Tokyo Vice/ The Last Yakuza by Jake Adelstein
American reporter Jake Adelstein, takes the reader on an exhilarating journey through the shadier areas of Japan. His progression up the professional career ladder of journalism shows an inspired dedication and commitment to immersing himself in Japanese culture and, through this, a privileged look at the dangerous world of organized crime.
Additionally, The Last Yakuza was a book written as a promise to a bodyguard and former member of the organization, detailing an enforcer's rise in it, and his path forward once it all came crashing down. Incredible and exciting reads that make it hard to believe that they are works of non-fiction.
Endgame: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Bobby Fischer
An autobiographical piece of the greatest Chess player to come out of the United States. Bobby Fischer's story is both a great testament to hard work, commitment, passion, and determination and yet a tragic lesson that obsession and a lack of compromise can lead to a hollow life. It is a remarkable story nonetheless and essential reading for admirers of the game.
Teacher Man: Diaries of Life Inside a Primary School by George Pointon
Written as diary entries, Teacher Man is an inspiring story of one man's journey toward becoming a professional educator. From aspiring actor to a teacher assistant, George Pointon's story is enduring, encouraging, relatable, and wonderfully entertaining. Another reminder that the most unexpected periods of our lives can lead us to beautiful destinies.
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
A senior professor in Cape Town, South Africa, is forced to resign from his position after being caught having romantic relations with one of his students. David Lurie embarks on an interesting journey, where living on a farm with his ownly daughter allows him to not only reflect on himself and his actions but do so upon the larger socio-political backdrop of post-apartheid South Africa. A great story on identity, the prevailing tensions and psychological remnants of the colonizer/colonized dynamic, and the hope of a better future for the country.
Hitler's Philosopher by Yvonne Sherratt
A fascinating deep dive into the philosophers that influenced and inspired Hitler's worldview and the philosophers that came to support benefit and support his cause on the one hand and oppose it on the other. Well written, massively insightful, and very thought-provoking.
