We put our heads together as a team, to share with you some inspirational books that we have enjoyed reading… Some on adversity, some on leadership, some on languages, some on seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Some just great books! Check out on long list below.
We hope you will find some inspiration or a new book to enjoy on the weekend! Don’t forget to support and buy your book from an indie bookstore. In LA, you can pop into the Last Bookstore, one of favs. But our favorite local one in San Diego are Book Catapult and La Playa Books.
Please comment if you want to contribute to the list and let us know which books moved you!
Inspirational Books:
Educated by Tara Westover
This is a must read. The entire team agrees!
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
An inspiring memoir on Trevor’s path to stardom, his love of languages and his tough childhood during apartheid, told with a lot of humor.
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon, Shana Knizhnik
Because she is the best and an inspiration!
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
Because Winnie the Pooh too can be a daily inspiration.
I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
A true story on the journey of a young woman, who had lost everything and found her peace by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (from the Mojave Desert in California to Washington State)Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
The book is not initially about leadership. But it describes the value of being able to look at the Big Picture AND to look at the DETAILS. That’s an important skill for any leader!
Leadership Reads:
Team of Rivals or Leadership by Doris Kearns Goodwin
DKG is a wonderful storyteller, and she wrote many books on leaderships and fascinating biographies of US presidents. We highly recommend her books.
Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change by Stacey Abrams
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brené Brown
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon Sinek
Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow by Gallup
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
Atomic Habits by James Clear, The Dip by Seth Godin, Essentialism by Greg McKeown.
Those 3 have some good tips on time-management, productivity, creating good habits, etc.
Who Shall Survive? A new Approach to the Problem of Human Interrelations by Jacob Moreno
Our favorite, forgotten, author. Moreno was a mathematician and a medical doctor. In this book he lays the groundwork for group dynamics and what he called “sociometry”, the study of relationships within groups, the group leaders and the process of making decisions.The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma
More of a self-help book but you might find a few interesting tips in there on quality of life, self-discipline and the value of time.
Languages:
And our top recommendation to anyone any time is Noam Chomsky, of course (that’s a joke), but we all love Chomsky (not a joke).
On Language by Noam Chomsky, Mitsou Ronat
Also check out some of those titles:
Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives by Nataly Kelly
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image by Leonard Shlain
A fascinating read on how history shaped our language.
Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages by Gaston Dorren