The Sympathizer
by Viet Thanh Nguyen
It sort of knocks you back with how complex and contradictory identity can be. Plus, it is just a great spy thriller-like read.
Gaudy Night: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery with Harriet Vane
by Dorothy L. Sayers
One of many Sayers’s old favorites, which I reread probably more than it’s wise to admit.
McKinsey Global Publishing’s top 25 picks
Summer books of 2021: Business (Financial Times)
Summer is coming. Bring a book. (New York Times)
Barack Obama: My summer 2021 lists (Medium)
The Harvard Business School faculty summer reader 2021 (Harvard Business School)
The books of summer (Wall Street Journal)
Summer reading: The 50 hottest new books everyone should read (Guardian)
Summer reading: 10 of the best art books of the past year (Christie’s)
5 ideas for summer reading (Bill Gates)
Summer reads 2021: What are Princeton professors reading—and listening to—this summer? (Princeton University)
What politicos are reading this summer (Politico)
Summer reading book list (reading adventures for babies, kids, and teens) (New York Public Library)
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.
And thank you to our contributors and their organizations for providing McKinsey Global Publishing with their photographs and permission to use them.