Ten Empowering Must-Reads for the Next Gen Before World Book Day 2023

With World Book Day right around the corner on April 23rd, and with reams of new releases hitting shelves and announcing preorders this spring, picking ten must-reads for a lightning round list isn’t easy.

Nonetheless, with next gen readers in mind – those eyeing and entering the workforce for the first time – here are ten hot-off-the-press books we can’t wait for you to read, complete with author links so rising leaders can connect directly.

Because mentor moments can happen on the page as well as in person, and every one of these authors has epic wisdom to share:

CHOOSING TO RUN by Des Linden

  • A Memoir

  • Released on April 4, 2023

  • Letting us in on the secret as to how she trains, the way she thinks, her connection to the Boston Marathon (coincidentally, happening today) and her Olympic experiences, Linden makes us all want to get up and run.

WONDERHELL by Laura Gassner Otting

  • Why Success Doesn’t Feel Like It Should…And What to Do About It

  • Released on April 4, 2023

  • Explaining with clarity that while success might be the end goal, when we achieve it something infuriatingly predictable happens; Otting tells us what it is and then urges us to wonder what's next.

MICROJOYS by Cyndie Spiegel

  • Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay

  • Released on February 28, 2023

  • Taking note of microjoys during the most difficult year of her life, Spiegel finds that small, fleeting moments of hope help her move through each day with a little more comfort and a lot more joy.

THE ANXIOUS ACHIEVER by Morra Aarons-Mele

  • Turn Your Biggest Fears into Your Leadership Superpower

  • Released on April 11, 2023

  • Helping today’s leaders understand what their anxiety is telling them, Aarons-Mele goes further and articulates how to put this knowledge – this untapped superpower – directly to work.

MY WHAT IF YEAR by Alisha Fernandez Miranda

  • A Memoir

  • Released on February 7, 2023

  • Pausing her stressful career as the CEO of a high-powered consulting firm, Miranda leaves her London home to spend a year exploring the dream jobs of her youth while wondering…What if?

CLAIM YOUR CONFIDENCE by Lydia Fenet

  • Unlock Your Superpower and Create the Life You Want

  • Released on March 21, 2023

  • Wielding the gavel at Christie’s auction house while encouraging us to overcome our fears, Fenet answers the question on all of our minds: How do I become more confident?

THE PORTFOLIO LIFE by Christina Wallace

  • How to Future-Proof Your Career, Avoid Burnout, and Build a Life Bigger than Your Business Card

  • Releasing on April 18, 2023

  • Offering a practical playbook to achieve a sustainable work-life balance, Wallace adds inspiring ways to optimize happiness, personal growth, and bank accounts.

ON BRAND by Aliza Licht

  • Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception.

  • Releasing on April 18, 2023

  • Illustrating how to level up, pivot and transition, Licht’s book is part career plan and part personal growth guide, helping us determine what’s on brand for each of us.

STASH by Laura Cathcart Robbins

  • My Life in Hiding

  • Released on March 7, 2023

  • Discussing her journey to sobriety with brave and candid prose, Robbins’ memoir takes us to the intersection of addiction, race and privilege and demonstrates how to dismantle the walls we set up around ourselves and build new futures in their place.

THE FIRST LADIES by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

  • Releasing on June 27, 2023

  • Diving into the unlikely and extraordinary partnership between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune, Benedict and Murray reveal a friendship and sisterhood that changed the world.

And in a way, all ten of the books on this list are about changing the world.

Asking what if, what’s on brand and where do I find confidence, keeps tomorrow’s leaders focused on big ideas.

Discussing anxiety, recovery, the training required to succeed, and what happens when the aftermath of success looks different than we expect breaks down tough topics for the next generation to absorb.

And spotlighting the importance of career playbooks, partnerships, and pathways to joy shares mentorship advice with those readying themselves for the workplace.

Here’s to celebrating World Book Day next week while changing the world.

Looking forward,

Illana

ÊXTRAS: In the spirit of World Book Day 2023, here are three inspiring book clubs you won’t want to miss: The NDN Girls Book Club created by Kinsale Drake to promote Indigenous writers; Zibby’s Book Club, started by Zibby Owns and just nominated for a 2023 Webby Award; and The WRBG Book Club launched by Glory Edim to introduce the next generation of readers to a world of diverse authors. Looking for book clubs for the younger set? Don’t miss the Girls’ Leadership Book Club, A Mighty Girl Book Club, and  Brave Girls Book Club in the UK. 

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