20 fascinating books about representatives of different professions

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Find out what it's like to be a surgeon, astronaut, biologist or crematorium employee.

Non-fiction

These books represent real experiences of real people.

1. "Liar on the couch" by Irwin Yalom

Profession: psychotherapist.

Irwin Yalom is an American psychiatrist and psychotherapist, MD, and author of popular science books. He strongly opposes "therapy for all" because each patient has a unique story.

Yalom's new book is distinguished by an intriguing plot, an impartial view of the work of a psychotherapist and a frank story about the thoughts and feelings of the doctor himself, patiently listening to the patient day after day.

2. "You are of course kidding, Mr. Feynman!" By Richard Feynman

Profession: physicist.

Richard Feynman is an American physicist, one of the founders of quantum electrodynamics, just an outstanding person and a talented author. His book is a collection of autobiographical stories about scientific activities and funny incidents that happened to him. Feynman was known for his fondness for unusual pranks and had several unusual hobbies, such as breaking into safes.

Immediately after its release, the book became a bestseller. The author sheds light on the life of physicists, which seems difficult and transcendental to ordinary people.

3. “An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth. What 4,000 hours in orbit taught me ", Chris Hadfield

Profession: astronaut.

Chris Hadfield is a Canadian test pilot, astronaut and the first Canadian to complete a spacewalk. The book with his memories immediately became a bestseller. A special, humane view of space, the disclosure of the secrets of people working in orbit, and answers to many questions of interest to ordinary people, contributed to the popularity of the work.

The Russian reader will like the book doubly, since the author had to temporarily become “Russian” for his work: master the language, learn how to cook barbecue and live in Baikonur.

4. "Producer comes out", Alexander Rodnyansky

Profession: producer.

Alexander Rodnyansky is a director and film producer who has had a hand in such popular films as, for example, "Ninth Company", "Inhabited Island" and "Peter FM". In his book, Alexander talks about business processes in the film industry, the cost of success and how to maintain faith in the correctness of your choice and not burn out at work.

In the book, you will learn how film producers can influence people and how to organize the work of undisciplined creative people. Bonus - cinematic stories from the source.

5. "Letters" by Vincent Van Gogh

Profession: painter.

The book contains more than 700 letters of the great artist, whose talent was not appreciated by his contemporaries. Actually, we are familiar with the life of Van Gogh only thanks to his correspondence, a significant part of which is occupied by letters to his brother Theo.

Reflections on creativity, the meaning of life, beauty and love, the artist's emotions, his pain and despair will become a real revelation for the attentive reader.

6. “Of All Creatures - Large and Small,” James Harriott

Profession: veterinarian.

James Harriott, an English writer and veterinarian, writes with great love and subtle humor about the life of our smaller brothers. The author finds them very similar to humans. Animals are also sad and happy, sort things out and just enjoy life.

The book is filled with extraordinary optimism, which is simply impossible not to get infected. Even someone who treats animals coldly will surely change his mind after reading such sincere stories.

7. “Fragile lives. Heart surgeon stories about a profession where there is no place for doubt and fear ", Stephen Westeby

Profession: cardiac surgeon.

Whether the most exhausted heart can fully recover after surgery, why cardiac surgeon assistants wear rubber boots and what it is like to save lives - Stephen Westeby, a British heart surgeon and writer, knows the answers to these and other questions.

The author speaks with great respect about his colleagues, who, without any doubt, can be called modern heroes. Although, as Westby writes in secret, nothing human is alien to them.

8. “With Heyerdahl across the Atlantic. On the strength of the spirit in the wild ", Yuri Senkevich

Profession: traveler.

Yuri Senkevich needs no introduction. This is a person who is endlessly in love with travel and adventures.

The book describes an unprecedented experiment - an expedition on copies of ancient vessels made of papyrus to the New World in company with the famous Thor Heyerdahl. Every hour of sailing was complemented by difficult circumstances - from hunger to other risks to life.

The author very simply and without coquetry tells about what this journey has become for him, what lessons he learned and how his character has changed.

9. "On-screen and off-screen", Nina Zvereva

Profession: TV journalist.

The famous journalist Nina Zvereva chose a profession at the age of eight, which she later devoted most of her life to. It took a long time before she found herself in the magical world of television. The author has experienced ups and downs, happiness and pain and can tell exactly what the TV kitchen is made of.

10. "Diary of a Bookseller" by Sean Bytell

Profession: bookseller.

Is it easy to sell books? Can a humble corner of Scotland be turned into the country's book capital? The author of the book answers both questions in the affirmative. Sean Bytell, owner of Scotland's largest second-hand bookstore, did both. He described his experience with a great deal of irony in the book, based on which the TV series "Black's Bookstore" was filmed.

The book will grab the attention of not only fans of the series and reading lovers, but also those who rarely look into bookstores. We are sure that after getting to know this work, you will do it more often.

11. “An autopsy will show. Notes of a keen forensic expert ", Alexey Reshetun

Profession: forensic scientist.

Forensic expert and popular blogger Alexei Reshetun deals with death every day. But he does not read morality to you and me and does not call upon us to quit bad habits. The author simply very intelligibly and honestly talks about what he sees every day at work and what conclusions he draws from this. This book will once again remind you that human life and health are in his hands.

12. “Notes of the Primate. The Extraordinary Life of a Scientist Among Baboons ", Robert Sapolsky

Profession: primatologist.

American scientist, researcher, professor and author of books Robert Sapolsky has devoted more than 20 years to the study of primates in East Africa. The similarity of people with these creatures amazed him so much that he decided to write a book about them. His wards have sonorous biblical names, are sad and happy, conflict and fight for power just like us.

The book is written in a very simple language and at the same time touches to the core, especially when primates show more humanity than people themselves.

13. “When the smoke covers your eyes. Provocative stories about your favorite job from a crematorium employee ", Caitlin Doughty

Profession: employee of the crematorium.

Incredibly, working in a crematorium can be fun. This is exactly what the popular blogger and writer Caitlin Doughty, who runs a funeral home in the United States, tells about. Death can also be a matter of everyday life, and the author's stories confirm this.

Art books

A rich life experience allowed the authors of these books to present an honest and sincere view of the profession.

1. "Morphine", Mikhail Bulgakov

Profession: doctor.

The collection contains stories by Mikhail Bulgakov on medical topics ("Morphine", "Notes on the cuffs"). They are largely autobiographical: after the outbreak of the First World War, Bulgakov worked as a doctor in the frontline zone, later in the Smolensk province, in 1919 he served in the Red Cross.

On the pages of his works, we see the life of a young specialist who was thrown almost immediately after graduation to the Russian outback with its unsanitary conditions and ignorance. He is not only left to himself, but also forced to answer for other people. This experience will have the most important impact on the entire life of a young doctor.

2. "Surgeon", Julius Krelin

Profession: surgeon.

Julius Krelin - writer, surgeon, candidate of medical sciences. His most famous novel tells about the everyday life of the head of the department of an ordinary district hospital. Dr. Mishkin, the main character, does not chase titles, does not make scientific discoveries - he just does his job and saves people every day. He is the same person as everyone else: he experiences pain and joy, suffers from injustice and bears the burden of responsibility.

The book is very sincere about the moral choice of a professional and the importance of maintaining a warm attitude towards people.

3. "White Clothes", Vladimir Dudintsev

Profession: scientist-biologist.

The novel by the famous Soviet writer Vladimir Dudintsev is dedicated to the period of the struggle against Lysenkoism - a campaign to persecute geneticists, the denial of this science and the prohibition of such experiments in the USSR. The author raises difficult philosophical questions and shows that obscurantism also took place in the 20th century.

4. "Seventeen Moments of Spring", Julian Semyonov

Profession: scout.

The collection includes three of the most famous novels about the life and work of the Soviet intelligence officer Max Otto von Stirlitz behind enemy lines. Yulian Semyonov, writer, historian and journalist, impartially tells about the fate of a person who fell into the millstones of time and became a victim of a political game. The prototype of the protagonist was the scouts Sorge, Abel and Kuznetsov.

5. "Lawyer", John Grisham

Profession: lawyer.

American writer John Grisham had to work as a trial attorney in the past, so he knows this kitchen like the back of his hand. The main character of the book - a young graduate Kyle McCavoy - finds himself in a difficult situation and is blackmailed by a criminal group. Events unfold rapidly, and the reader remains in the dark until the very end whether Kyle will be able to extricate himself from the trap of criminals using legal means.

6. "Airport", Arthur Haley

Profession: airport employee.

The city invented by the author is covered with a storm. Airport workers and visitors find themselves in a snow trap. All services work hard, and employees make every effort to calm people down and put things in order. Internal problems are added to external problems. Including the complexity of the relationship between the protagonists. One Friday night seems like an eternity to all the participants in the drama.

7. Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman

Profession: teacher.

This book was written by an educator and is largely based on autobiographical data. The plot will probably sound familiar to you: a young teacher comes to a regular school with the firm intention of awakening the students' love for English literature. Her impulses and aspirations run up against a wall of misunderstanding both on the part of the school administration and on the part of the students.

The main intrigue of the book is whether the young teacher will find the key to the hearts of soulless children and heartless bureaucrats.