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Dave Elitch's Top Book Recommendations

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

1

Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?

With this, his first collection, Carver breathed new life into the short story. In the pared-down style that has since become his hallmark, Carver showed us how humour and tragedy dwelt in the hearts of ordinary people, and won a readership that grew with every subsequent brilliant collection of stories, poems and essays that appeared in the last eleven years of his life. less
Recommended by Dave Elitch, and 1 others.

Dave Elitch[Dave Elitch recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

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2
Recommended by Dave Elitch, and 1 others.

Dave Elitch[Dave Elitch recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

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3

The Awakening of Intelligence

This comprehensive record of Krishnamurti’s teachings is an excellent, wide-ranging introduction to the great philosopher’s thought. With among others, Jacob Needleman, Alain Naude, and Swami Venkatasananda, Krishnamurti examines such issues as the role of the teacher and tradition; the need for awareness of ‘cosmic consciousness; the problem of good and evil; and traditional Vedanta methods of help for different levels of seekers. less
Recommended by Dave Elitch, and 1 others.

Dave Elitch[Dave Elitch recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

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4

Tenth of December

One of the most important and blazingly original writers of his generation, George Saunders is an undisputed master of the short story, and Tenth of December is his most honest, accessible, and moving collection yet.

In the taut opening, "Victory Lap," a boy witnesses the attempted abduction of the girl next door and is faced with a harrowing choice: Does he ignore what he sees, or override years of smothering advice from his parents and act? In "Home," a combat-damaged soldier moves back in with his mother and struggles to reconcile the world he left with the one to which...
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Recommended by Dave Elitch, and 1 others.

Dave Elitch[Dave Elitch recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

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5

Mindfulness

Langer offers the reader the essence of her 15 years of research in social psychology. She demonstrates the grave and pervasive consequences of mindlessness and the startling benefits of mindfulness. less
Recommended by Dave Elitch, and 1 others.

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6
Generation X is Douglas Coupland's acclaimed salute to the generation born in the late 1950s and 1960s--a generation known vaguely up to then as "twentysomething."

Andy, Claire, and Dag, each in their twenties, have quit "pointless jobs done grudgingly to little applause" in their respective hometowns and cut themselves adrift on the California desert. In search of the drastic changes that will lend meaning to their lives, they've mired themselves in the detritus of American cultural memory. Refugees from history, the three develop an ascetic regime of story-telling,...
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Recommended by Dave Elitch, and 1 others.

Dave ElitchGreat social commentary from the early ‘90s. (Source)

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7
A new edition of the best-selling work from one of the most forward-thinking and important philosophers of our time.
Join one of the greatest contemporary philosophers on a breathtaking tour of time and the Kosmos--from the Big Bang right up to the eve of the twenty-first century. This accessible and entertaining summary of Ken Wilber's great ideas has been expanding minds now for two decades, providing a kind of unified field theory of the universe and, along the way, treating a host of issues related to that universe, from gender roles, to multiculturalism, to environmentalism,...
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Recommended by Dave Elitch, and 1 others.

Dave Elitch[Dave Elitch recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

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8

Zen in the Art of Archery

The path to achieving Zen (a balance between the body and the mind) is brilliantly explained by Professor Eugen Herrigel in this timeless account.

This book is the result of the author’s six year quest to learn archery in the hands of Japanese Zen masters. It is an honest account of one man’s journey to complete abandonment of ‘the self’ and the Western principles that we use to define ourselves. Professor Herrigel imparts knowledge from his experiences and guides the reader through physical and spiritual lessons in a clear and insightful way.

Mastering archery is not...
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Adam Robinson[One of five books that confirm] there is far, far more in our unconscious mind than is dreamt of in our philosophy. (Source)

Adam Robinson[One of five books that confirm] there is far, far more in our unconscious mind than is dreamt of in our philosophy. (Source)

Dave Elitch[I give this book] to people all the time. (Source)

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9

Propaganda

“Bernays’ honest and practical manual provides much insight into some of the most powerful and influential institutions of contemporary industrial state capitalist democracies.”—Noam Chomsky

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”—Edward Bernays, Propaganda

A seminal and controversial figure in the history of political thought...
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Cynthia JohnsonWhat people don’t realise is that PR was originally called ‘propaganda.’ After World War II, that word had such negative connotations that they changed it to public relations, but PR and propaganda are one and the same. This book offers a really interesting breakdown of how little has changed in, almost, 100 years. (Source)

Dave Elitch[The author] was Sigmund Freud’s nephew. He took all of [Freud]’s theories on the subconscious and came to the conclusion that human beings are either savage animals that are going to rip each other apart, or they can be controlled and made docile via consumerism. (Source)

Jérôme JarreThis book opened my eyes to the marketing industry in a time when I was blindly playing my role in it. (Source)

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10
First published in 1962, this wonderfully provocative book introduced the notion of “pseudo-events”—events such as press conferences and presidential debates, which are manufactured solely in order to be reported—and the contemporary definition of celebrity as “a person who is known for his well-knownness.” Since then Daniel J. Boorstin’s prophetic vision of an America inundated by its own illusions has become an essential resource for any reader who wants to distinguish the manifold deceptions of our culture from its few enduring truths.

Cover design by Matt Dorfman.
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Recommended by Susan Bordo, Dave Elitch, and 2 others.

Susan BordoA pseudo-event is something that acquires its reality and power not because it is based on fact, but simply because the media has reported it. (Source)

Dave Elitch[Dave Elitch recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

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Don't have time to read Dave Elitch's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.

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11
Josh Waitzkin knows what it means to be at the top of his game. A public figure since winning his first National Chess Championship at the age of nine, Waitzkin was catapulted into a media whirlwind as a teenager when his father's book "Searching for Bobby Fischer" was made into a major motion picture. After dominating the scholastic chess world for ten years, Waitzkin expanded his horizons, taking on the martial art Tai Chi Chuan and ultimately earning the title of World Champion. How was he able to reach the pinnacle of two disciplines that on the surface seem so different? "I've come to... more

Joan BoixadosRecover soon from your mistakes. (Source)

Erik RostadFor career books, I'll focus on more overarching themes. You can get books on particular skills you need for a given job, but these books will help having the right mindset for a career and how work should fit into the greater story of your life. For learning new skills: The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. (Source)

Chris OliverThe Art of Learning as well is phenomenal. You're always learning new things in programming and startups so being good at learning is a crucial skill to have. (Source)

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12

The Power of Myth

The Power Of Myth launched an extraordinary resurgence of interest in Joseph Campbell and his work. A preeminent scholar, writer, and teacher, he has had a profound influence on millions of people. To him, mythology was the "song of the universe, the music of the spheres." With Bill Moyers, one of America's most prominent journalists, as his thoughtful and engaging interviewer, The Power Of Myth touches on subjects from modern marriage to virgin births, from Jesus to John Lennon, offering a brilliant combination of intelligence and wit. less

Naval RavikantI’m rereading The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. Sometimes I think it’s better to just to reread the greats than it is to read something that’s not as great. (Source)

Bryan CallenJoseph Campbell was the first person to really open my eyes to [the] compassionate side of life, or of thought... Campbell was the guy who really kind of put it all together for me, and not in a way I could put my finger on... It made you just glad to be alive, [realizing] how vast this world is, and how similar and how different we are. (Source)

Park HowellThis is one of the books I recommend to people looking for a career in advertising. (Source)

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13

The Society of the Spectacle

Few works of political and cultural theory have been as enduringly provocative as Guy Debord's The Society of the Spectacle. From its publication amid the social upheavals of the 1960s up to the present, the volatile theses of this book have decisively transformed debates on the shape of modernity, capitalism and everyday life in the late twentieth century. Now finally available in a superb English translation approved by the author, Debord's text remains as crucial as ever for understanding the contemporary effects of power, which are increasingly inseparable from the new virtual...

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Recommended by Sanja Zepan, Dave Elitch, and 2 others.

Sanja ZepanThe most dramatic change was definitely when I read Guy Debord's The Society of Spectacle in high school. That book made me go study communicology and media, instead of everything else I wanted to study back then. It really cemented my university application. (Source)

Dave Elitch[Dave Elitch recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

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14

Ways of Seeing

John Berger’s Classic Text on Art
John Berger's Ways of Seeing is one of the most stimulating and the most influential books on art in any language. First published in 1972, it was based on the BBC television series about which the (London) Sunday Times critic commented: "This is an eye-opener in more ways than one: by concentrating on how we look at paintings . . . he will almost certainly change the way you look at pictures." By now he has.


"Berger has the ability to cut right through the mystification of the professional art critics . . ....
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Robert JonesHe’s a Marxist and says that the role of publicity or branding is to make people marginally dissatisfied with their current way of life. (Source)

David McCammonWays of Seeing goes beyond photography and will continue to develop your language around images. (Source)

John Harrison (Eton College)You have to understand the Marxist interpretation of art; it is absolutely fundamental to the way that art history departments now study the material. Then you have to critique it, because we’ve moved on from the 1970s and the collapse of Marxism in most of the world shows—amongst other things—that the model was flawed. But it’s still a very good book to read, for a teenager especially. (Source)

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15
From tales of chivalrous knights to the barbarity of trial by ordeal, no era has been a greater source of awe, horror, and wonder than the Middle Ages. In handsomely crafted prose, and with the grace and authority of his extraordinary gift for narrative history, William Manchester leads us from a civilization tottering on the brink of collapse to the grandeur of its rebirth - the dense explosion of energy that spawned some of history's greatest poets, philosophers, painters, adventurers, and reformers, as well as some of its most spectacular villains - the Renaissance. less
Recommended by Robert Stephens, Dave Elitch, and 2 others.

Robert Stephens@benedictevans Book looks fascinating. Check out “A World Lit Only By Fire” https://t.co/cWuTsCAHaT (Source)

Dave Elitch[Dave Elitch recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

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16

Man's Search for Meaning

Man's Search for Meaning has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 psychiatrist Viktor Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the stories of his many patients, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory—known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")—holds... more

Tony RobbinsAnother book that I’ve read dozens of times. It taught me that if you change the meaning, you change everything. Meaning equals emotion, and emotion equals life. (Source)

Jimmy FallonI read it while spending ten days in the ICU of Bellevue hospital trying to reattach my finger from a ring avulsion accident in my kitchen. It talks about the meaning of life, and I believe you come out a better person from reading it. (Source)

Dustin Moskovitz[Dustin Moskovitz recommended this book on Twitter.] (Source)

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17

Open

From Andre Agassi, one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court, a beautiful, haunting autobiography.

Agassi’s incredibly rigorous training begins when he is just a child. By the age of thirteen, he is banished to a Florida tennis camp that feels like a prison camp. Lonely, scared, a ninth-grade dropout, he rebels in ways that will soon make him a 1980s icon. He dyes his hair, pierces his ears, dresses like a punk rocker. By the time he turns pro at sixteen, his new look promises to change tennis forever, as does his...
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Recommended by Bill Gates, Yaro Starak, Ian Cassel, and 11 others.

Bill Gates[On Bill Gates's reading list in 2011.] (Source)

Yaro StarakI don’t just read business biographies. I’m a huge tennis fan, so I’ve read a lot of tennis biographies: John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Scott Draper, Rod Laver. There’s so many I’ve read over the years, Jimmy Connors, great, I love it because I love reading the “behind the scenes” stories, the more “soap opera” aspect of tennis, I guess it’s a little bit like my soap opera sometimes. (Source)

Ian CasselSuch an amazing book https://t.co/IbVT7G9LDY (Source)

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18

Facing Love Addiction

Giving Yourself the Power to Change the Way You Love

In this revised and updated version of Facing Love Addiction, bestselling author of Facing Codependence and internationally recognized dependence and addiction authority Pia Mellody unravels the intricate dynamics of unhealthy love relationships and shows us how to let go of toxic love. Through twelve-step work, exercises, and journal-keeping, Facing Love Addiction compassionately and realistically outlines the recovery process for Love Addicts, and Mellody’s fresh perspective and clear methods work to comfort and motivate all those looking to establish and maintain... more
Recommended by Dana Dearmond, Dave Elitch, and 2 others.

Dana Dearmond@KarlaKush420 I always recommend the book Facing Love Addiction by Pia Melody to people. (Source)

Dave Elitch[Dave Elitch recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

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19
You are not doomed by your genes and hardwired to be a certain way for the rest of your life. A new science is emerging that empowers all human beings to create the reality they choose. In Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, renowned author, speaker, researcher, and chiropractor Dr. Joe Dispenza combines the fields of quantum physics, neuroscience, brain chemistry, biology, and genetics to show you what is truly possible.



















     Not only will you be...
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Clayton MorrisWant to be inspired? Read a book by Dr. Joe Dispenza or watch this remarkable video with him. His great book “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” is a game changer. Here’s the full video: https://t.co/To9LVibnbn https://t.co/cmuk4OYzCu (Source)

Chelsea FrankI read everything with an open mind, often challenging myself by choosing books with an odd perspective or religious/spiritual views. These books do not reflect my personal feelings but are books that helped shape my perspective on life, love, and happiness. (Source)

Dave Elitch[Dave Elitch recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

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20

The Inner Game of Tennis

The Inner Game of Tennis will help you: use the mind/body connection and learn to trust yourself on the court; find the state of "relaxed concentration" that allows you to play at your best; utilize the "inner game principles to make the most of traditional instruction techniques; focus your mind to overcome nervousness and self-doubt; and build skills by smart practice, then put it all together in match play. Gallwey is one of the leading innovators in sports, and this new edition refines the techniques that he has perfected over his long career. His straightforward and concise style, clear... more

Rkun @ Tokyo@krkdnz @perepereden I've read that one since it's a classic, great book 👍 (Source)

Bill ColeGallwey was the first author to detail practical, in-the-trenches sports psychology techniques. He wasn’t really a theory guy or a data guy or a research guy, but practical techniques—his books are loaded with those. (Source)

Dave ElitchIt had a huge effect. (Source)

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Don't have time to read Dave Elitch's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.