The Map That Changed the World

 

William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology

by Simon Winchester (read by the author)

 

Simon Winchester is another one of my go-to authors. I have learned so much about so many things in reading his books.

This book is about a map that was created over 200 years ago, in the very early 1800s. William Smith wandered all over England mapping the geological strata and then recorded his findings on a single full color map. Winchester gives not only the story of the map but a biography of Smith and insight into what was going on in England at the time -- at least as it pertained to what Smith was doing.

 

I like the way Winchester gives us history that goes beyond what we learned in the classroom. There is so much more to the history of mankind than the wars and politics and the biographies of the rich and the powerful -- and Winchester is doing his part to bring these lesser known but still important stories to the forefront.

Four stars.

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

 

by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (read by Sean Pratt) 

 

 

 

Behavioral Economics welds the fields of Psychology and Economics -- and it is about time we got beyond guns and butter and talked more about how human beings and their decisions effect how microeconomics works in the real world. Thaler and Sunstein are down to earth guys talking about ideas in a down to earth way. They talk about how we make decisions and how we are influenced and motivated by how propositions are framed. They use a lot of real word examples to make things clear to a non-academic audience. Then they get down to brass-tacks and start talking about how their ideas apply to decisions that are made regarding finances, healthcare and our general happiness. They look at decision-making from a consumer point of view and from that of the governments and corporations that are trying to influence decisions. All in all, a very easy introduction to the subject.

Three and a half stars because there are lists of things that I would have skimmed over if I had been eyeballing the text and not listening to it.