Gift ideas: 5 books everyone should read
Looking for an inexpensive gift idea for a thoughtful friend? Here are five books I strongly recommend everyone read. Click on the images to buy from Amazon.
Tribe – on Homecoming & Belonging by Sebastian Junger
For years, I've tried to articulate the feeling of loss and displacement that soldiers feel when they leave the military. Sebastian Junger succeeds where I did not. Tribe is a short read, backstopped with data, science and history, and explains a phenomenon that is largely unrecognized by western militaries and veterans administrations.
We've accepted that PTSD is a major factor in the ongoing mental health of our soldiers and first responders. But, it may very well not be the real problem destroying the lives of thousands of men and women who've hung up their uniforms. Separation trauma – a phenomenon that occurs when these soldiers leave the intense, mission-focused, highly interdependent team-environment of the military and return to a civilian life where independence is prized.
Tribe should be required reading for every elected official, every Veterans Affairs manager, and every military officer.
White Working Class – Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America by Joan C. Williams
How could Donald J. Trump possibly be president of the United States? Who voted for him? And, for God's sake, why?
If you've asked yourself any of these questions, then White Working Class is a must-read for you. It holds the answers. For decades, one segment of Americans has been forgotten, left-behind, misunderstood and mocked – despite being the majority of the electorate. In 2016, they got fed up. Joan C. Williams explains why in this short, easy-to-understand and fully data-supported read.
Love Her Wild: Poems by Atticus
Just for fun... and if you're looking for a break from the stress and chaos of the holidays. Poetry is back on bestseller lists this season and I've actually been reading some of it. This beautiful book is really a joy to read. Sit down, with a cup of tea, some mellow music and enjoy. It's hard not to keep turning the pages. You'll be done in no time... and feeling a whole lot literater.
Good to Great – Why Some Companies Make the Leap & Others Don't by Jim Collins
If you only ever read one business book – this is the one it should be. It's not new, but the principles it discusses are timeless and essential to building an organization (for profit or otherwise) that succeeds. Learn how companies like Walgreens changed the denominator of the key performance indicator from "profit per store" to "profit per customer visit" and became a market leader.
Mayor Rob Ford – Uncontrollable by Mark Towhey & Johanna Schneller
And, of course, a shameless plug for my book. Buy it at any bookstore – or, if you'd like a personalized and signed copy, buy it right here.
Wonder how Donald J. Trump became president of the United States? What's it like inside the chaos of Trump's White House? Many observers have drawn parallels with the equally unlikely election and chaotic reign of the late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. Are there similarities? Read the definitive inside story of Ford's rise and fall, then decide for yourself.
"An often riveting autopsy of one of the most bizarre chapters in North American politics. Towhey and Schneller provide the definitive account of the rise and implosion of Rob Ford. If you thought you knew the guts of the story, woo boy, you haven't seen anything yet. Towhey places you inside Ford's most intimate circle, with stories simply not told up until now.” – John Moore, Moore in the Morning on Newstalk1010
“An insider’s account of how Toronto Mayor Rob Ford betrayed his supporters and destroyed himself. Tough, fair, sad - and honest.” – David Frum, Senior Editor The Atlantic Monthly