Transcription
20 BooksThat HaveMatteredto MeBY DANIEL H. PINK
INTRODUCTIONIf human beings, at least in part, are the sum of ourexperiences, then what we think and believe, at leastin part, is the sum of what we’ve read. So as a dualact of self-reflection and sharing, I’ve compiled a listof the books that have influenced me the most overmy life. They aren’t necessarily the “best” in any objective sense. They’re simply books that mattered tome. Had I not read them, I would be a different person. Here they are in alphabetical order by author.
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK1I Know Why the CagedBird SingsMAYA ANGELOUThe late poet’s autobiography is harrowing, studdedwith trauma that makes you wince. But it’s also astory of hope – with a title metaphor that is powerfuland enduring.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINKInfluence: Science andPracticeROBERT CIALDINIIf you’re in the persuasion business – and all of usare – you need to read Cialdini.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND2
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK3The Universal Baseball Association, Inc.,J. Henry Waugh, Prop.ROBERT COOVERThis novel is about a man obsessed with an intricatedice baseball game he’s invented. I devoured it as ayoung teenager obsessed with sports, statistics, anda real game called Strat-O-Matic. Only when I readit again as an adult did I realize the book was aboutsomething else altogether.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK4FlowMIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYIThe legendary psychologist describes those moments when the challenge we face is so exquisitelymatched to our capabilities that we lose our sense oftime, even our sense of self.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINKThe Origin of SpeciesCHARLES DARWINYou know how in college you’re supposed to reada book that changes your life? Well, for me, this wasthat book.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND5
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK6Narrative of the Lifeof Frederick Douglass,An American SlaveFREDERICK DOUGLASSThe way I’d learned history early in school was stiffand sterile. But this first-person account of being aslave was vastly different – so vivid (and occasionallyhorrifying), it made abstractions come alive.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK7The works of PeterDrucker and TomPetersThere’s no single title from these two prolific authorsthat mattered most. It’s their entire bodies of work,which are vast, insightful, and inspiring. Anybodywho writes about business for a popular audiencestands on their shoulders.GET THESE BOOKSDRUCKER ON AMAZONPETERS ON AMAZON
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK8MindsetCAROL DWECKOne of the most important books a parent can read. Iwish Dweck’s research had been around when I wasmuch younger.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK9Powers of Ten:A FlipbookCHARLES AND RAY EAMESThis is a picture book. The image on the first pageshows Earth from the edge of the universe. Theneach subsequent image zooms in 10 times closer.Eventually we see the contours of the continent.then the city of Chicago.then a man asleep at a picnic.and then, zooming further, his skin cells and thecarbon atoms of his DNA.GET THIS BOOKAMAZON
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINKThe Great GatsbyF. SCOTT FITZGERALDI know. A conventional choice. But I truly love thisnovel. I’ve read it 7 or 8 times.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND10
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK11Billy Lynn’s LongHalftime WalkBEN FOUNTAINWritten in 2012, and describing an Iraq War soldier’sbrief return to the U.S. for a Dallas Cowboys footballgame, this might be my generation’s Great AmericanNovel.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINKMan’s Search forMeaningVIKTOR FRANKLTrapped in a concentration camp, Frankl somehowsurvives and secretly creates a landmark work inpsychology and personal development.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND12
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK13The Righteous MindJONATHAN HAIDTTo make moral decisions, we don’t reason our wayto conclusions. Instead, we jump to quick, emotionaljudgments and then use reason to justify our visceral beliefs. This book changed the way I think aboutpolitics.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK14Bird by Bird: SomeInstructions onWriting and LifeANNE LAMOTTWhenever I’m stuck — which is pretty much all thetime — I think of this book’s core lesson. Then I takeit bird by bird.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK15MoneyballMICHAEL LEWISAn excellent book about sports. An incredible bookabout the power of challenging conventional thinking.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK16Levels of the GameA Sense of WhereYou AreJOHN MCPHEETwo more books I read as a kid. They helped showme that writers could take on topics that were actually interesting – in this case, basketball and tennis!– and write about them in smart, compelling ways.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUNDGET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK17Animal FarmGEORGE ORWELLYou might think it’s a fable about totalitarianism. Butit’s really a primer on organizational behavior.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINKThe War of ArtSTEVEN PRESSFIELDHow do you overcome resistance in the quest formastery? Pressfield has the answer.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND18
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINKWorkingSTUDS TERKELWhen I read this book as a kid, I found that hearingabout people’s work was exhilarating. I still do.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND19
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINKThe Third WaveALVIN TOFFLERToffler’s ability to see trends before anyone else isstunning, his ability to synthesize vast amounts ofmaterial breathtaking.GET THIS BOOKAMAZONBN.COMINDIEBOUND20
DANPINK.COM*Because this is a personal, idiosyncratic list, it reflects my own biases. You’llnotice: among the authors, men outnumber women; most of the authorsare American; and only a few are not white. That’s something for me toponder and you to consider in making your own reading choices.
20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK GET THESE BOOKS DRUCKER ON AMAZON PETERS ON AMAZON. 8 Mindset One of the most important books a parent can read. I wish Dweck's research had been around when I was much younger. CAROL DWECK 20 BOOKS THAT HAVE MATTERED TO ME DANIEL H. PINK .
