I've read all of Walter Isaacson's biographies, like “Benjamin Franklin: An American Life,” “Leonardo da Vinci,” “Einstein: His Life and Universe,” and “Steve Jobs.” Isaacson is a first rate biographer and writer, so when I heard he had a new biography out, “Elon Musk,” I jumped on it. The book is 670 pages long—ah, sweet comfort, entertainment and prolonged thought stimuli. Thanks to Kindle, I could hold it in one hand, take the book with me wherever I went, and balance a jug of coffee on my tummy while reading it.
Unlike Isaacson's other biographies, and unlike most biographies in general, Isaacson wrote this one in first person, i.e., he inserted himself into the book in the form of “I.” Musk gave Isaacson permission to write his biography, allowing Isaacson to follow him around while working, in meetings, on family outings and mostly wherever he went; although Isaacson was not present when Musk met The Pope—yes, you can talk to The Pope when you're the richest man in the world. Musk even sought out Isaacson's advice on occasion--”Walter, do you think I should buy Twitter?” “It's risky, Elon.” That's the wrong thing to say to risk-taker Elon Musk. The higher the risk, the more he's energized. Risk is like a drug to Elon Musk, who has Asperger's Syndrome (a form of Autism). When Isaacson was done writing Musk's biography, Isaacson offered to let Musk read it. Musk refused.
Say what you want about the frolicking and game playing of billionaires, giving joy rides into outer space for their friends and anyone who can come up with the fare, while people here on earth starve and scratch for a penny. Musk is the only person I know who is serious and doing something about colonization of Mars. Why is it important to him and not to major governments of the world? Musk sees life as we know it here on earth coming to an end, and maybe in the not too distant future. How? Well let's see, there's global warming, the possibility of another more serious pandemic, nuclear holocaust (we have fail-safe nukes that go off after everyone is dead, ensuring that even germs are scorched) and of course there's a never ending chance of a major meteor strike. You laugh. People in the know (astrophysicists) say that it's more unlikely that it hasn't happened. Gulp. If we want the human race to survive, Musk believes, we have to have other world colonization (and here's the kicker), even if it's in the form (some believe) of AI robots, an extension of evolution. I told you this book is thought provoking.
The other book that tripped my trigger (paper back this time) is “The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts,” by Joshua Hammer. We here in the “sophisticated” world toss the name “Timbuktu” around like it's some hick town in the middle of nowhere. Timbuktu is actually a thriving city in Mali in Northern Africa. Also contrary to what we may believe, villages in Northern Africa were not just filled with illiterate black people, unfamiliar with the modern world or the written word. In actuality, Timbuktu was a hotbed for scholars, intellectuals and scribes dating back to pre-Christian times. Hundreds of thousands of manuscripts on a variety of writing material from animal skins, to bark, to papyrus were stored in Timbuktu. Because of all the fighting in the Middle East, both historically and present time, these precious documents ran the risk of being destroyed. “The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu” is the thrilling, and highly intellectual story, of the race to preserve these documents, the written word, and the history of Timbuktu. I know you will enjoy the read, as I did. Don't let all the Middle East names bog you down. Just plow through to Timbuktu.
Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526, email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com, or visit his website at www.empty-nest-words-photos-and-frames.com
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