New non-fiction books just released (September 2019)
September came bearing amazing non-fiction books from incredible authors! LOTS of titles that we’re really excited about will come out this month (or already did), with new titles from authors Malcolm Gladwell (after a 10-year break), Nir Eyal (who released the antidote to his bestseller Hooked), Vaclav Smil (one of Bill Gates‘ favorite authors – he’s read nearly all of his 40 books), biographies of Edward Snowden, Robert Iger (Disney’s CEO), and others – you’ll see the full list below.
The purpose of this list is to make it easier for you to discover new, interesting non-fiction or business books that might help you build new skills or scratch certain itches. To be clear, we haven’t read or reviewed any of them – at least not at the moment when we’re publishing this, although this month we already pre-ordered most of the titles listed below (told ya it’s a good month!).
There are two filters that we use for this list:
1. These are books curated and recommended by leaders and experts in various fields, successful entrepreneurs, investors, bestselling authors, managers and so on. We’re using their expertise as a filter for those books.
2. These are books written by authors we’ve read before and we highly trust the quality of their work.
Obviously, it’s your responsibility to do a minimum amount of research as well, to decide if reading any one of these books makes sense in your context.
Here we go:
Non-Fiction & Business Books Dropping in September 2019 to Add to Your To-Read List:
1. Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, by Nir Eyal (out on September 10)
Nir Eyal‘s work lies at the intersection of psychology, tech and business, and he is considered the prophet of habit-forming technology. His book “Hooked” has been guiding entrepreneurs and marketers on the path to creating engaging products, and WordPress, Ogilvy, Product Hunt and Eventbrite are just a few of the companies that implemented his advice. I’ve also had the chance to see him speak a few months ago, at GPeC, the largest ecommerce conference in Romania.
He now released the antidote to “Hooked” 🙂 In his new book, called “Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life“, he reveals the hidden psychology behind how technology is affecting our capability to focus. Eyal talks about why abstinence from the digital medium isn’t practical, and just makes us crave for an even larger dose. Instead, he shows new techniques that might help us improve our productivity, control our time and attention, and how we can raise indistractable kids in a distracted world.
This books is highly recommended by several authors I highly admire, such as Ryan Holiday (author of several books on how the media is keeping us hooked, but also the ancient wisdom of stoicism – btw, I’ll also be seeing Ryan live in a few weeks, coming also at GPeC!), Cal Newport (author of some of the best books I read on the effects of multi-tasking and hyper-connectivity: ‘Deep Work’ and ‘Digital Minimalism’), Shane Parrish (creator of one of my favorite websites and podcasts: FarnamStreet and The Knowledge Project), Tim Urban (I’m sure you know his amazing essays published on ‘Wait, But Why‘), James Clear (author of one of the best books on habits) and many other amazing independent thinkers.
Seriously, I think all these names speak for themselves. I already ordered the book and I’m waiting for my Amazon copy to arrive.
2. Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities (The MIT Press), by Vaclav Smil (out on September 24)
Vaclav Smil is a Czech-Canadian Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. His interdisciplinary research interests encompass a broad area, spanning environment, food, energy, economics, history, sustainability, biology, and many others, and he’s the author of forty books published by the MIT Press.
Bill Gates wrote on his blog that there is no author whose books he look forwards to more than Vaclav Smil, “the way some people way for the next Star Wars movie” – he’s a big fan of his work and has read nearly all of his books.
In his recent release, ‘Growth‘, Smil helps us better understand growth: the aim of our individual and collective striving. Are we growing too fast or at a pace that’s too slow? Should we encourage growth in certain areas? He looks at the challenges of growth in nature and society, from bacteria to empires, mega-cities and global economy. He exams tiny organisms, looking at disease-causing microbes, cultivation of crops, and human growth. He examines growth in energy conversions and man-made objects. He brings to our attention growth in complex systems, from the growth of human population to cities, tracing the growth of empires and civilizations.
3. Lifespan: Why We Age―and Why We Don’t Have To, by David A. Sinclair, Matthew D. LaPlante (out on September 10)
“Aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable.” – the quote belongs to Harvard professor David Sinclair, Ph.D., specialized in genetics, aging and longevity, and co-founder of several biotech companies. His new book, “Lifespan: Why We Age – and Why We Don’t Have To”, brings into attention the biological mechanisms that determine our aging, how they’re interconnected, and to what degree can we manipulate aging and longevity.
Dr. Jason Fung (Canadian neprohologist and world-leading expert on fasting and treating type 2 diabetes) and Dave Asprey (the creator of Bulletproof and author of several books on biohacking) are among the leaders who recommend “Lifespan”. Here’s dr. Jason Fung’s blurb:
“Imagine a world in which we can live long enough to meet not just our grandchildren, but our great-grandchildren. This is Sinclair’s vision for the future of humankind, a vision that looks to science, nature, history, and even politics to make the case that it is possible to live well into our hundreds. Lifespan is boldly leading the way.”
This is another book on my reading-list for the end of this year!
4. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know, by Malcolm Gladwell (out on September 10)
Malcolm Gladwell just released a new book! “Talking to Strangers” is an examination of our interactions with strangers (obviously 🙂 ) and why they often go wrong. He takes us through history, psychology, and news scandals, and why something’s so wrong with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don’t know.
Oprah Winfrey‘s blurb for this book is this:
“Talking to Strangers is a must-read…I love this book… Reading it will actually change not just how you see strangers, but how you look at yourself, the news–the world…Reading this book changed me.”
5. Permanent Record, by Edward Snowden (out on September 17)
‘Permanent Record’ is the name of Edward Snowden‘s memoir, where he shares the story of his life, including his role in building a system designed for mass surveillance, and what led to his crisis of conscience at the age of 29, motivating him to bring it down.
He’s known for leaking highly classified information from the NSA in 2013, when he was a CIA employee and NSA contractor. His disclosure revealed the U.S. government programs pursued for global surveillance in cooperation with multiple companies and governments, to collect every phone call, text message, and email ever sent. This ignited the necessary (and inevitable) debate regarding the line between privacy and national security.
Snowden has been granted Russian asylum and is currently living in Moscow. He’s the president of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, an organization with a mission to protect journalists from hacking and government surveillance.
6. Creative Calling: Establish a Daily Practice, Infuse Your World with Meaning, and Succeed in Work + Life, by Chase Jarvis (out on September 24)
Chase Jarvis is a renowned photographer and entrepreneur. His current company, CreativeLive, is world’s largest live-streaming education company, featuring top experts in various creative fields, with millions of students worldwide.
In ‘Creative Calling’ he talks about why creativity isn’t a skill, it’s powered by our habits and available to everyone, and how we can unlock our potential. His new book is recommended by leaders from various fields, such as Seth Godin, Richard Branson, Debbie Millman, Daymond John and Brandon Stanton.
Here’s what Richard Branson said about it:
“I have always believed that you will enjoy life and be more successful if you focus on creating amazing experiences; businesses and relationships. Chase’s book Creative Calling is an engaging guide to doing just that, from a man who has followed his passions and created a company in CreativeLive to inspire others.”
7. Tools and Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age, by Brad Smith, Carol Ann Browne (out on September 10)
“When your technology changes the world, you bear a responsibility to help address the world you have helped create” – Microsoft President Brad Smith (and the author of this book) operates by this simple core belief. In “Tools and Weapons”, he talks about how to balance enormous promise and existential risk, as the digitization of everything accelerates.
Bill Gates, author Walter Isaacson and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings are among those who recommend this book. Here’s what Reed Hastings said about it:
“Coming from an industry driven by disruption, it’s refreshing to read Brad Smith’s call for the tech sector to assume more responsibility. In Tools and Weapons, Brad and Carol Ann Browne wrestle with some of the world’s toughest technology challenges with common sense and valuable insight reflecting their inside experience. The ideas in Tools and Weapons won’t solve all our problems, but they’re a very good place to start.”
8. Sell More Faster: The Ultimate Sales Playbook for Start-Ups (Techstars), by Amos Schwartzfarb (out on September 4)
Amos Schwartzfarb is a serial entrepreneur and veteran Managing Director of Techstars Austin, the mentorship-driven startup accelerator and venture capital firm that has invested in and mentored thousands of companies. In “Sell More Faster”, he shows us effective strategy that will help any startup build and scale their sales organization. He shares how to identify, build, and grow customers from day 1, together with the proven systems, methods and lessons that he learned.
Here’s what Brad Feld, entrepreneur, investor and co-founder of Foundry Group and TechStars, wrote about this:
“Sell More Faster is the sales playbook every startup founder needs to read. Whether you’re searching for product-market fit or have found it and are starting to scale, this book will give you the play by play approach of what you need to do to build an awesome sales organization.”
9. Everything Is Figureoutable, by Marie Forleo (out on September 10)
Want to train your brain to think more creatively and positively? American life coach and entrepreneur Marie Forleo shows you how.
Her book is recommended by lots of leaders from various fields, including Oprah, Tony Robbins, Simon Sinek, Seth Godin, Arianna Huffington, and many, many others.
Here’s what Elizabeth Gilbert wrote about it:
“Everything Is Figureoutable is a whirlwind of power, humor, pragmatism, and grace. Marie Forleo writes exactly the way she lives-with full-on enthusiasm, no-bullshit directness, and a ferocious commitment to self-accountability. This woman is the real deal, people. This book will change lives.”
10. The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company, by Robert Iger (out on September 23)
Robert Iger has been the CEO of Walt Disney for almost 15 years, during difficult times. Since 2005, when he became CEO, Disney became one of the most respected media companies in the world. With Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox in its properties, Disney’s value is now nearly five times what it was when Iger took over.
In this book, he shares the ideas and values that helped him reinvent one of the most beloved companies in the world, and inspire the people who bring the magic to life.
Author Daniel Coyle recommends it:
“People have been waiting years for Bob Iger to share his leadership secrets. Now he has, and they are utterly brilliant. The Ride of a Lifetime is not merely a memoir; it’s a personal, all-access session with the wisest CEO you’ve ever met and a playbook for handling the key challenges of our age: how to drive change, leverage technology, build an enduring culture, and empower people. It’s a rippingly good, revelatory read.”
11. Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, by Mike Isaac (out on September 3)
‘Super Pumped’ is a history of Uber, its rise and fall, from one of the most beloved innovative companies, to how it came to symbolize everything wrong with Silicon Valley.
This book by Mike Isaacs is based on hundreds of interview with current and former employees, along with previously unpublished documents.
John Carreyrou (the journalist and author of Bad Blood, who revealed the Theranos scandal), says that”
“The tale of Uber, the queen of the so-called ‘unicorns,’ is a parable about power―and the lengths to which some startup founders will go to amass it and hold onto it. Aside from being a delicious read, Mike Isaac’s account is also teeming with new revelations that will shock and outrage you.”
Also coming out in September 2019:
- Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive, by Marc Brackett
- Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers, by Jo Boaler
- Revolution of the Soul: Awaken to Love Through Raw Truth, Radical Healing, and Conscious Action, by Seane Corn
- The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care–and How to Fix It, by Marty Makary
- There’s No Plan B for Your A-Game: Be the Best in the World at What You Do, by Bo Eason
- How Happiness Happens: Finding Lasting Joy in a World of Comparison, Disappointment, and Unmet Expectations, by Max Lucado
- Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth by Richard Boyatzis, Melvin L. Smith, Ellen Van Oosten
- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, by Randall Munroe
- Now We Have Your Attention: The New Politics of the People, by Jack Shenker
Any other interesting non-fiction reads on your list for September 2019?
And here are the lists of books released in previous months: August, July, June, May and April.
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