Doug talks with his friend Jad Nachabe, a Lebanese endurance athlete he met through the Beirut Marathon. Jad reflects on growing up between Lebanon and Dubai, the complicated question of where home is, and why he resents describing Lebanese people as resilient when they never chose the hardships that demanded it. They also discuss Jad’s transformation from the kid picked last in school sports to an Ironman, the confidence and community he has found through endurance, and what keeps him moving forward. Eventually, they even reach Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove and its lessons about understanding other people, extending compassion, and allowing some of that compassion for ourselves.

Music for Doug Reads with Friends is by Eiren Caffall. Learn more about her work at https://www.eirencaffall.com/.

Chapters:

00:05 — INTRO: Lebanon, endurance and A Man Called Ove
01:32 — A Beirut Marathon friendship
04:33 — Two places called home
09:39 — Resilience he never chose
15:00 — From picked last to Ironman
19:10 — Community, solitude and finding his why
26:46 — OK, now the book: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
32:18 — Compassion for others—and yourself
37:48 — The book, the movie and reading beyond yourself
42:52 — OUTRO: A fundamentally decent human being