As a thoroughgoing bibliophile, here are my best books of 2010. They are reflective of my interests in career development, organizational behavior and current affairs.
1. "Power: Why Some People Have It--And Others Don't," by Jeffrey Pfeffer: This book not only explains power, but brilliantly tells you how to build power in your career, and your life. It's filled with counter-intuitive advice, sourced by cutting-edge research--and phenomenally realistic. This is one of those books that every person in business should have on their shelf for reference.
2. "Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness," by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein: These are two very bright U Chicago guys writing about practical policy ways of achieving exactly what the title says. It cuts new ground, and provides a textbook for Obama's approach to policy. Sunstein currently serves in the White House where he is putting his ideas to work.
3. "Death of the Liberal Class," by Chris Hedges: As the front flap says, the Pulitzer Prize winner has written a devastating book chronicling the gradual corruption and death of the liberal class. It's over the top, but too close to reality to be anything but scary. Just don't forget that if a writer gets people to see the world as he does, he has unwittingly framed every subsequent choice.
4. "You Majored in What?" by Katharine Brooks: This is my argument for liberal arts as the best background for business or most any other career. You really, really can succeed in business with an English or Philosophy major--and be better off for it. In a world where innovation is key, the expertise of the liberal arts is the best path to innovation.
5. "Reappraisals: Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century," by Tony Judt: The late Tony Judt, a brilliant historian and thinker, argues that we've set aside too much of what we've learned about where we came from. His connections from Hannah Arendt on evil to Kennedy, Khruschev and Cuba are positively dazzling. He takes us beyond what we think we know about yesterday to how we know it, and reveals much of the nonsensical myth making of today's world. If you like to think, this is the book for you.
6. "Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond," by Deephak Malhotra and Max Bazerman: These guys know the stuff on negotiation, whether you're trying to get the best deal on a snowblower, buy a new car or negotiate with Vladimir Putin. You can always count on their well-researched advice. Exceedingly practical. Besides, if you follow their recommendations, they'll save you a lotta dough.
7. "How We Decide," by Jonah Lehrer: If you read his magazine articles in the New Yorker, Seed, the NYTimes or his blog, you know that he is one of the top thought leaders of Gen-Y. His writing is exceptionally fascinating, fun, well-researched, and like that of Gladwell, filled with practical application. A Columbia grad and a Rhodes Scholar with a background in neuroscience, you'll be hearing a lot from him.
8. "The Checklist Manifesto," by Atul Gawande: This is the MacArthur genius, the Harvard surgeon, author of Complications and Better, and staff writer for the New Yorker. It is a fascinating study of how the simple, hackneyed checklist, is the key to avoiding deaths and complications in surgery. And also, how it can be used to bring about improvements in fields as varied as homeland security and businesses of all kinds. Gawande has great stories.
9. "Freedom for the Thought That We Hate," by Anthony Lewis: This Pulitzer Prize winner is a fascinating story of the political conflicts and hard choices of those who led in the realization of the first amendment--the guarantee of free speech--and who over time brought it to the place where it is today. For those with little background in constitutional history, this is one place to start.
10. "Good Boss, Bad Boss," by Robert Sutton: This is a book for both managers and their people. It is fact and research-based, filled with fascinating stories and interactions with managers from all over the planet, and loaded with very, very useful advice. On top of all that, it’s exceptionally readable.
Not all of these were published in 2010, but they were my favorites reads for the year. I failed to list my favorite mystery and espionage books, but they don't count: they're all for escape.
What's on your list?