Every other month, everyone at Lunstrum Electric has the opportunity to give a book recommendation that they think others in the company might be interested in. After this list is compiled, everyone gets to choose one of the books from the list of suggestions and the company purchases that book for that person. January's picks are listed below.
Greenlights
By Matthew McConaughey
One thing you can expect from Matthew McConaughey is that he always has something interesting to say. He is also introspective and emotional. He is curious and fun. And, every so often, a little eccentric. This combination of thoughtfulness and strangeness finds its way into the roles he plays, which makes him a fan favorite. Greenlights is his way to seize the day and constantly be moving forward — a life lesson he has learned and is eager to share.
Humankind: A Hopeful History
By Rutger Bregman
If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It's a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed primarily by self-interest. But what if it isn't true? International bestseller Rutger Bregman provides new perspective on the past 200,000 years of human history, setting out to prove that we are hardwired for kindness, geared toward cooperation rather than competition, and more inclined to trust rather than distrust one another. In fact this instinct has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens.
The Sea is Not Full: Ocean Sailing Revelations & Misadventures
By Charles J. Doane
Charlie Doane is among the most infectious prose-poets of today's marine literature. For more than twenty years his keen eye, trenchant wit, and off-center perspective have been delighting us in a voice that could never be confused for any other. In The Sea Is Not Full Charlie takes us to sea on several memorable voyages―some bound for the bottom, some for the heart of darkness, and some for the ages. Populated by an entertaining cast of wharf-rats, hucksters, even a real-deal guru or two, his stories are page-turners that'll surely stir the wanderlust in you.
The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game: Volume 1: Big Game
By Steven Rinella
A comprehensive big-game hunting guide, perfect for hunters ranging from first-time novices to seasoned experts, with more than 400 full-color photographs, including work by renowned outdoor photographer John Hafner. Steven Rinella was raised in a hunting family and has been pursuing wild game his entire life. In this first-ever complete guide to hunting—from hunting an animal to butchering and cooking it—the host of the popular hunting show MeatEater shares his own expertise with us, and imparts strategies and tactics from many of the most experienced hunters in the United States as well.
The War on Cops
By Heather McDonald
Violent crime has been rising sharply in many American cities after two decades of decline. Homicides jumped nearly 17 percent in 2015 in the largest 50 cities, the biggest one-year increase since 1993. The reason is what Heather Mac Donald first identified nationally as the “Ferguson effect”: Since the 2014 police shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, officers have been backing off of proactive policing, and criminals are becoming emboldened. Mac Donald gives voice to the many residents of high-crime neighborhoods who want proactive policing. She warns that race-based attacks on the criminal-justice system, from the White House on down, are eroding the authority of law and putting lives at risk. This book is a call for a more honest and informed debate about policing, crime, and race.
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
By Matthew Desmond
In Evicted, Princeton sociologist and MacArthur “Genius” Matthew Desmond follows eight families in Milwaukee as they each struggle to keep a roof over their heads. Hailed as “wrenching and revelatory” (The Nation), “vivid and unsettling” (New York Review of Books), Evicted transforms our understanding of poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving one of twenty-first-century America’s most devastating problems. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible.