Joe Navarro: Spotting Lies and Catching Spies

I tell them I share information. I give approximately 40 presentations around the world each year; I have written 11 books since 2003 when I retired from the FBI; and I blog for Psychology Today Magazine. In a way it is both a vocation and avocation.

67 Shots: Kent State and the End of American Innocence by Howard Means, that serves to remind us of what happens when we irrationally fear. It is a compelling read on power and the abuse of power in the name of security.

I came to this country as a refugee and for the longest time we could not afford anything to read. As a 9 year old, I would scour the neighborhood trash bins for reading material. There was an attorney that would throw out his books and I would collect them because they were beautifully bound and I was mesmerized by words that I had never heard before in common speech. It taught me to appreciate new words. I wish I could say there was a children’s book that opened my eyes, there was none. I remember in my forties reading The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and thinking that would have been a good book to read as a child.

I wanted to be many things. I wanted to fly airplanes, I wanted to be a zoologist and work with marine mammals, I wanted to be a spy, and maybe even a doctor.

He would think I fairly much got to do everything I dreamed about and more. I had a pilots license at 16, I became a spy-catcher for the FBI, I was on a SWAT team and a medic, and an author and lecturer. Not bad for a kid who was terribly bored in school. At the same time, the adult me looks back and wonders if I could have done more.

I read two types of books primarily and I carve our an hour or so every day. I read books that help me to stay abreast of knowledge and science and I read about the accomplishments of others and history. This helps me with both by teaching and writing. Then there is the pleasure reading that I save for vacation and that can span from fiction to nonfiction.

Career wise I would have to say The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker really forced me to think how the human mind responds to the world and that shaped my thinking as to the underpinnings of nonverbal communications. It is that book that compelled me to do research for about two years and allowed me to write about body language in, What Every BODY is Saying, which went on to become an international bestseller (published in 29 languages).

Whenever I go through a bookstore, I walk through the children’s books and every time I see the Berenstain Bears by Stan Berenstain, I think of my daughter.

I would be derelict if I had only recommended one book. I usually assess others for what might help them or open their minds. To that end, I have recommended the books I have mentioned above but also, Cosmos by Carl Sagan; Desert Queen by Janet Wallach, The Discoverers by Daniel J. Boorstin, The Last Lion by William Manchester, The Human Factor by Graham Greene, The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris, among others.

I prefer non fiction but I have paid a price for not reading fiction – I have isolated myself too much at times from powerful writing and powerful story telling.

It is indispensable to me, it enriches my life, it often provides that awe that we all need. I once heard a man talking about he had never read a book after high school. I thought, what a selfish thing to do to your brain.

That is not fair – there were several favorites: Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C Gwynne and Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins by Susan Casey. Probably the only two books I read this year that I wish had not ended.

I like both mediums. Because I do research I like to have paper books with me as I love to write on the margins and take notes notes. On vacation I like the ease of digital books, as I will read 6-8 books on holiday usually.

That is a tough question. I think it is very illuminating to read, The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. It explains so much about who we are and why we do the things we do.

The Histories by Herodotus. Here is one author who on his own was the first historian, anthropologist, sociologist, ethnologist, all wrapped into one and he tells a story that out-rivals the Sopranos and Game of Thrones. This book should be mandatory, not for everyone, just for those that want to be educated.

These already made my list, but they should be read widely by the public: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, Influence by Robert Cialdini, Lucy, the Beginnings of Humankind by Donald Johanson, The Age of Reason Begins by Will and Ariel Durant, The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck, Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov, and One Palestine Complete by Tom Segev.

Every year has a different theme, 2000 for example it was the Byzantine empire. This year I am focusing on marine mammals, elephants, the great apes, so there will be a lot of Cynthia Moss, Alexandra Morton, Frans de Waal, and Jane Goodall to name a few.

Quest – A life in search of knowledge.