25 Books recommended by Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Timothy Gladwell is an English-born Canadian journalist, author, and public speaker. He has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. He has published six books:
Malcolm Gladwell
Book Recommendations
The Big Short
The Big Short
Michael Lewis
The #1 new york times bestseller: "it is the work of our greatest financial journalist, at the top of his game. and it's essential reading."—graydon carter, vanity fairthe real story of the crash began in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn't shine and the sec doesn't dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real estate derivative markets where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower- and middle-class americans who can't pay their debts. the smart people who understood what was or might be happening
“One of the best business books of the past two decades.”
Oct 3, 2013 — Source
The Paris Architect
The Paris Architect
Charles Belfoure
FictionLike most gentiles in nazi-occupied paris, architect lucien bernard has little empathy for the jews. so when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for jews, lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. but when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and
“It is a beautiful and elegant account of an ordinary man's unexpected and reluctant descent into heroism during the second world war.”
Aug 18, 2017 — Source
Nixon Agonistes
Nixon Agonistes
Garry Wills
Biography & AutobiographyFrom one of america's most distinguished historians comes this classic analysis of richard nixon. by considering some of the president's opinions, wills comes to the controversial conclusion that nixon was actually a liberal. both entertaining and essential, nixon agonistes captures a troubled leader and a struggling nation mired in a foolish asian war, forfeiting the loyalty of its youth, puzzled by its own power, and looking to its cautious president for confidence. in the end, nixon agonistes reaches far beyond its assessment of the thirty-seventh president to become an incisive
“A classic from the early '70s by one of the great political writers of his time... it's as devastating a portrait of [Nixon]as has ever been written.”
Nov 5, 2014 — Source
Just Kids
Just Kids
Patti Smith
Biography & AutobiographyIn just kids, patti smith's first book of prose, the legendary american artist offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer robert mapplethorpe in the epochal days of new york city and the chelsea hotel in the late sixties and seventies. an honest and moving story of youth and friendship, smith brings the same unique, lyrical quality to just kids as she has to the rest of her formidable body of work--from her influential 1975 album horses to her visual art and poetry.
“I finished it in one sitting, then wept. It’s that good.”
Aug 18, 2017 — Source
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Janet Malcolm
Through an intensive study of "aaron green, " a freudian analyst in new york city, new yorker writer janet malcolm reveals the inner workings of psychoanalysis.
“I reread Malcolm's 'Psychoanalysis: The Impossible Profession' just to remind myself how nonfiction is supposed to be done.”
Nov 5, 2014 — Source
Drunk Tank Pink
Drunk Tank Pink
Adam Alter
PsychologyMost of us go through life believing that we are in control of the choices we make, that we think and behave almost independently from the world around us, but as drunk tank pink illustrates, the truth is our environment shapes our thoughts and actions in myriad ways without our permission or even our knowledge. armed with surprising data and endlessly fascinating examples, adam alter addresses the subtle but substantial ways in which outside forces influence us--such as color’s influence on mood, our bias in favor of names with which
“The best science book I read [in 2013]...[It] is a really provocative look at how much our behavior is contextually determined”
Oct 3, 2013 — Source
The Person and the Situation
The Person and the Situation
Lee Ross,Malcolm Gladwell,Richard E. Nisbett
How does the situation we're in influence the way we behave and think? professors ross and nisbett eloquently argue that the context we find ourselves in substantially affects our behavior in this timely reissue of one of social psychology's classic textbooks.
“basically gave me my view of the world.”
Nov 5, 2014 — Source
Strangers to Ourselves
Strangers to Ourselves
Timothy D. Wilson
Psychology"know thyself," a precept as old as socrates, is still good advice. but is introspection the best path to self-knowledge? what are we trying to discover, anyway? in an eye-opening tour of the unconscious, as contemporary psychological science has redefined it, timothy d. wilson introduces us to a hidden mental world of judgments, feelings, and motives that introspection may never show us.this is not your psychoanalyst's unconscious. the adaptive unconscious that empirical psychology has revealed, and that wilson describes, is much more than a repository of primitive drives and conflict-ridden
“One of the loveliest, most insightful books about social psychology that I ever read.”
Jun 21, 2016 — Source
The Opposable Mind
The Opposable Mind
Roger L. Martin
If you want to be as successful as jack welch, larry bossidy, or michael dell, read their autobiographical advice books, right? wrong, says roger martin in the opposable mind. though following best practice can help in some ways, it also poses a danger: by emulating what a great leader did in a particular situation, you'll likely be terribly disappointed with your own results. why? your situation is different.instead of focusing on what exceptional leaders do, we need to understand and emulate how they think. successful businesspeople engage in what martin
“...explores what makes great CEOs stand out from their peers. I realize that there are thousands of business books on the subject, but, trust me, this is the first to really answer the question.”
Nov 5, 2014 — Source
“It's fantastic. It’s about everything I’m interested in.”
Jun 21, 2016 — Source
Irresistible
Irresistible
Adam Alter
Social ScienceWelcome to the age of behavioral addiction—an age in which half of the american population is addicted to at least one behavior. we obsess over our emails, instagram likes, and facebook feeds; we binge on tv episodes and youtube videos; we work longer hours each year; and we spend an average of three hours each day using our smartphones. half of us would rather suffer a broken bone than a broken phone, and millennial kids spend so much time in front of screens that they struggle to interact with real,
“Adam Alter's brilliant book on digital addiction is out... One of my favorite books of the year.”
Mar 8, 2017 — Source
The Looking Glass Wars
The Looking Glass Wars
Frank Beddor
FictionWhen alyss heart, newly orphaned heir to the wonderland throne, flees through the pool of tears to escape her murderous aunt redd, she finds herself lost and alone in victorian london. befriended by an aspiring author named lewis carrol, alyss tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. alyss trusts this author to tell the truth so that someone, somewhere will find her and bring her home. but he gets the story all wrong. he even spells her name incorrectly!fortunately, royal bodyguard hatter madigan knows all too well the
“you should start with John Le Carre, of course, and read his first five books.”
Jun 21, 2016 — Source
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
John le Carré
A modern classic in which john le carré expertly creates a total vision of a secret world, tinker, tailor, soldier, spy begins george smiley's chess match of wills and wits with karla, his soviet counterpart. it is now beyond a doubt that a mole, implanted decades ago by moscow centre, has burrowed his way into the highest echelons of british intelligence. his treachery has already blown some of its most vital operations and its best networks. it is clear that the double agent is one of its own kind. but
“you should start with John Le Carre, of course, and read his first five books.”
Jun 21, 2016 — Source
Smiley's People
Smiley's People
John le Carré
John le carre's classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international espionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge and have earned him -- and his hero, british secret service agent george smiley -- unprecedented worldwide acclaim.rounding off his astonishing vision of a clandestine world, master storyteller le carre perfects his art in smiley's people. in london at dead of night, george smiley, sometime acting chief of the circus (aka the british secret service), is summoned from his lonely bed by news of the murder of an ex-agent.
“you should start with John Le Carre, of course, and read his first five books.”
Jun 21, 2016 — Source
The Night Manager
The Night Manager
John le Carré
FictionIn the shadowy recesses of whitehall and washington an unholy alliance operates between the intelligence community and the secret arms trade. jonathan pine is ready to stand up and be counted in the fight against this ultimate heart of darkness. his mission takes him from the cliffs of west cornwall, via northern quebec and the caribbean, to the jungles of post-noriega panama. his quarry is the worst man in the world.
“you should start with John Le Carre, of course, and read his first five books.”
Jun 21, 2016 — Source
Freakonomics
Freakonomics
Stephen J. Dubner,Steven D. Levitt
Business & EconomicsWhich is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? what do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? why do drug dealers still live with their moms? how much do parents really matter? what kind of impact did roe v. wade have on violent crime? freakonomics will literally redefine the way we view the modern world.these may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. but steven d. levitt is not a typical economist. he is a much heralded scholar who studies the stuff and riddles of
“This book invented an entire genre. Economics was never supposed to be this entertaining.”
Nov 5, 2014 — Source
Think Again
Think Again
Adam Grant
Business & EconomicsThink again is a book about the benefit of doubt, and about how we can get better at embracing the unknown and the joy of being wrong. evidence has shown that creative geniuses are not attached to one identity, but constantly willing to rethink their stances and that leaders who admit they don't know something and seek critical feedback lead more productive and innovative teams.new evidence shows us that as a mindset and a skilllset, rethinking can be taught and grant explains how to develop the necessary qualities to do
“Rule number one: never miss a new Adam Grant book! I loved this one!”
Feb 3, 2021 — Source
The Checklist Manifesto
The Checklist Manifesto
Atul Gawande
We live in a world of great and increasing complexity, where even the most expert professionals struggle to master the tasks they face. longer training, ever more advanced technologies‚neither seems to prevent grievous errors. but in a hopeful turn, acclaimed surgeon and writer atul gawande finds a remedy in the humblest and simplest of techniques: the checklist.first introduced decades ago by the u.s. air force, checklists have enabled pilots to fly aircraft of mind-boggling sophistication. now innovative checklists are being adopted in hospitals around the world, helping doctors and nurses
“I admire the idea. But, almost more, I admire the kind of guts that made the idea possible.”
Jun 21, 2016 — Source
Traffic
Traffic
Tom Vanderbilt
Would you be surprised that road rage can be good for society? or that most crashes happen on sunny, dry days? that our minds can trick us into thinking the next lane is moving faster? or that you can gauge a nation s driving behavior by its levels of corruption? these are only a few of the remarkable dynamics that tom vanderbilt explores in this fascinating tour through the mysteries of the road. based on exhaustive research and interviews with driving experts and traffic officials around the globe, traffic gets
“...tells us all sorts of things about what driving says about us.”
Nov 5, 2014 — Source
Personal
Personal
Book*Sense
Personal: a jack reacher novel by lee child | summary & analysis by book*sense this is a summary & analysis of personal by lee child. native englishman and current new yorker lee child returns to his bestselling jack reacher series in personal. action-packed, the novel follows reacher back and forth across the atlantic as he works to investigate the attempted assassination of the french president by a shooter the united states would happily disclaim—only to find that a plot, orchestrated by a master planner, is afoot. who are the suspects?
“... escape for a few hours to a world where one man can solve every one of the world's problems.”
Nov 5, 2014 — Source
“This is the book that most likely inspired some of Gladwell’s assertions in his best-selling book, Outliers: The Story of Success”
— Source
A Thousand Pardons
A Thousand Pardons
Jonathan Dee
FictionFor readers of jonathan franzen and richard russo, jonathan dee’s novels are masterful works of literary fiction. in this sharply observed tale of self-invention and public scandal, dee raises a trenchant question: what do we really want when we ask for forgiveness?once a privileged and loving couple, the armsteads have now reached a breaking point. ben, a partner in a prestigious law firm, has become unpredictable at work and withdrawn at home—a change that weighs heavily on his wife, helen, and their preteen daughter, sara. then, in one afternoon, ben’s
“I loved Jonathan Dee’s new novel, “A Thousand Pardons.””
Oct 3, 2013 — Source
The Russia House
The Russia House
John le Carré
John le carre's bestselling classic is a timeless spy thriller about the iron curtain and the tense relationship between great britain and russia.john le carré has earned worldwide acclaim with extraordinary spy novels, including the russia house, an unequivocal classic. navigating readers through the shadow worlds of international espionage with critical knowledge culled from his years in british intelligence, le carré tracks the dark and devastating trail of a document that could profoundly alter the course of world events. in moscow, a sheaf of military secrets changes hands. if it
“I like his later stuff less so. But its still fantastic.”
Jun 21, 2016 — Source
The Little Drummer Girl
The Little Drummer Girl
John le Carré
FictionJohn le carre's classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international espionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge, and have earned him unprecedented worldwide acclaim.in this thrilling and thought-provoking novel of middle eastern intrigue, charlie, a brilliant and beautiful young english actress, is lured into "the theatre of the real" by an israeli intelligence officer. forced to play her ultimate role, she is plunged into a deceptive and delicate trap set to ensnare an elusive palestinian terrorist.
“I like his later stuff less so. But its still fantastic.”
Jun 21, 2016 — Source
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
John le Carré
A modern classic in which john le carré expertly creates a total vision of a secret world, tinker, tailor, soldier, spy begins george smiley's chess match of wills and wits with karla, his soviet counterpart. it is now beyond a doubt that a mole, implanted decades ago by moscow centre, has burrowed his way into the highest echelons of british intelligence. his treachery has already blown some of its most vital operations and its best networks. it is clear that the double agent is one of its own kind. but
“”
Jun 21, 2016 — Source
