Must-Read Books for List-Makers, Disrupters and Social Entrepreneurs

February 19, 2019 5 min read

Entrepreneur Press’  Business and Pleasure series is dedicated to highlighting books that will take your entrepreneurial endeavors to the next level, as well as bonus reads guaranteed to help you escape the daily grind. We hope you find your next read here.

Reading is fundamental to learning and as entrepreneurs it’s how you take in the world, grow and expand your horizons. The team and I at Entrepreneur Press share in your spirit and are ravenous readers ourselves so we decided to review the books we devoured to help us reach out goals in 2019.  

For Business, I suggest reading Be More Pirate by Sam Conniff Allende

Image credit: Atria Books

Be More Pirate debunks commonly told myths about pirates and shares the uncommon truths about them: Pirates were, at their core, groups of people who fought for social justice, supported equal pay and equal rights regardless of gender and color, among other things.

Pirates stood up for what they felt was right and challenged the status quo time and time again. Much like the entrepreneurs and industry disrupters of today’s world. Think Rza, Steve Jobs, and Banksy who in deciding to go against the grain they broke rules, ushered change, and democratized music, technology and art. They were being more pirate.

Part history book, part leadership book, and 100% a mindset reset book, Be More Pirate delivers a delightful combination of facts and how-to for today’s entrepreneurs.

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For Pleasure, check out Severance by Ling Ma

This post-apocalyptic story follows Candace Chen before and after an international epidemic turns everyone into zombies performing rote tasks until they die. The author weaves in Candace’s backstory effortlessly as she becomes one of the last surviving residents in Manhattan, sets of to find help, becomes a prisoner, and escapes with the help of her dead mother’s spirit.

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Image credit: The Experiment 

This quick, breezy how-to walks you through the basics of setting up and managing a dot journal. Was I scared? Heck yes. Am I Intrigued? Hell yeah. As a dedicated maker of lists (I have lists of my lists), I’m all about writing things down. But Wilkerson wants me to *shudder* give up crossing things off my list and, instead, create a key of codes to get me through my week.

The dot journaling method focuses on a somewhat intricate system of dots, boxes, and symbols that help you stay organized. Her suggestions to allow for a more organic flow and a organization of ideas is useful and allows the reader to create a “choose your own adventure” style of journaling and list-making. Will it succeed for me, the queen of the list? Who knows, but I can’t wait to find out. Feeling inspired, I bought a clean Moleskine yesterday. Boom. One dot filled in already.

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For Pleasure: I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

In this installment of Bradley’s famed Flavia deLuce series, hilarity and murder (this is an English mystery, after all) ensue, and Flavia is on the case. Bradley has created a magical world full of rich character development, lush countryside settings, and sharp, smart dialogue. Equal parts Christie whodunit, Eliot character survey (and science!), and Downton Abbey family saga, this book hits the spot for any poisoned pen Anglophile.

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Image credit: Ballantine Books

Every venture Daniel Lubetzky ever started, he’s done so for a greater purpose. With KIND, along with some of his other businesses, he crafted the company to build bridges between communities (who normally have conflict) through commerce, particularly in the Middle East. With story after story, this book and Lubetzky’s personal experience proves that for-profit businesses can and should strive to make a difference in the world.

My biggest takeaway was his use of the “and philosophy,” championing the idea that you don’t have to surrender one goal in order to achieve another. While current and aspiring social entrepreneurs could treat this book like a reference guide to inspiration and strategies, there’s something in Do the KIND Thing for everyone in business to learn. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

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For Pleasure: Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Set in a Viking-inspired realm, Sky in the Deep follows a fierce female warrior as she discovers a family member long thought dead, suffers enslavement and torture far from home, and learns to empathize with a clan she’s so far known to be her enemy. I fell in love with this novel with each page; I just wanted more! Strongly recommend for fans of epic fight scenes, coming-of-age stories, and a touch of Romeo-and-Juliet romance.

Listen on Scribd or Buy the Book from Amazon or Barnes & Noble