March is Women’s History Month, so it’s time to do something that, frankly, we should be doing year-round: celebrating female brilliance and excellence. But it’s equally important to take stock of the challenges that women face in school, at work, and beyond, hurdles that leave them feeling picked on and left out simply because of their gender.
So if you’re ready to read up on women’s history of exclusion, plus the present and future of their essential contributions to our world, we recommend starting with the eight eye-opening books below.
When Women Lead: What They Achieve, Why They Succeed, and How We Can Learn from Them
By Julia Boorstin
A groundbreaking, deeply reported work from a CNBC correspondent that reveals the key commonalities and characteristics that help top female leaders thrive as they innovate, grow businesses, and navigate crises. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Julia Boorstin, in the Next Big Idea App
The First, the Few, the Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America
By Deepa Purushothaman
A deeply personal call to action for women of color to find power from within and to join together in community, advocating for a new corporate environment where we all belong—and are accepted—on our own terms. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Deepa Purushothaman, in the Next Big Idea App
Financial Feminist: Overcome the Patriarchy’s Bullsh*t to Master Your Money and Build a Life You Love
By Tori Dunlap
From the globally-recognized personal finance educator and social media star behind Her First $100K, an inclusive guide to all things money—from managing debt to investing and voting with your dollars. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Tori Dunlap, in the Next Big Idea App
Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House . . . Yet
By Ali Vitali
An NBC Capitol Hill correspondent investigates the gendered double standards placed on women presidential candidates of the 2020 election cycle and those who came before, and examines what it will take for a woman to finally break the glass ceiling and win the White House. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Ali Vitali, in the Next Big Idea App
Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media
By Donna Jackson Nakazawa
An award-winning writer reveals that the crisis facing today’s girls is a biologically rooted phenomenon: the earlier onset of puberty mixes badly with the unchecked bloom of social media and cultural misogyny. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Donna Jackson Nakazawa, in the Next Big Idea App
The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work
By Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Vesterlund, and Laurie Weingart
The No Club walks you through how to change your workload, empowering women to make savvy decisions about the work they take on. The authors also illuminate how organizations can reassess how they assign and reward work to level the playing field. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Linda Babcock, in the Next Big Idea App
Unbound: A Woman’s Guide to Power
By Kasia Urbaniak
Whether you’re getting crystal clear on exactly what you want, or turning the tables on a man who has shut you down, a former dominatrix and Taoist nun is here to teach women to stand up for themselves in every interaction. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Kasia Urbaniak, in the Next Big Idea App
One Bold Move a Day: Meaningful Actions Women Can Take to Fulfill Their Leadership and Career Potential
By Shanna Hocking
More than just a career guide, One Bold Move a Day shows you how a single, measurable act each day will help you fulfill your potential, both personally and professionally. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Shanna Hocking, in the Next Big Idea App
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium video e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
