Staff Review: RULES TO LIVE BY

RULES TO LIVE BY: How Extraordinary Lives Define What Really Matters by Jimmy Chin
9781250371645
9/29/26
Celadon Books
Self-Help / Motivational & Inspirational

In RULES TO LIVE BY, New York Times bestselling author, National Geographic photographer, and Academy Award–winning filmmaker of Free Solo, Jimmy Chin turns to icons who have helped him think more deeply about how we choose to live, how we endure, and, in the end, what really matters.

This book is made up of ten conversations with ten extraordinary people. From great artists and musicians like Yo-Yo Ma, to professional athletes like Simone Biles and Alex Honnold, to conservationists like Kristine Tompkins, Chin interviews people who have inspired him and distills their meaningful life lessons and rules to live by.

Reading this felt like stepping into another world.

Chin has an incredible storytelling style, interweaving each interviewee’s story with his own. Across the chapters, each focusing on a different person, Chin’s own story unfolds as well—from his upbringing and family dynamics in his conversation with Yo-Yo Ma, to his dive into new professional territory as a film director when talking with Annette Bening, to his inspiration for adventure and conservation when speaking with Yvon Chouinard.

You can tell from the book that these intimate conversations were deeply cherished by Chin, and that the connections he made with each person meant something to him. One of my favorite chapters was the last, where I loved learning about Kristine Tompkins’ incredible story. After serving as CEO of Patagonia and working alongside Yvon Chouinard, Tompkins met her husband, Doug Tompkins, and together they dedicated their lives to rewilding Chile. As an activist and fierce defender of nature, her story is nothing short of remarkable.

And, of course, you couldn’t have a book of conversations without one between Chin and Alex Honnold. Free Solo was an absolutely incredible and terrifying film to watch as Honnold became the first person to free solo climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park via the 880-metre (2,900-foot) route. This conversation gave me a whole new perspective on that ascent, allowing me to connect with the emotion behind the climb and better understand what was really going through both Chin and Honnold’s minds as they experienced it.

This is an extraordinary book for adventurers, nature lovers, film buffs, and explorers alike.

Happy reading!

<3 Hallie