I made some changes to my “Reading” page yesterday. Most prominently, I added an explanation of what I appreciate about each title listed. But I also removed a few titles: Walden, Boyd, Paths of Change, and Musashi.
Taking Walden off my list of favorite books feels like a sign of either maturity (I’m no longer in my 20s), acceptance (I’m no longer in my 20s), or embrace of my inner immaturity (I’m no longer in my 20s). It feels like growth no matter which!
Boyd I removed because I tried to reread it but failed. I couldn’t make it through the first few pages. It’s still the kind of book I’d recommend to any man interested to know what it takes to Do Something or (Be Something)––perhaps that means men in their 20s.
Paths of Change is the rare book to which I’ve dedicated a blog post. That said, I don’t see it as seminal to my intellectual trajectory as I did when I first read it.
I removed Musashi because I tried rereading it but couldn’t. It’s a hero’s journey tale set in in samurai Japan based on the life of Miyamoto Musashi, author of The Book of Five Rings. But as with Boyd, I couldn’t get through the first few pages.
Stephan Campbell 