Out of the Box
During the year, many kind people graciously send me
copies of books — either ones they have written or
ones they think I should read. Unfortunately, I rarely have
time to read them all, so I place them in a cardboard box
for future reference, the table by my bed already having
overflowed with unread tomes. I also come across titles of
other interesting books I'd like to read, and since I'm an
Amazon junkie, I tend to binge order these as well. When
the UPS shipment arrives, I throw more brain fuel into the
cardboard box.
Then come summer, when my schedule of "required"
events diminishes somewhat, I begin working my way through
the box. I confess I never make it to the bottom, but this
year I have been particularly ambitious, got a head start
on the book pile and have already read more than I usually
wade through in an entire summer. Several of them I would
recommend to our readers, so herewith are my summer
picks:
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in
the Markets and in Life by Nassim Taleb. This is a
fascinating book about the role of randomness in our lives.
Although written by a Wall Street trader, the author has a
Ph.D. in statistics and an unusually broad intellectual
background. It has applicability to science as well as Wall
Street. I have often marveled at the role of chance in
scientific discoveries, and this book provides more
insights into the role of random events than I had
previously understood.
Universities in the Marketplace: The
Commercialization of Higher Education by Derek Bok. The
emeritus president of Harvard has some sage observations
about universities and their quest to go "commercial" in
everything from scientific research to intercollegiate
athletics. Bok pours some cold water on the present trends
that many research universities are following.
How Israel Lost: The Four Questions by Richard
Ben Cramer. Events in the Middle East are dominated by the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Johns Hopkins alum and
Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ben Cramer has written a book
that will jolt you out of your beliefs of what is going on
there, whether you are pro-Palestine, pro-Israel,
anti-terrorist, pro-peace, anti-settlement,
Islamic/Christian/Orthodox Jewish or whatever. There is
probably something in this book that will offend everyone,
and though you may be put off by the author's aggressive
style, I guarantee you will come away with a different view
of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Also, the print is
large, the book is small, and the stories he tells are
fascinating.
I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison
Pearson. A best-selling novel that dramatizes the dilemma
of the working mom. A must for all male faculty members
(and especially department chairs and deans) to read.
The last two on my list are probably only of interest
to sports addicts, although both have a more serious bent
to them meant to provide useful insights to nonsports fans
as well.
The Meaning of Sports: Why Americans Watch
Baseball, Football and Basketball and What They See When
They Do by Michael Mandelbaum. Johns Hopkins School of
Advanced International Studies Professor Michael Mandelbaum
has written about how the three "major" American sports
reflect the culture and values of our society.
Moneyball by Michael Lewis. This book is
entirely about baseball and perhaps really only of interest
to the baseball fan, but the lessons here are more widely
applicable. It is a book about Billy Bean, the manager of
the Oakland Athletics, and how he has been able to assemble
a competitive baseball team, year after year, even though
his payroll for players is one of the lowest in major
league baseball. How does he do it? With a contrarian's
philosophy, a sophisticated use of statistics and
statisticians, and a healthy disrespect for the current
experts of baseball, he develops a strategy for picking
winning players and putting together winning teams, much
like a modern portfolio manager would invest a university
endowment. There is much we could learn in academia from
this book if we had better statistical measures.
No doubt you have titles of your own choosing you are
already intending to read. My suggestion is, Grab a box,
head for the beach, the mountains or the backyard and have
a wonderful summer. Happy reading.
William R. Brody is president
of The Johns Hopkins University.
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