Reading into historical figures

An annotated reading of the books I finished in September 2026.

Books Read in September 2026

  1. 1491
  2. The Nvidia Way
  3. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
  4. Four Thousand Weeks
  5. Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track

It didn’t always look like this

1491, a sober account of life in North and South America before Columbus’ arrival, provides a corrective historical lens for how we should view the level of ecological and technological development common among indigeneous American societies of that era. Rather than “living lightly” on the land, indigeneous communities are known to have been intentional sculptors of their ecological environments, through techniques such as regular burnings, irrigation, and agriculture. Interestingly, indigeneous societies were arguably more advanced and well-populated than their European counterparts in this time period, providing examples of how separately developed civilizations can ultimately develop similar technologies and social structures without direct communication or exchange.

Racing for chips

What is there to say about Nvidia’s history other than “woh”! From early graphics chip manufacturing for accelerating computing workflows (e.g., video games, simulations) to deep learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and now digital biology - the breadth and depth of applications of graphics processing hardware is hard to understate. Growing up, I wouldn’t have predicted that the company that produced the graphics cards I liked to purchase for playing Steam PC games would become a pivotal element of the ongoing race to artificial general intelligence (AGI). Nonetheless, here we are, and to understand a bit of where the future may (further) lead, The Nvidia Way offers some insights from Nvidia’s past.

A founder in more than one way

Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography brings this historical figure to life in new ways for readers. First, its first-person perspective allows us to glimpse into the thought processes of one of the United States’ founding figures. In doing so, we begin to better grasp Franklin’s philosophy for how to live well within a community. Second, this autobiography presents glimmers of Franklin’s character, for example, how he thought about charity and the best ways to carry it out. The breadth of Franklin’s writings in this work are truly noteworthy, so I recommend it at the very least as an example of how one can conceptualize and reflect on one’s life through important seasons.

Accept your limitations and start saying no more

Is the following prompt relatable? “I have all the interests and I’ve said yes to nearly every related opportunity that’s come my way. Now, I have very little time for any one of these interests/priorities, so I feel like I’m making no progress on any specific task or direction. What do I do?” Four Thousand Weeks gives readers a useful exercise to try in these situations: reflect on your mortality, practice mindfulness to become more familiar with your feelings surrounding mortality, and then use the insights you gain by developing this familiarity to start saying no to many of these interests (at least for this season of life). Only by becoming keenly aware of how short and unpredictable life is can we begin to make wise decisions about how to spend our precious “four thousand weeks”.

Letters unto letters

How can one describe Richard Feynman in a few words? The answer: you can’t. Like all humans, he was too complicated to summarize into a simple caricature. However, Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track offers a touching viewpoint into Feynman’s life: his letters to and from friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances. Through these letters, we see Feynman’s deep love for his wife, Arline, in their constant exchanges of life tidbits during her long-term fight with tuberculosis, as well as in Feynman’s poignant letter addressed to her after her passing. These letters also portray the complexities of Feynman’s character, that is, his flawed yet often altruistic motives as a scientist and educator.

Alex