Books: my 2020 best titles list
Every year, I like to share some of the books I read or listened to that made me learn something valuable or to see the world from a different perspective. I know, I'm not Bill Gates that shares his cool lists from time to time (and from which I get some titles too). This is an inner exercise, something that I do for myself, but I like to share because there's always someone out there that likes to comment on some of the titles or to share their lists with me.
To be clear, this list doesn’t include titles that I didn’t like or that I struggled to finish because I was not in the right mood and/or didn't get much out of it.
By far, the most powerful one was Frankl’s masterpiece Man’s Search for Meaning. In a year full of uncertainties and challenges, this book came to me at the right moment through the recommendation of my dear friend Robledo. It's on my lifetime list of favorite books.
In regards to business, Dare to Lead, by Brené Brown, is the one leading the pack. Simple, but profound, this book brought to the surface several thoughts to help me guide my team and to be a better human being. But the list also contains some other good titles, such as the classic product book Inspired, Marty Cagan; This is Marketing, Seth Godin; Customer Success, Murph, Mehta, Steinman; Product Led Growth, Wes Bush; and The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (which is not necessarily a business book, but it suits this category as well).
My favorite category, as some of you know, is Biographies, and I pretty much enjoyed each of these books and I could read them again and again: Dapper Dan: made in Harlem is the kind of book you can't stop reading once you put your hands on it; Woody Allen: Apropos of Nothing; Everything in its Place, Oliver Sacks; The Sun Does Shine, Anthony Ray Hinton; and A Promised Land, Obama, which I just finished.
Even though I rely on my own instincts, feelings, and knowledge to educate my kids, it's always good to have access to some new content to expand my horizon. That being said, my 2020 booklist also includes parents’ stuff, of course: New Skills for Frazzled Parents; and The New Dad’s Playbook were the chosen ones.
This year, I also enjoyed learning a little bit about the Oil and Gas industry intricacies through Blowout, by Rachel Maddow; to listen to the short Audible The Minuteman, regarding the impressive battle between the Jewish mob and the fascist movement in Newark during the ’30s; and to laugh with Tom Papa’s thoughts on You’re Doing Great.
Lastly, the unfinished ones. Since I read/listen to multiple books at once, the list goes on and on. But I’m really looking forward to getting back to them, being Squeezed: Why Our Families Can't Afford America, Alissa Quart, the one I’ll prioritize along with Easy Street, by Ron Pearlman. The others are Divided Soul, Ritz (Marvin Gaye); The Product Book, Anon; and The Madness of Crowds, Murray.
This is a book list, but I couldn’t leave Shane’s podcast The Knowledge Project out of the conversation. There were two episodes that I listened to more than once: Randall Stutman on the Essence of Leadership, and also Naval Ravikant’s The Angel Philosopher. I strongly recommend both of them (kudos to Shane Perish on an amazing podcast).
Please, feel free to comment and send yours, so I can start 2021 in good company.
Ricardo Melo, Head of Marketing, Endurance International Group, HostGator LatAm