Called by Another Name, by David Dolinger and Matt VanVolkenburg

In the popular narrative of South Korea, people generally, and somewhat correctly, believe that this country that has become such an incredible economic and cultural powerhouse was built on sheer hard work. What is so easily overlooked is the human cost and the sacrifice, often by those who were willing to pay the ultimate price for their beliefs, that fundamentally shifted the landscape and laid the true foundation upon which democracy could take hold.

Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro

In the beginning chapters, the writing may make the book seem simplistic. But the author, Kazuo Ishiguro, is a Nobel Prize recipient, and from reading two of his other novels, I learned that there is a lot more happening than might first appear.

An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination, by Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang 

Mark Zuckerberg is one of the best-known people on the planet and one of the most despised. How could someone who is “a staunch believer in free expression,” an individual trying to connect people, create so much controversy?

The Birth of Korean Cool By Euny Hong

“She tells an interesting story about the beginning of Korean television dramas.”

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

“As Tony thinks about, recollects, and analyzes the passage of time, his mind whirls around the concepts of regret, even remorse, wondering if one can receive forgiveness.”

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

“Perhaps if we all listen and focus more, we can avoid the pitfalls of not knowing how to talk to one another.”

How Starbucks Saved My Life, by Michael Gates Gill

“Throughout the book, Michael goes back years in time and pulls stories seemingly out of thin air and pops them into the present.”

Becoming by Michelle Obama

It is worth stating that Michelle had big dreams and high ambitions of her own, as may be expected of a graduate of both Princeton and Harvard Law School.