The winner of the 2024 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, Challenger is a gripping history of the events and decisions that led to the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. The book reads like a thriller novel, and the story it tells holds many lessons. The Challenger disaster is first a timeless example of how the culture of an organization shapes how people perceive evidence, how they weigh priorities and risks, and whose voices are listened to. It is a case study of the dangers that ensue from a lack of psychological safety, the normalization of deviance, and the complacency that a string of 24 successes can create.
Higginbotham quotes a frustrated engineer who noted at the time that NASA managers had changed the presumption from “we don’t fly unless you convince us your part is safe” to “we fly unless you convince us your part is unsafe.” The details of how that came to be are a timely reminder of how important it is when trying to change the culture of an organization to be more cost-focused and move faster to ensure that valuable elements of that culture, like safety and engineering, don’t get lost.
John Weeks, Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Matt Haig’s The Life Impossible is a poignant exploration of resilience, hope, and healing. With his trademark blend of vulnerability and insight, Haig takes readers on a journey through life’s challenges while celebrating the moments of clarity and joy that make life worth living. We follow the tale of Grace Winters, a retired math teacher burdened by grief and self-doubt, who unexpectedly inherits a house in Ibiza from Christina, a former colleague. Intrigued by this puzzling gesture and Christina’s mysterious drowning, Grace travels to the vibrant island, escaping her bleak existence in Lincoln.
The narrative weaves through deeply personal anecdotes, philosophical musings, and practical reflections, making it both relatable and profoundly moving. Haig’s writing shines in its honesty, stripping away pretensions to reveal the raw, unvarnished truth of navigating grief. Haig’s gentle encouragement to embrace imperfection resonates deeply, reminding readers that surviving—and even thriving – amid life’s challenges is itself a monumental achievement. Whether you’re familiar with Haig’s earlier works or discovering him for the first time, The Life Impossible is a must-read for anyone seeking a reminder that impossibility often transforms into possibility. Both a love letter to the planet and an exploration of life’s hidden connections, The Life Impossible is a reminder of the magic found in rediscovery, healing, and embracing the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Susan Goldsworthy, Affiliate Professor of Leadership, Communications, and Organizational Change
When I was in the mountains in early 2024, I read Childhood’s End, following a good friend’s recommendation. The impression it left on me is so lasting that I can’t help but recommend it to others.
The book is a science fiction novel that describes what, back when it was written in the 1950s, was in the near future. At the start of the novel, an advanced alien race, the Overlords, arrives on Earth. Their spaceships hover above the major cities of the world as they communicate with humans, without revealing their appearance, guiding humanity to resolve conflicts, end wars and hunger, and build a utopian society.
When humans ask the Overlords to reveal themselves, they refuse, choosing to remain hidden. They announce that humanity will not see them for fifty years – a decision they say is intended to allow humans to grow accustomed to their presence and guidance without fear or prejudice. Only after 50 years do humans learn that the Overlords look exactly like traditional depictions of demons, with horns, wings, and an imposing stature. While reading, I couldn’t help but compare the Overlords to GenAI…
José Parra Moyano, Professor of Digital Strategy
This is a breathtaking novel that I nearly finished in a single sitting. Set in a dystopian future, with genetically modified humans and empathic, sentient machines, it is a celebration of life and love. Narrated from the perspective of an Artificial Friend (AF), Klara, the book challenges us to consider how we want to work, live, and form relationships. How do we want to live? What kind of society do we envision? Kazuo Ishiguro, Booker Price recipient and Noble Prize laureate, masterfully guides us through these central questions about our future that resonate so profoundly today.
Katharina Lange, Affiliate Professor of Leadership
Sometimes a book surprises you, even when you think you’ve heard it all. Expertise, after all, can act as a shield, dulling your capacity to learn. But occasionally, a work sneaks past your defenses. That’s precisely how I felt reading TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris Anderson. After 13 years of teaching executive education, I thought I knew everything about commanding a room. Boy, was I wrong.
One of the most profound realizations was identifying the number one killer of a presentation: starting with oneself. Too often, speakers begin by highlighting their credentials and expertise, forgetting that the audience isn’t there to validate their résumé. What captivates listeners is whether the subject ignites deep curiosity within them. As experts, we must step into the audience’s shoes, guiding them with hints and building toward that pivotal “aha” moment.
It’s like leading someone through a museum – not overwhelming them with disarray, but constructing an experience where knowledge is unveiled piece by piece. By the end of the trip, the audience emerges with a sweeping understanding of the exhibit we’ve carefully curated.
Anderson enriches his guide with compelling examples from some of the most unforgettable TED Talks. There’s the incomparable Sir Ken Robinson, whose witty insights on education challenge conventional thinking; Susan Cain’s heartfelt exploration of introversion, which was honed with feedback from organizational psychologist Adam Grant; and Brené Brown’s profound discourse on vulnerability.
TED Talks is more than an insider’s guide to delivering unforgettable presentations; it’s a meditation on communication itself, with an emphasis on the irreplaceable human element of public speaking. We are shown the profound responsibility of holding an audience’s time and attention in an era of endless distraction.
Howard Yu, LEGO® Professor of Management and Innovation
What do Sony Pictures, the Bangladesh Bank, and the cryptocurrency platform Atomic Wallet have in common?
They’ve all fallen victim to the Lazarus Group—one of the most notorious hacking groups in the world.
Believed to operate under the auspices of North Korea’s government, the Lazarus Group, also known as “APT38” (Advanced Persistent Threat 38), has been active since at least 2007. This state-sponsored cybercrime syndicate is infamous for executing highly sophisticated cyberattacks that advance political, financial, and military agendas. From crafting advanced malware to exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities, their technical prowess is matched only by their boldness. The group often employs fake job offers and intricate social engineering schemes to infiltrate their targets, leaving devastation in their wake.
The book by Geoff White tells us their story, at least what we were able to learn so far about them. Did you know that it was the Lazarus Group that wreaked havoc with WannaCry back in 2017? Or that they are linked to the theft of billions of dollars in cryptocurrencies, including a staggering 20% of global crypto losses—over $300 million—in 2023 alone? These ill-gotten gains are believed to fund North Korea’s weapons programs and circumvent international sanctions, making their operations a key weapon in a shadowy geopolitical battle.
This gripping saga of cyber warfare, though written like a fast paced crime novel, tells the reality from the dark web; far away from our eyes yet still right under our noses. Each revelation about their exploits will leave you on the edge of your seat, jaw dropped at their audacity and technical prowess.
Öykü Işık, Professor of Digital Strategy and Cybersecurity
18 October 2024 • by Howard H. Yu in Book Review
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