Can books really open your thoughts, expand your mind, and enhance your learning?
Today, I’m going to present 10 books to read and enhance your learning this lifetime. Bear in mind, I’m not saying you should take a lifetime to read them.
The more of them you read, the more benefits you’ll gain from the books. Thus, the more mind-expanding ideas you’ll be able to apply directly to your life.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
Books have expanded my knowledge and opened my mind. They have allowed me to solve problems and uncover new interests. They have helped me excel in life and business. Above all else, books have brought me closer to a meaningful and fulfilling path.
My hope is that these books will expand your mind as well.
So I offer you these 10 books that will help you chart a path forward.
Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela is remembered today as an almost saintly figure, but he began as an angry nationalist. “I was angry at the white man, not at racism,” he writes in Long Walk to Freedom.
“While I was not prepared to hurl the white man into the sea, I would have been perfectly happy if he climbed aboard his steamships and left the continent of his own volition.”
Yet he learned over time the value of working with others and the necessity of staying true to his principles, even when they became inconvenient.
After he rose to power, he safeguarded the rights of white South Africans as faithfully as he fought for the rights of his own people. This book tells that story. It is a must-read.
Regional Advantage by AnnaLee Saxenian
In the 1970s, Route 128 outside of Boston was the center of the technological universe. With firms like DEC and Data General, it looked poised to dominate the nascent computer industry.
Its success led to the “Massachusetts Miracle” that helped propel Michael Dukakis to a Presidential candidacy. But by the late ’80s, the mantle had passed to Silicon Valley.
In this meticulously researched book, AnnaLee Saxenian explains why. While Route 128 was focused on the success of individual firms, Silicon Valley fostered an ecosystem that proved and continues to prove to this day, to be a constant driver of change in the world of technology and beyond.
Written over 20 years ago, this book stands the test of time.
Blueprint For Revolution by Srdja Popović
Blueprint for Revolution tells the personal story of Srdja Popovic’s journey from bassist in a rock band to leading a revolution against Slobodan Milošević in Serbia and then moving on to establish the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS), which trains activists around the world.
The book is packed with practical insights, but what makes it such a joy to read is Srdja himself. Although he is an inspiring figure on the world stage, he never takes himself too seriously. He has unique and playful sense of humor that comes through on every page. It is rare that a book so powerful can also leave you in stitches.
Six Degrees by Duncan Watts
In 2006, a few years after the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, I found myself in Silicon Valley for a few weeks. Social networks were just rising to the fore and it seemed that everybody in the tech world was talking about them. Because digital media was a big part of our business, I figured I should learn more about how networks function.
That’s what led me to Duncan Watts and this wonderful book about the science of networks. What I found while reading it, much to my surprise, was a mathematical framework that explained much of what I did not understand while the events of 2004 were swirling around me. That’s what really got me hooked on studying movements.
Watts helped pioneer modern network science and Six Degrees explains the basic concepts with clarity and wit.
He not only brings pathbreaking insight but is also a talented storyteller and brings the ideas to life with vivid examples and case studies. He somehow manages to make cutting edge science fun and enjoyable
Why Civil Resistance Works by Erica Chenoweth & Maria Stephan
When we think about a political revolution, we often conjure up images of partisan soldiers in mountain camps gearing up for battle. Yet in their statistical analysis of over a century’s worth of conflicts,
Chenoweth and Stephan found that nonviolent resistance campaigns were twice as effective as violent uprisings. The reason: nonviolent campaigns attract more participation.
The importance of participation is one of those insights that is so seemingly obvious that we forget how often it is overlooked. All too often, change leaders insist on an unwavering commitment to their cause, turning off many would-be supporters. Many change efforts, such as the Occupy protests, fail for this reason.
Although this book focuses on political movements, its insights are just as important for corporate and organizational change efforts. Before you can build commitment, you must build participation. So that’s where you need to focus your efforts.
Scaling Up Excellence by Robert Sutton & Huggy Rao
Much as Chenoweth and Stephan analyze and explain what makes political movements succeed, Sutton and Rao show what works in a corporate context. Utilizing in-depth case studies of companies like Ikea, Home Depot, and others, they describe clearly what it takes to take an initial success and scale it into a repeatable model.
Bob Sutton is one of my favorite business writers, so I’ve read almost everything he’s written and this book is as good as any of them. I found it especially valuable as a source for learning.
Root & Branch by Rawn James Jr. & Devil In the Grove by Gilbert King
Thurgood Marshall had such a legendary career as a Supreme Court Justice that his importance to the civil rights movement is often overlooked. Marshall worked for decades to painstakingly dismantle Jim Crow and put civil rights on a solid legal footing. It is rare that such brilliance, courage, and dignity cans reside in the same man. He is truly an American hero.
Both of these books are excellent. Root & Branch spans Marshal’s entire career and his relationship with his mentor, Charles Hamilton Houston. Devil in the Grove, which won the Pulitzer Prize, tells the story through the lens of the infamous Groveland case. I recommend both highly.
Small Acts of Resistance by Steve Crawshaw and John Jackson
During Poland’s Solidarity movement in 1982, a boycott was organized against the government’s propaganda-laden evening news. The problem with the boycott was obvious. How do you show others that you’re not watching TV?
The residents of Świdnik, a small city near Lublin, found a way. Instead of watching the news at 7:30, they all went for an evening walk, many carrying their TV sets in carriages and wheelbarrows. Before long, the practice spread to other Polish cities and the boycott turned into a rousing success.
You’ll be amazed at all the ingenious ways that activists think up to defy the powers to oppose them in this delightful book. It’s amazingly instructive, as well as a lot of fun! Also, because each chapter is very short, it’s a perfect book to read in small chunks.
Boyd by Robert Coram
This highly acclaimed book is best known for the story of how Colonel John Boyd developed the OODA loop, but even more importantly is how it chronicles his efforts to reform the Pentagon from within. For decades, he fought a quiet insurgency against an entrenched bureaucracy with almost unbelievable success.
One of the things I constantly hear from executives is how powerless they feel to lead change inside their organizations. Colonel Boyd showed that it can be done, which is why I think this is a book that every aspiring changemaker should read.
Walking with the Wind by John Lewis
Today John Lewis is often referred to as “the conscience of Congress,” but he rose to fame as one of the “Big Six of civil rights” in his role as President of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Walking with the Wind tells the story, in his own words, of his rise from a sharecropper’s son to a genuine American hero.
This book has a soul to it that is rare, even in a memoir. It is not only an inspiration, but it is also an absolute joy to read. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.
So that’s my list for today. If you would like to add a suggestion of your own, please feel free to do that in the comments section.
The bottom line
As we change at a faster and faster pace, ideas adequate yesterday are no longer are good enough. And with digital disruption facing more industries, most firms must come up with the best ideas for change.
The myths of new ideas must be set aside to let the new idea facts expand your mind and take over.
