Books that help to understand the world

Conflict: Why Arguments Tear Us Apart and How They Can Bring Us Together

Ian Leslie

Recommended by: Selin Kesebir, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior

Our opinions and preferences never fully align with others, and conflict is necessary to reconcile these differences. That being the case, there’s no point in fearing conflict – we just need to learn how to be better at it. This book is a nice guide to that. It illustrates how we can manage our conflicts so that they unite us rather than tear us apart. A well-researched book, it draws on a wide range of ideas from policing, marital therapy and group decision-making to politics, and is full of insights and strategies to help you become more adept at having more productive conflict with the others.

Save Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World

Katharine Hayhoe

Recommended by: Ioannis Ioannou, strategy and entrepreneurship lecturer

In 2018, Hayhoe gave a famous TED Talk in which he urged us: “The most important thing you can do to fight climate change is to talk about it.” This is an inspiring and practical guide on how to communicate effectively about climate change and how to take action to protect our planet. It is a refreshing insight into how to bridge the gap between science and personal values ​​and how to engage with different audiences on this crucial issue. Hayhoe’s writing is justified not only by research, but also by social scientists and psychologists.

Chatter: The voice in our head and how to harness it

Ethan Cross

Recommended by: Dan Cable, Professor of Organizational Behavior

We all have that pesky voice in the back of our minds that sends out undermining thoughts. Psychologist Ethan Kross explores how our inner critic can be our worst enemy, examining the conversations we have with ourselves and explaining how they shape our work, life and relationships. Kross helps the reader send the negative self-talk out of the way and use the tools we have to turn that inner voice into something positive.

A room of your own

Virginia Woolf

Recommended by: Simona Botti, Professor of Marketing

Rereading this seminal work, which was first published in 1929, I was struck by the modernity of the message: financial independence is the key to achieving creativity and personal development. It is a powerful reminder of how, even today, entire classes of people are denied access to market opportunities and freedom of choice, and of the role of business in improving individual and social well-being.