A good book can be the perfect companion for balmy summer days. This year, Lavin speakers dominated the summer 2019 must-read lists, featuring in round-ups from INC, Financial Times, and the New York Post. From Safi Bahcall to Chuck Klosterman, check out these recommended reads from some of the literary world’s best and brightest.
Loonshots, Safi Bacall—Featured in the Financial Times
Physicist and entrepreneur Safi Bahcall draws on the science of “phase transitions” to reveal surprising insights about human behaviors and how we arrive at radical break-thoughs. With entertaining historical anecdotes and sharp analysis, Bahcall makes a compelling case for nurturing crazy ideas (“loonshots”) and changing the world. Loonshots is featured in the Business section of Summer books of 2019 in the Financial Times.
Grit, Angela Duckworth—Featured in INC
Why do some people succeed while others fail? Prominent psychologist and science author Angela Duckworth identifies grit as one of the most crucial components of success, even more important than talent. In her bestselling book of the same name, Duckworth couples her landmark research with anecdotal evidence from the field, as well as her own personal story—charting her journey from struggling scientist’s daughter to teacher, business consultant, and eventually psychologist. Grit is included in INC’s round-up of “Business Books You Should Actually Read This Summer.”
Rebel Talent, Francesca Gino—Featured in Harvard Business School’sWorking Knowledge
Breaking the rules doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. In Rebel Talent, behavioral scientist and Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino explains why a little bit of rebellion can enhance joy and meaning in our lives – including at work. She has spent more than a decade studying the leaders in organizations around the world, and what makes them succeed. A love letter to the “troublemakers, outcasts, and contrarians,” Rebel Talent argues that the future belongs to the rebel—and that there’s one in each of us.
The Uninhabitable Earth, David Wallace-Wells—Featured in The Times (UK)
Reporter David Wallace-Wells’ first book will “hit you like a comet” with the horrors that await us if climate change is not addressed. In his lyrical prose—backed by fastidious research—Wallace-Wells paints a bleak picture of the future to rouse his readers into action. The continuation of our species, contends Wallace-Wells, now rests on the shoulders of a single generation.
The Lies That Bind, Kwame Anthony Appiah—Featured in NPR Code Switch Book Club
Gender. Religion. Race. Nationality. Class. Culture. All of our affiliations work together to create a sense of self. But what if the terms we use to define ourselves are actually based on myths? Kwame Anthony Appiah’s The Lies That Bind is an ambitious, philosophical exploration of identity—one that will transform the way you think about who and what we are.
Raised in Captivity, Chuck Klosterman—Featured in Fast Company & WIRED
Chuck Klosterman reveals piercing truths about our current cultural moment in this absurdly fun collection of stories. Raised in Captivity is witty, weird, astoundingly perceptive—everything we’ve come to expect from the Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs author—and more. “Ceaselessly inventive, hostile to corniness in all its forms, and mean only to the things that really deserve it,” Klosterman’s latest has attracted the attention of Fast Company and WIRED.
On The Come Up, Angie Thomas—Featured in NPR Code Switch Book Club
On The Come Up is the follow-up novel to Angie Thomas’ critically acclaimed The Hate U Give. This time around, Thomas writes about sixteen-year-old Bri: the daughter of an underground rap legend who died too young, and an aspiring hip-hop artist herself. When Bri’s mother loses her job unexpectedly, Bri’s dream becomes a means of survival. On The Come Up is a passionate tale of going after your dreams, even when the odds are stacked against you.
The Storm, James Ellroy—Featured in the New York Post
From the masterful author of The Black Dahlia and L.A. Confidential comes The Storm, James Ellroy’s latest historical crime novel. Set in the underbelly of Los Angeles and Mexico during World War II, The Storm offers a probing look at greed and corruption throughout America’s troubling history. The Storm is featured in a Thriller Round-Up—20 summer books to send chills down your spine—for the New York Post.
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