Swift Reads: 79 books

Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Leadership: In Turbulent Times (2018) is a comparative consideration of four of the most beloved and effective American presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson. The narrative revisits foundational events in each president’s...

Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life (2005) by Steven C. Hayes and Spencer Smith is a self-help book that encourages people to detach from the causes of suffering, embrace their psychological pain, identify their values, and take action toward those values. The process is based on Acceptance and...

Yuval Noah Harari's 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018) explores the crucial social problems likely to beset humanity in the coming decades. The text is a protracted reflection on globalization, technology, climate change, and cultural conflict... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time (1997) details how a small coffee roastery in Seattle became a monolithic corporation with a worldwide reputation for providing affordable luxury beverages. Author Howard Schultz, now retired CEO and chairman of Starbucks, recounts...

Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time (originally published in 2002, and revised in 2017) is a self-help guide about the importance of frank, empathetic communication. Author Susan Scott believes that, too often, personal and professional conversations...

In Becoming (2018), Michelle Obama recounts the familial, educational, romantic, and political experiences that culminated in her tenure as first lady of the United States between 2009 and 2017. A native of Chicago, Michelle was an ambitious student who grew into a driven adult... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

Almost Everything: Notes on Hope (2018) by bestselling author Anne Lamott is a collection of essays on finding glimmers of optimism even amid great turbulence. Just before her sixty-first birthday, Lamott wrote these essays to share the wisdom she has gleaned from her many decades of living with her grandson and niece... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds (2018) by David Goggins is a memoir about the author’s unlikely rise from a boyhood plagued by violence and poverty into the elite ranks of the US Navy SEALs and high-endurance athletics. By mastering his fear, and pushing his body past its perceived...

Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon (2017) by Joe Dispenza guides readers through the steps of developing their full potential, which is far beyond what most believe is possible. Bridging science and spirituality, Dispenza outlines principles and practices that can help...

This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See (2018) teaches readers how to promote products that are tailored for specific segments of society. Author and entrepreneur Seth Godin explains that businesses and individual marketers often make the mistake of drumming up sales by hyping plentiful but substandard wares... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military (2018) by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang is a meditation on the history of space research and its interdependence on military research and warfare. The narrative contextualizes discoveries such as the compass and adaptive...

Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself (2011) by Kristen Neff is a self-help book rooted in evidence-based psychology. Too often, people suffer from the tendency to critique themselves too harshly... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more.

The Fifth Risk (2018) by Michael Lewis is a journalistic account of how broad swaths of the US government are being ignored or dismantled under Donald Trump’s administration. After shunning the conventions of a presidential transition, Trump and his tiny team assumed stewardship of the government...

Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds (2009) by professional communications expert Carmine Gallo offers essential guidance for delivering an effective, original, and moving presentation. Gallo’s book incorporates discussions of the psychology behind compelling keynote...