Today is National Book Lovers’ Day in the United States, but our latest annual book recommendations span the globe. This year’s list features 47 contributors, including McKinsey colleagues, CEOs and business leaders, editors and columnists, and university, think tank, and social-sector leaders. Among them are eight of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders (YGLs)—a group of rising professionals in business, media, nongovernmental organizations, and not-for-profit organizations. See what these book-loving YGLs are reading, and explore all 90-plus recommendations in “What to read next: McKinsey’s 2025 annual book recommendations.”
People, Power, Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal by Marshall Ganz
Recommended by: Farhan Latif, President, El-Hibri Foundation
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, translated by Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee
Recommended by: Ida Auken, Member of the Folketing, Folketinget (the Danish Parliament); former Minister for the Environment in Denmark
The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer
Recommended by: María Eugenia del Castillo Cabrera, Ambassador on special mission for sustainable investment, Office of the Vice President, Presidency of the Dominican Republic
The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel
Recommended by: Maya Horgan Famodu, Founder and partner, Ingressive Capital
Hadji Murat by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Recommended by: Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor in chief, The National
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
Recommended by: Samar Ali, Founding president and CEO, Millions of Conversations
Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business by Patrick Lencioni
Recommended by: Sofana Dahlan, Founder and managing partner, Sofana R. Dahlan Law Firm
The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America’s Next Economy by Natalie Foster
Recommended by: Zubaida Bai, CEO and president, Grameen Foundation