The 14 Best Books I Read in 2024
Leaders are learners - and a big part of that learning comes through reading.
Here are the 14 best books I read this year - and my book of the year winner.
Supercommunicators (Charles Duhigg): Duhigg is a great writer who explores an important question: why are some communicators better than others? He tells great stories and offers keen insight on this important topic.
Clear Thinking (Shane Parrish): Effective leaders think clearly – and Parrish helps us think carefully and strategically about the mental models we possess. Clear thinking helps us to lead decisively and make decisions with confidence and wisdom.
The 7 Frequencies of Communication (Erwin McManus): Speaking of mental models, this brief but valuable book names 7 frequencies that we can communicate from, whether it’s from the stage of over coffee with a friend or colleague. Massive implications for how we interact with those around us.
Simply Put: Why Clear Messages Win – and How to Design Them (Ben Guttmann): One of the best books I’ve read on how to communicate clearly. In a world of distraction and noise, this message cuts through the clutter. I’ll definitely be returning to this book in the future.
Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations: Creating Contexts Where People Flourish (Justin Irving): A well-researched yet accessible book showing what organizational culture and structure are deeply important – and the elements that exist in those healthy systems.
Live No Lies (John Mark Comer): In a very Comer-esque style, the author identifies some of the cultural lies that exist and how the Christian story pushes back against these lies. The style is not divisive or combative – it’s more conversational and approachable – but addresses the big lies with confidence and conviction.
The Lost Art of Dying (Lydia Dugdale): A physician shares an important perspective on end of life, not from a medical perspective, but from a philosophical and even spiritual one. Well-written with gripping stories, it forces you to think deeply about your life and to live it backward.
Sacred Fire: A Vision for a Deeper Human Christian Maturity (Ronald Rolheiser): Christian leaders are being turned on to Catholic author Rolheiser like people were doing 25 years ago with Henri Nouwen. Rolheiser has a wise and winsome approach to thinking about growth as a follower of Jesus. So many brilliant nuggets in this book.
Longing for Joy (Alastair Sternke): A book about joy, but free from any flimsy sentimentality or whiff of a Hallmark movie. Sternke is a great writer and approaches joy from a fresh perspective, especially as someone who writes honestly about his struggle with depression.
The Anxious Generation (Jonathan Haidt): Social scientist Haidt shows the data behind what we’ve all felt: that cell phones and screens are acting as “experience blockers” for humans, especially among children and teens. The stats are haunting and jolting, but he offers several potential solutions to the screen-addicted reality we’re all in.
Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart (Russ Ramsey): A follow up to his wonderful book Rembrandt is in the Wind, Ramsey uses famous artists – their lives and their art – to draw lines of connection and implication to the spiritual realm and our own lives. I keep recommending this book to friends and leaders I coach.
Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict (William Ury): A book about our approach to negotiation and conflict resolution from one of the world’s leading conflict mediators. Ury’s stories alone are with the price of this book, but there is also much to glean from his wisdom, experience, and insight.
The Scandal of the Kingdom (Dallas Willard): A collection of Willard’s teachings, published posthumously, on the parables of Jesus. Dallas has always had a way of bringing brilliant insight to spiritual matters, but in a way that is accessible to anyone who wants to learn.
2024 Book of the Year: How to Know a Person (David Brooks): I’m a big fan of David Brooks. I love the way he thinks, the manner in which he writes, and the questions he asks of himself and the world. I’ve read this book twice (and have quoted him often in my forthcoming book The Art of Asking Questions). I wish every leader would read this book.
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Past Favorite Books of the Year:
2023: Stolen Focus (Johann Hari)
2022: From Strength to Strength (Arthur Brooks)
2021: The Psychology of Money (Morgan Housel)