Episodes

  • Episode 35: Who Moved My Cheese Full Chapter Book Summary
    Feb 7 2023
    Who Moved My Cheese (https://www.bookey.app/book/who-moved-my-cheese) Who Moved My Cheese Full Chapter Book Summary (https://www.bookey.app/book/who-moved-my-cheese) In a maze lived four characters. Two were mice, named Sniff and Scurry, and two were little people, named Hem and Haw. Their intertwined stories unfold in two parts. The first part is a parable entitled Who Moved My Cheese?, and the second is called Out of the Maze. The former tells the story of how each character reacts when their stocks of cheese vanish one day. It tells of how the loss affects them and the strategies they use to cope. The second part focuses on Hem, who is particularly unwilling to accept the fact that the cheese is gone for good. For a long time, he stays where he is in the maze, frozen, unable to move. But, eventually, even Hem starts to take action and goes off in search of fresh cheese with the help of a new character named Hope. With Hope’s influence, he changes little by little. Finally, transformed, Hem walks out of the dark maze once and for all. These simple but insightful stories will teach you how to cope with changes and, if you are stuck in a situation, get unstuck. Overview | Chapter 1 Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we will unlock the book Who Moved My Cheese and Out of the Maze. Life is a labyrinth of choices, turnings in every direction. In this maze, everyone is looking for their own “cheese”. It could be a stable job, a healthy body, strong relationships, or love. In this search, it is inevitable to encounter turnings that will take you by surprise. One day, you may find your perfectly ripened cheese has gone bad or it has already been eaten: then, what will you do? These two books may help you with encouraging inspiration. The first book, Who Moved My Cheese, rapidly gained wide acclaim as soon as it was first published in 1988. The second, Out of the Maze, was not only an anticipated sequel but also a legacy left by Spencer Johnson, as it was the last book he wrote before he passed away. The first book introduces the maze. In this environment live four characters, two mice named Sniff and Scurry and two little people named Hem and Haw. The story describes how one day, their cheese vanishes, how each character responds and how they learn to cope with change in their lives. The sequel continues the story of Hem. Hem has stayed in the maze, and with the help of a new friend, Hope, he starts to take action. Little by little, he changes and transforms himself, eventually stepping outside the maze once and for all. Cheese is Johnson’s metaphor for all the beautiful things we pursue in our lives. The four characters represent four typical reactions to a significant change in life. In this situation, some will be put on the alert, staying vigilant, and prepared for further dangers. When their cheese simply vanishes, with no explanation, they won’t question who may be responsible but adapt to the new circumstances. Others indulge themselves. They don’t acknowledge that there has been a change; they ignore it. Ultimately, such people may harden their resolve and eventually take actions. In order to do so, they must leave their comfort zone, overcoming their initial fear. Another type of person is like an ostrich, burying its head in the sand. They don’t accept the change and live in the false hope that everything will reset to normal. They won’t consider changing themselves until they are sure there’s no other course. Perhaps, the vast majority of people are inclined to be like ostriches. The stories of these four characters are told in the manner of parables. Johnson is a vivid and witty narrator. His simple tales unfold, offering readers insight and wisdom, giving them encouragement and provoking them to question their choices. The two books are cultural phenomena, adopted as a coaching handbook and training manual by many top-notch organisations, used to help all sorts of people to improve their careers, marriages and life prospects.
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    20 mins
  • Episode 33: Bad Blood Full Chapter Book Summary
    Jan 30 2023
    Bad Blood Full Chapter Book Summary (https://www.bookey.app/book/bad-blood) More Content On Bookey Best Book Summary App (https://www.bookey.app/). For nearly a ten billion dollar fraud, what meticulous planning is required? How did a school dropout with no medical background deceive the medical technology establishment and even political giants? In “Bad Blood”, the author, John Carreyrou, uses a calm and objective style of writing to reveal the shocking fraudulent activity at the heart of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes’ company. In his research for the book, Carreyrou interviewed over 150 people, including sixty former employees. He drew upon the comprehensive background detail they provided to uncover the truth. Carreyrou tears apart the legendary company that built on lies. He reveals to the reader how the fraud was executed. Overview | Chapter 1 Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we will unlock the book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. Before we begin, let us try to imagine a particular type of product, a portable medical “magic box”. It can be kept at home, produce a diagnosis, and suggest a treatment plan. Whenever you feel physically unwell, all you need to do is to open this magic box, use the needle on top to prick your finger, let a drop of blood fall into the box, and this magic box will provide over two hundred professional test results. With this device, not only would you be able to track your physical condition instantaneously, the data from the blood test would be transmitted online to your doctor. They can then send over more comprehensive consultation notes and advise on your medication going forward. With such a magic box, you would be able to accomplish the entire process of a doctor’s consultation without stepping out of your door. Is this a product you would hope to own? This is not a fantasy. Once upon a time, someone from Silicon Valley created such a product. The entrepreneur was a passionate follower of Steve Jobs. Like Jobs, had believed that “the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” For this revolutionary dream, this individual dropped out of Stanford University, gathered a group of like-minded talents, and created a company that sold medical apparatus. Soon it was estimated to be worth $9 billion USD. This person, who founded a company they called Theranos, was none other than Elizabeth Holmes. It was she who came up with this captivating idea and proceeded to use an irresistibly charming manner to rake in investment. She attracted business world legends, such as the Oracle founder Larry Ellison, to be her shareholders. She was even successful in persuading military and political leaders, like former U.S. Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, and former Defense Minister William Perry, to join the Board of Directors. These significant figures provided a shield for the company. Their credibility helped her company’s value ascend in the market, such that, at one point, it was the most successful Silicon Valley start-up. At the helm of Theranos, Holmes dreamt of becoming a hero destined to save humanity. Yet ultimately, the dream melted as everyone found out that the magic product was just an illusion Holmes had created. The bubble was burst when everyone shockingly realized that the Theranos company Holmes’ had created was the biggest medical fraud in history.
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    14 mins
  • Episode 34: Hillbilly Elegy Full Chapter Book Summary
    Jan 30 2023
    Hillbilly Elegy Full Chapter Book Summary (https://www.bookey.app/book/hillbilly-elegy) More Content On Bookey Best Book Summary App (https://www.bookey.app/). This is a memoir written by James David Vance, who was born in Middletown (also known as the Steel City), Ohio, located within the Rust Belt. Vance came from a Scottish-Irish working-class community plagued by poverty and poor social mobility. While most members of the community had been stuck at the bottom of the social ladder for generations, Vance graduated from Yale Law School and managed to move up the social ladder. This book not only recounts his journey to success, but also highlights the crises faced by white working-class Americans and examines the causal factors behind these social issues. Overview | Chapter 1 Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we will unlock the book Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. The book was written by J. D. Vance, who was born in Middletown, Ohio, within the Rust Belt. While he is white, he is not a member of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants—the first group to settle in the Northeastern United States. Vance is of Scottish-Irish descent, and his community consists of mostly non-college-educated, working-class individuals whose ancestors had been brought over to American South as day laborers. The subsequent generations had worked as sharecroppers, coal miners, and factory workers. They have been called “rednecks,” “white trash,” and “hillbillies” by other Americans, the last of which lends itself to the title of this book. Vance was only thirty-one years old when he wrote this memoir. At the time, he had no notable achievements. He hadn’t been elected as senator or governor, nor had he started a company with a market value of one billion dollars or a non-profit organization that would change the world. In the first thirty-one years of his life, his biggest success was graduating from Yale Law School. However, this memoir written by a “nobody” became a bestseller on Amazon and in The New York Times—even earning recommendations from influential Silicon Valley figures such as Bill Gates and Peter Thiel, author of Zero to One. Hillbilly Elegy was also adapted into a movie directed by renowned director Ron Howard, whose filmography includes A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code. What makes this book so popular, then? There are two primary reasons. First, Vance’s story is inspirational. For someone born into a poor, chaotic family in an impoverished city, success is a strange. Many people who share the same background find themselves in the deep end. Against all odds, however, Vance managed to move up the social ladder and become a self-made businessman. The second reason is societal. Not only does this memoir detail Vance’s past, but it also reflects the living conditions of white blue-collar workers, offering insight into a real facet of American society. Through Vance’s perspective, readers can explore the challenges faced by the white American working class and learn the causes behind them. For this reason, many people regard Vance as the spokesman for white working-class Americans. Some critics even believe that this book, which articulates the mentality of said demographic, explains why Donald Trump was so well-liked among this demographic and how he came to win the 2016 election with their support.
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    21 mins
  • Episode 31: Zero to One Full Chapter Book Summary
    Jan 30 2023
    Zero to One Full Chapter Book Summary (https://www.bookey.app/book/zero-to-one) More Content On Bookey Best Book Summary App (https://www.bookey.app/). Every entrepreneur is eager to know what kind of startup can gain a foothold in the business world, and understand how to make innovative products, face competition, assemble teams, sell products and services, and ensure a company's sustainable development. In this book, Peter Thiel, known as the "Silicon Valley venture capital godfather," gives the right answers based on his entrepreneurial history and experience. In his opinion, startups must find unique ways to innovate if they want to succeed. Overview | Chapter 1 Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we will unlock the book “Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future.” For those who are interested in starting a business, they will always be anxious before starting a business. What kind of entrepreneurial project is more likely to succeed? Should they enter a red ocean to participate in the competition or strive to find a blue ocean to explore the unknown world? Going into a red ocean means that there are existing and successful cases that can be learned from and referred to. But when faced with many competitors, it is not easy to survive and win. However, choosing blue oceans is not necessarily better than red oceans. Although there is not much competition in blue oceans, if the market is not developed, the road ahead will be full of unknowns and challenges for any pioneers. Whether they can keep going depends on their determination and capabilities. Every entrepreneur is eager to know what kind of startup can gain a foothold in the business world, and how to make innovative products, face competition, assemble teams, sell products and services, and ensure a company's sustainable development. This book gives the right answers to these critical and highly practical questions. The author, Peter Thiel, who is known as the “Silicon Valley venture capital godfather” and a thinker in the investment world. Which companies come to our mind when we think of the most successful startups in the past decades? Probably Facebook, LinkedIn, and Tesla? All these startup stars are closely related to Peter Thiel. Peter Thiel is a successful entrepreneur who co-founded PayPal in 1998 and sold it to eBay for US$ 1.5 billion in 2002, bringing e-commerce to a new era. But what is more commendable is his investment foresight for startups, as we mentioned in another bookey “The Facebook Effect” in which we introduced him as the first Facebook investor. He then co-founded Founder Fund, which has provided early funding for LinkedIn, SpaceX, Yelp and dozens of outstanding technology startups. Former colleagues ran many of these companies. They have been dubbed the “PayPal Mafia,” which includes Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla.
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    10 mins
  • Episode 32: The Body Keeps the Score Full Chapter Book Summary
    Jan 30 2023
    The Body Keeps the Score Full Chapter Book Summary (https://www.bookey.app/book/the-body-keeps-the-score) More Content On Bookey Best Book Summary App (https://www.bookey.app/). Have you ever suffered abuse, sexual assault, a serious car accident, or some other injuries? Life often leaves us with too many psychological traumas and nightmarish memories. We struggle to get rid of them and forget them, only to find we can’t. The brain and body never forget the psychological trauma caused by an event, and it is not “all in one’s head,” but rather has a physiological basis. This book will take us through the secret of the body that never forgets trauma. Overview | Chapter 1 Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we’ll unlock the book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Let’s first hear a story. Marilyn was a tall, athletic-looking woman in her mid-thirties who worked as a nurse. She met a fireman named Michael while playing tennis at the sports club and the two began a relationship. They often talked about tennis and movies together. Marilyn said that she usually avoided men, but this relationship gradually made her feel comfortable. As they got closer, one Saturday evening, Marilyn invited Michael to stay over at her apartment. She described feeling “uptight and unreal” as soon as they were alone together, having very little sense of what would happen next. After a few glasses of wine and several episodes of a TV show, they fell asleep together in bed. At around two in the morning, when they were fast asleep, Michael turned over. When Marilyn felt his body touch hers, she exploded—pounding him with her fists, scratching and biting, screaming, “You bastard, you bastard!” Michael, startled awake, grabbed his belongings and fled. After he left, Marilyn felt deeply humiliated and hated herself for what she had done. So she turned to the therapist Bessel Van der Kolk for help in dealing with her terror of men and her inexplicable rage attacks. So why did Marilyn act like that? After several treatments,Van der Kolk found that Marilyn had never been able to let go of her childhood experience of sexual assault by her father. In fact, on many occasions, even if things have changed and time has long passed, we may still go out of control due to some tiny danger signals that trigger our horrible memories. People often think that it’s “all in one’s head,” but the book The Body Keeps the Score suggests that psychological trauma actually has a physiological basis. So what are the physical and psychological effects of trauma? What does the body have to do with trauma? How can it be treated? This book will give us the answers. The author of this book is Bessel Van der Kolk, who is the world’s best-known master of trauma treatment. He is the founder and medical director of the Trauma Center in Brookline in the United States, a Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University Medical School and director of the National Complex Trauma Treatment Network. With more than 30 years of experience in cutting-edge research and clinical practice in the field of psychological trauma, he is an expert in both medication and psychotherapy, with a creative insight on trauma. He also frequently conducts in-depth exchanges and cooperation with all the founders of major trauma treatments in the United States. As one of the authorities in the field of psychological trauma treatment, his theory has greatly influenced the mainstream approaches to trauma treatment today.
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    15 mins
  • Episode 30: Why Nations Fail Full Free Audio Book Summary
    Jan 19 2023
    Why Nations Fail Full Free Audio Book Summary (https://www.bookey.app/book/why-nations-fail) Come to Bookey Book Summary (https://www.bookey.app/) to unlock more content. Why are some nations wealthy and others poor? Why is it that vastly different institutions can emerge in two nations of similar backgrounds and origins, with a huge disparity in the respective quality of life of their citizens? Just what exactly determines a country’s future? This book combs through the developmental history of human civilization and analyses the case studies of over twenty countries in great detail to show us why different countries have different institutions, and how good and bad institutions can influence a nation’s destiny. Overview | Chapter 1 Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we will unlock the book Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty. What is the greatest challenge facing mankind today? Every person has a different answer to this question. Jared Diamond, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the bestselling sociology classic Guns, Germs and Steel, which we have unlocked for you in a previous bookey, believes that the problem of income disparity among various countries around the world can be considered the greatest challenge facing humanity today. The per capita income of Egypt is only 12% that of the United States – this is a shocking figure, and it is arguably one of the key factors for Egypt’s political instability. However, this example is not even the largest disparity known to exist between countries. The gap between the per capita income of the United States and that of the poorest countries in the world is much larger – in those countries, even a full meal might be considered a luxury. What exactly causes this disparity? Why are some nations prosperous with a flourishing population, while others are impoverished with their people in deep suffering? Can poor countries ever change their destiny, or are they doomed to fail? Since the dawn of time, countless experts have tried to answer this question. The book Why Nations Fail provides us with a short answer: institutions. While this answer appears to be deceptively simple, it is full of complexities. It took the authors of this book fifteen years of dedicated research to arrive at this answer. Both authors are leading economists: Daron Acemoglu is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and recipient of the prestigious John Bates Clark Award, and James Robinson is a professor at Harvard University and world-renowned expert in Latin American and African studies. Over the course of fifteen years, these two experts pored over thousands of years of human history, and compared the developmental processes of over twenty countries. They came to the conclusion that differences in institutions are responsible for the different fates of various countries around the world. In this book, Acemoglu and Robinson analyze volumes of historical case studies to show us why different countries developed different institutions in the first place, how the earliest institutions came about, and how good and bad institutions can influence a nation’s destiny.
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    12 mins
  • Episode 29: When Breath Becomes Air Full Free Audio Book Summary
    Jan 19 2023
    When Breath Becomes Air Full Free Audio Book Summary (https://www.bookey.app/book/when-breath-becomes-air) Come to Bookey Book Summary (https://www.bookey.app/) to unlock more content. After many years of hard study and medical practice, Paul finally caught a glimpse of his own Promised Land. He was poised to receive a tenure-track professorship and a chance to start his own neuroscience lab from the Stanford University School of Medicine. At that moment, he joined the 0.12 unlucky people out of every ten thousand who contracts lung cancer before the age of 36. From then on, he began to explore the truth behind death as a doctor and a patient. While we listen in to this bookey, Paul, its author, has already passed away. His breath has turned into air, yet the courage he possessed in the face of death lives on. Overview | Chapter 1 Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we will unlock the book When Breath Becomes Air. For every ten thousand people in the modern world, of those under the age of 36, only 0.12 will contract lung cancer. The book’s author Paul Kalanithi happened to be one of this tiny unfortunate minority. At Stanford University, Kalanithi attained dual honors in his Bachelor’s degree in English literature and human biology. He went on to earn a Master of Philosophy in History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine at the University of Cambridge. Finally, at the Yale School of Medicine, his stellar research was acknowledged with a PhD. During his six to seven years of residency, he worked a hundred hours a week. For his efforts in this period of intensive research, the American Academy of Neurological Surgery acknowledged him with their highest award. In short, at Stanford University, he was hailed as one of the most gifted doctors. However, in his final year of residency, as he was poised to receive a tenure-track professorship as well as an opportunity to head his own neuroscience lab at Stanford University School of Medicine, Kalanithi was denied the time to savor the fruits of his years of hard labor. He was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and forced to confront his mortality. Death itself is not shocking but having life snatched away prematurely often leaves people with a tragic sense of regret. From the moment when a person is diagnosed with cancer, they will inevitably yearn to set the clock back and live their life again. Yet, a fact is a fact. Going back to the old life, as well as the future that one imagined, is now seen to be nothing more than extravagant dreams. What should one do in this predicament? Merely wait for death to come? No. Paul Kalanithi decided to continue living as he would have lived had he not been given his tumultuous cancer diagnosis. The Paul of the past had wanted a child. After much deliberation, a post-cancer Paul made the same decision to extend his family, even if this might make saying goodbye even more excruciating. Paul had always regarded medicine to be his life-long mission. After his diagnosis, Paul went back to the operating theatre whenever his physical condition allowed. Paul had always wanted to write. So, despite suffering intense physical pain from his condition, he propped himself up and forced his weakened frame to write ceaselessly. And finally, he completed When Breath Becomes Air. Although cancer had the effect of accelerating Paul’s life to its end, he remained faithful to his heart’s desires. He kept asking himself what was meaningful, what was truly important. Then, he channeled all his remaining strength and spirit into those enterprises. When he finally came to the brink and faced death, he smiled. Paul said, ‘I am ready.’ He passed away with tranquility. His attitude was constant. He ended his life in the same spirit that he set out on his final arduous journey; calm, accepting, and positive in the face of the unimaginable. He never thought to ask, “Why me?” but rather would think, “Why not me?” What happened to Paul was heartbreaking, but he never painted it as a tragedy.
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    20 mins
  • Episode 28: The Silk Roads Full Free Audio Book Summary
    Jan 19 2023
    The Silk Roads Full Free Audio Book Summary (https://www.bookey.app/book/the-silk-roads) Come to Bookey Book Summary (https://www.bookey.app/) to unlock more content. Were you under the impression that the Silk Road was just a trade route? Or a ‘belt’ around the world? The history of the Silk Road is a condensed version of world history. The historical journeys of countries don't happen in isolation – but are instead all inextricably linked to the Silk ‘Roads’. The book’s author redefines world history from the perspective of the Silk Road. By reading this book, you will discover that the Silk Road not only encompasses the history of humans, but also determines the future of the world. Overview | Chapter 1 Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we'll unlock the book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World. When discussing the Silk Road, most people view it as an ancient trade route that connects the East with the West. History bestowed it with a great deal of mystery and legend: camels and goods travelled on the trade route; merchants of different races, different countries, and diverse cultural backgrounds interacted and traded with each other; Chinese silk and porcelain flowed along this trade route to various countries in the west. Silver from western countries also moved to the east on the same path… This account of The Silk Roads that we will uncover today uses multiple threads to tell the stories that took place on the Silk Road, starting more than 2,000 years ago. The book begins its story with the creation of the Silk Road. Using a broad time frame, it recounts the stories of countries from their peak to their decline, and from humble beginnings to becoming entities that wield absolute power. It has shaped world history into a brand-new system. It reveals to people that for much of history, the world's axis revolved around the Silk Road. Each countries history doesn't evolve in isolation and is more or less associated with the Silk Road. From the Silk Road, we can see that the world is smaller and more accessible than we've previously imagined. World history has been redefined. Once the book The Silk Roads was published, it quickly became a best-selling book around the world, and was even listed as No.1 in World History on Amazon UK! It was also no.1 in the genre of Historical Geography on Amazon US and no.1 on the list of non-fiction best sellers in India. It was also recommended by various organizations and figures. The People's Daily in China recommended it twice in 19 days, which was an unprecedented move by the most influential Chinese publication. The Times commented on the book saying: “Many books have been written which claim to be ‘A New History of the World.’ This rare one fully deserves the title.” The Economist stated: Frankopan uses exquisite and intelligent language to interpret a world history revolving around the East. The famous British historian William Dalrymple lavishly praised the book by saying: “ambition that is rare … a remarkable book on many levels, a proper historical epic of dazzling range and achievement.” Peter Frankopan is the author of this book and a famous British historian. He has received considerable attention from mainstream academic historians around the world because he's shown a talent for examining the anatomy of the contemporary world from a perspective that differs from European history. For this book, The Silk Roads, in particular, he consulted all the literary and historical resources that he could find in libraries around the world. Finally, he wrote this well sourced book which included nearly a hundred citations for each chapter on average, as can be seen from its numerous endnotes.
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    20 mins