<![CDATA[Things We Read - All Booklists]]>Wed, 09 Nov 2016 11:46:20 -0500EditMySite<![CDATA[Tony La Russa]]>Mon, 11 Apr 2016 15:22:51 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/tony-larussa
Baseball player, coach and executive - Tony LaRussa.  A baseball legend.
"I mostly enjoy reading fiction and anything written by coaches."

Favorite Fictional Reads...

Favorite Coach-written books...
]]><![CDATA[Bob McDonald]]>Mon, 04 Apr 2016 14:44:32 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/bob-mcdonald
The Secretary of Veteran Affairs has a bookshelf worth sharing…“Throughout my education, military, and business careers; there are a few principles in which I believe deeply that drive my behavior everyday” —Secretary Bob McDonald.
Below are Secretary of McDonald’s top book recommendations that he shared with Things We Read. Many of which were books he recommended to his employees when he was the CEO of Proctor and Gamble.
Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor E. Frankl
​
Living a life driven by purpose is more meaningful and rewarding than meandering through life without direction.  My life's purpose is to improve lives...the leader's job is to understand and enable the purpose and dreams of their employees.  In this sense the task of the leader become a calling,  a profession; not a job.
The Surprising Solution
Bruce Piasecki
​
Companies must do well to do good and must do good to do well....the point is that you can't say you are about making life better for people only in one area of your business.  It has to be meaningfully integrated into all aspects of your business and operations.
The Dream Manager
Matthew Kelly
​
Everyone wants to succeed, and success is contagious.  I have never in all my life, in any career, in any country, at any time, met a person who tries to fail.  Everyone I have met wants to succeed.  So the job of the leader is to help people succeed.
Good to Great
Jim Collins
​
Putting people in the right jobs is one of the most important jobs of the leader.
The West Point Way of Leadership
Col. Larry Donnithorne
​ 
Character is the most important trait of a leader.  At West Point I learned that the character of a leader is their most important attribute.  Character is defined as always putting the needs of the organization above your own.  As a Captain in the Army, I always ate after the soldiers in my command.  

Note:  The Secretary also cites the West Point Cadet Prayer Book as being pivotal for this belief.
Connections
​James Burke
Diverse group of people are more innovative than homogenous groups....Leaders are the most effective diverse teams follow the "Platinum Rules":  treat others as they want to be treated.
The Fifth Discipline (Peter Senge)
Out of The Crisis (W. Edwards Deming)
​
Ineffective systems and cultures are bigger barriers to achievement than the talents of people.
Leading Change (John Kotter)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)
​
Organizations must renew themselves.  Any organization, as with any organism, which is growing must renew itself.  Growth by definition requires change.  Changes requires renewal.  Recruiting and training are top priorities.
Built to Last
Jim Collins
​
The true test of the leader is the performance of the organization when they are absent or after they depart...this means that the organization will be able to sustain itself successfully over time regardless of the quality of the leader.
]]><![CDATA[Nick Padlo]]>Mon, 07 Dec 2015 15:06:01 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/nick-padlo
CEO and Co-Founder of The Pet Loss Center, Advisory Board Director for Things We Read --  
Nick is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  Nick is a combat tested military intelligence Veteran, former professional poker player and of course, avid reader!  See more about TWR's very own, Nick, here.
When Genius Failed
by Roger Lowenstein

Lowenstein explains the journey of the "perfect" hedge fund, and how any of us, no matter how smart, can fail spectacularly. ​
Freakonomics
​by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

As data becomes more and more important in business and life, it is vital that we have an understanding of how to interpret statistics accurately and appropriately in our every day lives. They can be a valuable resource, but only if they are used correctly.
Profit from the Core
by Chris Zook

Entrepreneurs can be distracted by bright ideas and shiny objects.  This book reminds us to focus on the one thing that we do better than anyone else...and scale it.
The Alchemist
​by Paulo Coelho

This is a story of a shepherd boy that chases a dream and listens to his heart...and how it's all about the journey. ​
]]><![CDATA[David Klein]]>Wed, 02 Dec 2015 05:52:28 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/david-klein
CEO and Co-Founder of CommonBond |  David has been involved in everything from consumer finance to directing strategic planning and business development.  He has consulting experience from working at McKinsey & Company, and now, as an alumnus of University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School of Business, David co-founded a company that is reinventing student lending.
The Artist's Way
by Julia Cameron

 It shows you how you're more creative than you think and then helps you get there. ​
Steve Jobs
​by Walter Isaacson

It's just a fascinating story of a man who had out-sized-influence on not just an industry, but an entire culture. ​
Aspire
by Kevin Hall

It highlights the power of the human mind and spirit. After you read this book, you open up more to what is possible.
The Great Gatsby
​by F. Scott Fitzgerald

It meant something different to me in my thirties than it did in my teens. (And it's only about 100 pages.)
]]><![CDATA[Alex Gorsky]]>Tue, 17 Nov 2015 16:15:42 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/alex-gorsky
Alex Gorsky is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and served for six years as a US Army Airborne Ranger.  

​He later graduated from University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School with a Master's in Business Administration and is now the CEO of Fortune 500 company, Johnson and Johnson.
Physics for Future Presidents
by Richard A. Muller
Give and Take
​by Adam Grant
Unbroken
by Laura Hillenbrand
The Looming Tower:  Al-Qaeda and The Road to 9/11
​by Lawrence Wright
]]><![CDATA[Bill Gates]]>Tue, 06 Oct 2015 00:58:42 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/bill-gates
Billionaire, Entrepreneur, Founder of Microsoft and Philanthropist
From Bill Gates' annual summer reading list, he says, "Each of these books made me think or laugh or, in some cases, do both. I hope you find something to your liking here. And if it’s not summer where you live, this list will still be here six months from now…"
Hyperbole and a Half
Allie Brosh


The book, based on Brosh’s wildly popular website, consists of brief vignettes and comic drawings about her young life. The adventures she recounts are mostly inside her head, where we hear and see the kind of inner thoughts most of us are too timid to let out in public. You will rip through it in three hours, tops. But you’ll wish it went on longer, because it’s funny and smart as hell. I must have interrupted Melinda a dozen times to read to her passages that made me laugh out loud.
The Magic of Reality
Richard Dawkins

Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford, has a gift for making science enjoyable. This book is as accessible as the TV series Cosmos is for younger audiences—and as relevant for older audiences. It’s an engaging, well-illustrated science textbook offering compelling answers to big questions, like “how did the universe form?” and “what causes earthquakes?” It’s also a plea for readers of all ages to approach mysteries with rigor and curiosity. Dawkins’s antagonistic (and, to me, overzealous) view of religion has earned him a lot of angry critics, but I consider him to be one of the great scientific writer/explainers of all time.
What If?
Randall Munroe


The subtitle of the book is “Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions,” and that’s exactly what it is. People write Munroe with questions that range over all fields of science: physics, chemistry, biology. Questions like, “From what height would you need to drop a steak for it to be cooked when it hit the ground?” (The answer, it turns out, is “high enough that it would disintegrate before it hit the ground.”) Munroe’s explanations are funny, but the science underpinning his answers is very accurate. It’s an entertaining read, and you’ll also learn a bit about things like ballistics, DNA, the oceans, the atmosphere, and lightning along the way.
XKCD
Randall Munroe


A collection of posts from Munroe’s blog XKCD, which is made up of cartoons he draws making fun of things—mostly scientists and computers, but lots of other things too. There’s one about scientists holding a press conference to reveal their discovery that life is arsenic-based. They research press conferences and find out that sometimes it’s good to serve food that’s related to the subject of the conference. The last panel is all the reporters dead on the floor because they ate arsenic. It’s that kind of humor, which not everybody loves, but I do.
On Immunity
Eula Biss

When I stumbled across this book on the Internet, I thought it might be a worthwhile read. I had no idea what a pleasure reading it would be. Biss, an essayist and university lecturer, examines what lies behind people’s fears of vaccinating their children. Like many of us, she concludes that vaccines are safe, effective, and almost miraculous tools for protecting children against needless suffering. But she is not out to demonize anyone who holds opposing views. This is a thoughtful and beautifully written book about a very important topic.
How to Lie With Statistics
Darrell Huff

I picked up this short, easy-to-read book after seeing it on a Wall Street Journal list of good books for investors. I enjoyed it so much that it was one of a handful of books I recommended to everyone at TED this year. It was first published in 1954, but aside from a few anachronistic examples (it has been a long time since bread cost 5 cents a loaf in the United States), it doesn’t feel dated. One chapter shows you how visuals can be used to exaggerate trends and give distorted comparisons—a timely reminder, given how often infographics show up in your Facebook and Twitter feeds these days. A useful introduction to the use of statistics, and a helpful refresher for anyone who is already well versed in it.
Should We Eat Meat?
Vaclav Smil


The richer the world gets, the more meat it eats. And the more meat it eats, the bigger the threat to the planet. How do we square this circle? Vaclav Smil takes his usual clear-eyed view of the whole landscape, from meat’s role in human evolution to hard questions about animal cruelty. While it would be great if people wanted to eat less meat, I don’t think we can expect large numbers of people to make drastic reductions. I’m betting on innovation, including higher agricultural productivity and the development of meat substitutes, to help the world meet its need for meat. A timely book, though probably the least beach-friendly one on this list.
]]><![CDATA[LTG Sean MacFarland]]>Mon, 15 Jun 2015 14:23:28 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/ltg-sean-macfarland
  • Graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point
  • Commanding General of III Armored Corps and Fort Hood
It's tough to keep the list to 5 - I would have preferred to list 10 or 12.  So, I tried to pick only books that people would enjoy reading.  I think a strong leader should be well-read.
The Black Swan
Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The things that matter most and cause the greatest change are the things we can't predict.  So we should all prepare for the unexpected by favoring robustness over fragility in our plans.
1984
George Orwell

Whoever controls our information controls everything.  Mankind loses its freedom through the uncritical acceptance of conventional wisdom.  Critical thinking is the key to preserving human rights.
Catch-22
Joseph Heller

War is the province of chaos, and large organizations are the province of bureaucracy.  When a large organization like the US Army wages war, the combination of chaos and bureaucracy can result in situations that challenge reason.
The Killer Angels
Michael Shaara

All wars, especially civil wars, are personal.  This historical novel does an excellent job of personalizing the leaders who fought in America's most devastating war.  The hero, Joshua Chamberlain, epitomizes the leadership traits that make the American Army the greatest in the world.
On Combat:  The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and Peace
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman


Soldiers can and must prepare ourselves for life and death situations, emotionally as well as physically.
]]><![CDATA[Charlie Hoehn]]>Mon, 18 May 2015 17:24:33 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/charlie-hoehn
  • Author
  • Entrepreneur
  • Keynote Speaker
Below are some of our favorite recommendations from Charlie - these explanations were garnered from him during AmericanDreamU engagements and his blog.  To learn more about Charlie, his philosophy and his recommended reads, visit charliehoehn.com.
The Art of the Start
Guy Kawasaki

"I had already read this but I decided to go back through it with a highlighter and sticky notes. Love this book, it’s great for entrepreneurs. "
Man's Search for Meaning
Victor Frankl

Viktor was a prisoner in a concentration camp. This is one of the more strikingly poignant passages I’ve read:
I shall never forget how I was roused one night by the groans of a fellow prisoner, who threw himself about in his sleep, obviously having a horrible nightmare. Since I had always been especially sorry for people who suffered from fearful dreams or deliria, I wanted to wake the poor man. Suddenly I drew back the hand which was ready to shake him, frightened at the thing I was about to do. At that moment I became intensely conscious of the fact that no dream, no matter how horrible, could be as bad as the reality of the camp which surrounded us, and to which I was about to recall him.
A Man Without a Country
Kurt Vonnegut

I had read bits and pieces of this in the past while walking around in Barnes & Noble, but I finally bought it (and finished it) today. I love Vonnegut. His energy, love for life, and sense of humor drip out of the pages. Some of my favorite quotes:
“No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious and charitable institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful.”

“The imagination circuit is taught to respond to the most minimal of cues. A book is an arrangement of twenty-six phonetic symbols, ten numerals, and about eight punctuation marks, and people can cast their eyes over these and envision the eruption of Mount Vesuvius or the Battle of Waterloo.”

“What you respond to in any work of art is the artist’s struggle against his or her limitations.”
Word of Mouth Marketing
Andy Sernovitz

"Andy’s book actually turned out to be great, and should be required reading for every single company on the planet if they want to learn what all good marketers have already figured out: that online word-of-mouth is the easiest, cheapest, and most effective form of marketing you have at your disposal. "
Various business books recommended by Charlie Hoehn during an American Dream U engagement.
]]><![CDATA[Elon Musk]]>Mon, 11 May 2015 17:51:09 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/elon-musk
Co-Founder of PayPal
CEO and Founder of SpaceX and Tesla
I like biographies in general - they are an interesting read.  You can learn a lot.
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien

"The heroes of the books I read always felt a duty to save the world," he told The New Yorker.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams

"If you can properly phrase the question, then the answer is the easy part," Musk said in an interview. "So, to the degree that we can better understand the universe, then we can better know what questions to ask."
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Walter Isaacson

"You can see how [Franklin] was an entrepreneur," Musk says in an interview with Foundation. "He was an entrepreneur. He started from nothing. He was just a runaway kid."
Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down
J.E. Gordon

"It is really, really good if you want a primer on structural design," Musk said in an interview with KCRW.
Zero to One
Peter Thiel

"Peter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and 'Zero to One' shows how," he says in a Business Insider interview.
Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness
Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele

"Perhaps a cautionary tale. Definitely want to make sure I don't grow my fingernails too long and start peeing in jars."
]]><![CDATA[LeBron James]]>Mon, 09 Mar 2015 22:00:05 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/lebron-james
NBA champion and starting forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
For me, it's relaxing honestly. You spend so much preparation for the games, sometimes you just need to get away from it for a little bit." - James told USA Today
West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life
Jerry West

The reading has helped me get away from the game a little bit, and I'm able zero in once I'm done and get ready for the games.
The Hunger Games Trilogy
Suzanne Collins
The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream
Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, Lisa Page
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Malcolm Gladwell
Decoded
JAY-Z
]]><![CDATA[Mike Erwin]]>Mon, 12 Jan 2015 15:52:33 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/mike-erwin
Founder and Chairman of Team Red, White and Blue, U.S. Army Major, West Point Graduate
Reading and continuing to educate ourselves will not only have the obvious benefits of reading, but will surely help bridge the civil-military divide and strengthen our communities.
Good to Great
Jim Collins

Great is relative to everyone, but this book will certainly put how great things are achieved. Whatever your goal is, if you aspire to be one of the best, read Good to Great.
Daring Greatly
Brene Brown, Ph. D.


Most great things that we have in life today are as a consequence of talented folks dreaming and then defying the odds to achieve greatness. Dare yourself to achieve something then work hard to get there and you might be surprised by the results!
Herd: How to Change Mass Behaviour By Harnessing Our True Nature
Mark Earls


Before you start a movement and set out to change the world read Herd.
Pursuing the Good Life
Christopher Peterson


This is a great book to read over a weekend and learn how to achieve the "good life," and not in the sense of more money and materialistic things, but on how to pursue and achieve true, authentic happiness. You won't regret this one.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
Susan Cain

I'm not as much as an extrovert as everyone thinks - actually quite the opposite. This book taught me how to leverage good listening and that introvertness.
]]><![CDATA[Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger]]>Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:30:17 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/captain-chesley-sully-sullenberger
A retired airline captain, aviation safety expert and accident investigator, best-selling author, speaker and consultant.

Sullenberger was hailed as a national hero in the United States when he successfully executed an emergency water landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River after the aircraft was disabled by striking a flock of Canada geese during its initial climb out of LaGuardia Airport on January 15, 2009. [via]
The Price of Civilization
Jeffrey D. Sachs

An insightful look at how lobbying and big money interests drive our political process, what we must do to correct it, and how doing so will also help us face the challenges of globalization.
Retirement Heist
Ellen E. Shultz

A Wall Street Journal investigative reporter provides a well documented look at what happened to the pensions that many American workers used to be able to depend on and why.
The Demon-Haunted World
Carl Sagan


A very practical and interesting primer on how to be capable of independent critical thought, something that has never been more important to our future.
A Walk in the Woods
Bill Bryson


Downright fun. I've never laughed so hard!
The Art of Happiness
HH Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler


A great mix of philosophy, science, and practical steps to a happier life
]]><![CDATA[Bill Murray]]>Mon, 01 Dec 2014 17:25:19 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/bill-murray
Actor, Comedian, Philanthropist, Ghostbuster [via]

A Story Like the Wind
Laurens van der Post

My favorite book is a two-parter by Laurens Van Der Post.
The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain

Well, my favorite author is Mark Twain. He's smart, and funny. Huckleberry Finn, especially the chapter all the purists hate, in which Tom Sawyer stages an elaborate rescue of Jim, is a writer having as much fun as possible.  
A Far Off Place
Laurens van der Post

My favorite book is a two-parter by Laurens Van Der Post.
The Plague
Albert Camus

This use to be my favorite book, but is still a classic.
]]><![CDATA[Anderson Cooper]]>Sun, 23 Nov 2014 22:45:59 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/anderson-cooper
Host of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360
Beautiful Ruins: A Novel
Jess Walter

I also just finished “Beautiful Ruins,” and that’s a really good book. It’s got a lot of different characters and it kind of goes back and forth in time, and it’s a really well done book.
Await Your Reply
Dan Chaon

I like the surprises and couldn’t put it down.
11/22/63
Stephan King

Couldn’t put it down… a perfect read for the summer.
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad

It’s a classic. I first read it in high school and it sparked my interest in traveling to the far reaches of our planet. It’s about what can happen to people when everything we think we are is stripped away.
Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn

I’ve been reading a lot this summer, I finished “Gone Girl.” I really recommend it. It’s kind of a mystery thriller, with a lot of twists and turns.
]]><![CDATA[Malcolm Gladwell]]>Mon, 10 Nov 2014 14:34:39 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/malcolm-gladwell
Author of books: Blink, The Tipping Point  and Outliers
The Innovator's Dilemma
Clayton M. Christensen

I came very late to that book. I only read it six months ago. And I haven't stopped thinking of it ever since.  -Fast Company, Dec 2011
SuperFreakonomics
Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

Steven Levitt has the most interesting mind in America, and reading SuperFreakonomics is like going for a leisurely walk with him on a sunny summer day, as he waves his fingers in the air and turns everything you once thought to be true inside out.  Prepare to be dazzled.
Fooled by Randomness
Nassim Nicholas Taleb

[Taleb is] Wall Street’s principal dissident. . . . [Fooled By Randomness] is to conventional Wall Street wisdom approximately what Martin Luther’s ninety-nine theses were to the Catholic Church.  -The New Yorker
Stone's Fall
Iain Pears

When I read Iain Pears' An Instance of the Fingerpost years ago, I thought it was so brilliantly plotted, so compulsively entertaining, so utterly engrossing that I gave it to my father and said, 'This is the new Dickens.' Stone's Fall is better. -From Hardcover Edition
]]><![CDATA[JAY Z]]>Sun, 02 Nov 2014 20:23:47 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/jay-z
  • Rapper
  • Musician
  • Entrepreneur
"With education comes refinement," 
said JAY Z in an Men's Health interview.
The Seat of the Soul
Gary Zukav

There are two books that I absolutely live my life by. This is one of them. Growing up, I was always curious about religion. This book made the most sense to me; it's about the way you live your life. I believe in karma and doing the right thing even if it may not advance you as far as you want. If every single person felt the same way about karma and intention, then the world gets fixed tomorrow. But temptation gets in the way. Zukav is right: It may take lifetimes to learn.  - 'O' Magazine, October 2009
The Celestine Prophecy
James Redfield

This is the other book I live by. It's fiction—a guy travels to find a secret book that has a series of principles. The story is a metaphor for life: I could go left or right, I could be stuck, or I could keep advancing. Some people are happy where they are. I tried to hire a guy once, and I said, "Don't you have ambition to be bigger?" And he said, "No, I'm good." I had to respect that, but for me that was the wrong relationship.  - 'O' Magazine, October 2009
The Odyssey
Homer

This epic poem was kind of difficult for me to get through, but it has a beautiful rhythm. I got lost in reading about Odysseus' struggle to get home and his longing for someone so strong, as his wife was, waiting for him. That's like a dream—that kind of strength, love, loyalty.   
- 'O' Magazine, October 2009
Outliers
Malcolm Gladwell

This book is about the principles of timing and repetition—about preparing yourself for luck, really. He talks about a hockey team, and how the players born in January had a year up on the guys born in December. They were fortunate that their birthday was early, but they also practiced—they put the work in. The book resonated with me because I was born at a time when there was an influx of incredible music into the culture, and I was lucky that my mom and pop were huge record collectors. In my house, I had music by Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Prince, and the Commodores, and I'm listening to it every single day.  - 'O' Magazine, October 2009
Purple Cow
Seth Godin

This is straight marketing advice: Your product has to be a purple cow—it has to be distinct to have any success. You have to be clear on your product: What are you? What are you putting out there? For years I never did an ad for [my company] Rocawear, because I cared more about the quality than the face in front. I hadn't read this book back then, but when someone puts words to feelings you have, it's like, "Wow, that's exactly what it is." 
- 'O' Magazine, October 2009
Nigger: An Autobiography
Dick Gregory

I don't know who turned me on to this autobiography, but his sense of humor and the hardships he went through stayed with me—especially the scene where he started running home from school. It led to his joining the track team, which led to a scholarship to college. Running opened up a whole world for him.  - 'O' Magazine, October 2009
]]><![CDATA[Mark Cuban]]>Mon, 27 Oct 2014 02:42:55 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/mark-cuban
  • Owner of Dallas Mavericks
  • TV star on ABC show "Shark Tank"
  • Billionaire entrepreneur
  • Investor
Rework
Jason Fried

"If given a choice between investing in someone who has read Rework or has an MBA, I'm investing in Rework every time.  This is a must read for every entrepreneur." - From Cuban's Amazon Review
The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need
Andrew Tobias

"This is the only investment book I have read that truly made sense." -US News, May 13, 2007
The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie:  The Gospel of Wealth
Andrew Carnegie

"This was a reading assignment in an MBA entrepreneurship class that I snuck into at Indiana University.  Bottom line is that among the many patriotic things you can do, one is get rich and pay your taxes." -US News, May 13, 2007
The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand

"[I read The Fountainhead] three complete times and an untold number of little snippets and segments." - C-SPAN, March 26, 2006.

"It [The Fountainhead] taught me it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks - it's how you see yourself and what your own dreams are.  It was incredibly motivating to me.  It encouraged me to think as an individual, take risks to reach my goals, and responsibility for my successes and failures." - Slate.com, November 15, 2005
Cold Calling Techniques
Stephan Schiffman

"This is a book that every CEO needs to read.  If you can't sell, you can't survive.  If you can sell- if you can figure out how to open doors and make your customers happy - you not only will always be able to eat and put a roof over your head but also thrive in any corporate or entrepreneurial environment." - US News, May 13, 2007
The Innovator's Dilemma
Clayton M. Christensen

"This helped me make sense of why things worked and didn't work in the technology industry."  -US News, May 13, 2007
]]><![CDATA[Founder's Recommendation]]>Mon, 20 Oct 2014 14:36:06 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/founders-recommendation

The Power of Negative Thinking:  An Unconventional Approach to Achieving Positive Results
by Bob Knight with Bob Hammel

Coach K of Duke Basketball recently shared his top 5 books, so we naturally tweeted his former coach at West Point, the famous Coach Bob Knight. Coach Knight tweeted us back and so, his book, "The Power of Negative Thinking," is our Founder's Pick this week!

Coach Knight is renowned for translating hard work into success and tangible results - what better way to learn how to do this efficiently than from the man himself, and through his unconventional methodologies.
]]><![CDATA[Joe Cross]]>Mon, 20 Oct 2014 14:29:39 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/joe-cross
Producer of "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," author, entrepreneur
"I went from someone who knew to someone who'd do."
-Joe Cross in his film, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, on educating himself on true healthy living facts and then acting on his new found knowledge
Omnivore's Dilemma
Michael Pollan

Michael takes a simple question – “What should we have for dinner?” – and breaks it down into a complex depiction of how the typical person eats today. He follows the source of the food, from corn fields and factories, to what you put on your dinner plate. It really changes the way you think about food by perfectly depicting where it comes from.
A Wanted Man
Lee Child

I travel almost every week so when I’m on the plane, Lee Child keeps me entertained! I’ve read a handful of his books, but I guess if I had to pick I’d say “A Wanted Man.” It’s nonstop action, nonstop surprises, and filled with twists that make it a super-fast read.
Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
Brian Wansink, Ph.D

Since I was once overweight and addicted to eating junk food, this book does an amazing job of opening your eyes to how you eat. I found that it will actually change how you approach your next meal after you read it. Wansink makes you aware of what is going from your plate to your mouth. He makes you think twice before you start shovelling food into your mouth, like I used to!
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Dan Millman

It takes an 'Average Joe' type and follows his unfolding toward true self-awareness. The author’s approach is one you can relate to it – it goes deep into his journey without going too deep. It’s an interesting path of transformation and enlightenment that makes you think about how you prioritize your life. I plan on reading it a second time.
Kill Shot
Vince Flynn

There is nothing better than a thriller by Vince Flynn to help me get through long travels! Vince Flynn has been my personal top thriller author for a long time so it was hard to choose just one book by him, but “Kill Shot” was the most recent one I read and I couldn't put it down.
]]><![CDATA[Coach K]]>Fri, 17 Oct 2014 14:30:01 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/coach-k
Head Coach of Duke Basketball; Head Coach of US Olympic Men's Team (Gold Medalist); Former Player and Coach at West Point under Bobby Knight; First college coach to 1,000 Career Wins

"Reading is important to me because it has helped to expand my understanding of a wider range of human emotion." - Coach K
 
]]><![CDATA[Dr. Douglas Merrill]]>Mon, 13 Oct 2014 02:21:01 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/dr-douglas-merrill
  • CEO of Zest Finance
  • Former CIO/Vice President of Development for Google
"All of us are smarter than any of us."
Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War 1941-1945
Leo Marks

Wars are fought by brave men and women in the field and committed men and women in the back. We need to celebrate everyone who keeps us safe. This book examines that.
Into Thin Air
Jon Krakauer

This is the story of people who sacrifice their lives for others, even though they don’t have to. Bettering the world is a great gift.
Young Men and Fire
Norman Maclean

Smoke jumpers take incredible risks to protect those they don’t know. Sometimes the risks don’t pay off. Understanding when and why they don’t pay off is so important. This book shows how penetrating why things go wrong is critical.
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief
Lawrence Wright

Scientology is a religion I didn’t understand, and this book delves into its history. It’s a great example of how the more we can understand about people we don’t understand, the better chance we have for avoiding conflicts.
Elantris
Brandon Sanderson

This is the story of a disease that strikes randomly. Understanding the disease leads to great social change. It talks about how understanding people who aren’t like us, and those people understanding themselves is a great way to drive society forward.
]]><![CDATA[Governor Martin O'Malley]]>Mon, 18 Aug 2014 17:33:16 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/governor-martin-omalley
  • 61st Democratic Governor of Maryland
  • Former Mayor of Baltimore
"I believe life is made of stories.  The simple act of reading to a child gives us the ability to uphold the single greatest responsibility we have, which is to pass on our knowledge to the next generation so that together, we can build a better future. It doesn't take much, but it’s so very important to the lives of our kids." 
- Gov. O'Malley
Breaking the Iron Triangle
Robert M. Duggan

One of the most critical responsibilities we have as public servants is to provide quality, affordable health care for our people. This book provides an interesting perspective on ways we as a nation can change the way we think about health and wellness.
Six Frigates:  The Epic Story of the Founding of the American
Navy
Ian W. Toll

As a fan of history and especially the history and heritage of America, this book is a very interesting read on our nation’s first defense.
The Phenomenon of Man
Teilhard de Chardin

This book seeks to explore our place as humans among the universe as well as the intersection of spirituality and intellect – a great philosophical read.
The World is Made of Stories
David R. Loy

This is a great read on the way we see the world and how everyone has a story to tell.
The Price of
Civilization
Jeffrey D. Sachs

This book provides an interesting take on the nation’s economy and puts forth a “call to action” to the values of equality and how to strengthen and prepare us for the new, more complex global economy.
]]><![CDATA[Mark Sisson]]>Mon, 11 Aug 2014 16:02:25 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/mark-sisson
  • Author of The Primal Blueprint
  • Blogger on Mark's Daily Apple
  • Top finisher in Ironman World Championship
  • Top finisher in the US National Marathon Championship and qualified Olympic runner
"My mission is to empower people to take full responsibility for their own health and enjoyment of life by investigating, discussing and critically rethinking everything we've assumed to be true about health and wellness."
Courtesy of Mark's Daily Apple
Good Calories, Bad Calories
Gary Taubes

This book is less than two years old, but it is the definitive work on the history of nutritional science and nutrition public policy. Taubes is not a scientist, but rather a science writer and, as such, is able to objectively evaluate the “evidence” far better than most career researchers. It’s not an easy read, but if you can get through it, you will have a clear picture of just how misguided our diet advice has been – and you’ll become a confirmed low-carber. If you don’t read it, have your doctor read it, and tell him that if he doesn't, you’ll have to find one who will.
Sometimes a Great Notion
Ken Kesey

Many people regard “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” as his best work, but I submit that “Sometimes” is truly the great American novel. It’s a tale of a stubborn, quintessentially American logging family in Oregon fighting a battle against their union-based town. Kesey was also the major force behind a group called “The Merry Pranksters” that roamed the San Francisco Peninsula in the 60’s in a “magic bus” dropping acid, a time which was later chronicled in Wolfe’s “Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.” Years later I used to ride my bike past Kesey’s compound in La Honda and marvel at what emanated from that group.
Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand

Rand’s philosophies helped shape my own feelings on the role of government in society, in corporations and in the life of the individual. With all that’s going on in our nation today, it ought to be required reading for every elected official.
The Lore of Running
Tim Noakes

In the world of exercise physiology, Noakes is close to a god. This 900-page tome covers every aspect of how training (and the training diet) affects the human physiology – the good, the bad and the ugly. Reading between the lines here is what got me started thinking that endurance training really isn't that healthy.
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
Robert M. Sapolsky

No one knows more about stress and stress hormones than this Stanford-based neuroscientist. Certainly no one writes more insightfully or entertainingly on the topic. I had always maintained that stress was probably the greatest factor in disease (dietary stress included) but Sapolsky drove the point home so convincingly that I reordered my priorities to stop endurance training and started looking at how I could better control stress through diet, supplementation and alternative exercise.
]]><![CDATA[Gerald "Mac" McRaney]]>Mon, 04 Aug 2014 14:15:24 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/gerald-mac-mcraney
  • Most recently known for his role as Raymond Tusk in "House of Cards"
  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Director
If you would be just as content winning a local Golden Gloves fight as you would making a pile of money as a professional, then fine, go become a boxer. But if the whole idea is for you to get rich, my God, stay in school and learn a profession.
Mila 18
Leon Uris

It illuminates the courage of ordinary people-backs to the wall- who, with whatever small weapons they could steal, held off the German army for a while and made them pay a price for this piece of genocide.
True at First Light
Ernest Hemingway

Captures beautifully the feel of Africa and the passion and ethos of the hunt.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Ernest Hemingway

The story of people, some for whom the conflict is terribly personal, and some whose only stake is common humanity, find a simple sort of courage that pushes them to do the right thing even in the face of death.
Soldier's Pay
William Faulkner

A look at The Great War and the path it started leading to more and worse conflicts, while still championing man's ability ( quoting loosely) not only to endure but to prevail, because he has a soul.
Light in August
William Faulkner

A beautifully told story of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, complete with their weaknesses and strengths, cowardice and courage and their ability to survive life. The prose is poetry.
]]><![CDATA[Derek Sivers]]>Mon, 28 Jul 2014 19:32:14 GMThttp://www.thingsweread.org/all-booklists/derek-sivers
  • Musician
  • Author
  • Entrepreneur, founder of CD Baby
  • Tech Innovator
  • www.sivers.org
"If you can just avoid mistakes, you're doing better than most. So it's a catalog of the most common or important mistakes." - Derek Sivers on his blog speaking on the importance of failure and growing from your mistakes
Stumbling on Happiness
Daniel Gilbert

"Not at all new-agey, as the title might suggest. Harvard professor of psychology has studied happiness for years, and shares factual findings that will change the way you look at the world."
A Guide to the Good Life
William Irvine

"Almost too personal for me to give an objective review, because I found when reading it that the quirky philosophy I've been living my life by since 17 matches up exactly with a 2000-year-old philosophy called Stoicism. Mine was self-developed haphazardly, so it was fascinating to read the refined developed original. Really resonated."
The Personal MBA...a World-Class Business Education in a Single Volume
Josh Kaufman

"Wow. A masterpiece. This is now the one “START HERE” book I'll be recommending to everybody interested in business. An amazing overview of everything you need to know. Covers all the basics, minus buzz-words and fluff. Look at my notes for an example, but read the whole book. One of the most inspiring things I've read in years. Want proof? I asked the author to be my coach/mentor afterwards. It's that good."
Seeking Wisdom:  From Darwin to Munger
Peter Bevelin

"Maybe my favorite book ever. Read many times. Incredibly rich. It's a great overview of the lessons of Charlie Munger (partner ofWarren Buffett) - and his approach to checklists of multi-disciplinary models to guide clear thinking. Main point: if you can just avoid mistakes, you're doing better than most. So it's a catalog of the most common or important mistakes. Focused on investing, but can be applied to life."
So Good They Can't Ignore You
Cal Newport

"Shockingly smart thoughts about your career. A MUST-READ for anyone who is not loving their work, wanting to quit their job, and follow their passion, or not sure what to do next. I'm recommending this many times a week to people who email me with these kinds of questions. Best book I've ever read on the subject."
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