We’ve made our way through another eventful year and as we close it out, you may be looking for that perfect gift for a colleague, friend, or family member. By now, we understand the many benefits of taking the time to read, learn and listen more deeply. I’ve read some great books this year and I’m happy to recommend a dozen titles that should appeal to the most entrepreneurial minds on your list. Check them out:
Higher Purpose Venture Capital, Venture capitalist Ron Levin shares his single-minded focus on making money while also making change in this chronicle of fifty innovative mission-driven ventures.
Crisis-Proofing Today’s Learners, A must-read by ASA.org CEO Jean Eddy for parents and leaders who happen to be parents. Given the increasingly uncertain return on investment for a traditional four year degree, most kids would benefit from exploring Ikigai, the Japanese life harmony concept centered on basic questions: what do you love? what are you good at? what does the world need? and what can you get paid to do?
The Portfolio Life, HBS Professor Christina Wallace, who graduated college with two majors, three minors, and 50 extra credits, recommends that today’s grads take a refreshing entrepreneurial approach to career planning based on diversification, connection, and lifelong learning. Is the portfolio life the new normal?
The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America, a searing portrait of historical and entrenched poverty in rural America, across Appalachia, the cotton and tobacco belts of the Deep South, and South Texas, by Princeton professors Kathryn Edi and Timothy Nelson, and UMichigan professor Luke Shaefer.
The ROI of LOL, the smart and downright funny book by PR/communications CEO Steve Cody and comedian Clayton Fletcher. Creating a workplace in which laughter is not only allowed, but expected, is essential for teambuilding and collaboration.
Your Face Belongs To Us, New York Times tech reporter Kashmir Hill tracks the rise of Clearview AI, a secretive startup developing a revolutionary face recognition app that might end privacy as we know it.
Know What Matters, Former Panera CEO Ron Shaich engages readers with this first-hand history of the development, growth and eventual sale of one of the Nation’s iconic fast-casual brands; it’s a thoughtful distillation of how to scale, finance and maintain a “concept essence” competitive advantage at various stages of company growth.
Powered By Me: From Burned Out to Fully Charged at Work and in Life, Dr. Neha Sangwan, who experienced burnout herself as a busy ER doctor, shares a broad and holistic approach to wellness that emphasizes partnering with your body to address your own unique needs.
Your Brain on Art: How The Arts Transforms Us, Johns Hopkins neuro expert Susan Magsamen and Google product designer Ivy Ross introduce the fascinating field of neuroaesthetics as they describe how music, movies, art, dance, and poetry can literally rewire our brains for enhanced memory formation and deeper connections.
Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains The World, Journalist and Harvard Fellow Henry Grabar describes how “Parkitecture” determines the design of new buildings, the fate of old ones, traffic patterns, and the viability and livability of our shared public spaces. Grabar persuasively argues that parking in America, and its priority in our professional, social, and financial lives, requires a bold and decisive reimagining.
Deeply Responsible Business: A Global History of Values-Driven Business, HBS Professor and business historian Geoffrey Jones challenges head-on the notion that for-profit leaders have never be virtuous while chasing the bottom line as he brings to life “deeply responsible” business leaders ranging from chocolate pioneer George Cadbury to Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard.
The Way We Build: Restoring Dignity to Construction Work, Harvard Fellow and master carpenter Mark Erlich maps out the history of the building trades in the twentieth century and the continuing role of unions in negotiating for the improved wages, conditions, and benefits enjoyed by many industries today.
This year, give the gift of insight and knowledge and support your local independent bookstore. We’ll all be better off if you do!
Read in the Boston Business Journal
Larry Gennari is a business lawyer and chief curator of Authors & Innovators, an annual business book and ideas festival. Watch recent interviews with authors here. Gennari also teaches Project Entrepreneur, a business fundamentals bootcamp for returning citizens, at BC Law School.
