We all know who Indra Nooyi is, right? An alum from IIM Calcutta and Yale, the former CEO of PepsiCo, an influential ambassador, and a role model for all Indian women. Anything recommended by Indra Nooyi, especially books, needs to be acknowledged.
Here is a list of books recommended by her, in alphabetical order.
#1 The Road to Character by David Brooks
About The Book
Title – The Road to Character
Author – David Brooks
Genre – Self-Help, Ethics
Publisher – Random House
Pages – 320
Goodreads rating – 3.7/5
Summary
Using two contradictory sides of human nature: Adam I and Adam II, this book depicts the conflict between shaping one’s career and fostering inner values and character. David Brooks examines various historically significant figures and the weaknesses they had to overcome on their road to success. An eye-opening book for all who believe in the importance of character-building and morality that needs to be reaffirmed.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“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. In fact, the two go hand in hand – the moral compass of our lives must also be the moral compass of our livelihoods.”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift The Road to Character, click on the below link:
#2 Winning Now, Winning Later by David M Cote
About The Book
Title – Winning Now, Winning Later: How Companies Can Succeed in the Short Term While Investing for the Long Term
Author – David M. Cote
Genre – Self-Help
Publisher – Thomas Nelson Publishers
Pages – 296
Goodreads rating – 4.1/5
Summary
This book puts forth bold and somewhat counterintuitive operational and leadership practices that claim to revolutionize business growth. The book provides companies with a model to progress both in the short-term and the long term. David Cote uses the book to share his 10 essential principles for winning consistently and stands by his choices.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“Winning Now, Winning Later by the incredible David M Cote, who successfully led Honeywell for 15 years. David explains clearly why it’s important to judiciously balance the short and the long term in managing a company.”
“I only wish I had this playbook available to me during my own tenure as a CEO.”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift Winning Now, Winning Later, click on the below link:
#3 Trade is Not a Four-Letter World by Fred Hochberg
About The Book
Title – Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word: How Six Everyday Products Make the Case for Trade
Author – Fred Hochberg
Genre – Creative Nonfiction
Publisher – Avid Reader Press/ Simon & Schuster
Pages – 336
Goodreads rating – 4.1/5
Summary
In this book, Fred Hochberg unravels the greater mysteries of the trading world by analyzing the trade nuances related to six commonplace items. The book opens readers’ eyes to how trade impacts their daily lives, busts popular myths and misconceptions associated with the same, and helps give readers a thorough understanding of business basics.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“Fred’s uncanny ability to simplify the very complex results in a clear-eyed, informative defense of the importance of free trade. If you have ever wondered what makes it possible to enjoy all the products that make daily life possible, this book is for you. And if you have not thought about trade, this engaging book will spark in you a fascination you never knew you had.
Indra Nooyi’
To buy/gift Trade is Not a Four-Letter World, click on the below link:
#4 The Three-Box Solution by Vijay Govindarajan
About The Book
Title – The Three-Box Solution: A Strategy for Leading Innovation
Author – Vijay Govindarajan
Genre – Business and Marketing, Corporate Strategy
Publisher – Harvard Business Review Press
Pages – 256
Goodreads rating – 3.9/5
Summary
Innovation guru Vijay Govindarajan uses his book to provide tips on leadership, innovation, effective allocation of organizational resources, and more. The book presents a three-pronged model for enhancing business growth through creativity, providing leaders with separate things to focus on in the past, present, and future.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“Great book that discusses a balanced and essential approach to innovation”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift The Three-Box Solution, click on the below link:
#5 The Silo Effect by Gillian Tett
About The Book
Title – The Silo Effect: The Peril of Expertise and the Promise of Breaking Down Barriers
Author – Gillian Tett
Genre – Business and Economics
Publisher – Simon & Schuster
Pages – 304
Goodreads rating – 3.8/5
Summary
Beginning with a fundamental question – ‘Why do humans working in modern institutions collectively act in ways that sometimes seem stupid?’ award-winning journalist Gillian Tett uses her knowledge to answer this and more. She explores how the human tendency to create entire departments or silos hinders work and promotes messiness, inefficiency, and even waste.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“What I’m reading: “Unfinished Business” by @SlaughterAM and “The Silo Effect” by @gilliantett. Must reads!”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift The Silo Effect, click on the below link:
#6 Unfinished business by Anne-Marie Slaughter
About The Book
Title – Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family
Author – Anne-Marie Slaughter
Genre – Autobiography
Publisher – Random House Canada
Pages – 352
Goodreads rating – 3.9/5
Summary
Drawing from her personal experiences as a mother and a government official, Anne-Marie Slaughter expands on the ideas from her famous 2012 article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All?”. She talks about the challenges facing the women’s movement in the USA. She explores how difficult it is for women, especially mothers, to actively work towards professional success in the USA.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“What I’m reading: “Unfinished Business” by @SlaughterAM and “The Silo Effect” by @gilliantett. Must reads!”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift Unfinished business, click on the below link:
#7 Your happiness Was Hacked by Vivek Wadhwa and Alex Salkever
About The Book
Title – Your Happiness Was Hacked: Why Tech Is Winning The Battle To Control Your Brain — And How To Fight Back
Author – Vivek Wadhwa, Alex Salkever
Genre – Technology and Engineering
Publisher – Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Pages – 256
Goodreads rating – 3.7/5
Summary
We all know the modern world has made us ultra-dependent on technology, from ordering groceries to buying electronic appliances. With online school and work-from-home programs, this post-pandemic world has us engaging with technology throughout the day, seemingly ignorant of the harm this is causing to our physical and mental health. This book provides a refreshing approach to tackling this problem, suggesting ways to improve our lifestyle without totally cutting out the technology.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“With technology so present in our lives, I often wonder: have we gone too far? I recently read “Your Happiness Was Hacked” by Alex Salkever & Vivek Wadhwa, and was captivated by their take on this question — add it to your list!”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift Your Happiness Was Hacked, click on the below link:
#8 Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
About The Book
Title – Being Mortal – medicine and what matters in the end
Author – Atul Gawande
Genre – Self-Help
Publisher – Metropolitan Books
Pages – 282
Goodreads rating – 4.5/5
Summary
Tackling issues related to severe illnesses and age-related problems, Atul Gawande uses personal stories and accounts from various doctors to promote his model of end-of-life care. He emphasizes that towards the end, quality of life should be a more significant concern for medical professionals rather than mere survival. He also talks about his own experiences with mortality. Finally, he champions hospice as being the most humane form of care.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“Just finished “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande. A beautifully written book. Captivating.”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift Being Mortal, click on the below link:
#9 Tough love by Susan Rice
About The Book
Title – Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For
Author – Susan Rice
Genre – Autobiography
Publisher – Simon & Schuster
Pages – 496
Goodreads rating – 4/5
Summary
In this book, former National Security Advisor to US President Barack Obama, and US Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, decodes her journey and the lessons she learned along the way. She talks about her challenges as an African-American woman, especially when she entered a heavily white-dominated profession in the US Government. Providing previously unknown insights into national security concerns faced by the USA, she emerges as a compassionate but firm leader through this memoir.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“In her book, “Tough Love” @AmbassadorRice reminds us that through even the greatest professional challenges, the lessons that our families impart on us are what we use to guide us. She has shown a relentless dedication to the pursuit of service that we can all work to replicate”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift Tough Love, click on the below link:
#10 The Great Influenza by John M Barry
About The Book
Title – The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History
Author – John M. Barry
Genre – Nonfiction
Publisher – Penguin Books
Pages – 546
Goodreads rating – 4/5
Summary
Based on the deadliest pandemic to afflict humankind – the 1918 Spanish Flu, John M. Barry uses this book to trace the history of the development of medicine in the USA and talk about the lessons learned from it, especially for those in authority. This book makes history enjoyable for even those who claim to despise it and provides us context and a new perspective to view the Covid-19 pandemic.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“The Great Influenza by @johnmbarry is an incredible walk through the history of the 1918 Spanish flu. This quote struck a chord with me as I worked on the task force to reopen Connecticut, and I hope the book provides you a lens through which to see the COVID-19 crisis as well.”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift The Great Influenza, click on the below link:
#11 Becoming by Michelle Obama
About The Book
Title – Becoming
Author – Michelle Obama
Genre – Memoir, Autobiography
Publisher – Crown Publishers
Pages – 426
Goodreads rating – 4.5/5
Summary
In her memoir Becoming, former US First Lady Michelle Obama describes her journey in the White House. She describes her roots as a colored woman growing up in Chicago, moving on to her education and career. She mentions how she juggled roles while in power, managing her public health campaign while raising her two daughters, and stands as a source of inspiration for many across the globe.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“In her book, Becoming, @MichelleObama imparts lessons about purpose, love, identity, and strength. The experiences she shares of being a mother, a daughter, and a wife resonated with readers across the globe, myself included”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift Becoming, click on the below link:
#12 Evicted by Matthew Desmond
About The Book
Title – Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American city
Author – Matthew Desmond
Genre – Nonfiction
Publisher – Crown Publishers
Pages – 418
Goodreads rating – 4.5/5
Summary
Set against the backdrop of the US financial crisis of 2007-08, this book explores the issues of extreme poverty and the resultant abuse through the lives of eight families in Wisconsin. By selecting subjects diverse in race, age, and gender, Matthew Desmond brings to the forefront the universality with which these conditions affect humanity and how crippling they can be.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“#InternationalLiteracyDay should be a reminder that opportunity – to read and learn, but also to live in comfort and safety – is a resource shared unevenly. Evicted, by @just_shelter, is a remarkable study of this painful reality in American cities. This book is a must-read”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift Evicted, click on the below link:
#13 Walking by Erling Kagge
About The Book
Title – Walking: One Step at a Time
Author – Erling Kagge
Genre – Self-Help, Body & Mind
Publisher – Pantheon Books
Pages – 192
Goodreads rating – 3.8/5
Summary
For most of us, walking is the most mundane activity we perform the entire day, like walking from home to work or school, walking to the grocery store to run errands, etc., right? However, through this book, Erling Kagge invites the readers to look at walking from a radically different perspective, equating it with creativity and science. He reflects on the history and importance of walking and the serene calmness produced in human minds, as opposed to the perpetual rush of today’s world.
Indra Nooyi’s Opinion:
“In his profound book, Walking, Erling Kagge resurrects what so many throughout history have told us before: that walking is the best medicine. Kagge draws our attention back to the restorative power of movement and the outdoors—a simple premise with a lasting impact”
Indra Nooyi
To buy/gift Walking, click on the below link:
I hope you find some books Indra Nooyi recommended that intrigue you. Please give them a try.
That’s all for the books recommended by Indra Nooyi.
P.S.: Some books recommended here are available on Kindle Unlimited. If you have subscribed to it, you can read these books. Also, check out this article: Is Kindle Unlimited Worth It?
SO, to conclude, here is the list of the 13 Books Recommended by Indra Nooyi.
| 1 | The Road to Character by David Brooks | Buy Now |
| 2 | Winning Now, Winning Later by David M Cote | Buy Now |
| 3 | Trade is Not a Four-Letter World by Fred Hochberg | Buy Now |
| 4 | The Three-Box Solution by Vijay Govindarajan | Buy Now |
| 5 | The Silo Effect by Gillian Tett | Buy Now |
| 6 | Unfinished business by Anne-Marie Slaughter | Buy Now |
| 7 | Your happiness Was Hacked by Vivek Wadhwa and Alex Salkever | Buy Now |
| 8 | Being Mortal by Atul Gawande | Buy Now |
| 9 | Tough love by Susan Rice | Buy Now |
| 10 | The Great Influenza by John M Barry | Buy Now |
| 11 | Becoming by Michelle Obama | Buy Now |
| 12 | Evicted by Matthew Desmond | Buy Now |
| 13 | Walking by Erling Kagge | Buy Now |
We hope that this list of books recommended by Indra Nooyi helped you pick your next read or gave you recommendations to put on your to-be-read list. Finally, we hope that you enjoy them all!
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