Books to help make sense of the world

Conflicted: Why Arguments Are Tearing Us Apart and How They Can Bring Us Together

Ian Leslie

Recommended by: Selin Kesebir, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour

Our opinions and preferences never fully align with others and conflict is needed to reconcile those differences. That being the case, there’s no point dreading conflict – we just need to learn how to be better at it. This book is an enjoyable guide towards that end. It illustrates how we can manage our conflicts such that they bring us together, rather than pull us apart. A well-researched book, it draws on a wide range of ideas from policing, marital therapy and group decisionmaking to politics, and is packed with insights and strategies to help you become more skilled at having more productive conflicts with others.

Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World

Katharine Hayhoe

Recommended by: Ioannis Ioannou, Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship

In 2018 Hayhoe gave a famous TED Talk urging us, “The most important thing you can do to fight climate change is talk about it.” This is an inspiring and practical guide on how to communicate effectively about climate change and how to take action to protect our planet. It’s a refreshing perspective on how to bridge the gap between science and personal values, and how to engage with different audiences on this crucial issue. Hayhoe’s writing is vindicated not only by research but also social scientists and psychologists.

Chatter: The Voice in Our Head and How to Harness It

Ethan Kross

Recommended by: Dan Cable, Professor of Organisational Behaviour

We all have that niggling voice in the back of our minds, sending undermining thoughts. Psychologist Ethan Kross explores how our inner critic can be our worst enemy, examining the conversations we have with ourselves and explaining how they shape our work, lives and relationships. Kross helps the reader sort through the negative self-talk and tap into the tools we have to flip that inner voice into something positive.

 

A Room of One’s Own

Virginia Woolf

Recommended by: Simona Botti, Professor of Marketing

Rereading this seminal work, which was first published in 1929, I was struck by the modernness of the message: financial independence is key to achieving creativity and personal development. It’s a powerful reminder of how, even today, whole classes of people lack access to market opportunities and choice freedom, and of the role of business in improving individual and social wellbeing.