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Book Review: Same as Ever - Morgan Housel

 

(Pic Courtesy: Amazon Kindle)

This is the 2nd book from the author that I have read and I have to admit that I am a big fan of his writing. Written in a very engaging way, this book holds the attention of the reader throughout without any boring moments and loads of anecdotes and wisdom nuggets stitched together to create a wonderful masterpiece. In the book, the author remarks : “People don’t remember books. They remember sentences”. Nothing could be more truer about this book than this statement.

The book may appeal differently to different readers. Personally, its a great insight into the human psyche, perhaps a timely reminder for our own behavioural introspection, wonderful template for leadership skill training and perhaps, a walk down the history with various events connected to form a wonderful enlightening narrative. The book covers various topics like Risk Management, Need for acceptance of unique minds with their own quirks, Reversion to mean, Probability and its impact on our decision making, Importance of stories / narratives in modern day context, the stark and perhaps grim reality of how social media is shaping our perspectives etc. I particularly enjoyed learning about the progress of American society during and after the Great Depression and how certain events can have cascading impact on generations to come. The author also emphasises the importance of compounding on both investments and life in general.

Quoting across the work of acclaimed writers like Nassim Taleb, Daniel Kahneman, Mark Twain etc, the book is a rich repository of anecdotal wisdom. A very highly recommended book for everyone. 

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