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A Consultant’s Guide to Summer Reading 2021
Our colleagues share 21 books they can’t put down right now.
Every year we ask our Propheteets to share their top reads. From murder mystery and romance to personal memoirs and solid business reads, this year, our book worms have compiled quite the list. So, whether you’re someone looking for a story to immerse yourself in during your first time back commute, your rescheduled COVID-19 vacation flight or just your poolside summer hangout – there is surely a book ready for you to check out.
Our Consultant-Curated Summer Reading List:
Novels:
“Apeirogon”
by Colum McCann
McCann shines a new light on the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis. See how this unlikely friendship of two fathers develops into a partnership where both use their grief as a weapon for peace.
“Five Little Indians”
by Michelle Goode
This compassionate and insightful novel shares the struggles and conquests of five Candian Indian residential school survivors. Goode offers a story that’s not only timely but well-plotted with truly authentic characters.
“Klara and the Sun”
by Kazuo Ishiguro
What does it mean to love? Ishiguro’s novel probes the nature of human existence and the definition of love with a hint of sci-fi and zero sappiness.
“The Golem and the Jinni”
by Helene Wecker
Wrecker’s debut novel is a marvelous read about an unlikely connection between two supernatural creatures in turn-of-the-century, immigrant New York.
Real Life Reads:
“Born a Crime”
by Trevor Noah
This compelling, coming-of-age story takes the reader on several twists and turns. From being forced to hid in his home to on the run, you never know what Noah’s next challenge will be.
“Cadillac Desert: The American West and its Disappearing Water”
by Marc Reisner
Set in the American West, this story showcases the relentless quest for the ultimate resource – water. Read how the earliest settlers were lured by the promise of paradise, and the cruel tactics employed by Los Angeles politicians seeking city growth.
“Lights Out: Pride, Delusion and the Fall of General Electric”
by Thomas Gryta and Ted Mann
This is the authentic history of General Electric’s epic decline from one of the most iconic corporations in America. The story is also told by the two Wall Street Journal reporters who covered its fall.
“The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World”
by Virginia Postrel
Postrel gives a fascinating perspective on the story of textiles. Explore the growing need and how these materials have driven technology, business, politics and culture.
“The Lost City of the Monkey God”
by Douglas Preston
A tense yet refreshing read bout the real-life adventures, this #1 Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestseller is a timely commentary on colonialism, disease and our interconnected world.
“The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History”
by Elizabeth Kolbert
Kolbert unveils the mass extinction unfolding before our very eyes. This Pulitzer Prize winning book blends intellectual, natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the future of our world.
Reality Check:
“American Dirt”
by Jeanine Cummins
This intense and emotional novel is a deeply personal story about the perils of Latin American migrants. Follow the great ordeal of a Mexican woman who must leave her life behind as she and her son escape to the United States as undocumented immigrants.
“Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency”
by Olivia Laing
There is a common misconception that art cannot change anything. Laing argues it can in her collection of essays explaining the importance of art and culture in times of crisis.
“Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning”
by Cathy Park Hong
In this New York Times bestseller, poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively blends memoir, cultural criticism and history to expose fresh truths about racialized consciousness in the United States.
Beach Reads:
“Soft Apocalypse”
by Will McIntosh
What happens when resources become scares, and society starts to crumble? A new normal arises and one must adjust to a vastly different society. Join a tribe of middle-class Americans as they struggle to survive this new and dangerous world.
“The Guest List”
by Lucy Foley
Everyone plans for the perfect wedding, but no one expects the celebration to turn deadly. Find out how this wedding challenges the phrase “For better or worse” dee to its core.
“The Humans”
by Matt Haig
This contemporary novel follows an alien visitor as it discovers the true meaning of life and humanity through a dead human’s body.
Business Builders:
“Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products”
by Nir Eyal
Based on years of behavioral design research, Eyal explains how to create and market products that people can’t put down. Someone can think using your product is cool, but it is even better when they get into the habit of using it.
“How to Win Friends and Influence People”
by Dale Carnegie
Despite being written in the 1930s, Carnegie’s book offers strategies on how to deal with people and build solid relationship that can be applied today.
“Humor, Seriously: Why Human is a Secret in Business and Life”
by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas
In corporate culture, one of the biggest misconceptions is that we must act seriously to be taken seriously. Aaker and Bagdonas share the power behind humor in everyday life and the business world.
“Making the Healthcare Shift: The Transformation to Consumer-Centricity”
by Scott M. Davis and Jeff Gourdji
Davis and Gourdji share a practical guide for healthcare leaders across the globe who have the fortitude to transform their organizations to both compete and win in the age of healthcare consumerism.
“Subprime Attention Crisis: Advertising and the Time Bomb at the Heart of the Internet”
by Tim Hwang
Follow Hwang as he discusses how digital advertising is on the cusp of collapsing in a way similar to the housing crisis in 2008.
To learn more about our culture and people, visit the Life at Prophet page.
“Whether you’re someone looking for a story to immerse yourself in during your first time back commute, your rescheduled COVID-19 vacation flight or just your poolside summer hangout – there is surely a book ready for you to check out.”
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FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s not just us. The pandemic has been good for book sales, as people report reading more–from fiction to memoir to how-to. Sales of print books rose 8.9% this year. Read on, friends.