Iacocca

Written with William Novak, Lee Iacocca's autobiography covers his upbringing as the son of Italian immigrants and, at greater length, his years in the car industry. It describes his studies at Lehigh University and Princeton, and his climb at Ford, where he championed the Mustang and became president before Henry Ford II forced him out in 1978. The Chrysler section tells how he reorganized a company near bankruptcy, secured a $1.2 billion federal loan guarantee and saw it repaid in full in 1983. A closing part argues for mandatory seatbelt laws and takes on labor costs and Japanese competition. It was the top-selling hardcover nonfiction title of both 1984 and 1985.

Tools of Titans reports that Ramit Sethi has reread it every few years for two decades.