CURATED READS FOR GEN Z—AND THEIR Z-CURIOUS COLLEAGUES

first up

Welcome back! This week, we’re giving #BookTok a run for its money.

BookTok, or the corner of TikTok where users recommend their favorite books, is the best thing to happen to long-form reading in years, delivering the latest literary must-haves directly to Gen Z. Views of the hashtag have grown to more than 90 billion, up from 60 billion last year, which have in turn driven higher sales for authors whose works become popular on the platform. 

Before BookTok was even a thing, ahem, there was the annual McKinsey summer reading list. We’re back again this year with recommendations from people like Ginni Rometty, the former chair and CEO of IBM, and Lucy Yu, the owner of Yu and Me Books in New York City’s Chinatown (after a devasting fire last month, the bookstore is rebuilding thanks to a near-instant outpouring of donations from devoted friends and patrons). A few dozen global leaders offered their recs as well—to help make sense of the world around us, with topics ranging from history and politics to personal development and psychology. Plot twist: the most popular genre on this year’s list is fiction and poetry.

Not sure where to start? Here are some recommendations that are perfect for Gen Z: 

My Seven Black Fathers: A Young Activist’s Memoir of Race, Family, and the Mentors Who Made Him Whole

Mind the Gap has explored the importance of mentorship before, but don’t take our word for it; in his memoir, attorney and activist Will Jawando details the “relationships with an extraordinary series of mentors that enabled him to thrive,” including with former president Barack Obama. 

The Antisocial Network: The GameStop Short Squeeze and the Ragtag Group of Amateur Traders That Brought Wall Street to Its Knees

While Gen Z investors may have shifted their focus away from meme stocks lately, this book offers new details about one of the most infamous short squeezes of the internet age. 

Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube’s Chaotic Rise to World Domination

YouTube, the video platform and self-proclaimed “home of Gen Z,” is one of the most-used platforms in the world. But the story of how it grew to be that way—and how it has shaped the internet and democracy—is what journalist and author Mark Bergen chronicles in this book. Smash that “like” button.

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong about the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

Gen Zers have reported feeling more pessimistic about their financial future than other generations. Good news for those steeped in their own despair: things are much better than they seem, at least according to professor and author Hans Rosling, whose TED Talks have racked up more than 35 million views. 

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

If you’re planning to watch Oppenheimer, one of this summer’s movie blockbusters (honorary mention to the Barbenheimers among us), supplement your viewing with this Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of the so-called father of the atomic bomb, recommended by McKinsey senior partner Homayoun Hatami. 

For more inspiring, educational, and entertaining picks, check out the full 2023 summer reading guide, as well as a list of 11 other reading lists we’ve curated. Happy reading! 

VISUALIZE IT

What was that again? Students cite fears of becoming distracted, getting bored, and lacking the discipline to complete an online program as the top three reasons they hesitate to enroll in fully remote learning programs.

WAIT, DON’T SCROLL

Tech, stacked. An analysis from the McKinsey Technology Council ranks the top 15 most important technology trends according to how innovative they are, how much investment they’ve attracted, and how widely they’re being adopted.

Safety check. This McKinsey Explainer helps leaders create an environment of psychological safety—a prerequisite for enabling people to be at their best at home, school, and work.

Empty spaces, hybrid places. Hybrid work is likely to stick around through 2030, which will force major cities, real estate leaders, and retailers to rethink how they operate going forward.

NOT US; STILL GREAT

Tyranny of the tongue-tied. Is the art of conversation dead? It’s a “charge most often levied by the old against the young.” [Atlantic]

It’s OK to be a little ‘delulu.’ Delulu, shorthand for “delusional,” is the Gen Z reinvention of “fake it till you make it,” framed as a cheat code for professional success. [Fortune]

CROSSWORD

— Edited by Alexandra Mondalek, editor, New York