There's a lot of talk in our world about the importance of reading, little about the importance of what we read.  The very best books are extremely powerful, when read accurately and discussed with others. You can consult with the authors for the equivalent of five or ten hours.  For $10-25.  Then you can carry their work around and discuss it with others for hundreds of hours, opening whole new avenues and dropping serious weak points in your efforts.  A great book could be worth millions of dollars in waste and struggle avoided, for your organization alone.

 

There is not a person who won't benefit greatly from the following.  They are the most important works in the English-speaking world at this time, and will probably continue to be.

 

The Human Side of Human Beings and The Reclaiming of Power (pages 47-109) by Harvey Jackins, translated into dozens of languages, address the fundamental obstacles facing individuals and humanity, and outline clear ways to remove these obstacles.  If you haven't delved deeply into these, your life is much harder than it needs to be, though it may feel smoother if you avoid Jackins.

 

Toxic Psychiatry by psychiatrist Peter Breggin gives readers an inside view of his field, which currently has vast influence in human affairs.

 

Natural Capitalism by Lovins, Lovins, and Hawken, 1999, is still maybe the best read on sustaining rewarding human lives on Earth, and saving billions of dollars at the same time. A crossover course on natural resources and business should be taught in every college, and this should be the text (Or, if not, a Lovins title like Reinventing Fire).  The authors designed what is still perhaps the best building in the United States, back in 1983 (you can read about it at rmi.org).  It's still ahead of 2015 because they didn't carry unexamined assumptions that introduced difficulties or waste into their work.  This book has chapters related to manufacturing, design, marketing, capital gains, sustainability, climate, and engineering.

 

While not as unique or essential as these works, Deep Economy and Eaarth, by Bill McKibben, also deliver a lot of utility to any reader. 

 

If you're a teacher, business manager, electrician, college president, CEO, homemaker, student -- if you're human -- you get large practical benefits from these works.

 

Another I'll mention is When Race Becomes Real, edited by Bernestine Singley, a collection of short works on black-white relationships in the U.S.  If you think dialogue on race has to be defensive, one-sided, contentious, boring, or short-sighted, this book shows otherwise.  I have not yet met a person who doesn't like it.

 

Again, whatever your endeavors are, they are tougher if you skip these books.