Favorite Books of 2019

I read a lot. I read when I wake up in the morning and I read before I go to bed. I read while I'm brushing my teeth and I read when I'm in line at Nalley Fresh.

I don't do it so that I can publish some list. I read because I love to get lost in a book. I love to see the world a little differently, and, in an age where thousands of engineers write algorithms to keep us skimming across a news feed staying inches from the surface, I love diving into a topic or narrative for several hours. I love stumbling across something in one context that strikes me as applicable to a challenge I see at work or at home or in the world.

I read whatever sounds interesting. I make lists and take recommendations and hear about books on podcasts or see what's won a recent award. And then, when I'm ready to pick a book, I look for something that gets me excited. In that moment.

Rather than hit you with the usual lists, I thought I'd highlight some books that stood out to me in 2019 and offer some explanation as to why. Maybe one will sound good to you. Or you can comment on one that's missing that impacted you this past year. I'll also throw out some other favorites because, well, I can't help myself.

Books that inspired me and challenged the way I see the world:

Range by David Epstein: Several years ago, I read Quiet, by Susan Cain, and so many of my insecurities made sense. I tended to be intimidated by certain meetings and sometimes doubted what I could offer. Susan Cain re-framed that for me and gave me a boost of confidence. I had a similar experience reading David Epstein's Range. While the world seems to value more and more specialization, I've always been a generalist. Epstein explains why that's not only okay, but a great thing. This book changed the way I see myself, or maybe helped me articulate a set of feelings that lived beneath the surface. In addition, Epstein is a great story-teller. Highly recommended for anyone who struggles with the question: what do I want to do with my life.

Benjamin Franklin, An American Life by Walter Isaacson: As much as we embrace democratic ideals and trumpet "all men are created equal," our founding fathers tended to be landed gentry. Not Ben Franklin. He ran away from Boston as a teenager and worked for a printing press. He eventually owned the printing press, published Poor Richard's Almanac and served as the postmaster general. In other words, he vertically integrated his media business. Along the way, he championed the middle class with his Leather Apron Society and changed the course of history as a founding father espousing democratic ideals. In his 40s, he decided to become a civil servant and an inventor. Talk about range and talk about impact. Great for fans of history or anyone wondering about what's possible.

The Overstory by Richard Powers: When I was in college, I read The Sound and the Fury and thought to myself can Faulkner do that? I had a similar feeling reading Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges. These writers blew my mind with the way they challenged convention, opening up new worlds to me. The Overstory had a similar effect. Powers wrote a 500-page novel where the central characters are trees. Can he do that? This book isn't for everyone, but it blew me away to the point that I look at forests and trees differently after reading it. He is a compelling story-teller and one of the smartest writers you'll ever come across.

Books that challenged me to do my job differently (and better):

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown: If you haven't watched Brene Brown's Ted Talk or her Netflix Special, you should. She's a great story teller with compelling information to share. Because she has such a rare blend of charisma, humility and humor (aka, a "presence"), I wondered how it would translate to the written word. Trust me, she nails it. We all need to understand how vulnerability builds trust and how it's a sign of strength. We all need to recognize our inner critic and move past shame. We all can be better leaders following her advice. Recommended for everyone who wants to understand what it means to lead and wants to be challenged to do better.

The Idea Factory by Jon Gertner: Without Bell Labs, the world looks very different. A research center that combined scientists and engineers, understood workplace design, and played the long game, its teams invented transistors and solar panels and communication theory and lasers. They gave brilliant people room to innovate. This 100-year old story informs so much about how we need to think about innovation in the digital age. While we're drawn to Netflix and Amazon and Google and Salesforce, let's not forget the timeless lessons of this fountain of innovation.

Seeing Around Corners by Rita McGrath: I saw Rita McGrath speak at a conference. She talked about weak signals and the way we can anticipate macro changes in our society. I rode the train back from the conference with my mind racing. What inflection points do we face in the intermediate term? How will education be disrupted? What's the future of work with the rise of AI and platform businesses? How do we think about globalization? Her book took the ideas that started my mind racing and gave me practical ways to surface potential inflection points. Great for anyone looking to get ahead of trends shaping their business.

Books I found myself recommending again and again:

The Gift of Struggle by Bobby Herrera: I've known Bobby for two decades. And, for close to that long, I've known his story. I didn't know so many of his stories, though, and how succinctly he could tie them to timeless leadership principles. Great for all leaders... and parents... and kids who live in a world of helicoptering and snow plowing. Struggle is our greatest teacher and it's what gives us our superpowers!

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout: A decade ago, I couldn't put down Olive Kitteridge, a quirky novel about a misanthropic woman living in Maine. The characters were rich and interesting, and the intersection of these characters left an impression. Sequels are tough… but Stout pulls it off with Olive, Again. I was back in Maine, empathizing with this woman who struggled with the most human of struggles-- relationships with her husband(s) and son. This hit even harder than the first novel, probably because I'm getting older and am closer to Olive's struggles.

The Yellow House by Sarah Broom: Hurricane Katrina happened almost 15 years ago and we can all remember the devastation. But did we fully appreciate what this disaster inflicted on residents of New Orleans? Sarah Broom's memoir is a meditation on place and home and identity. It's about survival and family and New Orleans. It's about race and inequality and love. Broom tells her own story, but also the story of her large family and the story of a New Orleans not many have seen. A beautiful memoir that takes a little while to get going, but coheres in an amazing way.

Some others worth checking out (listed alphabetically): 

AI Superpowers by Kai-Fu Lee: Want to better understand the future of AI and the role China is playing in shaping that future? Fascinating look at how this war for AI supremacy is shaping up. 

Astroball by Jeff Passan: 16 years after Moneyball, Passan delivers Moneyball 2.0. It's no longer Quants vs. Scouts, but a reflection on how we take all of the data and use it to inform the way scouts do their job. Pretty good recipe for life in the post-digital age!

Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker: It's easy to bemoan the ugly trajectory of the world. Except that's not true. Pinker provides an evidence-based approach to why things are getting much better. It's a companion piece to Factfulness, one of my favorite books from last year.

Evicted by Matt Desmond: We've always considered poverty to cause evictions. But to what degree do evictions (and the systemic issues with housing) actually cause poverty. As remarkable for Desmond's immersion into Milwaukee's families as it is for the conclusions he draws.

Montana 1948 by Larry Watson: A lesson in taut, page-turning narrative covering some can't-look-away, stomach-turning ground. The novella wrestles with how family reconciles loyalty with justice.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee: Epic novel about family that also managed to teach me about Korea, Japan, and history that I must have missed in my studies!

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall: Marshall explains how terrain and geography (naval access, navigable rivers, mountains) have shaped so much of our current world. Puts so many geopolitical conflicts in context.

Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe: A deep-dive into The Troubles, years of conflict over the fate of Northern Ireland. It's a murder mystery and a history lesson wonderfully constructed and told.

Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs: So much has been written about Steve Jobs, a brilliant but flawed leader. His estranged daughter sheds new light on the man in a beautifully sad memoir.

The Captain Class by Sam Walker: In this new theory of leadership, Walker studies the most successful teams of all-time, drawing powerful conclusions about what truly separates the elite from everyone else.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan: The best fiction takes you on a journey, often giving you perspective you'd never otherwise. Edugyan tells the story of a runaway slave, scientist and artist trotting the globe

What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan: Powerful (and heartbreaking story) of the life and death of a young girl who seemed to have it all. A must read for parents with children struggling with identity and mental health in a hyper-competitive world.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens: Probably the most talked about book of the year about a girl who raises herself in the marsh land of North Carolina.