More Books

More from my bookshelf – November 2020

The list this month touches on equity, history, and lots of leadership.

Equity

Caste (Oprah’s Book Club): The Origins of Our Discontents

by Isabel Wilkerson  | Sold by: Random House LLC  | Aug 4, 2020

Compares “caste” in India, the U.S., and Nazi Germany – noting the parallels and unpacking what it is and how it works. Caste is deeply embedded in culture, creating roles (similar to a theater cast) we all play. Artfully written with deep research and many analogies. Hard to put down and deeply troubling at the same time. Explains so much about racism in America. An excellent book.

History

The Evening and the Morning (Kingsbridge Book 4)

by Ken Follett  | Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC  | Sep 15, 2020

The fourth book in Ken Follett’s series. Prequel to Pillars of the Earth. Set in the era of 1000 CE. Tells the story of how Kingsbridge came to be as fledging cities emerged from the middle ages. A good and long read. Didn’t seem quite as compelling as the other Follet books in the series, or the following:

The Saxon Tales – by Bernard Cornwell – tell the story of England’s unification just before this period of time. And the Brother Cadfael books – short mysteries by Ellis Peters – come just after this time period and set in this same part of England.

Heretics and Heroes: How Renaissance Artists and Reformation Priests Created Our World (Hinges of History Book 6)

by Thomas Cahill  | Sold by: Random House LLC

Thomas Cahill does a great job of weaving together the great sweep of history to show how events in one age opened the door to the next age. Provides entertaining background knowledge to see how historic events and personages fit together.

Leadership

Seize the Vuja dé

by Steve Moore  | Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC  | Sep 6, 2012

Based on a series of blogs. Short, hard-hitting chapters on how the world is changing around us and what that means for leadership. Informative, entertaining, and many nuggets of wisdom.

What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence

by Stephen A. Schwarzman  | Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc  | Sep 17, 2019

Pretty good storyteller. All about the author’s success in mergers and acquisitions and philanthropy. Long, self-congratulatory book. Enough pearls of wisdom to keep me reading to the end.

How to Lead: Wisdom from the World’s Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers

by David M. Rubenstein  | Sep 1, 2020

My kind of book. A travelogue of leadership. Audio version is live interviews with the rich and famous. Author has done great prep work with short and concise intros, followed by insightful interviews. Each interview ends with a question about great leadership. I’ll re-read this one in print to capture more of the leadership lessons learned.

The Power of a Positive Team: Proven Principles and Practices that Make Great Teams Great

by Jon Gordon  | Sold by: JOHN WILEY AND SONS INC  | Jun 11, 2018

This is the book I reviewed in this month’s weblog. Super short and packed with good ideas for growing positive teams through culture, commitment, communication, and caring.

Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.

by Brené Brown  | Sold by: Random House LLC  | Oct 9, 2018

A perfect book for our times. All about empathy and creating trust through positive relationships. Work that requires courage (which can be learned) and vulnerability and “rumbling” in the arena.

What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era

by Carlos Lozada  | Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc  | Oct 6, 2020

New York Times columnist read 150 books written in the Trump era (pro and con) and then provides his analysis.  Thoughtful commentary on our times and how we might better understand competing perspectives and reclaim well-reasoned arguments and agreements.