Choose among "The Blink" and "Ignited Minds" to start with?

Question

Well, I have got the books, "The Blink" and "Ignited Minds".

Help me choosing the best book to read first.

Answer 1

Hello my Friend,

As long as which book you want to read first will be based on if you want self improvement or do you want to know what is the thinking of Dr. Kalam, and you want to do your share to help his dreams for the Nation.

1.) For Self improvement read 'Blink' (Review Provided)

Blink is a book about split-second decisions and first impressions. It is about judgments rendered and choices made, quite literally, in the Blink of an eye – about how people “think without thinking.” More than that, the author cites cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology to explain why some people are brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept and why some people follow their instincts and come out on top, while others stumble their way into disaster.

Gladwell also addresses the reasons for the fact that great decision makers aren’t necessarily those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but often are those who have perfected the art of “thin-slicing,” or instantly filtering the very few factors that are truly significant from the overwhelming number of variables in any given situation.

2.) For the Nation Read 'Ignited Minds' (Review Provided)


Ignited Minds, the new book by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, analyses why mediocrity rules our nation. In this book, the author provides practical solutions to overcome this dismal state and achieve India Millennium Mission (IMM 2020).

The book begins by emphasizing the need to work on a mission mode with the vision of making India a developed nation by 2020. Only such an approach will ensure increased efficiency and impact of our work.


Dr. Kalam moves on to share his definition of the different stages in a nation’s life. He draws a parallel from Dr. Wayen W. Dyer’s book Manifest your Destiny and his categorization of the stages in the life of a man.

In the first (athlete) stage, a nation embarks on an energetic pursuit of performance and achievement. In the next (warrior) stage, it finds ways to demonstrate its superiority over others, perhaps through conquest.

It is in the next (big brother) stage, with its newfound maturity, that awareness shifts to what is important to other nations and societies. The idea is to help others become better.

Dr. Kalam goes on to describe the highest stage, the one where a nation recognizes its truest essence. He calls this the realization stage and says that it "comes out of the wisdom that the Earth is no single nation’s inheritance but of all, and its people are aware of the responsibility of the individual towards his fellow human beings. India has the potential to achieve this".

Dr. Kalam takes up different issues and themes that struck him on his pilgrimage around the country as he met thousands of schoolchildren, teachers, scientists, saints and seers in the course of two years. The result is a book that motivates us to get back on the winning track and unleash the energy within a nation that hasn’t allowed itself full rein.

He also highlights the importance of Rural Development and outlines a model for the development of rural India: "this involves selecting a ring of villages; connecting the villages on the ring by establishing a high-quality transport and telecommunication system; encouraging reputed specialists to locate schools, hospitals and other social services around the ring; marketing this well-serviced space to attract industry and commerce; and Internet connectivity".
Dr. Kalam writes that: "There are success stories among failures. We are one billion people with multiple faiths and ideologies. In the absence of a national vision, cracks at the seam keep surfacing and make us vulnerable. There is a need to reinforce this seam and amalgamate us into one national forum".
An interesting and educative reading, Dr. Kalam’s book is bound to ignite the minds of the younger generation as they are the future leaders who would lead India to become a developed nation by 2020.


Hope this answer helps you choose the book you want to read first. All the Best.

Answer 2

I have not read Ignited Minds, but I have read Blink. Malcolm Gladwell has written a fascinating book about people making decisions--both correct and incorrect--in the blink of an eye. He talks about a range of people, from police personnel who have to make split-second life and death decisions to art curators who can look at a piece of art and know instantly whether it is a fake or not--sometimes without being able to pin-point what made them make that choice. There is also a very interesting section about a man who has studied facial movements and who can read faces to see if someone is lying.