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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
It was less about the idea he was supposed to be sharing and more about how much smarter he is than others or how much ouch people annoy him. Which is fair but the idea was completely drowned out by it
How to extend a decent idea into really boring overlong book. There are some interesting examples given, but the style makes it slow going, like wading through treacle.
informative
medium-paced
This started off so interesting and cohesive, but lost me quite often starting around halfway in when I stopped seeing how some of the theory tied back to the original aim of the book. Books like this are a dick measuring contest for smart thought leaders and he definitely believes his is biggest. I learned a lot and it was thought-provoking, but the writer’s ego kept clashing with my appreciation. This all came to a head in the conclusion when advising the reader to not run for the train- not all of us have that privilege.
'The Black Swan' is an eminently thoughtful, readable, and important book that didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.
The book's core thesis, that both our intuitive ways of processing the past and analytic ways of predicting the future are unreliable, was introduced to me by a high school English teacher in 1983 (Shout out to California Teacher of the Year, 1972: Richard Everson, Big Bear High. May he ever rejoice in the cut and thrust of vigorous debate!). Granted, guys who get rich on Wall Street and write books swing a lot more weight than guys who teach high school kids how to reason. Regardless, it's a good thesis: even if it isn't particularly novel for this reader.
Taleb makes his case through parables, anecdotes, and not a little academic swiping at various rivals and colleagues. He avoids jargon and writes such that the reasonably literate reader can follow his argument. I enjoyed his book, though it didn't do much to move the needle on my personal worldview. I was already a believer.
Recommended for:
*Economists
*Family Financial Planners
*Math Nerds
*People who didn't attend Big Bear High School between approximately 1960-1990.
The book's core thesis, that both our intuitive ways of processing the past and analytic ways of predicting the future are unreliable, was introduced to me by a high school English teacher in 1983 (Shout out to California Teacher of the Year, 1972: Richard Everson, Big Bear High. May he ever rejoice in the cut and thrust of vigorous debate!). Granted, guys who get rich on Wall Street and write books swing a lot more weight than guys who teach high school kids how to reason. Regardless, it's a good thesis: even if it isn't particularly novel for this reader.
Taleb makes his case through parables, anecdotes, and not a little academic swiping at various rivals and colleagues. He avoids jargon and writes such that the reasonably literate reader can follow his argument. I enjoyed his book, though it didn't do much to move the needle on my personal worldview. I was already a believer.
Recommended for:
*Economists
*Family Financial Planners
*Math Nerds
*People who didn't attend Big Bear High School between approximately 1960-1990.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
fast-paced
informative
A great, thought-provoking idea expanded over hundreds of pages, would probably have a bigger impact if Nassim curbed his disdain over people that don’t side with his proposition. Definitely worth a read, or read a summary of the book to get the gist of it.