#AcademicRunPlaylist - 12/31/25

Author

Ben Waber
December 31, 2025

A selfie of me in front of a glass-covered fireplace in a stone chimney with a fire burning amidst logs. I'm a bald, middle-aged, white man with a red beard flecked with white. I'm wearing dark blue over-ear headphones, glasses with metal top rims, and a dark blue jacket with a check pattern.

FYI yesterday on social media platforms I posted my 2025 best of list here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VU4mStXJAylyFgW9P93RRwAoudJcPh0CVXSVBQC9kj8/edit?usp=sharing

It warmed up a little today but it was still pretty cold in Boston the last few days, and while keeping warm inside I listened to some books for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was "First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human" by Jeremy DeSilva. In addition to including analysis of late-breaking discoveries such as Homo naledi and Homo floresiensis to interrogate the evolutionary history and effects of upright walking, DeSilva brings unique research to the party, reaching back to pre-ape ancestors to more precisely delineate how we likely evolved differently than our other great ape cousins. This ends up setting it apart from other books in this area, and the review of the puzzle of the human pelvis was illuminating. Highly recommend https://www.harpercollins.com/products/first-steps-jeremy-desilva

Next was "The Winner's Curse" (2012 version) by Richard Thaler. I was pleasantly surprised when this book turned out to be a rigorous, systematic review of the economic and psychology literature around how reality clashes with "rational actor" models and how to explain those differences. Rather than flitting from interesting study to interesting study, Thaler works through topics one at a time, pulling from his own research and others in the field. I particularly liked the sections on employee compensation and stock market performance. Highly recommend https://www.harvard.com/book/9781982141554

Last was "Black Women Taught Us" by Jenn M. Jackson. If you like your history/critical studies books incorporated into a memoir, this will probably be your book. Jackson uses her personal experiences to illustrate fundamental injustices, then builds on those cases by bringing in Black feminist giants. Much of the history is a bit too high level for me, with sweeping statements made without citations or explanation for the underlying conclusions. The further reading that Jackson includes in the conclusion is an excellent resource, and this book as a whole should serve as a jumping off point for those unfamiliar with the Black Feminist history/critical studies literature https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673883/black-women-taught-us-by-jenn-m-jackson-phd/