The View-Point

Summer Reading Recommendations
Cutting-Edge Ideas for the 21st Century

For all of you students not busy with summer classes, below is a list of 5 excellent books to keep you entertained and your mind stimulated and out of the summer slump. All of these books present new information or opinions that are highly relevant for this new century. Enjoy!


A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age
by Daniel H. Pink (2005)

Teaser: Is the Information Age already over? What are the effects of Abundance, Automation and Asia on job prospects for this new century? Great perspectives on Right-Brained vs. Left-Brained thinking.


The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Malcolm Gladwell (2000)

Teaser: Who determines what is 'Cool' or Fashionable? Are you a Connector, a Maven, or a Salesman? Find out more about the Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context.


Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
by Malcolm Gladwell (2005)

Teaser: What is the value of first-impressions? Why do some people have an ability to instantly form opinions and judgements that turn out to be correct? What is 'thin-slicing'?


The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
by Tom Friedman (2005)

Teaser: This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the effects of globalization and the formative power of the information-based economy in the 21st century. How has the Internet contributed to the 'flattening' of the world? What is the connection between 9/11 and 11/9? This book is of particular relevance to students and scholars of political science, economics, business, and sociology.


Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner (2005)

Teaser: What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real-estate agents? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? Would a Roshanda by any other name smell as sweet? Facinating questions and connections explored in this book. Of particular sociological interest is the authors' look at the effects of Roe v. Wade and abortion -- not what you might expect!!!

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