Every once in a while a book comes along that makes you think about the course of your life.  Christopher Gergen’s Life Entrepreneurs did that for me. I was first introduced to this book when Christopher Gergen became the Innovator in Residence at my company about a year ago. He facilitated a workshop based on the principles of Life Entrepreneurs and I was utterly captivated.  Life Entrepreneurs draws on interviews with 55 top entrepreneurs and deconstructs the common patterns and themes that made them successful. Many of the individuals interviewed started out with more traditional corporate careers and left those careers to follow newly discovered passions. These entrepreneurs were able to marry their life’s purpose with reinvented careers . The book is divided into seven sections with exercises and thought provoking scenarios to challenge and help readers align their values with a life and career of purpose:

The book does have its shortcomings. For example as good as the interviewee vignettes are, I would have liked to have had more in-depth information on the process of how they reinvented their careers and lives; many of these individuals are quite extraordinary and as a reader you’ll want to understand the thought processes that helped them to get to where they are today.  Additionally, social entrepreneurs are over-represented among the interviewees. Not a bad thing but for those who are focused on more traditional entrepreneurism (without the social or philanthropic angle), some of these stories may not resonate. These are minor criticisms though. On the whole this book is perfect for anyone who is questioning their current career path or looking to create a deeper connection between their core values, identity and what they do for a living. I also highly recommend Life Entrepreneurs for new college grads and anyone who has been out of the workforce for an extended period of time and is thinking about reinventing their career.

Regardless of where your career is today, Life Entrepreneurs is a book you will come back to again and again to rethink and relearn its lessons.

There is something special about the children of Hailsham boarding school. From their earliest memories, the students at this elite school are told they are special and destined for an important future.  Their adult caretakers are sympathetic and guarded with their special charges never letting on their own knowledge of what the future holds for them. And so goes Kazuo Ishiguro’s (also author of the stunning Remains of the Day) brilliant sixth novel Never Let Me Go. This is the story of a trio of friends, Kathy, Tommy and Ruth, their emergence into adulthood and their gradual knowledge of and acceptance of their fate.

Ishiguro’s prose is sparse and his imagery vivid as the story unfolds through the eyes of 31-year old Kathy H. who reflects upon her childhood growing up in the bucolic English countryside. Ishiguro takes his time peeling back the layers of the story revealing a core truth that is at once unimaginable and yet utterly realistic.  I couldn’t put the book down and was relieved when it was over.  The emotional richness of the characters will stay with you long after you’ve read the last pages. To say I was haunted by this story is an understatement. Never Let Me Go will make you think, debate the basic premise of humanity and consider the question of morality. This is an excellent choice for a book club selection and is at the top of my recommendations for anyone’s summer reading list. What will you read this summer?