My Top Reads of 2019

Earlier this year, I shared a list of books that have expanded my thinking and provided valuable understandings into the forces that shaped our world.

Your thoughtful insight on those you’d also read, as well as recommendations on additional books to consider, were invaluable in continuing the conversation I firmly believe such writing was meant to inspire. 

So, as we close out the year, I thought I’d update the prior list with my top reads of 2019 overall. Including a few from my earlier post, my top 10 reads of the year gave life to leaders who changed the course of history and provided valuable reminders around the financial, business, and political implications that appear fated to affect our future.

1.     Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World by Eric Metaxes

I’m going to go out on a limb and declare Martin Luther as the most influential person of the past millennium. Instrumental in challenging the church doctrine that defined the middle ages, breaking open language, literacy, and education for Europe, Luther helped lay the foundation for much of today’s theology. All that from a little monk who believed the Pope would fix the errors of the church if he just understood scripture a bit more. 

2.     Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts

If Luther is the greatest of the last thousand years, I put forth Churchill as the most influential of the past hundred years. Without him, the world of today would be radically and unimaginably different. In the face of numerous political and strategic failures he was a survivor, learner, and leader; he was a man convinced of his destiny and unique role in history. Yet, in his most lasting crowning achievement, Churchill envisioned the future and lifted a nation, leading the allies to destroy the evils of Hitler and Nazism. 

3.     Grant by Ron Chernow

While Lincoln receives deserved considerable credit for ending slavery and charting a course through the civil war, Ulysses S. Grant is also deserving of recognition. Just as he did with George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, Chernow brings the fully flawed person of Grant to life. Despite his numerous failures, Grant was also a victorious civil war commander and the peacetime leader tasked with reuniting an exceedingly polarized and fractured nation.

4.     Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson

Next to President General Washington, Franklin is likely the most important person in our nation’s founding. He was a self-made man and the heart of the working, middle-class—the strength of our nation. Sadly, as much as I’d like to hold him up as an all-around role-model, Franklin was largely a failure as a father and husband. Given my own values, this pains me to write. But for all his shortcomings, what cannot be argued is that Franklin was a stunning leader throughout the formative phase of our nation.

5.     Paul: A Biography by Norman T. Wright

Next to Jesus, the apostle Paul was perhaps the most important influence of the New Testament. Wright, an Anglican bishop, humanizes the saint and intellectual oft credited with creating the paradigms of Christian theology – what a radical transformation and extraordinary influence for all of Christendom. This side of heaven, this biography may be the most thorough understanding of Paul’s life and Jewish heritage that we will ever be able to peer into.

6.     On China by Henry Kissinger

7.     Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap? by Graham Allison

8.     The Hundred Year Marathon by Michael Pillsbury

I bundled these together as a trio of must-read books for anyone serious about the most critical US-Sino situation. Kissinger provides a first-hand encyclopedic view; Allison discusses the historical rise of nations since the time of Sparta, sharing the outcome of each situation; finally, Pillsbury provides an alarming view from an insider.

I’ve previously spoken about the “two-trading-block-world” perspective, where the alignment of trading partners and relationships between the U.S. and the China/Belt-Road groups becomes increasingly pronounced respectively. This isn’t a near-term trade agreement consideration, rather a decades-long reality of political, technological, business and social implications. Together, these three books deliver perspective on the current global turbulence, which every business must consider how to navigate.

9.     Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World by Adam Tooze

The connectedness of political and financial systems alongside the global financial community are astounding in their complexity; nothing of significance happens without global implications. Understanding what really happened during the most recent 2008 crash, and its aftermath, is essential to any financial, business, or political leader looking to prepare for the future ahead. As George Santayana famously said, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

10.  Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg 

As I said in my earlier post, Soul Keeping was my favorite spiritual read. Throughout the book, Ortberg speaks to the importance of keeping your soul healthy—after all, you don’t get a replacement! One of my favorite quotes: “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” I wholeheartedly agree but would augment to say, “What reading is to the mind, exercise is to the body and prayer is to the soul.” A well-rounded person regularly does all three. 

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As I look back on this compilation, it is not lost on me that these 10 books barely scratch the surface for what authors and topics have to share with us. Which one should I dive into next?

• How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
• Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
• Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power by Andy Crouch

I’m truly looking forward to what is to be discovered in 2020. History awaits us!