“Think Like a Rocket Scientist”: Nonfiction Book That’s Actually Worth It

It could be a nice Christmas present for someone who is into nonfiction

It’s almost the end of the year, and here’s my final nonfiction / self-improvement book recommendation this year: “Think like a rocket scientist” by Ozan Varol.

I’m generally quite skeptical of self-help or “mentality improvement” type books, but this one came up highly recommended, and I enjoyed reading it.

Ozan Varol is a scientist from Turkey who relocated to the US and worked for NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers mission (among many other endeavors he’s had).

The premise of the book is that when Kennedy announced the US mission to the Moon, virtually nothing was ready for it — the scientists hadn’t even figured out how to go beyond the Earth’s orbit. This highlights that the “rocket scientist” mentality requires immense stamina to create or work on something that feels nowhere near becoming a reality.

Some of my key takeaways from the book:

• Our brains crave certainty, but it isn’t where the progress is at. Many of us stay in cushiony, safe positions, avoiding the risk of venturing into the unknown. Where certainty ends, progress begins.
• “It’s difficult to get someone to understand something if their salary depends on them not understanding it”. Too often, people’s positions are based on maintaining the corporate status quo.
• We must consciously step outside our eco chambers to validate our ideas. If everyone around you agrees with you, find someone who won’t — as uncomfortable as that might be.
• Ozan criticizes Silicon Valley’s concept of “failing fast” and having “failure parties”. While he acknowledges the importance of removing the stigma around failure, he argues that this mindset often leads to blaming the circumstances, overestimating bad luck, or coming up with superficial reasons for failure. He points out that for rocket scientists, there is no room for “fast failing” as literal human lives are at stake.
• In some cases, success can actually be more harmful than failure. “You can do some things wrong and still succeed”, Ozan points out. Success can prevent you from analyzing your mistakes, potentially leading to even nastier failures down the line. He explains how this very dynamic contributed to the Challenger disaster.
• “The modern world doesn’t call for finished products. It calls for works in progress where perpetual improvement is the game”. I couldn’t agree more with this perspective — it accurately captures corporate reality and can really help those struggling with perfectionism.

“Think like a rocket scientist” is a fast read that offers valuable insights on reframing your thinking to achieve better results, work more creatively, and improve decision-making.

It’s true that some of the ideas in this book can be found in other nonfiction works on mentality reframing — but I still enjoyed reading it and appreciated the insights drawn from the rocket science industry.

I do not post book recommendations without a beer review — why would I, when books and beers are two of my favorite things?

Today’s beer takes me back to beautiful, Christmassy December in Prague a few years ago 🇨🇿

It is a Bohemian Ale by Bernard Family Brewery — a very smooth ale with a nice finish. Can we also take a moment to appreciate the tiny Saint Bernard dogs on this brewery’s logo?