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Andy Stern's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Andy Stern recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Andy Stern's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1
Written with the conviction that the qualities of leadership are essential for success in business, Taking Charge condenses into one book the basics of the art and science of leadership. less
Recommended by Andy Stern, and 1 others.

Andy SternIt's a funny book, I know, but it's actually a book I give out to people who are taking new leadership positions. Sometimes I think we over-intellectualise leadership, and that there are simple statements that mean a lot. I always liked the one in the book about a group of people committed to a shared vision who could achieve the impossible. It was somewhat like Margaret Mead's quote: “Never... (Source)

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2

Cat's Cradle

Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it ...

Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he's the inventor of 'ice-nine', a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. The search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker's three ecentric children, to a crazed dictator in the Caribbean, to madness. Felix Hoenikker's Death Wish comes true when his last, fatal gift to...
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Recommended by Ev Williams, Andy Stern, and 2 others.

Andy SternI think it's something that progressives need to think about, because the book talks a lot about two tendencies that people can adopt, to try to find meaning and purpose. One is kind of a sheer technological approach, and the other is more of a spiritual and religious approach. The book talks about the perils and challenges of each way. Sometimes we as progressives defend technology and science... (Source)

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3

Future Shock

"The best study of our times that I know. . . . Of all the books that I have read in the last 20 years, it is by far the one that has taught me the most."--Le Figaro

Future Shock is about the present. Future Shock is about what is happening today to people and groups who are overwhelmed by change. Change affects our products, communities, organizations--even our patterns of friendship and love.

Future Shock vividly describes the emerging global civilization: tomorrow's family life, the rise of new businesses, subcultures, life-styles, and...
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Recommended by Kevin Kelly, Andy Stern, and 2 others.

Kevin Kelly[The author] was the one who introduced the term 'future shock' which was that people would actually have like a resistance or a reaction to the future. (Source)

Andy SternI think Future Shock actually did foretell the future, because it talks about how in essence we're building a new civilisation in front of our eyes. How no group of people have ever been so shocked by the ever-changing realities that have completely altered media, lifestyles, culture and work. In some ways they were the canary that was singing about a future that they saw well before anyone quite... (Source)

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4
Andy Stern, one of the most visionary leaders in America today, has fought relentlessly to ensure that Americans' hard work is rewarded in today's hypercompetitive, globalized world. As the newsmaking president of the fastest-growing, most dynamic union in America, he has led the charge for modernizing the "house of labor" -- taking unions out of the past and into the twenty-first century. He has spearheaded the campaign against the "Wal-Marting" of jobs and has innovated transformative solutions to the daunting problems facing Americans, from job insecurity to runaway health care costs. In... more
Recommended by Andy Stern, and 1 others.

Andy SternWhat I think it says, about not just progressivism but about America, is that we are at a unique historical moment and this is not our fathers' and grandfathers' economy. In fact, we are in the midst of a significant transformation – what really is a third economic revolution in world history. The agricultural revolution took 3,000 years to transition, and the industrial revolution took 300. It's... (Source)

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5
An alternate cover edition exists here.

The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. This widely acclaimed bestseller, in which Malcolm Gladwell explores and brilliantly illuminates the tipping point...
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Kevin RoseBunch of really good information in here on how to make ideas go viral. This could be good to apply to any kind of products or ideas you may have. Definitely, check out The Tipping Point, which is one of my favorites. (Source)

Seth GodinMalcolm Gladwell's breakthrough insight was to focus on the micro-relationships between individuals, which helped organizations realize that it's not about the big ads and the huge charity balls... it's about setting the stage for the buzz to start. (Source)

Andy SternI think that when we talk about making change, it is much more about macro change, like in policy. This book reminds you that at times when you're building big movements, or trying to elect significant decision-makers in politics, sometimes it's the little things that make a difference. Ever since the book was written, we've become very used to the idea of things going viral unexpectedly and then... (Source)

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