be highly presumptuous to say "meet your literary self" but damn.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/maga ... ralia.html

[J_]

@Jason: what a beautiful story in your link! A story only to be read long after the writers death!

[Jason]

It is an absolutely amazing story to me. A man who’s Imagination is so immense that he requires the most spartan existence. I just finished “The Barley Patch” and am moving onto “The Plains.”

[jacob]

I think we can conclude [from this] that writers are just not normal people.

[Jason]

I think the problem is that the rise of MFA programs has credentialized the writing process. Read "Glimmertrain" or some other fiction periodical where most have graduate education and the writings are mind numbingly similar. David Foster Wallace once used "students in a graduate writing program" as the high water mark for looks of depression. This is what Murnane is railing against. It's similar to tech geniuses or basketball players foregoing formalized education.

[JBmoney]

My suggestions to my younger self would be:

Millionaire Fastlane
Eat That Frog
Checklist Manifesto
Economics in One Lesson
Intelligent Investor

Honorary shoutout to 4 Hour Workweek too. It's mostly hype and motivation... but that is exactly what a newbie to FI needs!

[CactusSurfer]

Age 21--R&D Is War and I've Got the Scars to Prove It https://www.amazon.com/War-Ive-Got-Scar ... 1300413247--To scare myself away from an industrial R&D career.
Age 29--ANYTHING with the word "Bitcoin" somewhere in its title (this would have been circa 2011-2012). Knowing my personality, I would have invested had I known that Bitcoin was a thing back then.
Age 45--Jupiter's Travels https://www.amazon.com/Jupiters-Travels ... 0965478521--To remind myself that there was still time to travel and generally try to be at least somewhat interesting.
Age 77--Either Generations https://www.amazon.com/Generations-Hist ... 0688119123 or The Fourth Turning https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Turning-A ... 0767900464 by Strauss and Howe--To see whether Strauss-Howe generational fit the events up to the mid 21st century like I thought they would back in the 2000's.

[Solvent]

A friend of mine has been talking about Murnane for a long time. I didn't think I'd find his name mentioned here (or anywhere outside of the literature departments of Australian universities really) but I guess a NY Times writeup means his star is rising.

Nothing I've heard, however, makes me want to read the man. Perhaps I ought to keep a work of his in reserve for the next time I make a roadtrip across the hay plains.

[Jason]

I finished The Plains and found it extremely contemplative to the point of being hypnotic. I enjoyed it.