We still know what you’re reading this summer
Ailish Campbell

Dr. Ailish Campbell

Canada’s Ambassador to the EU

How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division
by Elif Shafak

This beautiful, short book is necessary reading as an antidote to our isolation from community and to political polarization. Shafak calls us to reengage in the messy, complex, and wonderful hard work that living in a caring society requires.

Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West
by Catherine Belton

Every government, board, and business must actively counter the fundamental risks of corruption and disinformation, which Belton’s book illustrates. Social and corporate ethics are not simply good business, they are integral to the survival of open democracies.

The Lying Life of Adults
by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)

A coming-of-age story by the deeply insightful Italian author of the Neapolitan Novels, including My Brilliant Friend. I’ve devoured everything Ferrante has written and have been saving this one for the summer!

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OTHER LEADERS

Jacqueline Novogratz
Acumen Fund

Richard Buery
Achievement First

Alexis McGill Johnson
Planned Parenthood

Ailish Campbell
Canada’s Ambassador to the EU

Rebecca Lowell Edwards
ACLU

Shamina Singh
Mastercard

Frank McCourt
Unfinished Labs

Jessica Herrera-Flanigan
Twitter

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Other 2021 reading lists you might want to explore

McKinsey Global Publishing’s top 25 picks

Summer books of 2021: Business (Financial Times)

Summer is coming. Bring a book. (New York Times)

Barack Obama: My summer 2021 lists (Medium)

The Harvard Business School faculty summer reader 2021 (Harvard Business School)

The books of summer (Wall Street Journal)

Summer reading: The 50 hottest new books everyone should read (Guardian)

Summer reading: 10 of the best art books of the past year (Christie’s)

5 ideas for summer reading (Bill Gates)

Summer reads 2021: What are Princeton professors reading—and listening to—this summer? (Princeton University)

What politicos are reading this summer (Politico)

Summer reading book list (reading adventures for babies, kids, and teens) (New York Public Library)

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Acknowledgments

It takes a village to curate amazing lists from this rather busy group of leaders from all over the world. We would like to thank Kris Coratti, Chantal De Soto, Rimjhim Dey, Melanie Newman, Joellen Perry, and Jayne Rosefield for their help.

Within McKinsey Global Publishing, Eleni Kostopoulos led the effort to make this year’s list come alive, with collaboration and support from Mike Borruso, Nancy Cohn, Victor Cuevas, Torea Frey, Mary Halpin, Drew Holzfeind, Kathleen O'Leary, LaShon Malone, Philip Mathew, Janet Michaud, Kanika Punwani, Sarah Thuerk, Duane Tomaszewski, Petra Vincent, and Nathan Wilson.

And thank you to our contributors and their organizations for providing McKinsey Global Publishing with their photographs and permission to use them.

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