Recommended books on creativity, innovation, critical thinking, leadership, and more…

QuestioningBookshelfx600The below booklist is an evergrowing mix of books that have been on my main bookshelf (both as inspiration and resources) during the past years of exploring and writing about the power of questioning.

If you click on a book cover, it will take you to Amazon to explore more about the book. Or if you’re an indie bookstore supporter, most of the below books are in my bookstore on Bookshop.org, where part of each book sale goes directly to support local bookstores.

Let me know what books resonate with you, in the comments.   —Warren Berger

S E C T I O N S
QUESTIONING & CURIOSITYCREATIVITY & INNOVATIONCRITICAL THINKING & DECISION-MAKINGLEADERSHIP & COACHINGLIFE & HAPPINESSBUSINESS STORIES & BIOS

 

QUESTIONING & CURIOSITY

A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas
by Warren Berger

The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead
by Warren Berger

 

Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions
by Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana

 

Questions Are the Answer: A Breakthrough Approach to Your Most Vexing Problems at Work and in Life
by Hal Gregersen

Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It
by Ian Leslie

Wait, What? And Life’s Other Essential Questions
by James E. Ryan

Ask More: The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions, and Spark Change
by Frank Sesno
Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life
by Todd Kashdan
 

A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer with Charles Fishman
What? Are These the Most Important Questions in Human History – Or Is This a Game of 20 Questions
by Mark Kurlansky
The Book of Questions
by Gregory Stock

Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling
by Edgar H. Schein

The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need—And What We Can Do About It
by Tony Wagner

CREATIVITY & INNOVATION

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
by Elizabeth Gilbert

Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All
by Tom Kelley and David Kelley

The Non-Obvious Guide to Being More Creative
by Kathryn Haydon
My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation
by Donald M. Rattner
Flight to Creativity by Min Basadur

Flight to Creativity: How to Dramatically Improve Your Creative Performance
by Min Basadur
The Innovator’s DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators
by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, Clayton M. Christensen

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
by Ed Catmull with Amy Wallace
Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business
by Luke Williams
CAD Monkeys: Inside the World of Design Thinking and How It Can Spark Creativity and Innovation
by Warren Berger

The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation, and Intuition at Work
by Natalie Nixon

Design a Better Business: New Tools, Skills, and Mindset for Strategy and Innovation
by Patrick Van Der Pijl and Justin Lokitz

Masters of Scale: Surprising Truths from the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs
by Reid Hoffman, June Cohen, Deron Triff

CRITICAL THINKING & DECISION-MAKING

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know
by Adam Grant

Good Thinking: Why Flawed Logic Puts Us All at Risk and How Critical Thinking Can Save the World
by David Robert Grimes

Humility Is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age
by Edward D. Hess and Katherine Ludwig

Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work
by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Why Simple Wins: Escape the Complexity Trap and Get to Work That Matters
by Lisa Bodell

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
by Hans Rosling

The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever
by Michael Bungay Stanier
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Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students
by Colin Seale

Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters (Avoid Terrible Advice, Cognitive Biases, and Poor Decisions)
by Gleb Tsipursky

Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era
by Daniel J. Levitin

Asking the right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking
by M. Neil Browne & Stuart M. Keeley

Think Wrong: How to Conquer the Status Quo and Do Work That Matters
by John Bielenberg

Thinking, Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
by Dan Ariely


Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion
by Jay Heinrichs

Outsmart Your Instincts: How the Behavioral Innovation Approach Drives Your Company Forward
by Adam Hansen

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
by Carl Sagan

LEADERSHIP & COACHING

Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World
by Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg
Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone
by Mark Goulston

Socrates’ Way: Seven Keys to Using Your Mind to the Utmost
by Ronald Gross
Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols
by Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us
by Seth Godin

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
by Eric Ries

LIFE & HAPPINESS

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
by Daniel H. Pink

Small Move, Big Change: Using Microresolutions to Transform Your Life Permanently by Caroline Arnold
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice
by Shunryu Suzuki

The Art of Doing: How Superachievers Do What They Do and How They Do It So Well
by Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life
by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being
by Martin E.P. Seligman

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
by Greg McKeown
The Monk and the Riddle: The Art of Creating a Life While Making a Living
by Randy Komisar with Kent Lineback

BUSINESS STORIES & BIOS

The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google
by Scott Galloway
Instant: The Story of Polaroid
by Christopher Bonanas

Principles: Life and Work
by Ray Dalio
Last Words: A Memoir
by George Carlin

Einstein: His Life and Universe
by Walter Isaacson
The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World
by Jacqueline Novogratz

 

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About the Author

Innovation expert and questionologist Warren Berger has studied hundreds of the world’s foremost innovators, entrepreneurs, and creative thinkers to learn how they ask questions, generate original ideas, and solve problems. He is the author or co-author of 12 books, including his three books on questioning: A MORE BEAUTIFUL QUESTION: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas; its follow-up THE BOOK OF BEAUTIFUL QUESTIONS: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead; and BEAUTIFUL QUESTIONS IN THE CLASSROOM: Transforming Classrooms Into Cultures of Curiosity and Inquiry. Warren’s writing has appeared in Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and The New York Times, and he writes the “Questionologist” blog for Psychology Today. He lives in Mount Kisco, New York. Follow him on Twitter at @GlimmerGuy and subscribe to his blog posts

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