4 minute read
Book Recommendations
FEATURE STORY
RECOMMENDED BY...
WE ASKED AG LEADERSHIP FELLOWS, ALUMNI AND STAFF TO GIVE US THEIR TOP PICKS. HERE’S WHAT THEY SHARED. WE HOPE YOU’LL READ A RECOMMENDED BOOK AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
SEND YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO LROBERTSON@AGLEADERS.ORG
RECOMMENDED
BY Erin Gorter (50)
RECOMMENDED
BY Erin Gorter (50) “The Alchemist” - by Paulo Coelho
“The Alchemist is my favorite; just a story about a shepherd boy in search of his personal destiny.”
“Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People” - by Mahzarin R. Banaji
“Blind Spot is written by the people who helped develop the implicit association tests (implicit.Harvard.edu) and shows the research behind how our brains have blind spots and how this impacts our own biases.”
Chairman’s Top 10
Recommendations from CALF Board Chairman Mike Young (35).
“The saying ‘leaders are readers’ is for me a living term. Reading opens doors to new skills and worlds beyond my own. A lifelong reader’s learning never stops. Just as the program taught us about ourselves and how we can take our skills to be better leaders of our families, industries and communities, reading can greatly enhance those skills and take us all to a new level.” -Mike Young
RECOMMENDED
BY Sarah Hovinga (46)
“The Four Agreements” - by Miguel Ruiz
“This book is a little different than the typical ones you may find on self- and leadership-development shelves, but it’s a good one for grounding principles that can be used as a sounding board in all situations. It is a short read, inspired by “the happiest culture in the world,” the Toltecs. Learn what the four agreements mean to you and how to use them to free yourself and live your best life.”
1 “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown. Nine Americans and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
2 “Love Does” by Bob Goff. Discover a secretly incredible life in an ordinary world. 3 “Leadership and Self-Deception” by the Arbinger Institute. The key to leadership lays not in what we do, but in who we are.
4 “The River of Doubt” by Candice Millard. Theodore Roosevelt’s darkest journey. 5 “Educated” by Tara Westover. A memoir about a young woman who, kept out of school, goes on to earn a Ph.D. 6 “The Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson. Murder, magic and madness at the fair that changed America. 7 “Tattoos on the Heart” by Gregory Boyle. The power of boundless compassion. 8 “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand. A World War II story of survival, resilience and redemption. 9 “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. A philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller.
10 “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi. A powerful look at a stage IV lung cancer diagnosis through the eyes of a neurosurgeon.
“These Truths, a History of the United States” - by Jill Lepore
“I spent a good part of the summer reading this book. It’s a great deep dive into why we are where we are in our great country, beginning with its very discovery in 1492. It also provides great insight into why we’re facing some of the challenges we are with political equality, natural rights and sovereignty. I found it to be an excellent and timely read.”
RECOMMENDED
BY CALF President and CEO Dwight Ferguson
RECOMMENDED
BY CALF Writer/Editor Liza Robertson
“The Power of Habit” - by Charles Duhigg
“This book was compelling because it discusses the science behind how habits are formed. The author argues that if we understand how habits are created, we can be more effective in breaking harmful patterns and building new ones; the goal being to create transformation in our lives and businesses.”
RECOMMENDED
BY John Weiler (18) “Undaunted Courage” - by Stephen E. Ambrose
“‘Undaunted Courage’ is the tale of the epic expedition to explore the greatest real estate deal in the history of the United States. It is the American Odyssey. Anyone who enjoys history or adventure will find ‘Undaunted Courage’ a great read. It is also a great way to pass some time while socially isolating.”
RECOMMENDED
BY CALF Executive Vice President
Abby Taylor-Silva (45)
“Daring Greatly” - by Brené Brown
“Our class (45) discovered Brené Brown by way of one of our classmates who shared with us her TED talk on vulnerability. Her message resonated, as it reflected many of the things we were learning in our sessions. Of her books, “Daring Greatly” is one of my favorites. She references Theodore Roosevelt’s speech from 1910 in Paris, where he spoke about the man in the arena, ‘Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short again and again…who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…’ She teaches us about criticism and critics and tells us it is the feedback from those who share our values, who also stand in the arena or have done so, and who don’t shame us, but strive to lift us higher, that we should listen to. Those are also the people we should confide in, and their words should be what we use to guide our self-awareness and growth.”
