Nihal Arthanayake's Top Book Recommendations

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

1

A Spectator (UK) Best Book of 2019

A landmark historical investigation into crimes against humanity and the nature of evil

Sprawling and illuminating, Dan Gretton’s I You We Them is an unprecedented study of perpetrators of crimes against humanity: the “desk killers” who ordered and directed some of the worst atrocities of the last century. From Albert Speer’s Nazi complicity to Royal Dutch Shell’s role in the murder of the Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, Gretton probes the depths of the figure “who, by giving orders,...

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Recommended by Nihal Arthanayake, and 1 others.

Nihal Arthanayake@Enamariam @bbc5live @DanGRETTON2 His book is so powerful. (Source)

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2

Judy MurrayGreat quote from @Matthewsyed latest book Rebel Ideas : “When people from a singular background are placed into a decision-making group, they are liable to become collectively blind”. Diverse leadership teams + diverse workforces r proven to bring the best returns on investment. https://t.co/WOzxEayfop (Source)

Nihal ArthanayakeIt's a fascinating book called Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed. https://t.co/QAVJg7hi3V (Source)

Jonny GellerMatthew Syed’s brilliant book, Rebel Ideas, serialised in Times today. The argument is we work better in politics, business and society if we work with people different to ourselves. Fascinating take on how diversity is critical to innovation, problem solving and progress. https://t.co/PdB8Q6RcKE (Source)

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3
An eye-opening, Gladwellian look at the power of a positive attitude toward failure and its profound impact on our success in any field.

In the airline industry, failure is taken seriously. Every aircraft is equipped with an almost indestructible black box. When there is an accident, the box is opened, the data is analyzed, and the reason for the accident excavated. This ensures that procedures are adapted so that the same mistake doesn’t happen again. With this method, the industry has created an astonishing safety record.

For pilots working in a safety-critical...
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Richard Branson[...] highlights the need for a growth mindset in life. It advocates for changing attitudes towards failure, and understanding that the only way we learn is by trying things and altering our behaviour based on the results. It’s an attitude we found incredibly valuable during my highlight of the year, completing the Virgin Strive Challenge. (Source)

Daniel EkSince reading this book, I’ve literally incorporated this approach to problem-solving into every day. (Source)

Nigel WarburtonAs Syed argues, we progress in all kinds of areas is by making mistakes. He was a superb table-tennis player, and he knows that every mistake that he made was a learning experience, at least potentially, a chance to improve. I think you’d find the same attitude among musicians, or in areas where practitioners are very attentive to the mistake that they make, and how those failures can teach them... (Source)

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