A Compelling Start for Nonfiction

I'm currently reading a nonfiction book recommended to me by both my wife and NPR. I heard about The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg about six months ago while listening to NPR one morning. I thought it sounded intriguing, but not being an avid nonfiction reader, I didn't pursue it beyond mentioning it to a co-worker. The other day my wife said that I should read a book she was reading. Guess which book it was.


She was the scientists’ favorite participant.

Lisa Allen, according to her file, was thirty-four years old, had started smoking and drinking when she was sixteen, and had struggled with obesity for most of her life. At one point, in her mid-twenties, collection agencies were hounding her to recover $ 10,000 in debts. An old résumé listed her longest job as lasting less than a year. 

The woman in front of the researchers today, however, was lean and vibrant, with the toned legs of a runner. She looked a decade younger than the photos in her chart and like she could out-exercise anyone in the room. According to the most recent report in her file, Lisa had no outstanding debts, didn’t drink, and was in her thirty-ninth month at a graphic design firm.

Duhigg, Charles - The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

I don't know about you, but those first passages were enough to grab me.