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Ten faculty-recommended books to read this summer

Jun 29, 2023

Collage of book covers

When it comes to summer reading, Ivey faculty members have eclectic interests – from books detailing key points in history to those that uncover the why and how on topics related to their research. Here are some of their recommendations on both the business and personal side.

Barnini Bhattacharyya’s pick

Barnini Bhattacharyya is an assistant professor of Organizational Behaviour

CasteCaste: The Origins of Our Discontents
by Isabel Wilkerson

This book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson examines how the caste system has shaped society and how we can move beyond destructive separations of human divisions.

“Wilkerson provides a scathing and incredibly well-researched analysis of American society, and argues that the system of race in America is like other caste-based systems such as casteism in India and anti-semitism during Nazi-era Germany,” said Bhattacharyya. “In doing so, she really illustrates how racism is extremely rigid, and embedded across systems and structures in America.”

Erik Bohlin’s pick

Erik Bohlin is a professor and Ivey Chair in Telecommunication Economics, Policy and Regulation

Conversation in the CathedralConversation in the Cathedral
by Mario Vargas Llosa

Erik Bohlin said he became fascinated with this novel, which portrays Peru under dictator and president Manuel A. Odría in the 1950s, not out of interest in Peru, but because of the way the story is told. Author Mario Vargas Llosa, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 2010, works with several stories at once and separates them either by chapters or by alternating different stories in one chapter. Bohlin said he read the book one summer when he needed to be distracted and plunged into a new kind of reading. He first tackled Vargas Llosa’s breakthrough novel, The Green House, but found it too complex, so tried Conversation in the Cathedral, which he said was easier to follow and get lost in.

“It was like a fascinating puzzle to keep up with what was going on,” he said. “I found great fascination in it without knowing much about Peru, just by seeing how the author mixes different motifs and stories and builds to various surprises and ‘taking off the curtain’ of hidden elements.”

Bohlin said the book prompted self-exploration because his own family had several hidden stories that were revealed to him after age 30.

“It is considered to be Vargas Llosa’s greatest book, and I suppose it is useful if you want to get lost and fascinated by hidden family stories, untold but present,” he said.

Given that the book may be challenging to read due to the complex dialogue and style, Bohlin recommends some resources:

Vargas Llosa’s lecture on Conversations in the Cathedral

An article on the use of language

An article on the main characters and story

Jessica Kelly’s pick

Jessica Kelly, HBA ’09, is a lecturer in Managerial Accounting and Control

We Are Not Like ThemWe Are Not Like Them 
by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza

Jessica Kelly said she was entranced by this novel from writer/editor Christine Pride and journalist/editor Jo Piazza, not just for the story, but also the format. The book follows two women – one black and one white – whose friendship is altered by a tragic event, and tells the story from each of their perspectives.

“I find the alternating perspectives captivating, especially in audiobook format,” said Kelly.

Zoe Kinias’s pick

Zoe Kinias is the John F. Wood Chair in Innovation in Business Education and an associate professor in Organizational Behaviour

The Person You Mean to BeThe Person You Mean to Be  
by Dolly Chugh

Equity, diversity, and inclusion can be a challenging issue, but this evidence-based book by Dolly Chugh, an award-winning social psychologist at NYU Stern School of Business, can help people to have difficult conversations or face uncomfortable truths.

Zoe Kinias said the book is front and centre among her recommendations because it is based on the principle that development as leaders requires readers to move from thinking in terms of right and wrong/good and bad to thinking about where learning can enable change.

“The book focuses on equity, diversity and inclusion, which can be a hot button for many. Chugh's approach – infused with her generous spirit and deep knowledge – brings what to do, how, and why to life,” she said.

Sergio Lazzarini’s picks

Sergio Lazzarini is a professor of Sustainability and Strategy

Sergio Lazzarini recommends two books that, while quite different, both offer a look at points in history from authors who lived through them.   

Child of the DarkChild of the Dark (in Portuguese, Quarto de Despejo)
by Carolina Maria de Jesus

Carolina Maria de Jesus, a destitute black Brazilian woman, is best known for her diary detailing her life in a slum in São Paulo, Brazil in the late 1950s, which drew attention to the plight of the poor.

“It’s raw and poetic, devastating and emotional – a poignant lesson of how to navigate life under extremely harsh conditions,” said Lazzarini.

The Philosophy of Modern SongThe Philosophy of Modern Song
by Bob Dylan

American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan delivers his unique prose while sharing what he has learned about his craft over the years. The book contains Dylan's commentary on 66 songs by other artists with a variety of styles.

“It was fun to go through the chapters and listen to the featured songs (some of which I did not know), while reading Dylan’s short essays on his personal interpretation of the songs’ symbolism and history,” said Lazzarini.

Ting Li’s pick

Ting Li is an assistant professor in Information Systems

The Lean StartupThe Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses 
by Eric Ries

Ting Li said she developed her interest in digital entrepreneurship research after reading this book from American entrepreneur Eric Ries that explains why innovation is key to a successful startup. Inspired by lessons from lean manufacturing, the book offers advice and best practices for all entrepreneurs.

“This book explains how people envision and create value under extreme uncertainty and shows that entrepreneurship is both art and science,” she said.

Mohamed Satti’s pick

Mohamed Satti is an associate professor in Management Communications

The Great EscapeThe Great Escape: Health, Wealth and the Origins of Inequality
by Angus Deaton

Mohamed Satti said he enjoys reading books on international affairs, economic development, and religion, among other topics, so Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton’s account of how the world has progressed, yet is more unequal, appealed to him. Satti said the book is an interesting account of the development of human well-being over the past two centuries or so.

“Deaton argues that economic development incorporates both wealth and health. He looks at how life expectancy has improved due to advances in medicine and agriculture. Developing countries have also advanced, but are still way short in comparison to developed countries,” he said. “Deaton also pointed out that foreign aid is not helping developing countries and should therefore be discontinued since it reflects the interests of donor-developed countries and often harms the recipient developing country.”

Dusya Vera’s pick

Dusya Vera, PhD ’02, is Executive Director of the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership and a professor of Strategy

Happiness Is A ChoiceHappiness is a Choice 
by Barry Neil Kaufman

It is easy to think being happy is beyond your control, but Dusya Vera said Barry Neil Kaufman’s book highlights how, at any moment, when facing stimuli, it is the choice of our beliefs that leads to a response or outcome. Kaufman is a therapist, author, motivational speaker, and founder of the educational organization, the Option Institute.

“This book invites us to own our beliefs and to make happiness our priority,” she said.

Zhe Zhang’s pick

Zhe Zhang is an assistant professor of Marketing

The Art of Choosing

The Art of Choosing
by Sheena Iyengar 

Given his expertise in branding and marketing communications, it’s no surprise that Zhe Zhang is drawn to a book that explains how we make choices. Columbia Business School professor Sheena Iyenger outlines how choices define us and shape our lives and Zhang said it’s an excellent book to read from both a personal and business perspective.

“Coke or Pepsi? iPhone of Samsung? Starbucks or Tim Hortons? The marketplace is filled with choices. This book helps to answer how we, as humans and consumers, make our choices on a daily basis,” he said.

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