Ali's favorite books in 2022

Two sequel books by Brad Stone on Amazon and Jeff Bezos
1. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
2. Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire

In these two books, Brad Stone takes a deep dive into the story of Amazon which is intertwined with Jeff Bezos. Brad does a great job providing a mix of personal stories of Jeff as well it his personal life. Also, he presents the story of Amazon in a great way. Amazon has been peculiar since day 1. Of course in Amazon's lingo, it is still Day 1. Day 1 is about being constantly curious, nimble, and experimental. In these books, Brad walks you through the ups and downs of Amazon, and after you are done with the two books, you will have a great appreciation for what Jeff has built.

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times By: Michelle Obama

The author needs no introduction and I loved all of her books. I highly recommend it, because it provides you with a novel way of thinking about everyday issues. For instance, she talks about how starting a family in a traditional format should not be the prime goal and one can achieve happiness in various ways. Though it is important to own our choices. Michelle also talks about some of her issues growing up in a heartfelt manner. The issue her father was facing and his decline.

Career
1. Cracking the Tech Career: Insider Advice on Landing a Job Top Tech Company, by Gayle Laakman McDowell
2. Job interview, by Brad James
3. The Start-Up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career, by Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha

This year I interviewed at a few places. To make sure my interview skills are up to date, I read a few books on the subject. The first one is tailored toward Tech companies and the second one is generic for every type of job. I did a good job in my interviews and I landed multiple offers. Of course, you need to practice what you learn from these books to master it. The third book, "the startup of you", is a great guide on setting up your career as a startup, making pivots and learning how to make not become Detriot (you will understand what I mean once you start reading the book). Authored by the founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman, this book is one of my favourites on career growth.

Negotiation and the art of the communication
1. Bargaining for Advantage, by G. Richard Shell
2. Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most, by Douglas Stone et al.
3. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, by Joseph Grenny et al.
4. Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert B. Cialdini

On a daily basis, we do negotiate and need to communicate effectively, hence it is hard to overemphasize the importance of these skills. Yet we are not educated properly on how to form arguments and almost a lot of people view negotiation and hard conversations as something to avoid, after all, influencing people does not seem to be an easy job! I on the hand love to learn and grow and also I never shy away from the chance to practice my negotiation skills.
Bargaining for advantage is a classic where the author walks you through how to form negotiate, the book passed the test of time and remains one of the best books on the subject.
Difficult and crucial conversations are both interesting books that aim at providing a framework to have hard conversations. Both books are really good if you look for techniques to implement.
Influence is a great book that explains all the techniques discussed in previous books in detail, it is a well-written book, and every idea is explained in elaborate detail. I highly recommend it to those who like to learn about the psychology of influence.

Medical apartheid
Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present Reprint Edition, Kindle Edition by Harriet A. Washington
This book was very hard to read, it was actually painful to read. Black American endured abuses by the medical profession for years and the physicians shamelessly detailed the atrocities in medical scientific journals in the 1800s and early 1900s. Not only that but even to the day there are lots of misconceptions in the medical community about the pain tolerance of black people and more often than not the pain of those with darker skin tones is misdiagnosed by physicians. I highly recommend reading this book to get an appreciation for the amount of pain and suffering that black people have been through.