Friends & family know that I love to read – trawling the best sellers and awards lists for inspiration – and tend to read multiple books at one time, switching from fiction to non-fiction often in the same sitting. So, I was genuinely excited to see McKinsey & Company’s we-know-what-you’re-reading-this-summer list, released last weekend. The list records the 100 plus books currently on the nightstands and beach towels of more than 40 business leaders.
Naturally, there is a plethora of #business best sellers. But this is balanced out by some heavy-hitting political and historic titles – with a strong bias towards literature on Black America. Plus some excellent (and more surprising) #poetry recommendations.
So, what were the most popular books, I hear you cry? Well, I spotted just three repetitions:
📘 How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
📘 How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates
📘 The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Payne
For my own tuppence worth, additional books on the list that I loved, include:
📗 Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant
📗 Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman
📗 When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink
📗 Klara and the Sun: A Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Beyond titles from McKinsey’s illustrious list, some of my other favourite recent reads (zooming in on #data and #privateequity) were:
📙 The Alignment Problem by Brian Christian
📙 The Key Man by Simon Clark & William Louch
📙 Data Strategy by Doug McConchie
📙 The Economics of Data, Analytics, and Digital Transformation by Bill Schmarzo
And, if these titles aren’t enough inspiration for you – or you’re looking for faster reads – I strongly suggest Adam Votava’s weekly reading list #KeepingUpWithData.
So, tell me (honestly!) what are you reading right now?
(My current reads are:
📚 Digital Body Language by Erica Dhawan; The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghart; Mrs England by Stacey Halls; and, The Salt Path by Raynor Winn.)
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This article first appears on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chelsea-wilkinson-35527079_we-still-know-what-youre-reading-this-summer-activity-6833655681397084160-HKBn