Chancing It: Why We Take Risks

The first chapter of Keyes's highly readable book is on Philippe Petit, the subject of the superb 2008 documentary Man on Wire. Petit has his fears, e.g. spiders, marriage and parenthood, and is revealed as an interesting person as well as a unique chance-taker. Sky divers, entrepreneurs, couples in love, etc. get attention. Copious notes but no index or separate bibliography. A fine resource.

I can honestly say that, as a college student over twenty years ago, reading Chancing It permanently changed my views on life. But this is NOT a self-help book by any stretch of the imagination. Chancing It is a literary dissertation of a caliber rarely found today, full of anticdotes, profiles, interviews and reflections. It is never preachy or simplistic, and never devolves into a hackneyed checklist of options. It doesn't instruct the reader, it simply invites one to come along on a nuanced, fun, credible and sophisticated exploration of the true meaning of "risk" in its broadest sense, why we take risks, and the varied and surprising forms it takes in people's lives. It will perhaps seem dated to a reader today, but there is no better introduction to the subject.