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on May 1, 2016
If you measure a non fiction book by whether it tells you things you didn't already know, then this books gets 5-stars. Although my personal favorite of the most productive people is Elon Musk and I already knew a lot about him from other sources, this book also introduced me to people I never would have paid attention to like Archimedes and Catherine of Sienna. Where it really seems to excel is with people you thought you knew but could definitely stand to know more about: Isaac Asimov, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Ben Franklin. Caear's crushing realization in his mid 30s that he had accomplished very little in his life so far strikes a chord. Napoleon's quote about having fought 60 battles by studying prior to his first real one; and Asimov's decision early in life to maximize his output and his reach by sticking with a simple writing style were both eye opening too.
on May 28, 2015
I garnered some new things from the book, it is more or less concise and quick to read. There were a few grammatical errors.
Overall, I enjoyed the read, it did lose my attention towards the end of the book though.
I did like the epilogue and the author's thoughts on effectiveness and learning systems between Asian societies and the USA.
Overall, I enjoyed the read, it did lose my attention towards the end of the book though.
I did like the epilogue and the author's thoughts on effectiveness and learning systems between Asian societies and the USA.
on March 10, 2017
I expected a very different take on the book at first but I'm still pretty happy with what I got put of my reading. They were a little more grammatical errors than what I was used to see in a book but I still appreciated it. At first I planned on reading it in a full week but I found myself finishing it in only five days because of how much I wanted to know. About each of these personalities. I made sure after each chapters that I at least retained a few things about everybody's life, it was easier for some than others I'll say. I'm happy that I wad it as it gave me some more knowledge and I feel kind of renewed now.
on November 11, 2016
Rank presents short biographies of his subjects, marveling at their productivity and effectiveness. I enjoyed the pieces on Justinian and Edison the most, but found chapters on Caesar, Musk, and Newton vexing and opaque. I had hoped to take more lessons and examples of how to improve my personal efficiency after reading.
on September 5, 2015
Reads like an extended BuzzFeed list article, with similar levels of grammatical errors and lack of purpose beyond procrastination. Could have been written by an ambitious high school freshman.
on September 28, 2015
I expected to get more information on how to be productive. Instead what this book tells you about is the story of the people who the author considers to be the most productive people in history.
on August 31, 2015
The choice of characters is interesting. But there is not a very deep understanding of what they each did for success, except try to fool people on how little they slept.
on July 3, 2015
Great review of some of the most effective and hard working figures in history. A good lesson of how to be productive and the pitfalls to avoid.
Applicable in our every day lives.
Applicable in our every day lives.
