Summary: Each one of these books will leave you feeling like a goddamn striding giant. Read them. Use them. Conquer.
Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean.
Norm Maclean was an old school firefighter in Montana back in the early 1900s. He wrote this nonfiction account at the very end of his life and died right before finishing it. I will not mince words: Young Men and Fire is a crucible in which masculinity and manhood are put to the blaze and brought down to their very fucking passionate essence. It is an epic which took the last energy and life of a man who knew and understood everything you've read in the Red Pill, and more.
The book is about a group of the earliest Forest Service smokejumpers, young boys (late teens, early 20s) who gave their lives fighting a raging inferno in the middle of nowhere. Thankless, courageous, adventurous, scary as hell work. Norm scours every bit of the experience, from the science of wildfires to the very effort it took for the boys to run from the inescapable blaze.
Throughout the work you get gems about how women should act and treat men, how people should treat each other, the tragedy that befalls men when they don't band together and trust one another, and because he's a legendary practical son of a bitch: how to survive a fucking forest fire.
It's science and poetry revolving around the spirit of masculinity, written in a way you will never see again. Every page will teach you something about what it is to be a man and to live a thankless life from the inside out. It will energize you in a way that you could never understand before cracking open the first page, and you will weep goddamn manly tears by the time it's all over. Read this fucking book.
Notable quote of shameless bad assery:
There are times when you have to do things before you try to figure out what things are all about.
Mental Discipline: The Pursuit of Peak Performance by Mike Livingston
Olympic medalist Mike Livingston goes from the absolute minutiae of training physiology all the way out to the East/West views of philosophy and mental and physical growth in a work that I can only assume he stole from the slain corpse of a fucking god. There's a reason why it's $150 right now on Amazon, and it was written in the 1980s.
Where Norm Maclean waxed poetic about the solitary spirit of man, Mike Livingston digs out the very core of what it is to face the unknown - specifically that moment during physical exertion when you don't think you can give any more, and then suddenly you give more. He tells you exactly what happens in your body during that moment, how that ties in with major philosophical belief systems, and even pulls fucking quantum mechanics into the conversation and makes it relevant.
He discusses facing the unknown repeatedly in order to train yourself toward that moment of complete clarity and perfection. There's no coddling, no witty remarks about how life is worth it even if you don't reach that goal, none of that bullshit. He makes you work to understand the first 90% of the book (you'll feel like you've taken a masters course in physiology and philosophy) and then cold cocks you with a few pages of utter burning truth which I can't even begin to paraphrase. This book is like a supermodel sitting on my shelf who never gets old.
Notable quotes:
The goal of today's training is failure. The goal of training in general is success.
And another (this one he wrote in the foreward for Assault on Lake Casitas):
The force of will that binds the puzzle is found only in the focus of the mind in the present moment. It is a truth that cannot be learned too often or too well.
Assault on Lake Casitas by Brad Alan Lewis
Olympic gold medalist Brad Alan Lewis, trained by none other than Mike Livingston, keeps a journal on how he became the outcast raging fucking conqueror of the rowing world. A California kid with no ivy league ties, he was shunned and shit on by every spoiled asshole in rowing. His ivy league enemies shunned weight lifting too, thinking it was some sort of sin to be a rower who lifted. So what did Livingston have Lewis do?
Lift his goddamn ass off.
Lewis talks about his motivations for becoming a champion, his unorthodox and wild training styles, and most importantly - his utter unstoppable rage that fueled him at every turn. For most of the book I thought, even having read all the posts here, I never encountered a soul as purely driven by rage and anger as Brad Alan Lewis. Then the end of the book introduces the most RP described individual I have ever come across, a man who doubles down on the entire fucking story with just two pages dedicated to his name:
Carl Hilterbrand.
Lewis describes this man as both his silent mentor and a beast with such constant simmering natural violence that he could scare the shit out of anyone just by glancing in their direction. What Hilterbrand tells Lewis at the end of the book is one of the most jet-fueled pieces of no fucks given advice I've ever read or heard.
Notable quotes:
Everywhere there are distractions and seductions that threaten to blunt or deflect the focus.
You must assume full responsibility for choosing to pursue power. Know that you alone have chosen to be tested, and then proceed without doubt, remorse, or blame. You alone are responsible.
My life consisted of a solitary race, now only five days away, and I wanted to make sure that I went out in a flaming, hell-bent explosion.
Pimp: The Story of My Life by Iceberg Slim
If David Foster Wallace or Stephen Hawking had dedicated their genius to becoming the world's most legendary pimp, this is the field report that would result. Slim's insight into the working of the female mind is brought out with such unrelenting force that after a few pages you'll wonder how you came into possession of such weird magical piece of literature. It's worth noting that this story wouldn't have nearly the same force if Slim didn't give equal attention to both his failures and success. He talks about every wrong turn he takes with women, how he loses each girl, and the utterly insane ways that women respond to real men who exert their authority.
His intensity, conviction, and rigorous critique of his methods, and those of other men, could lead you to believe that Slim is a time traveling Red Piller. Seriously, the whole fucking thing reads like a 40s version of the sidebar. Slim waxes poetic about game much like Maclean but in a funnier, dirtier way. The whole book is one extreme field report, separated into smaller chunks that talks about his many failures and conquests. It's a goddamn privilege to read from beginning to end, save for the whiny, moralizing epilogue which I honestly could have done without.
Notable quotes:
The whole fucking book. There is absolutely nothing like it.
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ChadThundercockII 8y ago
Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean epub version
Pimp: The Story of My Life by Iceberg Slim
If anyone can find the other two, it would be great.
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SoloGoya 8y ago
http://gen.lib.rus.ec has Norman Maclean's stuff.
And second Young Men and Fire. I first read Maclean's A River Runs Through It and Young Men and Fire did not disappoint.
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[deleted] 8y ago
Pimp also in audio on Scribd
redolas 8y ago
To anyone interested, you can find The Pimp audiobook on youtube. Clipconverter is your friend.
lucid8 8y ago
audiobook here
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ChadThundercockII 8y ago
Thank you brother. It is much appreciated.
sickofbeingaffraid 8y ago
Does anyone has a pdf version for those who don't have e-readers?
ChadThundercockII 8y ago
Unfortunately, no. But there are many application on the App Store that can open epub files.
[deleted] 8y ago
Bruh you rock. All I could find was mp3 versions of those two.
marplaneit 8y ago
could you link me Mental Discipline? I'm from argentina and 150 USD it's like half of what I need to live for an entire month.
fortheloveofpercy 8y ago
Seeing something like this makes me glad i grew up in the USA and wonder if it's plausible to take a year off, move to Argentina with a couple thousand dollars and focus on my physical and mental health 100%.
marplaneit 8y ago
You could lol... yeah, aniway I'm American! You should come is great here, free education, cheap as fuck lifestyle and great people. I'm living alone, graduating as doctor at 24 yr old, and it costs me around 600 USD a month, going out every weekend. I've lived in US, and I don't know how people doesn't get depressed there (They actually do), people overthere are just so fucking cold, and butthurt. I go from times to times, but after being there for more than 3 months depression kicks in. I got used to Latin American easy going people, friendly as fuck and true friendships.
_Clayton_Bigsby 8y ago
Thats awesome. Ive been considering a vacation like that or at least a cheap lifestyle. To get the free education wouldn't you have to be an Argentinian citizen?
fortheloveofpercy 8y ago
Don't tempt me or you might just have a new roommate. I've been putting in serious effort to play expat for the next year or two since it's been a dream since I graduated high school and I've been slacking.
I was looking inti TEFL but if I can get a free degree and stay continental I might have to research Argentina. In your opinion hiw hard would it be for an early 20s American to fly in with a couple grand, find work and living arrangements?
marplaneit 8y ago
I will also add, that there are not much americans here since it hasn't be promotted at all, SE is full of expat from all around the world, and those girls from South East asia are fucking ugly.
marplaneit 8y ago
Depending on the "work" you want to do... that would be pretty easy.
We just had a 50% devaluation so your USDs worth quite a lot now, and if you come to my city "La Plata" you will find that there are not a lot of native english speaker, so most english privated schools here will hire you in a blink of an eye.
If you need anything, I will help you! It will be cool as fuck to get an american Friend to get to clubs and parties. You will drown in pussy, since most girls here have some kind of adoration for americans...
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marplaneit 8y ago
That statement is only true if you really look american... Tall, blonde, blue eyes...
triperfecta 8y ago
Great post. I'll definitely check these out. Thanks.
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SheriffBart42 8y ago
Epictetus. A philosopher who basically calls you a bitch for having any problem with life. The same goes for Seneca.
[deleted] 8y ago
Where did he said that, i mean what are some top books from both of them?
Lo-G 8y ago
Stoicism the way seneca preached it is the antithesis of red pill behaviour. The stoic conclusion lies much closer to the Lookism "Lie down and rot" theory than anything else. He's worth reading, but keep a critical eye on his conclusions; they're destructive.
SheriffBart42 8y ago
What part of stoicism or Seneca's writing leads you to believe that? I've read almost every stoic text and it seems very compatible with TRP.
Lo-G 8y ago
Depends on the subject, his thoughts on death and how to confront it, e.g. "I do not fear being dead, for it is the same as I was before my birth" are intelligent and coherent. But his works on fatalism are straight up destructive. I also don't like the reverence he expresses for Diogenes in some of his epistulae. He destroys all achievement by saying that it is but a fleeting thing, and not worth chasing actively. (At least that was my conclusion back when I had to translate his epistulae morales ad lucilium)
If you want to learn strong roman values you should read cicero, scipio maior, and perhaps the ultimate founder of Machiavellian power-grabbing tactics, Caesar. Though to learn from Caesar you need to understand that every single piece he wrote in Gaul was self-serving propaganda.
This is of course all my own opinion and you should take it with a grain of salt.
mirceamrc1 8y ago
I'm adding Epictetus' book - Enchiridion to my reading list. Thank you.
SheriffBart42 8y ago
The Discourses is better, methinks.
Redasshole 8y ago
You could also read his letters. Formidable read.
BlueFreedom420 8y ago
The quote given for the book " Assault on lake casitas"
"You must assume full responsibility for choosing to pursue power. Know that you alone have chosen to be tested, and then proceed without doubt, remorse, or blame. You alone are responsible."
is the pure essence of a Left Hand Path initiation. Amazing how such truths pop up in people who don't even know of the LHP.
Il128 8y ago
The Hazards of Being Male
AI_entrepreneur 8y ago
For everyone looking for the mental discipline book, here's a link to a library search: https://www.worldcat.org/title/mental-discipline-the-pursuit-of-peak-performance/oclc/18982902.
Edit: I read it and thought it was terrible -- much better options out there for people trying to understand peak performance, e.g. this paper by Daniel Chambliss: http://academics.hamilton.edu/documents/themundanityofexcellence.pdf.
[deleted] 7y ago
Mate thanks for the updated link, I read it and it's fantastic. Can't seem to find Mental Discipline anywhere so even better.
ddiogenesofsinope 8y ago
Someone is going to need to take this out and turn it into an Ebook for us.
Theres no point it being on the list if there are only a few copies in the world
Leviticus59 8y ago
Shit, you're right. I surfed over to abebooks.com and took a look. Five copies on there and they start at 200 bucks.
hiphoprising 8y ago
270 pages, shouldn't be too tough to do. I'll be able to run by my library early next week to snag it and see if I can make something happen. Any idea on how much that would cost? Never done it before.
arunkumarl 7y ago
I have email the Mr. Livingston, asking him to publish the book digitally. Let's see what happens.
MarvelousWhale 8y ago
Buy scanner at Walmart, tear the book to pieces page by page neatly and pay your library the ~$5 fee of losing a book. Sacrifice the book for humanity.
Then return the scanner to Walmart for your money back.
BackslashBiscuit 8y ago
I'll chip in through PayPal as well. Can't find a copy anywhere. PM me if you're able to get it done.
Calypto- 8y ago
Yes, please do keep us updated! I don't question that it's a good book, but I don't want to drop $200 and end up not liking it.
Feeltheliving 8y ago
Let us know. If you do have PayPal i will chip in as well.
Redasshole 8y ago
Please keep us updated. Or at least, me.
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DillonDockery 8y ago
I'd be willing to contribute financially if you can turn this into an Ebook. Would love to read it, but not going to drop $200 to buy it.
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MetalliMunk 8y ago
Ditto. I would love to read this. Epub or PDF would be amazing!!
rohansolo 8y ago
Here's a copy of Mental Discipline for $60 https://www.bookbyte.com/textbooks/mental-discipline/9780873222280-0873222288#Marketplace
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[deleted] 8y ago
probably not as intense as some others here but The Old Man and the Sea is my personal "How to be a man"
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[deleted] 8y ago
For Assault on Lake Casitas, I was just looking up books on rowing. It's my sport and there aren't a lot of good books on it. That's actually one of the more famous ones. The foreword by Livingston is such an ass ripping tour de force that I had to look him up online and boom - there was his book.
Find where your tastes lie: your hobbies, sports, creative endeavors. Then find the people you admire most in those areas and find out who they recommend. Find out where they learned their stuff, and you can use that to hone your tastes and find the more obscure titles.
[deleted] 8y ago
I did rowing for two years, hardest thing I've ever done to this day.
friendlysociopathic 8y ago
Just want to chip in to say that Pimp is possibly the most RP book ever written. It depicts in great detail what happens when you take an absolutely exploitative and abusive, 'no other options' approach to women.
The section where he steals a woman from her incredibly dedicated boyfriend who has been supporting her at the cost of everything in his life for years will kill the beta permanently, because he makes her into a literal prostitute who gives all her income to him from a woman living with an unconditionally supportive beta partner.
The really interesting thing about the book is that Slim finds a unicorn, in a way. He details the concept of a 'bottom bitch' - literally, the woman who will show up to bail you out of prison when you've lost everything and all your other girls have abandoned you - and for me personally, this came to define the conditions for LTRing a girl. If I think you'd show up to bail me out of jail when I lost my job and all my resources, then maybe I'll consider making it about more than just sex.
bobjoe177 8y ago
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy and The Hemingway Anthology come to mind
[deleted] 8y ago
+1 Internets for you sir. Have some chickin'.
About 20 pages into Blood Meridian, wow. Just, wow.
Thanks for the heads up.
Best line so far:
"I take it ye lost your way", said the hermit.
"No, I went right to it." said the boy.
TNNRR 8y ago
Blood Meridian is one of the best books of the last 100 years.
Its BRUTAL. And, Judge Holden is one of the most terrifying and awesome characters I've ever encountered.
bobjoe177 8y ago
He scared the shit out of me
triperfecta 8y ago
Great post. I'll definitely check these out. Thanks.
VasiliyZaitzev 8y ago
The 2012 Documentary/Biography: Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp
EDIT: Another film to watch is "Omit The Logic", which is a 2013 documentary on Richard Pryor, who basically grew up in his grandma's brothel.
bowie747 8y ago
I'd like to throw up For Whom The Bell Tolls by Hemingway. A young American dynamiter sent to blow up a bridge with a small band of Spanish guerillas during the Spanish civil war. The story delves heavily into masculine responsibilities, and the struggles and privileges of manhood. A lot consists of the thoughts of a man who knows he is going to die soon.
Memorable quotes:
I wish i was going to live a long time instead of going to die today because I have learned much about life in these four days; more, I think than in all other time. I'd like to be an old man to really know. I wonder if you keep on learning or if there is only a certain amount each man can understand. I thought I knew so many things that I know nothing of. I wish there was more time.
I have watched them all day and they are the same men that we are [the enemy]...it is only orders that come between us.
trinitys_dildo 8y ago
Read this book multiple times as a teenager. My copy opened with John Donne's No man is an island.
The poem (and the book) made such a powerful impact on me I can remember most of the poem 20 years later:
"no man is an islande, entire of itself. Each man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod bee, washed away by the sea, Europe is the lesse. As well as if a promontory were, as well as if thee or a friend of thine own were. Therefore never ask for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee."
(The copy I had included the ye old english).
I was close; here is version from the net:
No man is an island, Entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. As well as if a promontory were. As well as if a manor of thine own Or of thine friend's were. Each man's death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee.
Time for me to read the book again
TRPInvoker 8y ago
Honestly I would suggest almost all of Hemingway's work. When I read the sun also rises in high school, it was the first time I fully considered the role of masculinity in my life, and that's what ultimately led me here. One of the most masculine authors I know, definitely worth a read.
[deleted] 8y ago
Hemingway's novella "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber"
One of the most red pill pieces of fiction I've ever read. It should be side bar material. Seriously. Everyone read it. It will take you one hour.
SithTRP 8y ago
You sir.
This just reminded me of a collection of stories I read before I knew anything about RP. In all my beta tendencies, somehow "Macomber" was my favorite of his short stories I read. Real life foreshadowing - I love when it happens.
Sir_Distic 8y ago
I own Pimp: The Story of My Life by Iceberg Slim and it's Red Pill from cover to cover. Talking about how he passed and failed shit tests etc. Such a great book.
dumstick 8y ago
I fucking love books. Thank you for not having me turn up to another mra bullshit trp front page again. I have been looking for interesting books and this got me pumped like no other. Please do more posts if you get the time.
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Cold_and_Composed 8y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs1neD3Dw8c&list=PLp4dIpklxWLFb-AZXSWUQw9E0S7PETtrv
[deleted] 8y ago
I actually have read one of these books. Pimp the story of my life by iceberg slim was one of the first books I ever read that wasn't assigned reading for school when I was about 14. I was just browsing around Borders and it jumped out at me. I saw the title and I had to read it. Great book. Very entertaining. Gets really silly in the last chapter though. Spoilers: he breaks out of prison in a very unrealistic manner without any help and then settles down and raises a family. The last line of the book is "how about that, an iceberg with a warm heart. " I couldn't believe it. Just a very sudden and jarring shift in tone in the last paragraph of the book.
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[deleted] 8y ago
Well of course it's made up.
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marty2k 8y ago
FYI: Young Men and Fire and Pimp are available on Audible. Just downloaded Pimp.
[deleted] 8y ago
I'll add these to the reading list. Thanks a bunch! These are excellent!
Procrastanaseum 8y ago
Thanks for this list. I'm always looking for new books and I haven't heard of any of these. These all sound fascinating.
rios_salvi 8y ago
Thanks for the list! If anybody could find a link to Mental Discipline it'd be greatly appreciated
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scholarly_pimp 8y ago
i second this, only to hope to have a reply with the link.
Procrastanaseum 8y ago
I looked for a quick link too but no luck, seems to be long out of print. I haven't checked any libraries yet though.
WhySoRuff 8y ago
The quotes are amazing. Nice touch OP.
sacbite 8y ago
Thank you! I read the amazing Young Men And Fire, and as a former firefighter, I got that part down -- but the other stuff, whoa! And women are waaaay tougher than fire fighting, so thanks for the Iceberg Slim -- I'm gonna kindle that now!
sacbite 8y ago
Okay, so I've been reading PIMP -- Jesus, that dude is scary and the book is full of hate. I totally get that broken women act that way -- broken guys would, too -- but I don't WANT to be Iceberg Slim, man. LOL. I just want to be strong and have great game. I dig that you recommended it, and it's an amazing read, but that dude is DARK -- know what I'm saying? That style of life is pure evil. Not for me. But fascinating, nonetheless. I guess my motto is 'alpha, not asshole.' For me, as a mellow Cali surfer dude, I don't want to run women that way -- I just think it's bad karma. But thanks for the recommendation -- what a fascinating world that evil pimp rules! (I do think he carries his own hell on earth around with him.) Thanks bro. the other books are GOLD.
marty2k 8y ago
For one to understand life fully, he must know its deepest depths. The same goes for women.
sacbite 8y ago
I get that, but the man is so damaged. I try to understand by RP brothers here, but sometimes I get overwhelmed by the anger, frankly. I don't think women are any worse than men -- just different. I've always enjoyed their company, and I never felt like they were screwing me over deliberately any more than I was screwing them over. But I do love Red Pill for being a place we can talk about women and what they are -- the world is so fucking politically correct now, there really are few places dudes can be dudes. Since I retired from the firehouse, (I was never a county or city guy, I was a call fire fighter - a volly - here in LA -- and it was just a fabulous hobby -- well, I've never found a place to just hang with my bros. I'm glad Red Pill is here and I'm glad to be able to have these tips on what books to read. Thanks again.
[deleted] 8y ago
If you have been RP-like your whole life you never get the rough treatment. With some abundance mentality you can easily ignore your sexual attraction and be at ease and this reflects in the way you interact ( maybe not cocky but atleast casually playful ). Fall a bit for that attraction while not being already considered a great man by her, and she will know you have some kind of open window for her to your heart ( not that you necessarily do at start, but they can work it off ). Her first reaction when that happen is to close herself to you, becoming mysterious. Then she will play the character she thinks she needs to play in order to enlarge that little room you gave her to play. And if you are still some BP and fall for it, then we all know how it ends. On the other hand, the more you are able to understand and dominate your attraction with ease ( or be at ease with it ), the more she will be well-behaved and decent in your presence.
It all boils down to the subconscious call for respect RP act on women. For them the playful, unobsessive, light-hearted man is the most respectable ( all other things being equal, just talking about game ). When they understand you can't drop the bag is the moment they choose it's time to make it full of rocks and see you go down.
Nature commanded men to be respectable or go die in a fire and females are her way to make sure she get her way.
marty2k 8y ago
I totally get what you are saying, but there is value in seeing the worst of life to understand it in a deeper level.
That Pimp understands women on their deepest, most primal level, much as a man who experienced D Day understands death, or a child soldier in Darfur understands morality, or a Jew hiding in an attic during the Holocaust understands fear. There is extreme value to be had. He is not one to be emulated, but there is much to learn.
sacbite 8y ago
Respect to that reply, yes, I get that, and it's a great analogy -- the 'D Day' thing...I guess you can say that if you've faced death in combat then yes, you understand how to confront fears in less severe situations. True. But every dude who survived combat didn't become a super alpha, right? Maybe because there is more to life than learning how to face combat? I dunno...but I get your point -- it's a good one. And PIMP is an amazing read...
enteralterego 8y ago
I feel this kind of extreme views are similar with "modern Nordic jazz" or "contemporary art" etc.
You don't seem to appreciate it or even understand it, maybe even find it amateurish and meaningless, but if these extreme examples can nudge the mainstream just a tiny bit, if they can give one good idea to someone else, it is worth it.
If this angry pimp can you give you insight to one tiny aspect of your own life - it is worth it. You don't have to treat it as a manual and use it as such. Just treat it as contemporary art. It's not for you to hang in your living room, but it might inspire the painter that will paint a beautiful picture of a vase that you can hang in your living room.
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winterequinox007 8y ago
Thanks. Will put it to good use.
sundaybrunch11 8y ago
"Good day. We are privileged to live another day in this magnificent world. Today you will be tested." Mike Livingston to Brad Lewis in "Assault on Lake Casitas"
TheMGhandi 8y ago
The four books that will pull the bitch out of me are: Cinderella, any erotic novel, ..., and Harry Potter (didn't read the book but I watched the movie. Dumbledore made me a cry so I hate that fag. Don't tell anyone!).
Edit: Thought about it and '...' is starting strength by mark rippeltoe. Instead of reading 200 pages on form, he could have said "learn how to take a shit squatting".
Let's just say, atg squats are no longer an issue. Hehe.
Edit 2: Why the fuck is this post about books you've never read only? It should definitely include books you did read, which is the only reason why I'm getting downvoted.