23x23 Challenge

Goal: Become an avid reader by reading 23 books by my 23rd birthday (in about 6 months)

  1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. An orphan rejected by his childhood love returns years later as the master of the place he grew up.
  2. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. How our need for social acceptance, cognitive biases, and hubris impact the decisions we make when spending, saving, and investing.
  3. Grit by Angela Duckworth. Grit is passion plus perseverence. You become gritty when you have interest, practice, purpose, and hope.
  4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. A heartbreaking tale of selfless love that teaches you the origin of courage through the lens of extreme hardship.
  5. I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. Tells a story of how complete dedication to a mission empowers ordinary people to face down seemingly insurmountable adversity.
  6. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. What is the role of a prophet and how do their interactions with society shape the religion they espouse?
  7. I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi. A strong financial strategy is built on four pillars: spending, saving, investing, and taxes. This book teaches readers how to develop the philosophical and practical elements of a healthy financial lifestyle.
  8. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. Tells the story of how luck, risk-taking, conviction, and hard work built Nike.
  9. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Frankl discusses logotherapy, which posits that man's primary motivation is to find meaning in his life. Frankl explains the origin and theory behind logotherapy in the context of his imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps.
  10. Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Shows readers the joy and freedom that comes with leading a simple life away from materialistic and worldly pressures and in harmony with nature.
  11. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. A young woman becomes the governess of a manor and finds herself deeply entwined in a relationship and scandal involving its owner.
  12. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. Lessons about life and philosophy interspersed with a story of a father-and-son cross-country road trip.
  13. The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt. A plant manager must learn and apply the Theory of Constraints, focusing on the bottlenecks in his operation, to save his job and factory.
  14. High Output Management by Andy Grove. A playbook for managers that teaches readers how to study their organization, engage in high-leverage activities, and develop their team.
  15. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. An example of how the battle to overcome the three forces of racism, misogyny, and powerlessness forged strength and power in black women.
  16. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. Eight people are trapped in an apartment with a bank robber. It turns out that their lives are more interconnected than they thought.
  17. The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert. Discusses the tremendous ecological impact that humans have had on the world and how past extinctions offer a glimpse into the massive die-off unfolding around us.
  18. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. A young man is falsely accused and sent to prison. He escapes and discovers a massive treasure that he uses to exact revenge on the people who wronged him.
  19. Think Again by Adam Grant. Many times, your initial thought about something is wrong. This book is about acknowledging our biases and misconceptions, reconsidering our assumptions, and convincing others to do the same.
  20. The Overstory by Richard Powers. Nine strangers have had their lives shaped intimately by trees. As adults, they find different ways of expressing, both internally and externally, the importance of trees to the ecosystem, society, and themselves.
  21. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This book is about reclaiming the black body from a system that exploited it to deliver the American dream to those who believe themselves to be white.
  22. The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells. This book discusses the interconnected systems that will contribute to the imminent climate meltdown, specifically focusing on its disproportionate impact on the developing world and the ethical and social implications arising out of these catastrophies.
  23. The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr. Explains the physiological and psychological impact of our internet use patterns, the role of social media in our lives, and the impact of advancements in computer processing and artificial intelligence.