Women are taking over the world be it in the sphere of business, sports or politics. Women, and men all over the world look up to greats such as Hillary Clinton, Meg Whitman, Indra Nooyi and Sheryl Sandberg.
BloombergQuint takes a look at the the reading list of these great women to give you an insight to their likes, dislikes and intellect.
1. Hillary Clinton
Hilary Clinton made history by becoming the first American woman to win the Democratic presidential nomination, just two weeks ago. Clinton likes reading fiction, especially crime and mystery novels in her spare time. Here is a list of her favourite books according to interviews she did with the New York Times and the Washington Post.
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
The Pulitzer prize winner, the story is about a 13-year-old New Yorker who survives an accident which kills his mother.
- The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Set in the 19th century, the Elizabeth Gilbert novel, follows the story of Anna Whittaker, a botanist who sets out to study evolution around the same time as Charles Darwin undertakes his study on the subject.
- A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
One of the longest novels ever published in a single volume in the English language, A Suitable Boy is a love story set in 1950s India.
- The Hare With Amber Eyes by Edmund de Wal
The book is a memoir by British ceramicist Edmund de Waal about a family who lost everything when the Nazis ‘aryanised’ their property.
During her speech at the Democratic National Convention, Chelsea Clinton mentioned that her mother always make time to read to Chelsea’s daughter. Within a day of her speech, the sales of the three books Chelsea mentioned, rocketed exponentially.
2. Sheryl Sandberg
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, founder of the Lean In campaign, and author of the book Lean In has devoted a lot of time to women’s issues. Here’s a list of some her favourite books, according to an interview she did with the New York Times:
- Bossy Pants by Tina Fey
In 2014, Sandberg launched a campaign to ban the word “bossy” to encourage young women to seek more leadership roles.
It is so, so good. As a young girl, I was labelled bossy, too, so as a former — OK, current — bossypants, I am grateful to Tina for being outspoken, unapologetic and hysterically funny.Sheryl Sandberg in an interview with the New York Times.
- Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values by Fred Kofman
[This book] had a profound effect on my career and life. I think about his lessons almost every day — the importance of authentic communication, impeccable commitments, being a player not a victim, and taking responsibility.Sheryl Sandberg in an interview with the New York Times.
- Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Webber
Written by her college roommate, the book is a research piece illuminating each phase of the queen’s tumultuous life
Sheryl is currently working on her second book, Option B with author and professor Adam Grant.
3. Indra Nooyi
Indian-born, naturalised American Indra Nooyi is the current CEO of PepsiCo.
- The Road to Character by David Brooks
Citing this book as one that inspired her, Nooyi in an interview with Fortune said:
Beyond provoking valuable self-reflection and introspection, it sparked a wonderful discussion with my two daughters about why building inner character is just as important as building a career.
- The Three Box Solution: A Strategy for Leading Innovation by Vijay Govindarajan
- Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
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