Mere Mortals Book Reviews

I read The Book of Elon by Eric Jorgenson, a collection of Elon Musk’s most useful ideas on purpose, engineering, business, hiring, intensity and problem-solving, presented largely through Musk’s own words.

Rather than another Elon Musk biography, this book attempts to distil his operating system: how he thinks, why he works with such extreme intensity and which principles have shaped companies including Tesla and SpaceX.

But does it offer anything genuinely new?

00:00 What is The Book of Elon?
00:28 How I received the book
01:03 This is not an Elon Musk biography
01:48 Three million words distilled
02:24 More than 1,000 source references
03:10 The 69 Core Musk Methods
03:35 How the book is designed
03:56 My background with Elon Musk
04:42 Why so much of it felt familiar
05:45 Is it useful as a reference book?
06:35 Why I probably wouldn’t reread it
07:19 Who should read this book?
07:55 Elon’s “ultra hardcore” philosophy
08:24 Success because of—or despite—his methods?
08:43 My biggest criticism of the book
09:49 The reader who may find it transformative
10:26 My final recommendation
10:58 Elon Musk’s recommended reading list
12:01 Final verdict

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In this Mere Mortals book review, I talk through The Odyssey by Homer the famous follow-up companion to The Iliad, and one of the great adventure stories of the Western canon.

Compared with The Iliad, I found The Odyssey much more readable, more story-driven, and honestly more enjoyable. This is the great soldier-returning-home story: Odysseus trying to make his way back to Ithaca after the Trojan War, while Telemachus searches for answers, Penelope holds off the suitors, and the gods keep interfering with everyone’s lives.

0:00 Intro — The Odyssey after The Iliad
0:54 The basic structure of The Odyssey
1:18 Odysseus, Ulysses and the journey home
2:03 Telemachus, Penelope and the suitors
2:43 Where Odysseus has been
3:09 Cyclops, monsters and the famous adventures
3:46 Returning to Ithaca
4:04 The original soldier-coming-home story
4:25 Why The Odyssey reads better than The Iliad
5:02 The book that kept me reading at night
6:00 Why this story has lasted
7:10 Iliad vs Odyssey: rage vs cunning
8:19 Major themes: home, temptation, storytelling and justice
10:03 The parts I skimmed
10:43 Should you read The Iliad first?
11:37 Final thoughts on The Odyssey
12:26 Final recommendation

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Art is hairy, art is context, art is beauty and ..... art is big butts!?

In this episode, I dive into 'Get the Picture' by Bianca Bosker, a 2024 book that explores the contemporary art world from the inside. Bosker approaches it through immersive journalism, working as a gallery assistant, art fair staffer, studio helper, museum guard and briefly as an artist herself. What I found most compelling was how the book uses those experiences to wrestle with the big questions: what counts as art, whether art is about beauty or context and how much of the industry is driven by genuine appreciation versus status, money and insider games. I talk through the parts of the book that felt especially grotesque to me — the pretension, the coded language, the collector ego, and the sense that access and reputation often matter more than the work itself.

Thankfully, the book also shows a far more meaningful side of art. I discuss the sections that felt uplifting and enlightening, especially Bosker’s time with artists, collectors and museum guards who engage deeply with artworks and encourage slow, personal looking rather than outsourced interpretation. That side of the book helped me understand why art still matters and why people are drawn to it so powerfully. Overall, I came away feeling that the art world isn’t inherently broken so much as structurally lopsided, with highly passionate creators often vulnerable to exploitation. I really enjoyed Bosker’s writing, admired the depth of her reporting and would recommend to give it a read.

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Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:02:10) Bianca Bosker's immersive tour of the art world
(00:04:45) The pretence, power and status games of art
(00:08:51) Shock art and the question of what counts as art
(00:13:07) A more meaningful and uplifting side of art
(00:16:16) Is the art world inherently broken?
(00:21:20) Bianca Bosker's journalism
(00:25:02) Final Verdict
(00:27:20) Short hiatus and podcast closing notes

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Abstract ideas made definite.

In this episode of Mere Mortals book reviews, I dive into Peter Thiel’s 'Zero To One' and why its big-picture thinking resonates more than tactical business how‑to. I explore Thiel’s blend of abstract philosophy and concrete startup stories (from PayPal to Palantir) and discuss his contrarian takes on competition, monopoly and the value of being the last mover. I unpack the optimistic vs pessimistic, determinate vs indeterminate lens Thiel uses to read cultures and markets and why these frames can guide founders to build something truly unique rather than drift into “zombie company” territory. I share what made the book engaging for me, where it might fall short if you’re after nuts-and-bolts execution and who I think will get the most out of it. Ultimately, it’s a concise, idea-rich read that can reorient how you think about differentiation, market definition and creating from zero to one.

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Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:35) Introducing Zero to One by Peter Thiel
(00:04:27) Contrasting with other business classics
(00:07:41) Why high‑level ideas can beat operational minutiae
(00:11:03) Who is Peter Thiel? Background and ventures
(00:12:52) Verdict: a solid read for entrepreneurs
(00:14:00) Value for Value: how to support the show
(00:15:08) What’s next: upcoming book reviews

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I'm begging you PLEASE, I'll be your very best friend.

In this episode I review Dale Carnegie’s classic 'How to Win Friends & Influence People' nearly a century on from its publication. I walk through the book’s structure: principles on handling people, making people like you, winning others to your way of thinking and leading without resentment. Timeless advice still shines (smile, remember names, be genuinely interested, listen well) but some parts feels dated (the slow course‑shilling intro and lack of psychological depth on becoming “genuinely” interested). I also dig into the tension at the heart of the book: wanting friends and influence while being told to act without obvious self‑interest.

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Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:52) Book structure overview: parts and principles
(00:06:31) Key principles sampled: smile, names, listen, importance
(00:11:17) Childhood lens on making friends and sorting people
(00:13:41) Author background: Dale Carnegie’s path and motives
(00:17:19) The hard part: becoming genuinely interested
(00:20:34) Does it hold up? A dated yet durable self‑help classic
(00:22:29) Wrap‑up, support links and what’s next

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