10 Books
Successful People Are Reading, And Why You Should Be Too
Reading is
essential for knowledge and continued learning outside of a formal education. A
person that reads once a day about his profession will become an expert in
their field 5 times faster than someone who doesn’t. In no time at all (or half
a decade) you can become far more knowledgeable and thus more able to perform
your duties than a person who has not been reading.
1. Atlas
Shrugged
Atlas
Shrugged will be on almost every list of this type. It’s iconic, in depth, and
the defining masterpiece that Ayn Rand built. As an individualist Rand displays
the prowess of a leading women in literature of the time. Some people say that
as a writer you have to be an expert on everything you write about. Ayn Rand
did the research with every novel she wrote and this book is no
exception. ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson says that this is his favorite
book, and the library of Congress named it the most influential book in America
after, you guess it, the Bible. Rand is able to capture the spirit of America
in such an important period in our history that many Americans regard it as the
best secular book out there.
2. The
Great Gatsby
Thematically
directly in contrast to the previous title, this one has been immortalized by a
recent film, staring Leonardo DiCaprio, that closely follows the plot of
this book. Your sixth grade English class probably also required that you read
this. After showing up on so many lists as being influential you’ll start to
wonder why you didn’t do that book report on it.
3. The
Aeneid by Virgil
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated
that this was one of his favorite books, and if you know the story you might
deduce why. The book is the story of Aeneas, a Trojan warrior who travels
to Italy after the Trojan war and becomes the ruler of area after defeating the
Italians. This effectively makes him the ancestor of the current Roman empire,
which was in full swing by the time this book was written around 20 B.C. The
lesson that it teaches is one of revenge, but a righteous one.
4. Zen
Mind, Beginner’s Mind
This is a
book written by the pupil of Shunryū Suzuki that details speeches that he
made in the Untied Stated in the 70s. Shunryū was a Buddhist monk and
brought the teachings of Zen to America. Of the books on this list this is the
only religious one.
5. The
Honourable Schoolboy
Former
mayor of New York, Micheal Bloomberg, notes this book about a British spy in
Hong Kong as his favorite novel. The book is about a spy that sets out to save
the service that the government plans to eliminate. Sounds very bureaucratic
and dry just as you would expect as being the favorite book of a politician.
6. The
$100 Start Up: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and
Create a New Future
This one
makes really makes you think. With a small investment you could start a company
that earns millions of dollars. The book looks at several examples of these
types of successes, including some of the author’s. Chris Guillebeau is a
young entrepreneur that travels the world and has come up with some great ideas
for companies that have earned him more than enough money, one idea being to write
this book.
7.
Outliers: The Story of Success
This novel
by Malcolm Gladwell is about the success of some notable characters. It’s
non-fiction and takes a look at why people become more successful than others
and enjoy a sort of super success.
8. Catcher
in The Rye
J.D.
Salinger wrote this coming of age story at a time when the country was
recovering from the great depression. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield runs
away to find a New York City that isn’t very inviting to a teenage boy. Holden
must navigate the urban jungle and find his way in a scary world. Bill Gates,
being a boy wonder himself, notes this as one of his favorite books.
9. The Brothers Karamazov
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson’s favorite
book is the last novel written by famed Russian author
Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky’s books are best read in his native
language of Russian, but you can find English translations.
10. To Kill a Mockingbird
O Network creator Oprah Winfrey has said that To Kill a
Mockingbird is her favorite influential novel. The novel deals with the racial
injustice of a time when it was widespread and institutional. Written in 1960
this novel immediately won a Pulitzer prize after it’s debut.
BY BLAKE
GARDNER
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