So they keep asking, ‘Hey, Antoine, what’s this book about? Is it good? How long did it take you to read it? Is it well written? What are the main topics and themes? How about the arguments?’
My Name is Antoine, I’m a 30-something Ph.D. who reads a lot and I’ve created I’ll Make You THINK SMART, the blog that’ll make you think smarter.
Once a month, I’ll send you a comprehensive review of a book which, I’m sure of it, will give you food for thought and will give you tools to think outside the box. It’s as simple as that!
Trends are everywhere. On TV, at work, during lunch, meetings, you name it. People keep asking if you’ve heard of this and that, and that’s tricky. Often, you’ve heard of the thing but have no idea what it is exactly. Often, too, you just have no idea. There’s simply too much information out there, and you just can’t cope with everything. So I’ve decided to help.
I’ll Make You Think Smart.
To keep things short, my name is Antoine, I am a thirty-something Ph.D. and I’m a French citizen of the world.
I’ve lived in Paris for a while, I studied law in the UK, lived around London where I got a Ph.D. related to international law and international relations. I’ve eventually moved to Hong Kong in 2015, where I am still living at the moment.
Currently a business strategy consultant, I’ve worked as a researcher on financial regulation issues for a university, as a consultant to the United Nations and to multinational companies and consulting firms. Oh, and I also happen to be the co-founder & Head of Insights of The Asia-Pacific Circle, an online platform focused on business trends in the Asia-Pacific.
I am passionate about global trends and dynamics, I love asking questions (especially the only that make people tick), and it turns out I’m paid to do just that. I also happen to read a lot (and to drink coffee), and I’m going to help you ask the good questions on a variety of topics ranging from politics to technology and business. In sum, I’ll Make You THINK SMART.
I enjoy the company of great books.
I don’t know about you, but I do enjoy the company of great books.
I’m not a library rat – I spend more time in coffee shops than in libraries, actually. But I happen to believe that books are a great way to learn new things at no cost. Politics, economics, society, business, technology books… there are so many things, so much expertise out there! So, why not trying to learn something from them?
The thing is, whether you like it or not, ideas matter.
Ideas are at the core of politics and technology revolutions. They can make a difference when it comes to keeping your business (or job!) innovative and relevant. Ideas can make you grow. They can open your eyes, change your mind, make you think smarter. And because books are about ideas (most of the time at least), they logically are a powerful tool when it comes to understanding our world or when it comes to thinking outside-the-box.
What’s in there for you then?
My goal is simple. Very simple, in fact. Once a month, I’ll send you a very comprehensive book review which will tell you everything you need to know about a book which, I think, will be worth your time and money.
My book commentary will get into the details, and it will help you grasp what the book is really about: a brief overview for starter, followed by a much more comprehensive analysis (which emphasizes the big questions and conclusions of the author), and by a food for thought section which aims at putting that book into a broader context.
The topics of my commentaries are varied. Some are about Business and self-development books, others are about politics and society books, or about technology books and so on.
All you have to do is read my monthly email, browse and pick!
Membership starts at $1.5 per month, so what are you waiting for? Become a member now!
What is the I’ll Make You THINK SMART philosophy?
I’ll Make You Think Smart is a solution for those of us who need a little bit of help when it comes to staying above the water. There is so much information to deal with nowadays, and we don’t have much time. Yet, who doesn’t want to know more about the trendy topics everybody talks about? Politics, economics, technology, business, you name it!
I’ll Make You Think Smart helps you think smart with very little. Great books, and coffee, really. The idea is very simple. Books are packed with expertise. Their authors have worked on them very hard, providing the best of their knowledge and experience in a (relatively) condensed and accessible format, so people can learn from them. The thing is, most of us don’t know what books to pick, most of us simply don’t have the time to read those books, and most of us never finish the books we start. That’s where I step in.
I’ll Make You Think Smart is all about helping you to pick the books that are right for you, by emphasizing th questions raised by the authors and by giving you hints as to how they answer those questions.
How long does it take to read your book commentaries?
I’ll Make You Think Smart is about providing you with serious food for thought. What that means is, my reviews and commentaries are comprehensive. On average, a careful reader would require 20 to 25 minutes if you want to have a full overview of the book. However the reviews always follow the same structure, so you should be able to skim-read me to get what’s relevant to you.
What if I don’t like coffee?
Awesome question! That’s okay, coffee is not mandatory and I’m sure you’ll find an alternative. What matters is, make your reading time a good time.
How do you pick the books you talk about?
This is one of the fairest questions, really. The answer is easy: I pick books that got me thinking.
My articles and book reviews discuss books that were worth a read, worth my time and money. What makes them worthwhile to me is their ability to pick relevant questions, to teach me things, to make me think about new or known topics.
That doesn’t mean I liked all the books I write about, though. Some of the books discussed on I’ll Make You Think Smart have been painful to read for me. Yet if they got me a worth-knowing perspective on something I consider them as valuable. After all, if your goal is to think smarter, reading things you don’t agree with makes sense, right?
Do you write independent book reviews and commentaries?
I’ll Make You Think Smart is totally independent.
I decide which books I want to write on, depending on my reading of the day, of the week or month. But value is what makes me decide whether or not I will comment on a book. Again, all the books listed here were selected because they have been valuable to me and can be valuable to you.
I write all my articles myself, and I always say what I think in full honesty. I regularly agree or disagree with the authors and I am very picky when it comes to style. I say when I think that a book is well written, and I also explain why another is rather irritating. At the end of the day though, I do my best to remain neutral in my comments to focus on pointing at ideas and argument that deserve to be heard. What matters is the author’s ideas and arguments, not my personal beliefs.
Can your book reviews replace the books?
My book reviews cannot replace the books and are certainly not meant to replace the authors’ work.
Considering that most people never finish the books they read, I’ll Make You Think Smart is about helping readers pick their next books. My goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of books selected for their contribution so I highlight the big questions they ask and I try to explain the value they can provide in terms of ideas, expertise and solutions.
But it is definitely up to you to make up your mind and get those books!
Read smart, think smart!
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I Will Make You Think Smart 