For most, if not all of us, 2020 has been anything but normal.

From global pandemic to recession; from sudden onset of remote work and virtual learning, we have been busy dealing with what life has thrown at us.

In times of chaos and uncertainty, books can serve as a refuge.

To understand how to plan for the future and rebuild better, we need to understand our past and the paths that we chose, as individuals, and as a society.

Whether it is for self-reflection or for self-indulgence, there is always a book that suits the occasion. Our current reads include:

• Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream
  by Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson
• The School of Life: An Emotional Education
  by Alain de Botton
• Economics for the Common Good
  by Jean Tirole
• People, Power and Profits
  by Joseph Stiglitz
• Broken Ladder
  by Keith Payne

For an inspiration read, we also recommend The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, who gave his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon.

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”

Here is a list of what a few of the upcoming FinTechTalents speakers are reading:

Lost in words

Australia Hoover – President, CDC Federal Credit Union

• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

Many people are struggling to reinvent themselves or find ways to adapt and cope in a massively changed environment. This book first touched Australia during his first read because it helped illuminate some of the underlying factors of why we tend to believe certain things and think a certain way about our capabilities and success potential. Understanding the difference between what the author calls a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset helped him see potential in new ways.

James Pavia – Money Editor, CNBC Digital

• Ghosting the News: Local Journalism and the Crisis of American Democracy by Margaret Sullivan

According to James, Ghosting the News is a key read for him as a journalist because it tells a troubling media story of how democracy suffers when local news dies. The author explains how a lack of local news in communities results in more polarisation, less political engagement, and more poorly informed citizens who are less capable of making good decisions about governance.

Kelly Wagner-Grill – Director of Innovation & Member Experience, Credit Union of Colorado

• The Amazon Management System: The Ultimate Digital Business Engine That Creates Extraordinary Value for Both Customers and Shareholders by Ram Charan and Julia Yang.

It is a fascinating read into the retail giant. (Sidenote: Ram is coined the most influential consultant alive by Fortune Magazine.)

Lisa Violet – Chief Auditor, Varo Money

• Freedom From Fear by David M. Kennedy (Pulitzer prize winner).

Originally published in 1999, this historical masterpiece of America between 1929 Great Depression till the end of WWII in 1945 is relevant today given present day travails. It is a book of hope; for it showed how the United States prevailed to overcome unprecedented calamities.

Rachel Schnoll – Managing Director, Head of FinLife at Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management

• The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

The book chronicles the decades-long migration of American blacks who fled the South for northern and western cities in search of a better life. Rachel happened to be reading this book as the U.S. erupted into protests this summer. Wilkerson tells the riveting stories of three Southern blacks and their reasons for migrating North in the mid-twentieth century. Her writing helped give perspective to the great social injustices that have been perpetrated against black citizens of this country for centuries.

More than words

For added inspiration, we have also included some recommendations from our global community curated on National Book Lovers Day; the selection is wide-ranging: from history and fine arts, to the classics, there is something for everyone.

When buying books, remember to support your local independent bookstores, even when you purchase online. You can do this at https://bookshop.org/.

• Alex Johnson – Boomtown: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-class Metropolis by Sam Anderson
• Andy Bellavia – Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
• Angela-Maria Despotopoulou – Turner A&I (Art & Ideas) by Barry Venning
• Bianca Rose Philips – The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn
• Bill Tomoff – The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander
• Curt Queyrouze – The Book of Black Magic by Arthur Edward Waite (if secret traditions, rites, and mysteries are your thing.)
• Deva Annamalai – The Four Agreementsby Don Miguel Ruiz
• Emily McCormick – The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett
• Gustavo Rodrigues – Capital and Ideology by Thomas Piketty and Arthur Goldhammer
• Hugo Fernandes – Em Viagem pela Europa de Leste by Gabriel García Márquez
• Mary Carty – Dare to Be Great by Polly Higgins
• Mary Wisniewski – The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: Who doesn’t love a beautiful classic?
• Matthew Sekol – Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit by Alex Edmans: A book on how to embed purpose into practice so that it’s more than just a mission statement.
• Neil Alan Williams – My Last Supper by Jay Rayners
• Paul Loberman – William Shakespeare’s The Merry Rise of Skywalker: Star Wars Part the Ninth (William Shakespeare’s Star Wars) by Ian Doescher. (Sidenote: This is part of the William Shakespeare’s Star Wars series)
• Pierre Pinna – Ravage by René Barjavel
• Rafael Rodriguez – The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
• Sharon O’Dea – Difficult Women: A History Of Feminism In 11 Fights by Helen Lewis
• Simon Cocking – The Maddaddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood
• Sofie Blakstad – Stolen: How to Save the World from Financialisation by Grace Blakeley
• Stephanie Foster – Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brené Brown: A book on courageous leadership. (Sidenote: Check out her TED talk—“The Power of Vulnerability”)
• Stessa Cohen – The Boston Massacre: A Family History by Serena Zabin: People’s history of the storied event that helped trigger the American Revolution.
• Tammy Bangs – The Island of Sea Woman by Lisa See: A historical novel about female friendship and devastating family secrets on a small Korean island.
• Urvashi Prakash – The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi: A manifesto on swordsmanship, strategy, and winning.

Finally, imagine if you could meet the author – who would that be?

Australia Hoover – President, CDC Federal Credit Union

Albert Einstein.

“I’m a big science fan and have taken a particular interest in physics—mainly quantum physics. Although not an author in the traditional sense, I think Albert Einstein would be such an interesting person to talk to. His 1905 paper “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies” on the special theory of relativity was instrumental in the foundation of modern physics.”

James Pavia – Money Editor, CNBC Digital

J.D. Salinger (Author of The Catcher in the Rye)

“I have read that book over and over at various age stages of my life and have come away with a different perspective each time. I would love to have a beer with J.D. Salinger and discuss what it means to be that catcher in the rye. Much has been written about this and many critics have said that being a “catcher” was a symbol for Holden Caulfield, the main character’s longing to preserve the innocence of childhood.”

Kelly Wagner-Grill – Director of Innovation & Member Experience, Credit Union of Colorado

Brene Brown and Glennon Doyle

Lisa Violet – Chief Auditor, Varo Money

Miguel de Cervantes.

“Considered to be the greatest writer in the Spanish language; he challenged the literary genre of his day, the 16th into the 17th century. He introduced a style that dealt with real life and used everyday speech of that time. When I retire I wish to pursue a graduate degree in Spanish literature as a hobby. To study Cervantes, his most renowned work, Don Quijote De La Mancha, and the impractical pursuit of idealistic goals.”

Rachel Schnoll – Managing Director, Head of FinLife at Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management

Leo Tolstoy (Author of Anna Karenina)

“Anna Karenina is one of my favourite novels. He has such incredible insight into human nature, he writes like he is inside the heads of all of his characters. Each character’s inner thoughts and outer lives are so richly drawn. I would love to know his inspirations and how he pulled himself so deeply into their emotions.”

Books are food for our souls

To chart a future path forward, it is crucial that we understand our past, and what got us to where we are. Through books, open dialogues, and thoughtful exchanges, words can heal.

Theodora Lau & Bradley Leimer of Unconventional Ventures