2022 Leadership Reverie Reading List

I am addicted to books (see Today's word is 'Tsundoku").  There are still a number of books left on my shelf that I have yet to read, so for this year's reading list, I wanted to include a mix of books I have read with ones that I plan on reading this year.  Here is my 2022 Leadership Reverie reading list (again, in no particular order):

1.   Chimpanzee Politics by Frans de Waal - What does a book on the social and group behavior of chimpanzees have to do with leadership?  You would be surprised!  Frans de Waal's book has been around for a long time, and the book has been acclaimed by both scientists (particularly those who study animal behavior), as well as politicians, business leaders, and social psychologists.  As one reviewer states, "de Waal reminds us again that the roots of politics are older than humanity."  I was really interested in this book, and similar to many others who have read it, I found a lot of lessons directly applicable to leading and managing groups in an organizational setting.

2.  The Social Transformation of American Medicine by Paul Starr - I started this book a few years ago.  I was also taking graduate classes for my MBA at the time, so I wasn't able to finish it due to competing demands on my time.  It is a classic book on the history of the American health care system, winning the 1983 Pulitzer Prize and the Bancroft Prize in American History.  I remember the first few chapters were incredibly interesting, so I can't wait to get back into it this year.

3.  Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant - I've never read any of Adam Grant's books in the past, but I've read a number of his studies, watched a few of his TED talks, and followed him on Twitter.  I read this book a few months ago, and it was incredible!  He characterizes individuals as takers, givers, and matchers, depending on how they approach leadership.  Absolutely fascinating!  

4.   The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture, and Deviance at NASA by Diane Vaughan - I've always been interested in the Space Shuttle Challenger accident which occurred on live television on January 28, 1986.  The decisions that were made around the time of the launch were critical to the outcome, and I've heard that Diane Vaughan does an excellent job recreating these events and the decision-making process in detail.  I've used the Challenger case study in a number of classes, so I am looking forward to reading this book.

5.  The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine by Janice P. Nimura - I read this book last year after attending a lecture by the author at Cincinnati's Mercantile Library (virtually, of course).  Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to receive a MD degree in the United States, while her sister Emily was the third.  Ms. Nimura's book tells the powerful story of how both women became physicians.  National Women Physician's Day occurs every year on February 3rd, Elizabeth Blackwell's birthday. 

6.  Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis - by Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow - Here is another book that was recommended to me several years ago and lies waiting on my bookshelf.  The book purports to be a treatise on all of the decisions made during the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis.  I am looking forward to it.

7.  Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones - I read this book right after it was released in 2016, and I can't recommend it enough.  If you want to learn about how the current opiate epidemic started in the United States, read this book.  I may have placed this one on my annual reading list in the past, but I don't care.  It's really that good.

8.  Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves by Frans de Waal - I enjoyed de Waal's first book (see the first book on this list above), that I have wanted to read his later books.  Mama was one of the chimpanzees that de Waal studied in his first book, Chimpanzee Politics.  You've probably seen the video (it's gone viral) of one of his colleagues, Dutch biologist Jan van Hooff visiting Mama in her dying days.  It is both sad and beautiful at the same time.  The video shows a touching moment when Mama wakes up and recognizes van Hooff, hugging him.  Again, I think the animal kingdom has a lot to teach us!

9.  The Captain Class: A New Theory of Leadership by Sam Walker - Here is another amazing book, which reminds me a lot of Daniel Coyle's books (which I have also included in past reading lists) on the importance of culture in determining an organization's success.  Mr. Walker writes about some of history's most successful sports teams, noting that in almost every case, the team captain was the leader who drove the team's culture.  The book was named one of the best business books of the year it was released by CNBC, The New York Times, Forbes, and strategy+business.  If you like sports or leadership, this book is a must read for you!

10. Enchiridion by Epictetus - For those of you who have been reading my blog, you will recognize Epictetus as one of the ancient Greek Stoic philosophers.  Epictetus was born in Greece around AD 50.  He spent his youth as a slave in Rome.  At one point, he was apparently the personal secretary to the ancient Roman emperor, Nero.  History suggests that Epictetus was crippled (some scholars suggest that his enslaver deliberately broke his leg, though others suggest he was born with a disability), which certainly had an impact on his philosophy.  He obtained his freedom around the time of Nero's death, and he began to teach philosophy.  Around AD 93, the Roman emperor Domitian banished all philosophers from Rome, and Epictetus returned to Greece, where he would spend the rest of his life.  His teachings were written down and published by one of his students, Arrian, in his Discourses and Enchiridion.  The Enchiridion is a manual of Stoic philosophy.