2021 Book List

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Tuesdays with Morrie

By Mitch Alborn, 192 pages.

Maybe it was a grandparent, a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise who understood you when you were young and helped you see the world as a more profound place. For Mitch, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from twenty years prior. Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of your mentor and the insights faded. Wouldn't you like to see that person again to receive wisdom for your busy life today? Mitch had that second chance when he rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing that Morrie was dying, Mitch visited with him every Tuesday just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final "class" of lessons in how to live a full life.

Lean In: Woman, Work, and the Will to Lead

By Sheryl Sandberg, 387 pages

Facebook COO and one of Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women in Business – draws on her own experience of working in some of the world's most successful businesses and looks at what women can do to help themselves, and make the small changes in their life that can effect change on a more universal scale. Many think that the best part of this book is how it acknowledges that things are different for a woman in the workplace, and then gives them real, practical strategies for dealing with the attitudes of others, and most importantly, their attitudes about themselves.

The Next Millionaire Next Door: Enduring Strategies for Building Wealth

By Sarah Stanley Fallow, PhD & Thomas Stanley, 233 pages

In The Next Millionaire Next Door, the contemporary held beliefs about America's rich-- and how they got that way-- are shattered. It is seldom inheritance or advanced degrees or even intelligence that builds fortunes in this country. Wealth in America is more often the result of hard work, discipline, diligent savings and living below your means. The Next Millionaire Next Door reveals the common denominators that show up consistently among those who have accumulated wealth.

Strengths Finder 2.0: NYT Best Seller

By Tom Rath, 175 pages

The goal is for the reader to identify their skills to further develop and/or strengthen their existing talents. Most people believe that working on their weaknesses will improve their quality of life; however, strengthening your “raw talents” will allow you to use your skills to your greatest advantage in any professional and personal life. Knowing the universal skills will also allow you to identify other people’s skills to help maximize their strengths more effectively in the workforce. The reader will identify their actual skills to develop them and put them to use where best suited.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

By Angela Duckworth

In this New York Times bestseller, Duckworth declares that it is not the matter of luck or intelligence but a combination of "passion" and "long-term perseverance" that is the secret of high achievement in any walks of life. Revealing experiments done on how grit can be learned and taught to any individual. She takes her readers through scenarios where grit has been displayed and where it has been inhibited. Walking us through her personal narrative in her findings of how she discovered grit, not by being "genius" but the constant persistence that results in high accomplishments.

SELF MADE: Becoming Empowered, Self-Reliant, and Rich in Every Way

By Nely Galán

This book is a New York Times Bestseller aims to empower her readers –– empower woman to be SELF MADE. Galán’s focus is to be RICH in every area of life – money, time, love, family, etc. To be EMPOWERED in all areas of life, which begins with putting FEAR aside and using YOUR POWER. Self Made has you think like an entrepreneur choosing yourself “as your own Prince Charming” to lead an empowered life.

Why “A” Students Work for “C” Students and Why “B” Students Work for the Government

By Robert Kiyosaki

Kiyosaki’s book focuses on the theory of how “C” students often go on to be more financially successful than “A” or “B” students. Grades are far less important in the real world since the real world focuses much more on money. Not being financially educated leads to making poor financial decisions that leads to a poorer quality of life. Schools do not teach students financial education, rather schools focus on teaching students how to be book smart, not nearly as coveted in the working world. Kiyosaki's book paints a picture on how to better understand money, how money works and the significance taxes play in our daily lives.

The Start Up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself and Transform Your Career

By Reid Hoffman (Co-founder of LinkedIn), 272 pages

The Start up of You is a blueprint for thriving in your job and building a career by applying the lessons of Silicon Valley’s most innovative entrepreneurs. Creative disruption is shaking every industry. Global competition for jobs is fierce. The employer-employee pact is over and traditional job security is a thing of the past. Hoffman shows how to accelerate your career in today’s competitive world and manage your career as if it were a start-up business; a living, breathing, growing start-up of you. The entrepreneurs who run these new businesses invest in themselves. They build their professional networks, take intelligent risks and make uncertainty and volatility work to their advantage. This book isn’t about cover letters or resumes. Instead, you will learn the best practices of Silicon Valley start ups, and how to apply these entrepreneurial strategies to your career.

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money that the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not

By Robert Kiyosaki

A short read and eye-opening book on how rich people view money—how they don’t have to work for their money, but their money works for them. Rich people (as expressed in this book) are not wealthy because of their income, but rather their smart investment strategies. In Rich Dad Poor Dad, Kiyosaki speaks of his two dads and their contrasting views of money: his poor dad advised him how to work for a corporation, while his rich dad advised him how to own a corporation. The author reveals the importance of financial literacy (investing: understanding the market, regulations, rules, and laws) through his experiences and how this impacts your financial and personal life. This book is a must read and will provide you with insightful views which you can apply to your life.

The Way of the Seal: Think like an Elite Warrior to Lead and Succeed

By Mark Divine, 256 pages

In The Way of the SEAL, ex-Navy Commander Mark Divine reveals exercises, meditations and focusing techniques to train your mind for mental toughness, emotional resilience and uncanny intuition. Along the way you'll reaffirm your ultimate purpose, define your most important goals, and take concrete steps to make them happen. This is a practical guide for anyone who wants to be an elite operator in life.

A Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?

By Rick Warren, 338 pages.

The book offers readers a 40- day personal spiritual journey and presents what Warren says are God’s five purposes for human life on Earth. Described as a “blueprint” for Christian living in the 21st century, Warren uses Biblical verses and quotes to challenge the conventional definitions of Christian worship, fellowship, discipleship, Christian ministry and evangelism with a goal that by the end of this journey you will know God’s purpose for your life and understand better how the pieces of your life fit together.

Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance

By Tony Dungy, 256 pages

Super Bowl winning coach and author Tony Dungy has had an unusual opportunity to reflect on what it takes to achieve significance. He is looked to by many as successful, but he knew that his achievements had little to do with his significance. Coach Dungy passionately believes that there is a different path to significance, a path characterized by attitudes, ambitions, and allegiances that are all too rare but uncommonly rewarding. He strives to teach others the kind of success that satisfies and he credits his parents, his athletic and coaching career, his mentors and his walk with God as to why he is not only successful, but significant. One noteworthy part of the book: what it means to be a man of significance in a culture that is offering young men few positive role models.

Unbroken: a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

By Laura Hillenbrand, 528 pages

An inspiring true story of a man who lived through a series of catastrophes almost too incredible to believe…this is the story of Louie Zamperini--a juvenile delinquent-turned-Olympic runner-turned-Army hero. During a routine search mission over the Pacific, Louie’s plane crashes into the ocean and what happens to him over the next three years of his life is a story that will keep you glued to the pages, eagerly awaiting the next turn in the story and fearing it at the same time. It’s a story of a man who somehow maintained his selfhood and humanity despite the monumental degradations he suffered.

God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours

By Regina Brett, 241 pages

In this moving and inspiring essay collection, Brett recounts 50 hard life lessons. Overcoming a troubled childhood, being a single parent, and surviving cancer lead her to maintain that while "Life isn't tied with a bow, it's still a gift." She speaks convincingly of believing in miracles and the ability to forgive.

How to Win Friends and Influence People

By Dale Carnegie, 288 pages

This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling over 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published because Carnegie understood human nature. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to "the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership and to arouse enthusiasm among people." He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated. He also emphasizes fundamental techniques for handling people without making them feel manipulated.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

By Stephen Covey, 380 pages

Stephen Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, realizes that true success encompasses a balance of personal and professional effectiveness and his book is a manual for performing better in both arenas. His anecdotes are as frequently from family situations as from business challenges. Before you can adopt the seven habits, you'll need to accomplish what Covey calls a "paradigm shift;” a change in perception and interpretation of how the world works. Covey takes you through this change, which affects how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking and developing your "proactive muscles."

Wooden - A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court

By John Wooden, 240 pages

Coach Wooden’s remarkable 10 national basketball championships in 12 years at UCLA speak for themselves. In Wooden, the coach-- quiet, thoughtful, and introspective throughout his distinguished career--finally speaks for himself and he's well worth hearing. Wooden is a book of inspiration and good sense that reveals the philosopher behind it as a man of character, conviction, decency, and straightforwardness. There are no complex ideas, just little beams of light filtered through anecdotes that project the kind of simple, immutable truths that in the end touch nothing but net.

The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon’s Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness

By Steven K Scott, 256 pages

In this short, powerful book, Steven Scott reveals King Solomon’s breakthrough strategies to achieve a life of financial success and personal fulfillment. Based on the book of Proverbs, the book explains how to resolve conflicts and discloses the 5 essential qualities to becoming a valued and admired person at work and at home.

Men Are From Mars Women Are From Venus

By John Gray, 323 pages

As suggested by the title, the book asserts the notion that men and women are as different as beings from other planets, and that learning the code of conduct of the opposite sex is essential in forging successful relationships. Called “The classic guide to understanding the opposite sex,” this book has helped millions of couples transform their relationships. It gives insight to helping you realize how different men and women can be in their communication styles, emotional needs, and the way they behave.

The Last Lecture

By Randy Pausch, 224 pages

Over the years, numerous professors have given talks entitled "The Last Lecture." For Carnegie Mellon University professor Randy Pausch, the topic was based on his true story. When he presented his "last lecture" to hundreds of faculty and students, he already knew that he had metastatic pancreatic cancer. Despite a grim prognosis, Dr. Pausch delivered an upbeat, urgent call for his listeners to achieve their childhood dreams. Since then, this good-natured computer science specialist has become a worldwide celebrity and named "Person of the Week" by ABC News. This memoir recounts the story of this brave man's encounter with a sense of his own mortality and is delivered with a sense of humor.

Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown

By Eric Blehm, 288 pages

When Navy SEAL Adam Brown woke up on March 17, 2010, he didn’t know he would die that night in the Hind Kush Mountains of Afghanistan—but he was ready. In a letter to his children, not meant to be read unless the worst happened, he wrote, “I’m not afraid of anything that might happen to me on this earth, because I know no matter what, nothing can take my spirit from me.” Fearless is the story of a man of extremes, whose courage and determination were fueled by faith, family and the love of a woman. It’s about a man who waged a war against his own worst impulses, including drug addiction, and persevered to reach the top tier of the U.S. military. Fearless reveals a glimpse inside the SEAL TEAM SIX brotherhood and presents an indelible portrait of a highly trained warrior whose final act of bravery led to the ultimate sacrifice. Adam Brown was a devoted man who was an unlikely hero but a true warrior, described by all who knew him as…fearless.

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul

By John & Stasi Eldredge, 243 pages

Every woman was once a little girl and every little girl holds in her heart her most precious dreams. She longs to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to" be" the beauty of the story. And yet, how many women do you know who ever find that life? The message of Captivating is this: your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a young girl and the longings you still feel as a woman are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to come now as the Hero of your story to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman. A woman who is truly Captivating.

Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

By Erin Lowry, 288 pages

Broke Millennial is a personal finance book that speaks to issues that millennials face every day: student debt, credit cards, negotiating salary, benefits and much more. Lowry provides valuable insight and entertaining stories which keeps the reader glued to the book. Readers gain insightful financial knowledge which will lead to better financial spending and investment decisions. Financial success and independence is a direct result of being intentional and proactive with your financial education.

You Only Live Once: The Roadmap to Financial Wellness and a Purposeful Life

By Jason Vitug, 192 pages

Vitug questions readers spending behaviors and if those decisions are leading you to the life you covet. You Only Live Once challenges your own perception of money which allows you to better understand how this shapes your spending habits. Vitug presents the roadmap to help align your spending today with your life goals. He questions if you are “purposefully” spending to move toward your goals or in reaction to opportunities and impulses. You Only Live Once provides the necessary tools for you to take control of spending to meet your financial goals.

I Love Capitalism!: An American Story

By Ken Langone, 302 pages

Ken does not define capitalism as greed, but rather the best avenue to pursue the American Dream. His inspirational journey demonstrates that anything is possible in America regardless of your social economic background. In addition, this capitalism pursuit has enabled him to generously invest in communities and organizations that have made a significant impact on current and future generations. His inspirational story reveals how drive, courage, integrity and resiliency will positively impact your career and magnify your life story.

Never Splitting the Difference: Negotiating as If Life Depended on It

By Chris Voss, 151 pages

Voss, renowned for his negotiating skills in the personal and professional world, reveals his key strategies and practices for successful negotiations. This starts with building trust, creating an illusion of control, to getting the magic words from the other party, and many other approaches. Voss discusses in-depth the three categories people fall into in order to understand another’s worldview. Skills learned in this book are useful when negotiating rent, salary or buying a car or home, but it’s also applicable Fostering Success and Significance 2020/2021 Book List for everyday conversations especially when handling aggressive people. Reading Never Splitting the Difference will give you persuasive skills that can be used instantly.

The Magic of Thinking Big

By David J. Schwartz, 320 pages

Mind-blowing! Schwartz speaks about setting the bar high –– beyond your comfort zone. Schwartz emphasizes the power of our mind and how high we set the bar determines what we get in life. Therefore, “the size of your success is determined by the size of your belief.” This is what distinguishes great leaders from the ones that are left behind. Schwartz identifies the beliefs which lead to actions and ultimately results. The ability to Think Big is applicable to all areas of our life, including: studies; work; family; finance and much more. Reading this book will give you a better understanding of where you stand today and how to push yourself forward to get what you want out of life.