Richard Buery

CEO, Achievement First, a charter school network
CEO, Robin Hood Foundation, a charitable organization (effective September 2021)

How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
by Clint Smith

On Juneteenth
by Annette Gordon-Reed

Policing the Black Man: Arrest, Prosecution, and Imprisonment
by Angela J. Davis, Bryan Stevenson, Marc Mauer, Bruce Western, and Jeremy Travis

Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City
by Rosa Brooks

God in the Ghetto: A Prophetic Word Revisited
by William Augustus Jones Jr. (edited by his daughter Jennifer Jones Austin)

King of Scars
by Leigh Bardugo

Like many Americans, I continue to learn about the legacy of slavery in America—and how that legacy impacts every element of modern life, from politics to economics to policing. I’m excited to explore that history through many of these books, from Gordon-Reed’s personal reflections in On Juneteenth to the essays in Policing the Black Man

On a very different vibe, I am a big fan of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse [novels]. Having thoroughly enjoyed the Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows mashup series on Netflix, I’m excited to continue the story of Ravka in King of Scars.

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OTHER LEADERS

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McKinsey on Books

Explore this month’s best-selling business books, prepared exclusively for McKinsey Publishing by NPD, and a collection of books by McKinsey authors on the management issues that matter.

Author Talks

Dive into insightful conversations with authors on crucial management topics including leading through a crisis, unleashing innovation, coping with organizational culture shifts, and more.

Acknowledgments

It takes a village to curate amazing lists from this rather busy group of leaders from all over the world. We would like to thank Kris Coratti, Chantal De Soto, Rimjhim Dey, Melanie Newman, Joellen Perry, and Jayne Rosefield for their help.

Within McKinsey Global Publishing, Eleni Kostopoulos led the effort to make this year’s list come alive, with collaboration and support from Mike Borruso, Nancy Cohn, Victor Cuevas, Torea Frey, Mary Halpin, Drew Holzfeind, Kathleen O'Leary, LaShon Malone, Philip Mathew, Janet Michaud, Kanika Punwani, Sarah Thuerk, Duane Tomaszewski, Petra Vincent, and Nathan Wilson.

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