A version of this text first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high net value investor and consumer. Enroll to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.
Today’s workaholic wealthy rarely have time to sit down back and browse a great book — except perhaps for a couple of weeks in August. That is why J.P. Morgan Private Bank, every May, releases its summer reading list, often serving as a book club for billionaires.
This yr marks the twenty fifth anniversary of the list, now called the J.P. Morgan Summer Reading List. The ten books are fastidiously curated to match the tastes and preoccupations of J.P. Morgan’s wealthy clients. This yr’s list includes books on effective communication, artificial intelligence, Formula One, whiskey, hidden vacation spots and the art collection of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz.
J.P. Morgan creates the list by surveying its greater than 35,000 client advisors and employees globally and asking concerning the topics clients are talking and desirous about essentially the most. This yr, the advisors sent in greater than 700 beneficial book titles, which a committee whittled down based on timeliness and appeal.
“Our clients run the gamut from business owners and entrepreneurs to philanthropists and art collectors,” said Darin Oduyoye, chief communications officer of J.P. Morgan Asset and Wealth Management, who has spearheaded the list since its founding. “There are books to match as much as each of those groups.”
Clients get a chic J.P. Morgan-branded box with a book or two from the list, beneficial specifically by their client advisor. The advisor also features a handwritten note and a commemorative bookmark.
The list helps advisors connect with clients in the course of the slow summer months. It also helps with client events, since authors on the list often comply with do special dinners or speaking events for J.P. Morgan clients.
Authors love being on the list as well since J.P. Morgan buys 1000’s of books at hand out and since clients often refer the books to others.
“The list is something that each clients and colleagues, and our communities, stay up for,” Oduyoye said.
This yr’s twenty fifth anniversary edition contains a special “Anniversary Highlight” highlighting Water.org, the charity founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, and their book “The Value of Water.”
Here is J.P. Morgan’s twenty fifth Annual Summer Reading List, together with summaries of the books, provided by the bank:
“Supercommunicators: The best way to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection” by Charles Duhigg
Sharing the newest research on what makes conversations effective, Charles Duhigg reveals how we are able to level up our communications and strengthen connections. Whether it is a divided jury room or the best way a CIA officer recruits a foreign agent, Duhigg uses examples for example how we are able to deliver effective messages by recognizing and tapping into the three layers of each conversation—practical, emotional and social. Taking us from the writers’ room of one among television’s most successful sitcoms to the couches of in-demand marriage counselors, Duhigg shows us that all of us have supercommunicators inside us.
“The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out urgent facts—and issues a transparent call to motion—to focus attention on the worldwide epidemic of teenybopper mental illness. Haidt identifies the pervasive use of smartphones and over a dozen other mechanisms as having contributed to the “great rewiring of childhood.” Arguing that these technologies have had a profound negative effect on kid’s social and neurological development, he explores what will be done to reverse the numerous rise in sleep deprivation, fragmented attention, loneliness, addiction and social comparison. Importantly, Haidt calls for collective motion and descriptions steps that all of us must take to finish this epidemic.
“Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” published by Phaidon
Celebrating selections from the world-class art collection of musical and cultural icons Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean), “Giants” highlights 100 works by nearly 40 multigenerational Black American, African and African diasporic artists. Curated by the Brooklyn Museum for its first-ever major exhibition, the Dean Collection features works by legendary—in addition to emerging—artists including Gordon Parks, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lorna Simpson, Odili Donald Odita and Kennedy Yanko. “Giants” also includes exclusive conversations between Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys and curator Kimberli Gant, along with interviews with 10 of the renowned artists featured.
“Brave Latest Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That is a Good Thing)” by Salman Khan
Salman Khan, the visionary behind the nonprofit Khan Academy, explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is about to remodel learning each in education and the workplace. Demonstrating how AI won’t replace human interaction but moderately enhance it with tools to encourage creativity and problem solving, he shows how AI can adapt to every student’s individual pace while identifying strengths and areas of improvement. Outlining how emerging technologies can create a more accessible education system, Khan offers practical implications for administrators, counselors and hiring managers, in addition to thoughtful insights on how all of us can use AI in an increasingly digital world.
“Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest” by Fawn Weaver
Entrepreneur Fawn Weaver reveals the untold story of one among America’s most iconic whiskey brands. Set in Lynchburg, Tennessee, “Love & Whiskey” follows Weaver’s quest to find the lifetime of Nearest Green, a Nineteenth-century African American distiller who played a pivotal role in developing Jack Daniel’s whiskey. Navigating through layers of history to unlock the reality about Green’s contributions to the spirits industry and his friendship with Daniels, Weaver uncovers a story that connects generations. Her findings encourage a latest path forward, with Weaver spearheading the creation of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey as a approach to honor and have fun Green’s legacy for generations to return.
“The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World’s Fastest-Growing Sport” by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg
In “The Formula,” Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg from The Wall Street Journal tell the riveting story of how Formula 1’s fearless reinvention led to its breakthrough in America. With fast cars, engineering geniuses, driver rivalries and glamorous settings, “The Formula” details how F1’s “sudden” arrival in the US was actually a long time within the making. With unfettered access to F1’s most legendary teams and icons from Ferrari to Mercedes, Robinson and Clegg give readers an exhilarating look contained in the drivers, corporations, cars and risks which have defined the world’s fastest-growing sport.
“Secret Stays: Pioneering Hosts of the Latest Chic” by Melinda Stevens, Issy von Simson and Tabitha Joyce
A captivating exploration curated by Melinda Stevens, Issy von Simson and Tabitha Joyce, “Secret Stays” introduces 22 hidden gems that reflect the dynamic evolution of recent travel. Highlighting fascinating properties and the individuals who own them—from a secluded Croatian monastery to a Japanese machiya townhome—this coffee table book from Assouline, the posh brand on culture, reveals one-of-a-kind experiences that stem from a revived belief in real, bespoke hospitality. Through stunning photographs and compelling narratives, “Secret Stays” takes a fresh have a look at the various and ever-evolving face of travel today.
“Finding Fortunato: How a Peruvian Adventure Inspired the Sweet Success of a Family Chocolate Business” by Adam Pearson
In “Finding Fortunato,” Adam Pearson takes us on a journey into the northern Peruvian jungle with the inspirational story of the entrepreneurial family who struck gold and discovered the legendary Nacional white cacao bean—previously considered extinct. Realizing their success was predicated on disrupting a standard, unethical supply chain to as a substitute trade directly with local Peruvian farmers, the family pioneered Fortunato Chocolate, an organization that will come to be described as “the Rolex of chocolate.”
“Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing” by Laura Mae Martin
Daily, tens of 1000’s of Google employees, from interns to C-suite executives, depend on an executive productivity advisor—Laura Mae Martin—to benefit from their time. In “Uptime,” Martin provides easy-to-follow steps to spice up productivity, prevent burnout and achieve a greater work-life balance. Whether you face an avalanche of emails, an overloaded calendar or a difficult meeting to steer, Martin’s strategic approach lays out concrete steps to aid you manage time efficiently, give attention to priorities, and maintain effective systems and routines.
“The Secret Society of Aunts & Uncles” by Jake Gyllenhaal and Greta Caruso
A whimsical and heartwarming picture book by Academy Award and Tony Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and his childhood best friend Greta Caruso, “The Secret Society of Aunts & Uncles” celebrates the unique, fun-filled role aunts and uncles play in kid’s lives. Humorously exploring the decision to adventure that being an aunt or uncle can bring—from flexible bedtimes to activities with a “healthy dose of danger”—this book paints a loving portrait of those special relationships.
Anniversary Highlight: “The Value of Water: Our Story of Chasing Solutions to the World’s Best Challenge” by Gary White and Matt Damon
In celebration of the 225th anniversary of JPMorgan Chase’s earliest predecessor—the Manhattan Company, which was founded as a water works company—we’re proud to highlight “The Value of Water” by Gary White and Matt Damon. These two unlikely allies, with a shared mission to finish the worldwide water crisis, take readers on a journey to empower communities and families with tools to handle their potable water shortages. Outlining their trial-and-error approach to finding a workable solution, White and Damon display how the water crisis is solvable through collective motion.
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