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Books from Nightstands
Stanford Business asked a random selection of faculty, students, and alumni about their latest enjoyable non-required reading. Here are some selections that demonstrate the diversity of the GSB community.
Darrell Duffie
Dean Witter Distinguished Professor
of Finance
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Solar by Ian McEwan |
"McEwan's skewering of an unrelentingly self-indulgent academic in his latest novel, Solar, had me laughing out loud. A British physicist is supposedly working on a clean-energy breakthrough but is actually just coasting on his Nobel Prize. Then an enormous mishap takes over his career and personal life. The comedy is a sharp departure from McEwan's somber earlier novels, such as Atonement: A Novel or Saturday. Unchanged, though, are his expert use of the English language and his sublime plot and character developments. McEwan also follows his usual pattern of unnerving readers without warning by placing the protagonist in shocking and extremely uncomfortable situations. Enjoy it, but prepare to squirm."
Tiffany Griego Crowe, MBA '04
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NurtureShock: |
"Call it 'Toddler Operations,' the latest topic in my requisite management curriculum needed to thrive in this world … with children. These best-selling authors explain in layman's terms how the majority of children and adolescents sustain on too little sleep, affecting their cognitive powers, and setting them up for obesity and depression. Another chapter warns about the 'inverse power of praise,' advising that constant, vacuous praise of children only backfires and tees up low self-esteem, whereas intermittent praise focused on how well a child struggles through things that intimidate him is most effective. This 'praise junkie' has a lot to learn from this book about helping my children find their own way."
Kamal Nagi, MBA Class of 2012
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King of Capital: The Remarkable Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Steve Schwarzman and Blackstone
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"I'm reading this book because I want to play a part in my country's (Qatar) investment future and I wanted to learn about the rise of Blackstone.
"The book describes the struggles of raising capital in the early days and then discusses in detail the deals that made Blackstone what it is today, not only mentioning the successful deals but also the failed investments. Along the way, the authors recount many of Schwarzman's battles with individuals inside and outside the firm.
"One major downside is that the book takes a biased view of the PE industry and defends it throughout. However, it's a very good book that explains the PE industry in general and Blackstone in particular."
Michael Saunders, MBA '84
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The Civil War:
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"I just got a Kindle, so I'm in the middle of about 10 books right now. The most interesting, and one that I'll probably finish, is The
Civil War: A Concise History. I started it on the recommendation of Slate magazine.
"What's most interesting about the narrative is how much of the political debate and Lincoln's approach mirrors the discussion going on today around the Tea Party and issues of 'states rights.' It covers the different perspectives on the role of the federal government vis-à-vis the states and fundamental questions about what is meant by 'All men are created equal.'
"Lincoln's approach demonstrates the fine balancing act that a president has to perform to mediate competing perspectives and interest groups, often disappointing supporters and seeming to equivocate on his basic principles. 1860 – 2011: Some things never change."
Anne Beyer
Associate Professor of Accounting
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Over Time: Palo Alto, 1947–1980 |
"Adrian Hatfield, a Stanford alum, spent 33 years taking aerial photographs of Palo Alto, Stanford, and surroundings. The spectacular photos in this book [by Adrian's son and a collaborator] document the tremendous change the area has undergone, from a small town surrounded by farms and orchards to what we now think of as Silicon Valley. The vestiges
of the historic developments come to life
after they are highlighted. As a resident of Stanford, I enjoy the book because it adds
different perspectives — an historical angle and an aerial view — to the streets we walk every day and the beautiful area we live in."
Andy Katz-Mayfield, MBA '11
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Born to Run: |
"I just finished reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It's a story about a tribe of incredible distance runners in Mexico called the Tarahumara. A runner myself, I enjoyed the peek into the cultish world of ultra-distance running. But what made this a standout was that it constantly challenged existing beliefs; for example, that supportive, high-technology running shoes prevent injuries (they actually cause them) or that humans are bad at running. We're bad at sprinting — when it comes to distance running, we're actually 'born to run.'"