What a year to read, right? With last year’s book list getting many warm reviews and kind words (I definitely recommend checking out that list as well), it made sense to do it again. After reaching out to a wide variety of high-performers, this is the list of books that have inspired, informed, motivated, and entertained them. Enjoy!
CHECK THE FULL VISUAL LIST (37 BOOKS) ON AMAZON
These timeless titles are in no particular order.
Greenlights
by Matthew McConaughey
“Greenlights is many different books at once: an entertaining autobiography, a delightful adventure story, a very funny comedy, a wise self-help guide, an inspiring argument for love and family, and a candid tale of spiritual and personal discovery. I cannot recommend it highly enough.”
Tattoos on the Heart
by Gregory Boyle
For twenty years, Gregory Boyle has run Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, the gang capital of the world. In Tattoos on the Heart, he distills his experience working in the ghetto into a breathtaking series of parables inspired by faith.
He was told he’d never walk again. She was losing hope that she’d ever feel whole again. This is their miraculous true story of defying the impossible.
“In my very first impression of Chris, I was blown away by his determination to stay positive, do the work, and trust that God had a bigger story in mind . . . this book is a master class in the power of perseverance.” -Tim Tebow
It turns out that the world, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than we might think. That doesn’t mean there aren’t real concerns. But when we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a worldview based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most.
Inspiring and revelatory, filled with lively anecdotes and moving stories, Factfulness is an urgent and essential book that will change the way you see the world and empower you to respond to the crises and opportunities of the future.
Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness
by Peter Godfrey-Smith
By tracing the question of inner life back to its roots and comparing human beings with our most remarkable animal relatives, Godfrey-Smith casts crucial new light on the octopus mind―and on our own.
Man’s Search for Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl
This seminal book, which has been called “one of the outstanding contributions to psychological thought” by Carl Rogers and “one of the great books of our time” by Harold Kushner, has been translated into more than fifty languages and sold over sixteen million copies. “An enduring work of survival literature,” according to the New York Times, Viktor Frankl’s riveting account of his time in the Nazi concentration camps, and his insightful exploration of the human will to find meaning in spite of the worst adversity, has offered solace and guidance to generations of readers since it was first published in 1946.
Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World
by Anand Giridharadas
The New York Times bestselling, groundbreaking investigation of how the global elite’s efforts to “change the world” preserve the status quo and obscure their role in causing the problems they later seek to solve. An essential read for understanding some of the egregious abuses of power that dominate today’s news.
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough rediscovers an important chapter in the American story that’s “as resonant today as ever” —the settling of the Northwest Territory by courageous pioneers who overcame incredible hardships to build a community based on ideals that would define our country.
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It
by Chris Voss
Life is a series of negotiations you should be prepared for: buying a car, negotiating a salary, buying a home, renegotiating rent, deliberating with your partner. Taking emotional intelligence and intuition to the next level, Never Split the Difference gives you the competitive edge in any discussion.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
by Benjamin Franklin
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the traditional name for the unfinished record of his own life written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790; however, Franklin himself appears to have called the work his Memoirs. Although it had a tortuous publication history after Franklin’s death, this work has become one of the most famous and influential examples of an autobiography ever written.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
by Ocean Vuong
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation.
A thrilling tale of betrayal and revenge set against the nineteenth-century American frontier, the astonishing story of real-life trapper and frontiersman Hugh Glass
Boys in the Boat
by Daniel James Brown
The #1 New York Times–bestselling story about American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany and now the inspiration for the PBS documentary “The Boys of ‘36′.”
FORTITUDE is a no-nonsense advice book for finding the strength to deal with everything from menial daily frustrations to truly difficult challenges. More than that, it is a roadmap for a more resilient American culture. With meditations on perseverance, failure, and finding much-needed heroes, the book is the antidote for a prevailing “safety culture” of trigger warnings and safe spaces. Interspersed with lessons from history and psychology is Crenshaw’s own story of how an average American kid from the Houston suburbs went from war zones to the halls of Congress — and managed to navigate his path with a sense of humor and an even greater sense that, no matter what anyone else around us says or does, we are in control of our own destiny.
Remarkable lessons in leadership and team-building from one of the greatest college football coaches of our time.
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
by Jocko Willink, Leif Babin
An updated edition of the blockbuster bestselling leadership book that took America and the world by storm, two U.S. Navy SEAL officers who led the most highly decorated special operations unit of the Iraq War demonstrate how to apply powerful leadership principles from the battlefield to business and life.
Only Killers and Thieves
by Paul Howarth
An epic tale of revenge and survival, Only Killers and Thieves is a gripping and utterly transporting debut, bringing to vivid life a colonial Australia that bears a striking resemblance to the American Wild West in its formative years.
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
by Phil Knight
Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight “offers a rare and revealing look at the notoriously media-shy man behind the swoosh”, illuminating his company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.
Millionaire Booklet
by Grant Cardone
The Millionaire Booklet was created to keep close to you until you become a millionaire. The eight steps Grant lays out is in a very simple to understand language that will allow you to get started today in creating the money you deserve. Let’s face it, your parents didn’t teach you how to get rich and the schools and colleges don’t even talk about it. At a time when more and more people are slipping out of the middle class into poverty, more people are becoming rich. Just last year over 500,000 households became millionaires. The Millionaire Booklet – How to Get Super Rich now and get one for your friends and start a Millionaire Booklet Mastermind holding each other accountable until you all get there.
Hollywood Park
by Mikel Jollett
HOLLYWOOD PARK is a remarkable memoir of a tumultuous life. Mikel Jollett was born into one of the country’s most infamous cults, and subjected to a childhood filled with poverty, addiction, and emotional abuse. Yet, ultimately, his is a story of fierce love and family loyalty told in a raw, poetic voice that signals the emergence of a uniquely gifted writer.
Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence
by Eric Goodman
Foundation by Dr. Eric Goodman and Peter Park shifts the training focus from the front of your body to the back. By strengthening the full posterior chain and correcting poor movement patterns, you will maximize power, flexibility, and endurance and say goodbye to back pain.
Based on a Navy SEAL’s inspiring graduation speech, this #1 New York Times bestseller of powerful life lessons “should be read by every leader in America” (Wall Street Journal).
The World That We Knew
by Alice Hoffman
On the brink of World War II, with the Nazis tightening their grip on Berlin, a mother’s act of courage and love offers her daughter a chance of survival.
Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue
by Tuffy Stone
Flame, smoke, and meat―these simple elements combine to make great barbecue. Creating the perfect bite of tender, spicy, smoky barbecue is a science and an art form, and Tuffy Stone―five-time World Champion Pitmaster, co-host and judge of Destination America’s BBQ Pitmasters, and co-owner of the award-winning Q Barbecue restaurants―has mastered it.
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
by Robin DiAngelo
The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
by Patrick Lencioni
Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.
Never Eat Alone
by Tahl Raz Keith Ferrazzi
Keith Ferrazzi is a master networker who claims his secret is merely reaching out to other people. And what distinguishes highly successful people from everyone else is the way they use the power of relationships, so that everyone wins. In Never Eat Alone, Ferrazzi presents the specific steps and mindset he uses to connect with the thousands of individuals in his Rolodex.
On the basis of 1,400 oral histories from the men who were there, bestselling author and World War II historian Stephen E. Ambrose reveals for the first time anywhere that the intricate plan for the invasion of France in June 1944 had to be abandoned before the first shot was fired. The true story of D-Day, as Ambrose relates it, is about the citizen-soldiers – junior officers and enlisted men – taking the initiative to act on their own to break through Hitler’s Atlantic Wall when they realized that nothing was as they had been told it would be. D-DAY is brilliant, no holds barred, telling of the battles of Omaha and Utah beaches. Ambrose relives the epic victory of democracy on the most important day of the twentieth century.
In The Ideal Team Player, Lencioni tells the story of Jeff Shanley, a leader desperate to save his uncle’s company by restoring its cultural commitment to teamwork. Jeff must crack the code on the virtues that real team players possess, and then build a culture of hiring and development around those virtues.
The Ten Roads to Riches: The Ways the Wealthy Got There (And How You Can Too!)
by Kenneth L. Fisher
Profiles of some of America’s richest people and how they got that way―and how you can too!
Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life
by John McCain
In this inspiring meditation on courage, John McCain shared his most cherished stories of ordinary individuals who risked everything to defend the people and principles they held most dear.
Everything Is F*cked: A Book about Hope
by Mark Manson
With his usual mix of erudition and where-the-f*ck-did-that-come-from humor, Manson takes us by the collar and challenges us to be more honest with ourselves and connected with the world in ways we probably haven’t considered before. It’s another counterintuitive romp through the pain in our hearts and the stress of our soul. One of the great modern writers has produced another book that will set the agenda for years to come.
If the Buddha Dated: A Handbook for Finding Love on a Spiritual Path
by Charlotte Kasl
At once practical, playful, and spiritually sound, this book is about creating a new love story in your life. Drawing from Christian, Buddhist, Sufi and other spiritual traditions, If the Buddha Dated shows how to find a partner without losing yourself. Kasl, a practicing psychotherapist, workshop leader, and Reiki healer for thirty years, offers practical wisdom on using the path to love as a means of awakening.
If the Buddha Dated teaches that when you stay loyal to your spiritual journey, you will bring curiosity, fascination, and a light heart to the dating process.
Vesper Time: The Spiritual Practice of Growing Older
by Frank J. Cunningham
With both wisdom and humor, Cunningham explores the five facets of this integral spirituality — memory, intimacy, diminishment, gratitude, and acceptance. With a new Introduction and Discussion/Reflection Guide, Vesper Time provides expert guidance and gentle encouragement for those on this stage of their journey of life.
Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War
by S. C. Gwynne
The fourth and final year of the Civil War offers one of the most compelling narratives and one of history’s great turning points. Now, Pulitzer Prize finalist S.C. Gwynne breathes new life into the epic battle between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant; the advent of 180,000 black soldiers in the Union army; William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to the Sea; the rise of Clara Barton; the election of 1864 (which Lincoln nearly lost); the wild and violent guerrilla war in Missouri; and the dramatic final events of the war, including Lee’s surrender at Appomattox and the murder of Abraham Lincoln.
Five years after this sleeper hit took on the world of IT and flipped it on it’s head, the 5th Anniversary Edition of The Phoenix Project continues to guide IT in the DevOps revolution.
Use data, technology, and inbound selling to build a remarkable team and accelerate sales