Book Recommendations

A list of books I’ve really enjoyed over the past couple of years. I only included those that made a significant impact on me or changed my perspective.

History / Science
The Better Angels of our Nature by Steven Pinker. A tour de force – an in-depth, well-researched study of the decline of violence over time. Will change the way you understand the world.
A Short History of Everything by Bill Bryson. What a story-teller. What a story.
The Patient’s Playbook: How to Save Your Life and the Lives of Those You Love by Leslie Michelson. A must read on navigating modern medicine.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Beautifully written by a doctor who is diagnosed with cancer. Read it twice.


Biography
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. My all-time favorite biography. The play is great. The book is even better.
The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder. An American original.

Integral Theory
A Theory of Everything by Ken Wilber. Really, really good. Surprisingly accessible.

Leadership
The Hard Things About the Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. Not your typical leadership book. Packed with wisdom.
Staring Down the Wolf by Mark Divine. Rooted in Ken Wilber’s integral theory.

Innovation
The Innovators Solution by Clay Christensen and Michael Raynor. Working to implement these ideas.

Faith and Spirituality
The One Year Bible. Changed my life.
Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. Sublime.
A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. Appreciated her perspective and her journey.

Workplace Culture
An Everyone Culture by Robert Kegan, Lisa Lahey, Matthew Miller, Andy Fleming, Deborah Helsing. The cutting edge of building culture.
Primed to Perform by Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor. Written by two former McKinsey consultants. Research-based and actionable.
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. Terrific summary of the principles of positive psychology.

A couple of other books I really enjoyed in the last couple of years
Tell to Win by Peter Guber. The power of story-telling from a master story-teller.
How Will You Measure Your Life? By Clayton Christensen, James Allworth and Karen Dillon . So good!!
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. A real page-turner.
Upside: Profiting from the Profound Demographic Shifts Ahead by Kenneth Gronbach. Another book that changed my perspective.
The 8th Habit by Stephen R. Covey. Covey is #1 on my list of favorite writers and thinkers. A great summation of his work.