In this second part series, I am sharing all the non-fictional books that I read in 2020 and loved it. This includes books on negotiation, human psychology, and writing. If you are looking for fictional books recommendation then click here. So without further ado let’s get started.
Non-Fictional books
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
By Yuval Noah Harari
One of the most profound non-fictional books I came across in 2020 was Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. Reading this book gave a paradigm shift in the way I thought about humanity. There are so many interesting facts that you wonder if this real or fiction. For example, we were hunters and gatherers and were happy doing it. It was the process of growing wheat that made us stay at a single place and thus all the misery started. Although we believe humans control everything but it is far from true. A trivial wheat crop made us change our entire lifestyle just to get the comfort and surety of food.
There are many such surprising facts that will blow your mind. Highly recommended for everyone.
Thinking, Fast and slow
By Daniel Kahneman
Human psychology is a fascinating subject and understanding it makes us wonder how we do our daily tasks and take an everyday decision. This book spanning the entire career of Noble prize winner Daniel shows how humans think in 2 ways – First in instinctive while the second is slow and logical. He also gives fascinating examples of how marketers exploit the first type of thinking to their advantage.
This book is super important for everyone to understand and improve our reaction and thinking process to lead a better life.
The art of dramatic writing
By Lajos Egri
This book is specifically for anyone who likes or wants to write stories. Lajos Egri gives some very important writing principles along with concrete examples from famous movies and plays. As an amateur writer, I learned a lot from this book and gave me a strong fundamental to start my writing journey.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to enter the world of writing.
Good to great
By Jim Collins
I got to know about Jim Collins through one of the podcast episodes of Tim Ferris. That episode was so impressive that I went ahead and ordered this book. Jim Collins is a brilliant human being and this book consolidates his 30 years of research on companies and what differentiates a great company from a generic one.
This book shines a light on how companies with strong ethics, vision, and leadership team evolved from startup to a major force in the specific industry. All the principles mentioned in the book are backed by real examples.
If you are like me and are intrigued about the leadership and the history of great companies, then this book is for you.
Never Split the Difference
By Christopher Voss
Although we Indians are known to be one the best bargainers and low ballers, we still do it only in places like at marketplaces where we buy food, groceries, non-branded clothes, etc. However, if you hone the skill of negotiation then you can use it practically in any transaction like Job interview, real estate, and even in mergers and acquisition.
And who better to teach negotiation than a world-class hostage negotiator. Christopher Voss who is an ex FBI hostage negotiator share his wisdom of negotiation and how you can use the same skill in everyday life to get a better and fairer deal.
I consider negotiation one of the most important skills needed today and would highly recommend this gem.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
By Dr. Robert Cialdini
Another great book on psychology written by Dr. Robert shows us how to get a yes from people. Robert shares priceless wisdom on the art of persuasion and how your companies and people have used creative ways to get a yes out of their prospects. You can use the 6 principles mentioned in the book in your daily to become more successful and get more out of life.
Highly recommended for entrepreneurs, salespeople, and anyone interested in the art of persuasion.
The psychology of money
By Morgan Housel
It’s relatively easy to earn money but hard to keep it and even harder to grow. In this book, Morgan Housel gives an important outlook about money and how we constantly fall into the trap of spending it or investing in the wrong tools, or betting on the wrong horse. This book has 19 stories that show how different people think about money and consequently teach some important life lessons.
Highly recommended for people looking to streamline their personal finances.
Start with the why
By Simon Sinek
I accidentally stumbled upon Simon on youtube where he gave a super impressive talk on the golden circle. So I ordered this book and I was not disappointed. This book gives you the most important tool – Asking the right question. Many of us are constantly running around fulfilling the ‘what’ in our lives but no one bothers about the ‘Why’.
When we understand why are we doing what we are doing, it helps us in creating a fundamentally strong mission statement for you, your company, or both.
A good book to read for self-improvement.
So to conclude all these books have tools and lessons that will definitely add value and improve your life both professionally as well as personally.
What were your favorite books of 2020?
