10 books by Baylor authors for your Summer 2023 reading list
We don’t stop learning just because we’ve finished college — and while podcasts and documentaries can be great, there’s just something about picking up a good old-fashioned book. Even better than that? Reading a book written by a fellow Bear!
Baylor faculty and alumni authors have been busy this spring, writing on everything from history to leadership to faith (and more). Here’s a round-up of some Baylor Bears’ books that you might want to add to your summer reading list:
Business & Leadership
Mind Your Mindset: The Science That Shows Success Starts with Your Thinking, co-written by New York Times bestselling author and Baylor alum Michael Hyatt (BA ’77) — Drawing upon the fields of performance psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science, as well as case studies from their own clients, Hyatt and his daughter, Megan Hyatt Miller, explore the power of ideas to shape superior outcomes not only in business, but in the rest of life.
Why Managers Matter: The Perils of the Bosses Company, co-written by Dr. Peter Klein, Baylor’s W. W. Caruth Chair and Professor of Entrepreneurship — A manifesto on managers and hierarchy that bucks the trend of the lean, flat and leaderless organization, Klein’s latest work even earned a recommendation from Financial Times.
Leadership by the Number: Using the Enneagram to Strengthen Educational Leadership, by Dr. Jon Singletary (BA ’93), dean of Baylor’s Garland School of Social Work — This handbook uses the popular enneagram personality types to help education leaders maximize their impact.
Bent: 12 Vital Steps to Win Back a Wayward Team, by Baylor alum James Walker (BA ’00) — In his debut book, Walker leads the reader through 12 steps you can take to win back your wayward team and build a culture full of aligned and fulfilled employees.
Religion & Spirituality
Preaching to a Divided Nation: A Seven-Step Model for Promoting Reconciliation and Unity, co-written by Dr. Matthew Kim of Baylor’s Truett Seminary — In their book, Matthews and Hoffman use a seven-step model to empower faithful leaders to bring healing and peace to their fractured churches and to the world.
Fiction
Bastille Day: A Novel, by Dr. Greg Garrett, Baylor’s Carole Ann McDaniel Hanks Chair of Literature & Culture — In his fifth novel, Garrett tells the story of American TV journalist Calvin Jones, who travels to Paris to work with a producer friend he knows from their dark days covering the war in Iraq — reminding us that while our histories can damage us, hope can heal us.
History
River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile, by three-time New York Times bestselling author and Baylor alumna Candice Millard (MA ’92) — After previously telling the stories of Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, James Garfield, Millard turns her attention to the hunt for the Nile River’s headwaters — a story of courage and adventure, set against the backdrop of the race to exploit Africa by colonial powers.
A New Force at Sea, by Dr. David A. Smith, a Baylor history lecturer — Smith tells the story of Admiral of the Navy George Dewey — perhaps the U.S. Navy’s most important officer between the Civil War and World War II — and his role in the rise of the modern American Navy.
Lifestyle
Dining with the Saints: The Sinner’s Guide to a Righteous Feast, co-written by Dr. Michael P. Foley, a professor in Baylor’s Great Texts program — Dining with the Saints brings the Catholic liturgical year to life, pairing 200+ saints’ stories with the delicious recipes of EWTN master chef Fr. Leo Patalinghug.
Magnolia Table Cookbook Volume 3: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering, by Baylor alumna Joanna Gaines (BA ’01) — Gaines’ third cookbook comes out in May, bringing with it an invitation to savor every moment with recipes — both old and new — that she has enjoyed over the years.
Sic ’em, Baylor authors!
[Know of another recently published book by a Baylor Bear? Let us know!]