Inspiring Compassion and Learning through Great Books and Stories

If We Were Villains

Although I don't have a favorite book per se, this is one of the best books I've read this year. The entire story, from the characters to the backdrop, are colorfully painted by M.L. Rio's words. The story sucked me in so much, I found myself staying up until midnight to finish a chapter!

Creativity Inc

The ability to showcase the process of a team creating stories based on a braintrust and empathy has helped me understand how to build better products as a team. Also a huge fan of the storytelling from Pixar

A Separate Peace

I read this book in high school and it always stuck with me. The book does such a good job at showing how complicated the 'coming of age' time of your life is, and how at that age its easy to become consumed in a friendship but then one moment can change everything. I ended up naming my son after one of the characters!

Profiles in Courage

Making principled decisions in a political environment that often pressures self-interest has been the final bulwark to democracy in many moments in America's history. The book Profiles in Courage codifies those moments and serves as a reminder of that truth that we would do well to remember.

Les Misérables

Victor Hugo was the first author I read who was able to create beauty out of complexity. His approach to helping the reader gain a closeness to each character was brilliant. The setting in history on a macro scale was masterfully done. That being said, I would stick with the abridged version, 30+ chapters in the unabridged version on the sewers of Paris was a bit much!

Ready Player One

Few books have been able to capture my imagination the way this book did. I fit in the perfect demographic of someone who grew up in the 80s where all of the nostalgic references really hit home. Overall, it is just a lot of fun to read.

Born to Run

There were multiple moments while reading this book that my mind was blown. The mystery around the hidden running tribe, the insanity of running an ultra run in the hottest place on earth, the fact that you can run ultra distances barefoot. As a runner, I absolutely adored this book. One thing I learned is to never give up, even when the circumstances are too bizarre, an succeeding is unlikely. Even then you can still win.

Ender's Game

While it's a science fiction book, I believe it is one of the best I've ever read on great leadership and what great leadership in action actually looks like. I've read this book dozens of times, and every time I pick something new up from it: the criticality of communication, the different ways empathy is used, strengths-based leaders, etc. There are so many layers to it, and I just love it!

The Messy Middle

The Martian

This fun, sci-fi novel is focused on space exploration and survival. The main character has to use science and logic to overcome all sorts of complex situations. The author does a great job of explaining things, so it’s easy to follow and full of humor, despite the situation. Bonus points: The movie adaptation is great!

Dare to Lead

A Visit from the Goon Squad

This story story is told through vignettes of characters' lives that are all interconnected in fun ways. Each new connection keeps you wanting to get to the next, and the "sequel" released this year doesn't disappoint either. The opportunity to film Jennifer Egan for a BookClub interview was a fascinating experience.

Animal

I was torn between Animal and The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. This is, of course, my not-so-subtle way of including both. Larson's book has been my favorite for quite some time, but Animal is definitely the best book I've read in the last few years. I am a huge fan of Taddeo's descriptive writing style and intrigued by the subject matter that she explores, not only in Animal, but also in Three Women, which is another favorite (I snuck three books in here. Look at me go!) Overall, I'm fascinated by anti-heroes, imperfect protagonists, strong women, and writing that is so vivid that it feels tangible. Animal definitely ticks all those boxes.