Check out Gladwell's recent favorite audiobooks. They are as interesting and surprising as his must-listen new release, . No doubt, you'll find one or two—or all of them—are your favorites too.
Malcolm's List
This is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era—a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence. For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: Are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?
The Plot is a propulsive audiobook about a story too good not to steal, and the writer who steals it. Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written—let alone published—anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then ... he hears the plot. What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom?
One of the most celebrated thrillers ever written, this is the electrifying story of an anonymous Englishman who in the spring of 1963 was hired by Colonel Marc Rodin, operations chief of the O.A.S., to assassinate General de Gaulle. France was infuriated by Charles de Gaulle's withdrawal from Algeria, and there were six known attempts to assassinate the general that failed. This novel dramatizes the seventh, mostly deadly attempt, involving a professional killer for hire who would be unknown to the French Police. His code name was Jackal, his price half a million dollars and total secrecy.
A close look at how big money and high stakes have transformed youth sports, turning once healthy, fun activities for kids into all-consuming endeavors—putting stress on children and families alike. Athletics are training grounds for character, friendship, and connection—75 percent of American families want their kids to play sports. At their best, sports insulate kids from hardship and prepare them for adult life. But youth sports have changed so dramatically over the last 25 years that they no longer deliver the healthy outcomes everyone wants. Take Back the Game uncovers how youth sports became a serious business, the consequences of raising the stakes for kids and parents alike, and the changes we need now.
Hilarious and practical advice for how to up your small-talk game from comedians, actors, and self-appointed experts on chit-chat, Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair. They share six simple rules for how to engage in small talk and achieve the connectedness we all crave with any and everyone. They’ll teach you how to move past the perceived misery of idle chit-chat and start making magic out of the mundane. Hear from folks like Amy Poehler, Colin Quinn, Tony Hale, June Diane Raphael, and a range of experts with their takes on not only the how but also the why.
Malcolm Gladwell is a Canadian journalist, public speaker, and author of five New York Times bestsellers. A staff writer for The New Yorker, he is also a cofounder of Pushkin Industries, producers of his acclaimed podcast, Revisionist History.