Written by Happy New Year to all my blog readers. I was asked recently by a colleague associated with our Teaching School Hub and Research School for some details of my professional reading habits, and so I thought I would share a few recommendations more widely, via my blog here.
It is difficult to be too selective and, like many such lists we may see on social media as “tier lists” or the frustrations of guests on “Desert Island Disks” with regard to their music choices, I have struggled here.
Taking some inspiration from “Desert Island Disks”, which allows the stranded island-dweller eight audio recordings, I’ve decided upon eight books. I was also mindful of the quotation from French novelist and critic François Mauriac featured in the title to this blog and wanted to select books that I have not only read, but have also re-read (in two cases, several times).
You will note from the list that there is no text here that specifically relates to the education sector, or educational leadership. Whilst I read such books, I wanted to focus on more abstract – or universal – works that may contain messages for all of us, irrespective of our sectors or our roles, and a couple don’t relate to our working lives any more than our personal lives.
Another consideration I had when whittling down to the final eight was to consider which work to select from authors where I have devoured all their books and could have picked several. Wanting only one book per author, I had to make some tough choices – but I would hope that if you find one of these books valuable you may choose to explore the author(s) other work. Specifically, this was most relevant in relation to Malcolm Gladwell (whose latest book “Revenge of The Tipping Point” I am reading, and enjoying, currently and whose original “Tipping Point” had a profound impact on my early days as a headteacher), John C Maxwell (whose “Five Levels of Leadership” I featured in a blog some years ago didn’t make the cut) and Sam Harris, where I could have very easily selected “The Moral Landscape” or “Free Will” instead of his essay on “Lying”.
But, without further caveat and qualification, here are the eight:
- At The Existentialist Café – Sarah Bakewell (a great introduction to modern philosophy)
- David and Goliath – Malcolm Gladwell (engaging perspectives of the “underdog” myth)
- Gravitas – Caroline Goyder (thought-provoking on why some people command attention)
- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century – Yuval Noah Harari (history turned into messages for us)
- Lying – Sam Harris (an essay on the costs we bear when we lie)
- The Advantage – Patrick Lencioni (team leadership, explored through compelling case study)
- The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John C Maxwell (a great jump-off introduction)
- Nudge – Richard H Thaler and Cass R Sunstein (the importance of “choice architecture”)
None of the above are, in my opinion, inaccessible linguistically or impenetrable conceptually. It is their engaging style that is probably the single thing they have in common. However, whilst none are academically “high-brow”, I would firmly reject any accusation that they were in any way frothy and insubstantial – but I will let you be the judge of that.
I won’t review each one (there are plenty of reviews online for all of these eight choices), and it may be that when reading one of the above it leaves you cold. Apologies for that! If however, any of these books – or the wider work of their authors – is a source of enjoyment and, even better, enrichment, that would be wonderful. Our Trust has amongst its values one of “restlessness and curiosity”. I hope you may be curious to learn more about at least one of these recommendations.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Mike
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