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Six Books for Your Reading List by 2019 Skoll World Forum Speakers

March 18, 2019

By Kathara Green - Skoll Foundation

Looking for the perfect bedside reading as you prepare for the Skoll World Forum? Whether you’re joining us in Oxford or engaging through the Digital Pass, there are plenty of great reads by Forum speakers to expand your perspective.

The Skoll World Forum brings togethers leaders and big thinkers who are thoughtfully asking a central question: what is possible? Covering themes across economics, equity, leadership, and freedom of speech, Forum speakers are questioning systems of injustice and helping to shape progress.

No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black and Free in America, Darnell Moore

In No Ashes in the Fire, Darnell Moore shares his personal journey from growing up in Camden, New Jersey to the social justice movements in Newark, Brooklyn, and Ferguson where he fights for those who, like him, survive on society’s edges. Today, Moore is a tireless advocate for justice and liberation, and No Ashes in the Fire is a story of beauty, hope, and an honest reckoning of what it means to be free.

Darnell will be interviewed by Krista Tippett for a live recording of the On Being podcast at 1:30 PM GMT, April 11.
Amazon 

Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist, Kate Raworth

Kate Raworth is reimagining the economic system. In Doughnut Economics, she points out the seven deadly mistakes of economics; she offers a radical re-envisioning of the system that has brought us to the brink of ruin. Moving beyond the myths of `rational economic man’ and unlimited growth, Doughnut Economics rethinks what is possible, envisioning a system that addresses our human needs without depleting the planet.

Kate joins other big, economic thinkers for the session “Rewriting the Rules for an Economic System that Serves All”, taking place at 10:00 AM GMT, April 11.
Amazon 

Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance, Edgar Villanueva

Edgar Villanueva argues that philanthropy in the United States continues to transmit a “colonizing virus” by remaining “top-down, closed-door, and expert-driven.” In his book Decolonizing Wealth, Villanueva explores how colonialism lives on, like a virus, in existing systems and structures, including philanthropy and social finance.

Edgar is speaking on the panel “Is Philanthropy the Solution or Part of the Problem?” alongside other leaders in philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. This session is at 10:00 AM GMT, April 10.
Amazon 

Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison—Solitary Confinement, a Sham Trial, High-Stakes Diplomacy, and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out, Jason Rezaian

In 2014, Iranian police arrested Washington Post Tehran bureau chief Jason Rezaian, under a charge of spying for America. Prisoner recounts Rezaian’s experience as a hostage in a high-security prison in Tehran for eighteen months and his release, which became a part of the Iran nuclear deal. Through his own personal story, Rezaian’s exposes broader geopolitical forces at play around the world and the personal risks of working as a journalist.

Jason will join other members of the media and leaders working to protect journalists in the session “Journalists Under Fire”, which will take place at 10:00 AM GMT, April 10.
Amazon

We Want to Negotiate: The Secret World of Kidnapping, Hostages and Ransom, Joel Simon

In nearly two decades at the Committee to Protect Journalists, Joel Simon has worked on dozens of hostage cases. Through We Want to Negotiate, he delves into the heated hostage policy debate. Simon explores the ethical, legal, and strategic considerations of a complex question: Should governments pay ransom to terrorists?

Joel will join Jason Rezaian and others for the session “Journalists Under Fire”, scheduled for 10:00 AM GMT, April 10.
Amazon 

Creating Great Choices: A Leader’s Guide to Integrative Thinking, Roger Martin and Jennifer Riel
Creating Great Choices offers hands-on advice to help any leader or manager facing a tough choice. Riel and Martin operationalize the “Opposable Mind” into a practical method; they interweave the latest in behavioral and design thinking with new examples from iconic and innovative companies.

Roger will speak alongside Kate Raworth and others for the session “Rewriting the Rules for an Economic System that Serves All”, scheduled for 10:00 AM GMT, April 11.
Amazon 

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