Books We Love in Times of Transition

This is the true story of the tumultuous road the U.S. Olympic rowing team took to reach their goal of competing in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The journey of these college students demonstrates the epitome of resiliency when the odds are stacked against you. What resonated with me most was the team’s utter perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, giving me the inspiration to tackle situations I may feel are beyond my reach.

‘No matter what you’re facing, you have what it takes to figure anything out and become the person you’re meant to be.’ The author’s spirit and positivity are very inspiring. She reminds us all that we can figure out whatever we need to – we HAVE what it takes to find and make the best versions of ourselves. Her messaging reminds me that we just need to believe – believe in ourselves and in others! In Forleo’s words, ‘Yet there can be no significant change in the world unless we first have the courage to change ourselves. In order to change ourselves, we must first believe we can.’

This is my favorite book to revisit every time I take on a new role in life. It is about how to effectively transition into new roles and why doing so is critical to achieving long-term success. The concepts within the narrative have helped me develop my own 90-day plans and highlighted the importance of listening on several occasions.

A dear friend recently reached out to me, stating that, ‘we as women, Black women specifically, need to step into our powers.’ She shared the belief that this is the time to advance to whatever it is we want and encouraged me to read this book. The book speaks to those of us who are overachievers, success addicts and tired strivers, who know we can’t keep it up forever, and provides a roadmap on how we can build a life/work balance that only gets better with age.

The Beauty in Breaking is a page-turning memoir from Michele Harper, an emergency room physician who grew up in an abusive home. Harper reflects on her experience as a Black woman in medicine while poignantly articulating how a life dedicated to serving others taught her to heal herself. Michele’s story provides all of us with an inspiring example of triumph over adversity.

Adam Grant’s latest book is particularly relevant for the current environment that we are collectively navigating. According to Grant, ‘in a rapidly changing world, there’s another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn.’ This book inspired me to press on in encouraging my sense of curiosity, while challenging myself to learn from a range of perspectives to ultimately expand the lens with which I view the world.

Michelle Obama graciously shares her personal journey of finding her voice in her memoir, Becoming, and shines a light on all women seeking to find and use their voices ‘to build a better reality.’ She encourages each of us to continue our individual paths to self-discovery, while lifting others up with the affirmation ‘that they matter.’

This book tells the compelling story of Black Americans who fled the United States’ Southern region to the Midwest, Northeast, and West from approximately 1915 to 1970 in search of better lives. This exodus of almost six million people permanently altered our cities and our country and definitely left me with a new definition of resiliency.

The true story of a Uruguayan rugby team’s plight to survive a plane crash in the Andes mountain range, Miracle in the Andes, is a first-hand account written by Nando Parrado, one of the crash’s 16 survivors. This book epitomizes the importance of resilience and being resourceful; faced with unimaginable circumstances, the survivors banded together in an effort to survive to ultimately return home. This book resonated with me, not only because of Parrado’s riveting and candid writing style, but also because of his reflective nature on the importance of family, love and hope.

This is the story of a Navy officer who was newly appointed to become captain of a nuclear-powered submarine. One pivotal day, he unknowingly gave a bad order, and his crew tried to follow it rather than challenge him. He realized that he needed to change the traditional top-down approach to leadership and empower his crew to make critical decisions. This resonated with me because, oftentimes, leadership means admitting you don’t have all the answers and creating an environment where others are empowered to make decisions.