Leaders are Readers


In the Appendix of “Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder,” I list my top 10 books on aging, wisdom and longevity, but I’ve read a bunch more since the book launched a year ago. Here’s my top 5 of the past year:
  1. “The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50,” Jonathan Rauch.

    Popularizing concept of the U-curve of happiness across cultures may help normalize midlife bumps so they don’t feel like a crisis.

  2. “How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations,” Marc Freedman.

    One of my favorite thinkers/writers about aging with a very personal, poignant book.

  3. “It’s Great to Suck at Something: The Unexpected Joy of Wiping Out and What It Can Teach Us About Patience, Resilience, and the Stuff that Really Matters,” Karen Rinaldi.

    Subtitle says it all as a novice, sucky surfer I appreciate the ode to liminality.

  4. “Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement,” Rich Karlgaard.

    Particularly appreciated the sections on how the brain and intuition improve with age.

  5. “The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life,” David Brooks.

    Love/hate relationship with this book, but found the message on, “How can I serve?” very relevant to why I created MEA.


Discover More Wisdom

May 27, 2022

Everything was fine until we hit the streets of San Francisco. Of course, it ...

Midlife is Like Learning Stick Shift on a Hill in the Rain.

July 20, 2023

One of our MEA alums (and the former CMO of Airbnb), Jonathan Mildenhall sent ...

What are the 5 Pieces of Wisdom You’d Offer Someone Younger?
{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Choose Your Path to Midlife Mastery