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.

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.

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
 

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.