Books that Matter, Volume 1

The following ten books deserve a place on the top shelf (click on the images to purchase them from Amazon.com):

An Inconvenient Truth

Winning the Oil Endgame

Authors Amory Lovins and Co at the Rocky Mountain Institute state "...it will cost less to displace all of the oil that the United States now uses than it will cost to buy that oil. Oil's current market price leaves out its true costs to the economy, national security, and the environment. But even without including those now "externalized" costs, it would still be profitable to displace oil completely over the next few decades."

Re-imagine: Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age

Business guru Tom Peters argues “It is the foremost task – and responsibility – of our generation to re-imagine our enterprises and institutions, public and private.”

Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism

Author Patricia Aburdene – half of the formerly married couple that brought us the first two MegaTrends books – argues that ethics, values and socially responsible investing are powerful trends taking hold now and that understanding this shift is essential to success in tomorrow’s business world.

The Coming Economic Collapse: How You Can Thrive When Oil Costs $200 a Barrel

Renowned economist Stephen Leeb’s sometimes alarmist but meticulously researched book shows how China and India’s increasing energy demands will eventually outstrip supply, threatening our economy and even our civilization if we don’t begin to change our behavior. He shows how this crisis will impact consumers, and how investors can best position themselves for the challenges ahead.

Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution

This groundbreaking work from Paul Hawken, L. Hunter Lovins and Amory Lovins shows how leading edge companies can take advantage of a “new type of industrialism” that allows them to increase efficiency and become more environmentally friendly while at the same time increasing profits and creating jobs.

The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth

Harvard Economist and Federal Reserve Board Advisor Benjamin Friedman argues that economic growth is a prerequisite for a liberal, open society. By exploring two centuries of historical evidence, Friedman argues, among other things, that technological innovation will allow for continued economic growth without environmental sacrifice.

Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic

Authors John De Graaf, David Wann and Thomas H. Naylor hit us with a slap-in-the-face reminder that money does not equal happiness and that America’s rampant consumerism has trapped us in a dangerous reality where we believe “living” equals “buying.”

Silent Spring

Rachel Carson’s seminal 1962 book, which raised our awareness of the impact of pesticides and other environmental poisons on our food supply and our health, remains as relevant as ever.

How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier and Get More Mileage Out of Life

Chris Balish makes a compelling argument that we’d all be better of if we ditched our cars and the associated payments, health problems and dangers. His realistic strategies for simplifying your life and finances are definitely food for thought – even for an admitted car buff like myself.