Welcome

Welcome to Brains and Brawn

This site is our stand for something simple but rare:
The lost art of reading, reflecting, and growing into the kind of man who thinks deeply, acts deliberately, and lives with strength.

We created Brains and Brawn to encourage young men — and any who are curious — to pursue a life of purpose, through the steady discipline of reading, thinking, and living better. This isn’t a space for polished literary criticism. It’s a space for honest wrestling with ideas that matter.

Here you’ll find books that have shaped us — in body, mind, and soul — and our personal reflections on why they’re worth your time.

The Posts

Our Posts are where the real thinking happens.

Each one is a reflection — sometimes long, sometimes short — on a book, an idea, or a theme that challenged us. These aren’t summaries or formal reviews. They’re conversations — one-sided for now — but meant to spark something in you, too.

Some posts dig into a single book. Others draw from multiple sources or raise broader questions:

• What does it mean to suffer well?
• What does real courage look like?
• How do we live with conviction in a distracted world?

If you’re new, we recommend browsing a few posts that interest you, then diving deeper from there. Every piece is written with the same goal: to push toward becoming a better man.

The Library

We’ve read and discussed dozens of books — from ancient philosophy to 20th-century war stories, from modern science to timeless fiction. Some are difficult, some are accessible, all are meaningful in their own way.

In our Library, you’ll find a growing list of every book we’ve covered — in the order we posted them. Think of it less as a checklist and more as a trail we’re walking. One you’re welcome to join.

Explore the Reading Plans

Not sure where to start? We’ve created reading plans around the themes we return to often — war, philosophy, fiction, faith, endurance, and leadership. Some titles appear on the site; others have been formative behind the scenes. All of them are chosen to push you toward growth.

Whether you’re reading Seneca or Sledge, Camus or Carl Sagan, we’re glad you’re here. We hope something here pushes you to think harder, train better, and live more intentionally.