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The Fine Print: Alumni Recommend Their Best Reads
Topics: Information-BooksInformation-Information PublishingEducation-AlumniEven if 2020 wasn’t a profitable year for booksellers, it seems to have been a banner year for reading. When we asked alumni to tell us about the best titles they’ve read this year, we received a flood of recommendations. Here we offer a sampling, in no particular order.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari
I found myself frequently searching Google for things I read about in the book, which extended the time it took to read it, but I always view this as a great sign. Among the highlights for me: We all share the same “grandmother,” a female ape from 6 million years ago. There were multiple species of humans (nine in total), now only sapiens is left, and most humans have some Neanderthal DNA.
Runners-up:
Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams, by Matthew Walker
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein
Uncanny Valley: A Memoir, by Anna Wiener
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company, by Robert Iger
—Kurt Daniel (MBA 2000)
Silence and Beauty: Hidden Faith Born of Suffering, by Makoto Fujimura
A reflection on Shusaku Endo’s 1966 Silence: A Novel, this book raises uncomfortable questions about faith in the midst of suffering. A pediatric palliative care doctor said the opposite of suffering is beauty; Fujimura concurs.
—Allegra Jordan (MBA 1995)
Bhagavad Gita
This is, hands down, the best book I’ve (started to) read in 2020. I’ve got the accompanying audio, courtesy of my dad, and I listen to 15 minutes before bed every night. There’s a lot that goes over my head, but there’s at least one lesson that speaks to me every day.
—Mira Mehta (MBA 2014)
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, by Sherri Duskey Rinker
This is a favorite of my eight-month-old son, Jayden (my first), and we enjoy reading it to him, along with the Little Blue Truck. Construction Site on Christmas Night is definitely on our Christmas wish list.
—Jeremy Schreiber (MBA 2013)
Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of the College Admissions Scandal, by Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz
The book does a good job making the case for why we should let our kids make their own decisions and chart their own path.
—Bryan Mistele (MBA 1995)
Working from home has given me the time to go back to books in my library that I’ve never read. The two best so far are Christopher Celenza’s Machiavelli: A Portrait and Robert Olmstead’s fantastic story collection, River Dogs, which I may have bought while I was at B-School.
—Richard Benedict (MBA 1988)
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight
The book reveals that it was Phil’s vision, focus, tenacity, and resilience that led him to build an iconic global brand and business.
—Adrien Boyer (MBA 2005)
Bitcoin Billionaires: A True Story of Genius, Betrayal and Redemption, by Ben Mezrich
I highly recommend this for anyone interested in learning about the impact technology will have on the future of money.
—Omowale Casselle (MBA 2009)
I received a copy of the late Professor Clay Christensen’s How Will You Measure Your Life? as a graduation gift from BSSE (Building and Sustaining a Successful Enterprise) this year. I highly recommend the book, regardless of where you are in life.
—Janelle Teng (MBA 2020)
On the business front: Bob Moesta’s Demand-Side Sales 101. On the personal development side: Dan Harris’s 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works—A True Story. And in sci-fi, Peter F. Hamilton’s Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained series.
—Mike Graffeo (MBA 2006)
This is not a plant, but The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy, by Katherine Gehl and Michael Porter. It explains how and why our system rewards partisanship over outcomes and presents commonsense fixes (ranked choice voting, open primaries, legislative process reform). Very relevant this season.
—Nathan Nemon (MBA 2020)
The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies, by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee (DBA 1999)
It’s only a few years old but some technology trends covered will feel dated simply because things are moving so fast. The evolution and accrual of market value (and income disparity) is playing out as they predict.
—Bill Tai (MBA 1987)
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
No further introduction is necessary.
—Bo Ekelund (TGMP 15, 2005)
A Blessing: Women of Color Teaming Up to Lead, Empower and Thrive, coauthored by Bonita Stewart (MBA 1983) and Jacqueline Adams (MBA 1978)
This book also features contributions from seven other HBS alumnae. (Okay, I’m biased, as I contributed, but check it out.)
—Modupe Akinola (MBA 2001)
Demand-Side Sales 101: Stop Selling and Help Your Customers Make Progress, by Bob Moesta with Greg Engle
Fabulous use of #JTBD (jobs to be done) to cast a new light on a topic that not many MBAs address.
—Juan Camargo (MBA 2012)
Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl
It presents a unique perspective on the meaning of life and on adversity. I think it should be required reading at HBS because it will challenge students to consider how they'd behave in a true crisis.
—Nick Soman (MBA 2010)
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