Sam Bankman-Friend was convicted of seven counts of fraud, a verdict that carries a maximum sentence of 115 years in prison. But just a couple years earlier, Bankman-Fried had been a rising star. What happened? And how did it all go so wrong? In Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon (W.W. Norton, 2023), Michael Lewis takes us behind the scenes, telling the tumultuous tale of Bankman-Fried’s meteoric rise and how it all – his wealth, his company, and his credibility – disappeared overnight.

We want our lives to be efficient – our work commutes brief, our checkout lines short, and our internet connections fast. But sometimes, this desire can obscure what matters most. In Optimal Illusions: The False Promise of Optimization (Penguin Random House, 2023), Coco Krumme provides a thought-provoking exploration of the often overlooked consequences of our relentless pursuit of efficiency and optimization in modern society.

Life Worth Living is a book based on the popular Yale University class by the same name. As with the course, the book challenges readers to ask questions about what matters in life.

What is the point of attending college? For many, that question has as many answers as there are college students. Some students are simply hoping to have the quintessential college experience, others are looking to discover their passions, while still others are preparing for pre-professional training in engineering, medicine, or law. But what should the primary goals of colleges be?

In Gentle Power (Sounds True, 2023), Dr. Emilia Elisabet Lahti casts a vision for leadership that comes, not from a domineering and coercive position of power, but from a deep inner strength that is at once robust and powerful but  also tender and considerate.