Book List

Book Title	Author	Comment
The Tipping Point	Malcolm Gladwell	Neat book on understanding social behavior – consumer and otherwise
The Innovator’s Solution	Clayton Christensen	Part 2 of a trilogy that really explains “disruptive technologies” from the perspective of an existing company
The Innovator’s Dilemma	Clayton Christensen	Part 1 of a trilogy that explains “disruptive technologies” from the perspective of a new entrant
The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron	Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind	Journalistic explanation of a great business model that got totally messed up
Blue Ocean Strategy	W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne	A very interesting read on creating brand new products and services in really mature categories
The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse	Gregg Easterbrook aka The Tuesday Morning Quarterback	A neat read on why people get more unhappy as their level of material comfort increases
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion	Robert Cialdini	A very easy yet analytical read on the science of persuasion
Winning Decisions: Getting it Right the First Time	J. Edward Russo and Paul J. H. Schoemaker	Very well written book on using a sensible framework for making better business and personal decisions
The Fortune At the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits	C. K. Prahalad	Capitalism done right and providing solutions for people who live on less than $2 per day – many, many examples
Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? Inside IBM’s Historic Turnaround	Louis Gerstner	Story of how IBM reinvented itself in the 1990’s
The Lexus and the Olive Tree	Thomas Friedman	Quick read on two opposing currents in the world – capitalism and tribalism
The World is Flat	Thomas Friedman	Another look at more recent global trends and their implications
Bobos in Paradise	David Brooks	Fascinating, yet scathing look at the emergence of a new cultural sub-group (many of you are members) – people who are simultaneously “Bohemian” and “Bourgeoisie”
On Paradise Drive	David Brooks	Another satirical, yet fact-based look at the influence that “suburbia” has on American thought and action – in contrast to strong influence that “urban life” had on American thought
When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long Term Capital	Roger Lowenstein	About the rise and fall of a mighty hedge fund (you finance types will groove on the details provided on trading strategies)
Development as Freedom	Amartya Sen	A “left-leaning” economist (Nobel Prize Winner) takes on his field and exhorts them to consider social development as an integral part of human welfare in addition to capital gains – very detailed India-China comparisons
Learned Optimism	Martin Seligman	For all you pessimists (particularly those with children), this is a scientific look at how you can teach yourself and others to see the glass as “half-full” – very easy to read
Authentic Happiness	Martin Seligman	This is not “new-age” fluff – the author was the former President of the American Psychological Association and he carefully dissects what it takes to be really “happy” – replete with examples and links to surveys to measure the barriers in your life to being really happy – (my secret goal is to be on TV like Dr. Phil )
The Vision of the Anointed: Self Congratulation as a Basis for Policy	Thomas Sowell	A “right-of-center” economist lays into liberal thinkers who use “feel goodism” and “arrogance” as the basis of really bad policy. If you are a liberal, you must read this book, just to see if your beliefs measure up – if you are not a liberal, then this is your “Bible” – either way, a very thoughtful read – if you can stay awake through some really dull passages – if only academics would write like “normal” people
Social Intelligence	Daniel Goleman	Brilliant read on how humans are hard-wired for relationships. Will make you re-think your beliefs on what really constitutes intelligence
The Mystery of Capital	Hernando de Soto	Eye-opening. Unearths a significant root cause of the wealth divide between developed and developing nations. Also offers “fixes” for the system.
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found	Suketu Mehta	A really textured look into the megalopolis that is Bombay. Even though it’s non-fiction, it proves the adage that “Truth is stranger than fiction.” An actual page-turner.
Naked Economics	Charles Wheelan	A book on economics that is actually funny and informative – that alone, is worth full price.
The Back of the Napkin	Dan Roam	Right-brain thinkers rejoice! This is a book meant for you. Left-brain thinkers, just try and keep up 
The Post-American World	Rafeeq Zakaria	Brilliant! Lays out the role of America and Americans in a changing world-order. Makes you re-think what we take for granted.
About a Boy	Nick Hornby	This author has cutting insight into the modern male. Actually, even High Fidelity written by him serves the same purpose.
In Spite of the Gods	Edward Luce	The real India – exposed. It’s not all pretty and sometimes downright scary.
The Emerging Markets Century	Antoine van Agtmael	25 global companies, most of whom you have never heard of – all world beaters; all poised to tilt competitive advantage in favor of emerging markets.
Stall Points	Matthew Olson and Derek Van Bever	A very interesting and detailed explanation of why it is difficult, if not impossible, to develop sustainable competitive advantage.
Paul Fussell	Class: A Guide Through the American Status System	A witty, biting look at what constitutes the class system in the United States.
Virginia Postrel	The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value is Remaking Commerce, Culture and Consciousness	Lays out the role of aesthetics and style as the basis of competitive advantage. Very interesting.
Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069	William Strauss and Neil Strauss	If Millenials confuse you and Gen X’ers scare you, then this book systematically makes a case for why every 4th or 5th generation repeats in terms of its basic beliefs and characteristics.
Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the New Consumer	Michael Silverstein and John Butman	Explains why consumers, even wealthy ones, become bargain hunters. An operationally excellent company’s dream customers.
Trading Up: The New American Luxury	Michael Silverstein and Neil Fiske	Why the new middle class is increasingly buying luxury goods. A customer intimacy company’s dream customers.
The Culture Code: An Ingenious Way to Understand why People Around the World Live and Buy the Way that they Do	Clotaire Rapaille	The author uses psychoanalysis to dive deep into the “frames” that people use when they create brand meaning. Useful.