Summer Reading List: The B-School Edition

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"For 50 years or more, the tide seemed to flow in one direction and then the other," writes Brooks. "For anyone interested in the shift from newsprint to Web sites, the history provides an interesting perspective."

An Ethical Education

Ethics is on the minds of Brooks and Elms as they set forth to educate the next generation of business leaders. For his part, Brooks suggests reading Fool's Gold: The Inside Story of J.P. Morgan and How Wall St. Greed Corrupted Its Bold Dream and Created a Financial Catastrophe (Free Press, reprint 2010), by Gillian Tett, which Brooks says is a great companion to the more recent The Big Short (W.W. Norton & Co., 2010), by Michael Lewis, which is a narrative-driven look at how the U.S. economy veered off course and crashed, thanks to the bond and real estate derivative markets. "Fool's Gold not only explains the technical details behind the economic turmoil of the past three years but ties in the behavioral influences of the investment community, the regulatory agencies, governments, and markets," writes Brooks.

Morality is an issue around the world. Short and sweet, yet thought-provoking, is how Elms might sum up Thick and Thin: Moral Argument at Home and Abroad (University of Notre Dame Press, 2006), by Michael Walzer. "It is a contemporary and politically active philosopher's straightforward account of how to think about ethics across borders," writes Elms. "It's better and shorter than most of the other treatments you're likely to ever encounter." And at about 100 pages, there are fewer excuses for not reading this one.

If right and wrong doesn't seem like your idea of a poolside page-turner, there are other options. Good enough for McClellan to give to his son when he was in high school, Talent Is Never Enough (Thomas Nelson, 2007), by John C. Maxwell, helps readers understand the various characteristics that contribute to success—from mindset and character to perseverance and passion. "This book is a great starting point for developing a healthy perspective on how to navigate the many relationships, demands, and challenges that will be encountered, and is useful reading for any profession," writes McClellan.

Globalization is also atop the priority list at business school. In The World Is Flat (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2005), Thomas L. Friedman explains how technology is putting us in touch with others around the world more easily than ever and creating a burst of wealth in China and India. It is the only book that has appeared on at least one summer reading list since Bloomberg BusinessWeek began asking business school professors to share their suggestions in 2005. Writes McClellan, "For future executives and decision-makers, the subtext of work is a need for not only thinking about the world as a place of globally interconnected differences but rather unexplored commonalities and potential for collaboration."

For the complete lists of books suggested by McClellan, Elms, and Brooks, click here.

Di Meglio is a reporter for Businessweek.com in Fort Lee, N.J.

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