books every guy should read

Summary

In this insightful video by Karsten Kroening, the creator compiles a list of essential books for men who seek personal development and wisdom. While acknowledging the common trend of self-help books, he argues for a deeper engagement with literature that challenges and enriches the mind and soul. With a touch of humor and relatability, Kroening presents a diverse range of books, from philosophers like Albert Camu to modern thinkers like Mark Fischer, highlighting the importance of understanding complex themes like morality, love, and the impact of the internet on society.

Highlights

• Sun and Steel by Yukio Mishima explores the balance between mind and body. 🏋️‍♂️
• The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus offers wisdom on enduring life's monotony. 🔄
• Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung dives into the subconscious and personal growth. 💭
• Gravity and Grace by Simone Weil challenges the concept of the anti-hero. 🌌
• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace tackles themes of addiction and consumption. 🎭
• Flatline Constructs by Mark Fischer examines the impact of the internet. 🌐
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky explores the depths of morality. ⚖️

Key Takeaways

• Not all books are created equal; seek out those that offer true depth and challenge you. 📚
• Self-help books are popular, but often lack the nuance needed for real growth. 🤔
• Read books that make you uncomfortable for a more rewarding experience. 🔍
• Classics are valuable but may not always be relatable today. 📖
• Engage with works that enhance your understanding of self and society. 🧠

Overview

Karsten Kroening kicks off the video emphasizing the importance of engaging with substantial literature rather than succumbing to the influx of self-help books that flood social media. He suggests books should challenge readers, providing depth and genuine insight into personal and societal issues.

With humor and personal anecdotes, Kroening guides viewers through a curated list of impactful books, each chosen for its ability to broaden understanding and nurture personal growth. From existential musings to explorations of psychological theory, these reads offer a unique learning journey.

Closing with a heartfelt message, Kroening encourages viewers to embark on these literary adventures, laying out a pathway for both personal enrichment and a broader understanding of the human experience. His recommendations, while diverse, all center around cultivating a more profound sense of self-awareness and purpose.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Importance of Reading The chapter discusses the universal agreement on the importance of reading and how it provides more substantial knowledge compared to platforms like TikTok. It emphasizes the growing trend among young individuals to self-improve through reading, but also highlights the challenge that not all books offer the same quality and depth of knowledge.
• 00:30 - 01:30: The Trend of Self-Help Books This chapter explores the current trend of self-help books, highlighting their popularity on social media where many individuals are choosing books with titles promising rules or laws for self-improvement. The transcript acknowledges that while seeking wisdom to understand and better oneself through these books is not inherently negative, it has become a significant trend.
• 01:30 - 02:30: The Nuance Missing in Self-Help Books The chapter 'The Nuance Missing in Self-Help Books' discusses a common issue with many self-help books: the lack of nuance and depth in the information provided. These books often reduce complex subjects into overly simplified content, which makes it easier to consume but can ultimately diminish the value and understanding one might gain. The chapter suggests that while accessibility is important, it should not come at the cost of depth and thoroughness.
• 02:30 - 03:30: Better Ways to Gain Wisdom This chapter emphasizes the importance of seeking wisdom in its entirety rather than relying on oversimplified versions that miss much of the value. It acknowledges that while simplified self-help books or resources can be somewhat beneficial, they often lack the depth necessary for true understanding and growth. The chapter advocates for more authentic and rewarding methods of self-improvement and wisdom acquisition, which preserve the richness and complexity of knowledge.
• 03:30 - 04:30: Challenging Books and Media Consumption The narrator discusses the importance of books that make a long-term impact on personal development. They express a desire to share a list of books they find valuable for personal growth, particularly for younger readers. These books are suggested as alternatives to traditional school reading materials like 'Oliver Twist,' emphasizing a preference for literature that resonates on a personal level and offers meaningful life insights.
• 04:30 - 05:30: Why Classics are Not Included The chapter discusses the idea of why classic books may not be included in certain lists or recommendations. It emphasizes the importance of engaging with challenging or intimidating media, even if it makes one uncomfortable. The author believes in the value of reading books, listening to music, and watching movies that push one's boundaries.
• 05:30 - 07:00: Sun and Steel by Yukio Mishima The chapter delves into the personal development of an individual, emphasizing patience and endurance as essential virtues for personal growth. It suggests that the more challenging tasks, which require greater patience, ultimately provide more rewarding experiences. The author notes a deliberate exclusion of classical literature from his recommended list, aiming to offer a fresh perspective distinct from conventional reading lists often suggested by educators. The discussion reflects a personal, candid sharing of the author's views on reading and personal evolution.
• 07:00 - 09:00: The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus This excerpt discusses the importance of engaging with classic literature and art. It suggests that classics offer an appreciation for literature and art and imply a form of civic duty to engage with past works appreciated by previous generations. While acknowledging that classics can be less accessible or relatable in modern times, it emphasizes their inspiring nature and enduring value.
• 09:00 - 12:00: Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung The chapter appears to be about a recommended reading list. The narrator is sharing books that have been impactful to them over the past few years. The specific book mentioned in the transcript is 'Sun and Steel' by Yukio Mishima, who is described as a controversial and unique author, famous in the post-war era. Although the transcript cuts off, the chapter likely continues with more books and potentially discussions about why these books are significant.
• 12:00 - 15:00: Gravity and Grace by Simone Weil The chapter discusses a multifaceted individual with a significant impact in Japan, who held polarizing and controversial political ambitions. These ambitions culminated in an attempted coup on the Japanese government, which ultimately failed, leading to his ritual suicide, known as sepuku. Despite these dramatic events in his personal life, he was a highly acclaimed and award-winning author. His literary works spanned various genres, including romance, comedy, and drama, showcasing his versatility and fearlessness in writing.
• 15:00 - 18:00: Either/Or by Søren Kierkegaard The transcript seems to refer to Yukio Mishima's book 'Sun and Steel' instead of 'Either/Or by Søren Kierkegaard'. It talks about Mishima's personal experiences with bodybuilding and his philosophical approach to it. Mishima contrasts this with his previously frail self who was more immersed in literary pursuits, highlighting a transformation through physical discipline.
• 18:00 - 19:00: All About Love by Bell Hooks The chapter narrates a personal journey of transformation, beginning with the protagonist feeling depressed despite other successes in life. A trip to Greece becomes a pivotal moment as he is struck by the physiques of ancient Greek statues. This inspiration leads him to take up bodybuilding, initially for aesthetic reasons. However, as he delves deeper into the discipline of working out, he discovers that it brings him a sense of peace and completeness, showing the profound impact of discipline and physical engagement on personal well-being.
• 20:00 - 24:00: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace This chapter discusses the interconnectedness of mental and physical health, emphasizing the importance of balance between the two. It argues against the common belief that mental and physical health are separate, asserting that one's mental clarity and happiness are tied to physical discipline and vice versa.
• 24:00 - 28:00: Flatline Constructs by Mark Fisher The chapter highlights Miaima's unique perspective on the balance between body and mind, likening them to an orchard that requires careful tending. The practical and inspiring nature of the book is emphasized, suggesting that despite its obvious insights, it is a valuable read. The chapter also hints at the intriguing and possibly controversial past of the writer, adding an element of 'badass' appeal to their work.
• 28:00 - 30:00: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky The provided transcript appears to reference the context of another book, 'The Myth of Sisyphus' by Albert Camus, rather than summarizing a chapter from 'Crime and Punishment'. As such, a direct chapter summary for 'Crime and Punishment' cannot be extracted from this text.
• 30:00 - 32:00: Conclusion and Personal Reflection This chapter serves as the conclusion and personal reflection of the book. It discusses the universal nature of monotonous hardship, comparing everyday struggles to the dramatic historical context of Nazi-occupied France. It emphasizes the lack of clear goals and the repetitive nature of such experiences. The essay also includes an analysis of the myth of Sisyphus, drawing parallels between this ancient Greek figure's eternal struggle and modern life's similar challenges.

books every guy should read Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 All right, I think at this point we can all agree that reading is good for you. People are realizing that Tik Tok might not be the best place to get advice. And while this is an important step in society where we are learning that you will learn way more from books than on Tik Tok, the problem is is is that not all books are created equal. These days, I've been seeing a lot of young guys who are wanting to learn more pick up books to better themselves, which is really admirable and awesome and good. But instead of sort of going out and picking
• 00:30 - 01:00 up well- reggarded literature, what I see a lot of these guys doing is they're ending up picking out these self-help books. It's a huge trend right now. You'll see it all over social media where guys will pick up a book with a title like 14 rules for this, seven rules for that, the 48 laws of this. And listen, as a concept, reading a self-help book or reading a book with the purpose and intent of gaining wisdom to better understand yourself or maybe to better yourself as a person is not bad at all. That's actually a really
• 01:00 - 01:30 good thing. But a problem with a lot of these books is that they don't end up providing you with the nuance you need to truly truly learn. What you'll see with a lot of these self-help books is is that they will take a really robust and heavy topic and dilute it down to just a chapter or two, and they're doing this to make it easily accessible and digestible so it's easy for everyone to learn, but what they end up doing is really sort of diluting the value you get from that point. It's not that what
• 01:30 - 02:00 they're saying isn't true, but they're trimming it down and making it so easily digestible that you're actually losing sort of the richness of the wisdom you're seeking. In other words, you're losing most of the plot and therefore a lot of the really valuable knowledge you could be getting. And listen, if you've ever gotten something or feel like one of these books has been valuable, I'm not saying that that help isn't valid. But what I am trying to say is that there are better, more authentic ways of gaining wisdom or trying to better yourself that are far more rewarding in
• 02:00 - 02:30 the long term. And so today, I wanted to make a list of books that in my humble opinion do just that. These are the books that have really helped me and that I think can really help you develop into the person that you want to be. Basically, these are the books that I wish someone had given to me as a reading list when I was a teenager instead of like Oliver Twist or something like that, whatever they try to make you read in school. I think the best books do this. They articulate something that you have known or felt to
• 02:30 - 03:00 be true, but you have never really been able to articulate, understand, or really say out loud. Before we get into the list, I want to point out a few things. First, it may be worth noting that some of these books may feel challenging or intimidating. Whether that is because of their content matter or just the fact that they might be really long, I hold very near and dear to my heart the concept that everyone should read books that make them uncomfortable, listen to music they think they would hate, and watch movies that they don't think they would enjoy. Consuming media that challenges you
• 03:00 - 03:30 helps you develop into the person you want to be. And as far as them being challenging in length, I think it's also worth noting that things that require more patience are supremely more rewarding than things that do not. And again, this is just my personal list, my own personal opinion. I'm trying to be very earnest with you all. You will also probably note there aren't a lot of classics on this list. And that's for two reasons. One, I don't want this to be like every other list of books, the one that your English teacher would give to you and tell you you need to read these. You know, the one that they have
• 03:30 - 04:00 a poster of in the corner of the classroom. And then the second thing is is I think classics are important. I think classics give you an appreciation of literature and art, but oftentimes in today's times that may not make them super accessible or relatable. Again, not to say that classics are bad. I think they can be inspiring and I think it's somewhat of a civic duty or responsibility for you as a good person to engage in art with the people who came before you that they held near and
• 04:00 - 04:30 dear to them. But that is not what this list is about. This list is about what I think you should read today that helped me in the past few years. And so without further ado, let's just get into it and start with the first book. First book I want to talk about is uh Sun and Steel by Yukio Mosima. Yukio Miima is a controversial, beautiful, and very unique author. He was a famous award-winning author in the post-war of
• 04:30 - 05:00 Japan, but he had incredibly polarizing and controversial political ambitions which led to him attempting a coup on the Japanese government. This coup failed and he ended up committing ritual sapuku. Besides this very dramatic turn of events in his own life, he was an award-winning author and he wrote beautifully. He didn't just write one thing. He wrote romance. He wrote comedy. He wrote great dramas, but he was also a writer who was not afraid to
• 05:00 - 05:30 write about his own personal experience. And Sun and Steel is really his book about his experience with bodybuilding. The book is basically about the philosophy of working out, but not in this like sort of meatthead grind set gimmro way. Instead, it comes from the fact that Miushima early in his life was very frail. He spent a lot of time inside writing where he was brilliant and successful. But even amongst all of this literary success and personal
• 05:30 - 06:00 success, he had found himself to be depressed. That was until a chance trip to Greece where he observed a lot of ancient Greek statues and saw the physique of these old Greek statues and it inspired him to become an avid bodybuilder. And while he started sort of for aesthetic purposes, what he found is is that the practice of working out and discipline allowed him to actually become more at peace and feel more complete as a person. Now, let me get
• 06:00 - 06:30 this straight. This book isn't just about working out, but rather about respecting the balance between your mind and your body. The health of your mind or the health of your body will inexplicably affect each other. A lot of people will try to tell you that they're not connected. They absolutely are. You can't go through life and just expect that your ability to reason will make you fulfilled and happy as a person. And on the inverse side of that, you can't just go through life and think that having bodily discipline will keep you
• 06:30 - 07:00 fulfilled. There has to be balance. And Miaima uniquely articulates and understands that in this book. Miashima describes the body and mind as a sort of orchard one must keep. This book is very practical. It's very inspiring. And while in a sense it might be obvious, it's still worth you reading this book. And it comes from like a crazy amazing writer who who did some crazy probably bad things, but it's kind of badass and cool at the same
• 07:00 - 07:30 time. The next book is The Myth of Sisphus by Albert Camu. Albert Kamu is a French existentialist philosopher and he wrote this short book or essay during World War II when Nazi Germany had taken over France and was making life quite miserable under the German occupation. There was a lot of oppression during that period which Camu actually lived through. And this book is all about sort of living through monotonous hardship.
• 07:30 - 08:00 And you don't have to be going through something as dramatic as the occupation of France under Nazi Germany to relate to this book. Monotonous hardship is something we all experience at some point or another. Maybe sometimes it's because of work. Maybe sometimes it's because of school. And it's just those times where every day feels like the same as the last. And there really isn't a goal in sight. You have no clear path forward except for day by day. And in this essay, Kimu analyzes the myth of Sisphus, this figure in ancient Greece
• 08:00 - 08:30 who is in hell. Basically, he is forced to roll a giant boulder up a hill every day and then at the end of every day, it rolls back and he has to start up again. That's sort of his eternal punishment as this Groundhog Day scenario. And Kamu uses this as sort of a metaphor for what many of us sometimes experience in our daily lives. This endless cycle where no matter what we do, we just end up starting again the next day. But Camu
• 08:30 - 09:00 sort of offers this perspective shift, this idea that one must imagine Sisphus happy as he pushes the boulder up the hill. It's meant to challenge your mindset and challenges you to find fulfillment and happiness when fulfillment and happiness feels so barren and far away from your own environment. When you're on that path that feels so very, very far from the one you desire, and you're just caught up and demotivated by the cycle which doesn't seem to get you anywhere closer to your goals. This book provides
• 09:00 - 09:30 meaning and relief in those moments. It's very short. It's in a collection of other essays, I believe, but it's one that I would just recommend anyone to read really. Next up is Man and His Symbols by Carl Young. Carl Young is one of the most important figures in modern psychology and his main focus was sort of understanding our subconscious or what he called the unconscious. This is the part of your mind that you are not aware of. It's the part that hosts your
• 09:30 - 10:00 deepest fears. It's the part that controls your dreams. Only a little bit of your mind is working and thinking at each time, but the rest of it is still always active and houses all sorts of different things in it. Now, a lot of Carl Young's other writing is very academic and focused and through the lens for professional psychologists. So, it's very robust and hard to read, but Young very much believed that his work was so valuable to not just people who are suffering from mental conditions,
• 10:00 - 10:30 but to the everyday person. And so he went out of his way to write man and his symbols which was his attempt to bring these very heavy academic psychological ideas and put them into terms and a context that everybody could understand. Basically the whole point was is he wanted to write a book that you didn't need to be a psychologist to read and understand. I think the best way to think about it is is regardless of what you would consider good mental health or bad mental health, everyone needs to sort of develop a mature mind. It's one
• 10:30 - 11:00 thing to keep your body healthy. It's another thing to keep yourself learning and growing in sort of knowledge. Sort of the development of a sound and mature mind is also a journey you're going to need to take. Most take it through personal experience and hardship and learning and growing that way. But I think what's great about this book is it presents sort of a way of uncovering some of these very difficult concepts you'll have to kind of deal with in life. Taking it through this book first.
• 11:00 - 11:30 Now, this book covers a huge variety of Young's findings, including how art, myth, and symbols play a huge part into our the role of our subconscious and how understanding myth art can bring us personally to a sense of understanding our mental maturity. But he also deconstructs the different portions of the unconscious in this book, including which I think is probably the most important, the concept of the shadow. The shadow is the part of our unconscious or the voice in our head
• 11:30 - 12:00 which wants us to do evil things. It's a part of us that we all have to confront. And what Young does is he presents to us how we can address that part of ourselves. So we don't basically become the worst evil version of ourselves. We all have the capacity to be terrible evil people. But by addressing the shadow as Young sort of goes about in this book, we can sort of prevent that to a great extent. He also dives into how the mind shapes these perceptions of potential partners or or lovers and how
• 12:00 - 12:30 our perceptions of what a good partner how that can be sort of mature or immature as well. These are huge topics, but ones that I think everyone should look into and really learn to reckon with the earlier in age, the better, because I truly believe that reading this book will help prevent you from making some pretty hard mistakes in your life. And I think reading this can give you a perspective to protect yourself. Um, become aware of your own desire, become aware of the parts of you that
• 12:30 - 13:00 might lead you to some difficult situations. And also, it's it's just a cool book. [Music] The next book I want to talk about is Gravity and Grace by Simone Veil. Simone Veil is a French philosopher and mystic who also happened to live through World War II, though she ended up dying before the war ended. And sort of the way to contextually understand the importance of this book is is that we live in the culture of the anti-hero. We love
• 13:00 - 13:30 Patrick Baitman. We love Walter White. We love Paul Trades. the Punisher, Anakin Skywalker, the list goes on. Our culture really venerates and meditates on this concept of the anti-hero. We exemplify the complicated morals of our protagonist. While it is an honest reflection, it also sort of presents this concept where we have sort of put evil as a given expectation. It's okay to commit evil as long as you're a good
• 13:30 - 14:00 person. Mark and that's very much sort of the narrative we are trying to spin to people and this is what Simone Vale is trying to challenge in her book Gravity and Grace. It's a book about understanding what being good truly is and demystifying the concept of evil. There's sort of this thing where obviously what I'm saying doesn't sound very sexy, and I understand that. It's not as cool for me to talk about a concept like being a good person
• 14:00 - 14:30 compared to the like badass image of like the antsy hero with like the shotgun slung over his shoulder. But the truth is, as Simone Vil puts it, imaginary evil is romantic and varied. Real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren, and boring. Imaginary good is boring. Real good is always new, marvelous, and intoxicating. And that's sort of the truth of it. You're worth a lot more than to be defined by your own past suffering. You deserve better than to be
• 14:30 - 15:00 living your own life as a reaction to your own past hardship. While being sort of the anti-hero seems to be the most realistic and natural option, especially considering our own circumstances, there is something better than that. And that's what Simone Vil sort of gets into this book. This book is about deconstructing our own conception of this mystification we have of evil. And it also deconstructs about how we behave, what is natural in that. This isn't simply a book about ethics or it's
• 15:00 - 15:30 not a code to live by, but it's trying to give us a guide on how to understand how our actions will naturally affect us. In sort of a parallel to scientific reasoning, Veil is trying to help us understand how our actions, whether they be good or evil, will truly affect our lives. And Simone Veil sort of allows you to submerge yourself in concepts like goodness, uh, grace, truth, honor, uh, that I think are all very, very important. And if you don't really know
• 15:30 - 16:00 how to deal with these concepts in a positive way and to really allow them to live in your life, you're going to find yourself a very unhappy [Music] person. Either or by Sauron Kierenard. Soren Kirkenard is a Danish philosopher. He sort of founded the concept of existentialism. And the best way to sort of describe this book is it is a cautionary tale of where to find fulfillment. The book sort of provides these sort of narratives and around the
• 16:00 - 16:30 two most common outlooks of life. The aesthetic and the ethical. The aesthetic lifestyle is the one you will hear from a lot of people that you will know a lot of people follow. And it's sort of the idea is to be happy, you just need to get what you want. Maybe it's to go make a lot of money. Maybe it's to buy whatever you want, whether that be a house, uh car, cool clothes. Just take what is yours. Uh be hedonistic perhaps. Uh use as many substances as you want.
• 16:30 - 17:00 Be with whoever you want, whenever you want, whether it's money, power, uh lust, pleasure. The idea of the aesthetic is to go after that. Perhaps that is what will fulfill you. And what Kirkenard points out in the first half of the book is is why that is not the case. Now the second half of the book goes after the ethical lifestyle which is a bit more challenging for people. I think it's pretty easy for us to understand like oh like money doesn't
• 17:00 - 17:30 lead to true fulfillment. But the ethical point he makes is a little bit more challenging to us. The ethical lifestyle is living a life where your own morality and good doing is where you get fulfillment. And Kirkingard posits that this is just as unfulfilling as the aesthetic lifestyle. To dedicate your sense of fulfillment towards being the most charitable, to being the most kind, to being the most politically active or best member of your community is ultimately just as empty and
• 17:30 - 18:00 unfulfilling as the aesthetic lifestyle. Just as quick hits of pleasure and money and things like that can't fill the cup of yours, which is fulfillment, neither can your ego. Even if your ego is based off of acts of goodwill, I want to state obviously that neither pleasure nor being ethical is bad. It's actually a good thing to enjoy life every once in a while. And it's also a good thing to be a kind good person. But to look at either of these acts or these things
• 18:00 - 18:30 that we do as some way to fill a sense of true fulfillment, it will just end up devastating you. And so this book is sort of a cautionary tale. and reading it, I would highly recommend because there are a lot of nuances of it that can prevent you some from sort of falling into these traps and these ways of thinking. And I want to be clear, just because I've been able to give you like the very dumb down summary of this doesn't mean that you've completely learned from it. This YouTube video is in a way no better than those self-help books. I've diluted it to only a
• 18:30 - 19:00 summary. You can't live off the summary. So, go read the book. [Music] All About Love by Bell Hooks. A quote from Dostioski from the Brothers Karism. Hell is not a place that we go after we die. Instead, hell is not knowing how to love here on earth. This book and that quote by Dostski is not just talking about romantic love. It's talking about love in a general greater concept. It's
• 19:00 - 19:30 about loving your friends and family as well. And the truth is, like any mental action, love is somewhat of a muscle that needs to be trained. It's not something you can easily fall into. While our desire to love might be natural, it's a muscle. We need to have it to be disciplined to have it be truly effective. While we may feel it's natural, true proper love requires discipline and understanding that is difficult to wrestle with. Love is much more than being affectionate to one
• 19:30 - 20:00 another. And this is what B. Hooks covers in her book, All About Love, how we can kind of come to terms with it, how we can understand and be self-aware of how we love others, how we may be deficient in it in some regards, and if we are deficient in it in some regards, how we can be marred and recognize those scars and then in a turn be healed from that. And I truly believe if you like sort of dismiss this pro this topic and you're like, "Oh, that seems lame,"
• 20:00 - 20:30 which I don't blame you, you are in a real danger of having your uh ability to love uh slip away from you and having people that you care about also slip away from you. Okay. So, for the last few entries, this is where the books sort of become a little bit harder to read and are more complicated. they're longer or they require a lot more nuance and understanding. So, just as a quick little disclaimer going forward, I don't
• 20:30 - 21:00 think there's any shame in reading the summary of these books and reading the overall plot. Maybe watching a video essay before because these books are not easy. And I want to say spoiling the plot or main point will not spoil these books for you because these books going forward aren't just about the central big ideas, but rather the richness of these books comes from the monologues between characters. Every page has something to learn from it in these books. And while they require more work, a good way around that is maybe reading a summary with it, having a reading
• 21:00 - 21:30 guide, something like that. The first book I want to talk about is Infinite Jess by David Foster Wallace. This is one of the most contemporary books on the list. Um, Infinite Just is an extremely robust, kind of complicated work of fiction from 1996. Again, written by the late David Foster Wallace. It's a work of fiction. It's a complicated story all loosely based around this film called Infinite
• 21:30 - 22:00 Jest and sort of this film Infinite Jest which is super super addicting and anybody who watches it will watch it till they die. And so a huge theme of the book is addiction. And it's a very honest funny portrayal of that. Sort of the main concept that David Foster Wallace kind of goes about in the book is sort of the concept that we all either have a drug or a god that we sort of worship or follow. For some people that is literal drugs. Other people have sort of religion. Um other people will
• 22:00 - 22:30 sort of have other people who become a drug that they're addicted to or a god they worship. But the majority of us will sort of experience this in one way through another by the act of consumption. The consumption of products and the consumption of entertainment. And we find ourselves addicted to either buying things or entertaining ourselves. We find ourselves sort of constantly feeding on it whether it is media, Tik Tok or buying things off the internet,
• 22:30 - 23:00 movies, TVs, YouTube. And David Foster Wallace just makes a lot of observations about that that are just super super valuable to anyone who exists in this place that we live in this specific moment in history which has extended since 1996 until now and very much still remains true. And this book is equally as beautiful as it is tragic as it is humorous. I don't think there's a book that's as relatable as this one and as funny as this one. I think this book
• 23:00 - 23:30 actually sort of addresses like the problem of tick- tock brain even though it was written in 1996. Is sort of fascinating about this book is is that Wallace has sort of predicted a lot of ridiculous um events and sort of scenarios that we are very much dealing with today. This book is sort of known as a meme in the literature community because it's the book that everyone recommends. But that's for a good reason.
• 23:30 - 24:00 The next book is Flatline Constructs: Cybernetic Theory Fiction and Gothic Materialism by Mark Fischer. Now, compared to the other books that I have put in this sort of harder section in this list, this one is actually very short. It's just really, really dense. This book is basically a guide to understanding the societal effects that the internet has on our lives. And it was written all the way back in 1999 and it still very much holds true today.
• 24:00 - 24:30 Mark Fischer was a philosopher as well as a blogger and he sort of existed and created a lot of his work on like sort of the pretense of you know what would be the internet. And while for me I personally think a lot of Mark Fischer's other work is a bit lacking I think this book is really quite genius. It beautifully synthesizes a lot of contemporary philosophy. All which sort of pertains and sort of has these ideas of like what will happen to our society because of the internet and a lot of
• 24:30 - 25:00 that holds true even though it was written in 1999. He synthesizes Bodilard uh Doo and Gatari uh Mluan a lot of very important thinkers in contemporary philosophy today. But what he does is is he takes all of these ideas and synthesizes them to the most important parts of how they pertain to our lives and how our lives are being affected by the internet. It's also quite fun cuz he also brings in a lot of sci-fi concepts like Bladeunner for example to sort of make his points more easily accessible
• 25:00 - 25:30 in some sense. But if you just heard all of those names I just rattled off and didn't understand them, that's what makes this book sort of difficult is is that there's a lot of contextual nuance needed to read this book effectively. You might need to go watch a video essay on a name you don't understand to understand the subjects he's talking about. And while this might make this book sort of difficult to approach, it's absolutely worth it because this book is basically a guide to understanding the role that the internet plays in our lives and also the dangers
• 25:30 - 26:00 of it. how the internet can negatively impact you, how the internet can negatively impact our society. And what Mark Fischer does is he allows you to see this very clearly. And I think that is something that is very very valuable for everyone to kind of understand and start to dig into. While this book was quite literally not meant for public consumption as it was actually his thesis statement rather than a published work, I still think it's so so valuable
• 26:00 - 26:30 for you to read. And I actually think it's quite imminent that everyone starts to sort of deconstruct and understand how the internet is not only affecting our mental health but also our societal structures. But yeah, definitely go read this book. So my final recommendation for the book that you should definitely read, but it is the writing of Fodor Dostski and his novel Crime and Punishment. Now, truth
• 26:30 - 27:00 be told, there are a lot of Dostski books I could have chosen because they're all amazing, but this is the one that I felt is the most accessible for someone who is younger. And in in my case, when I was younger and I read a lot of the other Dostski uh novels, I struggled to understand them, not even just from like a oh, this is hard to read level, but just from like a life experience level. And I feel like this one is the most digestible for someone in a younger period of their life. And that's why I think Crime and Punishment
• 27:00 - 27:30 is the Dosifki novel you should start with based solely off of my personal experience. In a way, this book inspired probably every other book on this list and deals very heavily with a lot of the concepts that I've sort of touched on um throughout this list. But what makes it special is Dosioski's penance to articulate truth and synthesize beauty. I I can't really think of a more important book to really like dive into that gives you so much. But basically, the book is about a man who commits a
• 27:30 - 28:00 crime and is sort of supposed to deal with the repercussions of that and what goes on in his head. But it's a book I truly hope that everyone watching this video sort of has the patience and appreciation to muster through because remember the truth isn't necessarily always the plot of what you're reading. But sometimes the most powerful thing you can get from a book is just a singular whisper from one character to another and then it is never addressed again. And that's something that you just won't find off of the Wikipedia
• 28:00 - 28:30 page or in a summary. And this book has a lot of moments like that. But anyway, those are sort of the books that have been impactful upon me um throughout my life that um I just wanted to sort of share with you and I thought might be able to help some of you out who are looking to read more um and that sort of thing or just develop more as people. I want to thank everybody for watching this video. Um have a great day. My name is Karsten Craning and subscribe if you want more content.
• 28:30 - 29:00 [Music]