Whole bunch of good nonfiction lately--I've really enjoyed all of them. First up is Jack Lynch's study of the English language and how it came to be the language we know today, "The Lexicographer's Dilemma". It was interesting to see how "proper" English evolved over the years and how our dictionaries were compiled.
"Superfreakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner is their follow up to their wildly popular (and amazingly good) "Freakonomics". It challenges the way we think about things, like why it's actually safer to drive drunk than to walk drunk, and how safety studies show that regular old seatbelts are safer and better at protecting children than car seats. Great reads, both of them.
And "703" by Nancy Makin. At her heaviest, Nancy weighed 703 pounds. How she got that way, and how she lost over 500 pounds, is a great story in her words. I really liked her--she seems like a great person, and I'm so happy she's gotten her life back after being so miserable for so many years. As someone who has battled with my weight my entire life (thank god never to the extremes as poor Nancy) I can certainly empathize. I think she's dead on by saying that people who struggle with weight issues are failing to fix what's really the problem: on the inside, their own lingering doubts regarding their self-worth. Obese people are severely damaged inside, and that needs to be corrected before we can expect any diet and exercise regime to work. Listen to her! She knows what she's talking about.
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