Nathaniel Fried
If you are looking to read something that will completely change your outlook, you’ve come to the right place. These are the 8 biographies that you should read if you want to start seeing life in a different way.
Each of these biographies is suggested by someone who has read it and has had their outlook changed.
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#1 Shoe Dog
An exceptional story of Nike's founder, detailing his early life, inspirations, and starting his shoe company. It's a great book because it delves into the grittiness and pain of starting a business and chasing one's dream. Knight is also honest about the struggles and anxiety he faced starting Nike.
The book changed my outlook on life because it made me much more comfortable with the struggles and pitfalls of starting a business. From self-doubt to fending off competition to putting out everyday fires, I take pride in facing challenges as a small business owner.
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Contributor: Jason Patel
Company: Transizion.com
#2 The 50th Law
A brutal story detailing 50 Cent's rise from the streets of South Jamaica, Queens to hip-hop stardom. The book is great because it tells a raw story while providing insights into power plays made by the young rapper.
The book taught me that every challenge and pitfall is an opportunity. Where others see danger and failure, I see a chance to succeed. Turning struggle into success is about mindset.
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Contributor: Jason Patel
Company: Transizion.com
#3 Who Owns the Ice House?
This is the story of Uncle Cleve an autodidact who founded several businesses amongst the plantations of Glen Allen, Mississippi. It demonstrates how entrepreneurship can not only allow one to make a living but set one's soul free; even if one is an uneducated black man in the age of sharecropping.
For me - at the time a young black business school student--this book changed everything.
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Contributor: Robin Lee Allen
Company: myesperance.com
#4 Women Who Launch: Women Who Shattered Glass Ceilings
This book profiles enterprising women whose lives have left an imprint on the world’s DNA. They have also impacted my life because their stirring stories led to Women Who Launch. Some of the profiled subjects are: Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of the beloved nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and instituted a national day of Thanksgiving; Juliette Gordon Law, who founded the Girl Scouts of America; Mahalia Jackson, the driving force behind Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Some modern movers and shakers are: Tarana Burke, the lady behind the ubiquitous “Me Too” campaign, Alicia Garza, who created the Black Lives Matter slogan; Krista Suh, whose handiwork was behind the pink pussy hat.
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Contributor: Marlene Wagman-Geller
Company: marlenewagmangeller.com
#5 Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist
I felt transformed by Roger Lowenstein's biography of Warren Buffett: 'Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist' It was amazing to have insight into such a brilliant business mind and to learn where his wealth came from. I strongly recommend it to people interested in investing or how successful people think and structure their time differently.
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Contributor: Eagan Heath
Company: getfoundmadison.com
#6 Teenagers Who Made History
When I was a teenager, I read the book 'Teenagers Who Made History,' written by Russell Freedman and illustrated by Arthur Shilstone (New York: Holiday House, 1961). It has biographies of various young people who achieved something important as teenagers, including the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, who won fourth place for her poem Renascence in a poetry contest and publication in 'The Lyric Year' in 1912. Many readers praised this poem, and Millay received a scholarship to Vassar College. I wanted to be a writer, and this book encouraged me to pursue my dream.
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Contributor: Janet Ruth Heller, Ph.D
Company: janetruthheller.com
#7 Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Education of a Bodybuilder
I've read countless biographies, but the one I would say surprisingly inspired me the most and had a profound and positive effect on my life was the one by Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's the first half of his book; Arnold Schwarzenegger; The Education of a Bodybuilder. I was 16 when I read it.
Even though this was a book about transforming one's body, it was more about transforming one's mind. To this day, I've lived by those principles I learned in that book. Because of it, I'm now a successful comedian, writer, and actor in New York and like Arnold, I came a long way from around the world to America to make it happen. Also, although I have no interest in bodybuilding, I still work out religiously so yes, decades later, I still adhere to what I learned from that biography both mentally and physically.
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Contributor: Jim Dailakis
Company: comedianjim.com | IMBD
#8 You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
As a nerd with social anxiety and other issues, I've struggled to get anything off of my considerably growing plate. Reading about Felicia Day's own problem with anxiety, depression, and inability to say no for fear of letting people down, I realized I wasn't alone in those struggles. And if Felicia could push through all of those problems while being true to her geeky self, why couldn't I?
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Contributor: Connor Bright
Company: falconmarketing.com
#9 Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future is a biography on Elon Musk that changed my view on life and my overall mentality.
You learn the adversities Musk went through, from being hospitalized by bullies in school, to having SpaceX and Tesla on the verge of collapsing.
Also, Musk risked all of his money he made from selling PayPal ($165 million) to fund and save SpaceX and Tesla even though he believed there was a 10% chance of either company succeeding. The most impactful idea is that you can achieve or exceed what Musk has accomplished since Musk is a human just like you.
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Contributor: Johnny Briones
Company: johnnybriones.com
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