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The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau

A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.

Tag: new books

The 4 Must-Read Books of Fall 2026: On Leadership, Democracy, and the Science of Success

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What Happened to Liberal Democracy?, by Daron Acemoglu

Lavin Exclusive Speaker Daron Acemoglu won the Nobel Prize in Economics for his groundbreaking work on the relationship between progress, AI, and the economy. Now, in the acclaimed forthcoming book What Happened to Liberal Democracy?—his first book since the Nobel—he offers a rousing look into the crisis facing our democracy, and a hopeful path forward. Daron is “arguably the greatest economist of our generation” (Ro Khanna, Progressive Capitalism), and his book is a vital roadmap towards empowered communities and prosperity for all.

What Happened to Liberal Democracy? is out August 11.

Situated, by Angela Duckworth

Grit—passion and perseverance for long-term goals—is a vital part of success. But it’s not the only part, says MacArthur Genius Angela Duckworth. “You need to make your situation your ally to run the marathon of success.” Angela is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit—and in her hotly anticipated new book, Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best, she offers a practical look into how you can adapt your situation for your success. Mel Robbins (The Let Them Theory) says, “If you read one book this year to level up your life, make it this one.”

Situated is out September 1.

End Times Fascism, by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor

In End Times Fascism, bestselling author Naomi Klein (The Shock Doctrine) and organizer and filmmaker Astra Taylor (What Is Democracy?) deliver an urgent analysis of the apocalyptic politics reshaping the contemporary right—and offers a new, powerful solution. These two acclaimed authors and activists examine the alliance between Christian nationalists, tech reactionaries, and populist survivalists, and calls us to fight it with a new politics grounded in solidarity, shared survival, and a livable future. In a starred review, Kirkus writes that “the authors have given us a new way to grasp some of our biggest problems.”

End Times Fascism is out September 15.

Unreliable Boyfriend, by Chrystia Freeland

Chrystia Freeland spent over a decade in federal politics, during which time she served as Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Minister of Finance. Her book, Unreliable Boyfriend, is a hotly anticipated look into the challenges and future of America, Canada, and the world. She draws on her story as an insider and an outsider, a journalist and a politician, an activist and a woman, to offer a provocative account of America’s relationship with its allies, its workers, and its own democratic ideals. She shows us how liberal democracy can deliver: for working people at home, and for allies building a better world together.

Unreliable Boyfriend is out October 13.

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The Hottest Reads of August/September: Neuroscience, Bruce Lee, and What We Assume Everyone Knows

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A photo of Steven Pinker, a light-skinned man with curly hair, and his book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows...Do You Know What I Know?

Steven Pinker is one of the world’s greatest public intellectuals. In When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows… (out Sep. 23), he explores the question of what we assume everyone knows, and how it can help us understand the greatest enigmas of our time: from financial bubbles to social media mobs. Bill Gates calls it “one of the most insightful books I’ve read about what makes us human and how we understand each other.”

A photo of Jeff Chang, a light-skinned East Asian man with dark hair, and his book, Water Mirror EchoA “Definitive” New Look at a Legend

Celebrated social historian Jeff Chang has spent his storied career building solidarity. In his forthcoming biography Water Mirror Echo (out Sep. 23), he’s turning his eye to the story of martial arts icon Bruce Lee and how he shaped Asian America, helping us all better understand America as a whole. Publishers Weekly says that “This definitive account cements Chang’s reputation as a preeminent chronicler of Asian American history.”

A photo of Rachel Barr, a light-skinned woman with brown hair, and her book, How to Make Your Brain Your Best FriendMake Your Brain Your Best Friend

Does the modern world make you feel like your brain is working against you? You’re not alone. But it can be your closest ally—if you learn to work with it. Neuroscientist Rachel Barr is a playful and honest science communicator who has gained over 2 million followers through her accessible videos. In How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend (out Aug. 26), she reveals the tips anyone can use to regain focus, identity, and delight.

To learn more about these vital ideas…

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Emotions are information. Learn to use them. Psychologist Ethan Kross’s new book Shift

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“We are living through a cultural shift in the recognition of the role that emotions play in our professional lives,” says Ethan. “We now know definitively that the better able you are to regulate your emotions, the better able you are to think and perform. If a company cares about performance, they have to care about emotions.”

An award-winning psychologist in the University of Michigan’s psychology department and an executive education faculty member in its Ross School of Business, Ethan is the bestselling author of Chatter and one of the world’s leading experts on the conscious mind.

Now, in his forthcoming and hotly anticipated book Shift, Ethan turns his attention to the question of emotions: what they are, and (more importantly) how we can use them to think, perform, and lead better. He dispels unhelpful myths (like the idea that avoidance is always toxic, or that we need to live in the moment all the time) and offers riveting stories and science-backed tools that anyone can use to leverage their emotions in any context.

Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit) says that Ethan “presents a revolutionary guide to mastering your emotional life,” while Dan Pink (Drive) says that “his actionable insights can turn emotions from adversaries to allies—and transform how you navigate high-pressure work environments and the unpredictability of daily life.” Lisa Damour (The Emotional Lives of Teenagers) says, “This must-read book will—without question—change your life for the better!”

Nations in Crisis, a Biotech Revolution, and America’s Global Status: 3 Books—Out Today—Changing the Way We Navigate the World

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Three eagerly-anticipated books drop today from Pulitzer Prize-winner Jared Diamond, MIT President Emerita Susan Hockfield, and National Book Award-winner George Packer. Here’s what’s being said about these brilliant new releases, and the speakers who wrote them.

Jared Diamond | Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis 

 

  • upheaval-jared-diamond

In his international bestsellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now, in Upheaval, the final book in this monumental trilogy, he reveals how successful nations recover from crises while adopting selective changes—a coping mechanism more commonly associated with individuals recovering from personal crises. “A riveting and illuminating tour of how nations deal with crises—which might hopefully help humanity as a whole deal with our present global crisis” says Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari. “Diamond wears the mantle of a modern day prophet, writes The Guardian. 

 

Susan Hockfield | The Age of Living Machines: How Biology Will Build the Next Technology Revolution

 

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A neuroscientist by training, Susan Hockfield is the first woman to lead MIT. Her first book, The Age of Living Machines presents a highly-readable magnum opus on the technological-biological revolution known as “convergence.” Living Machines describes some of the most exciting new developments—and the scientists and engineers who helped create them—highlighting the promise of the technology revolution of the 21st century to overcome some of the greatest humanitarian, medical, and environmental challenges of our time. Science Magazine calls Hockfield’s book “entertaining and prescient.” 

 

George Packer |  Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century

 

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Discussing George Packer’s new release Our Man in the The New York Times Book Review, Walter Isaacson says “I doubt that any novel, not even one co-written by Graham Greene and F. Scott Fitzgerald, could have captured Holbrooke fully, and I certainly thought that no biography ever would. But now one has. Packer’s Our Man portrays Holbrooke in all his endearing and self-willed glory … both a sweeping diplomatic history and a Shakespearean tragicomedy.” The Guardian calls Our Man “one of the most fascinating dissections of US power—its strengths and serious weaknesses—I’ve read.”

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