5 Books We’re Reading Right Now

I’ve always believed that to be creative in our field of Public Relations is to be a constant consumer of stories and ideas.

For me, reading is not only fun, but it exposes me to different perspectives and points of view, teaching me new things all the time. I feel that the more I consume — from books and beyond — the more I’m able to make interesting connections that help me formulate unique program ideas for my clients.

It’s awesome to be in an office environment with other like-minded people, who are also voraciously reading and interpreting the world around us. I absolutely love getting book recommendations from my super smart colleagues and thought I’d use World Book Day as an excuse to crowdsource some new recommendations.

Here are five books my colleagues are raving about right now. They’re quite diverse, everything from historical fiction (which I love) to business memoirs and even fantasy (which I have to admit I have never really gotten into).

I am certainly looking forward to digging into these and I welcome any of your recommendations as well — feel free to share in the comments section.

1. Visible Empire by Hannah Pittard: this recommendation comes from my colleague Amy who says, “I just finished and LOVED it. It’s based on a true event I knew nothing about — the Air France 007 disaster — and its impact on Atlanta in the 1960s, in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. Several stories intertwined. SO SO GOOD.”
2. Radical Candor: Be a Kick-A$$ Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott: this business memoir is written by a woman who has held top positions at Dropbox, Twitter, Google and Apple. My colleague Lindsay tells me that, “this is a blueprint for using something everyone already has but few have managed to effectively harness — sincere, unvarnished and unapologetic candor.” I’m intrigued!
3. M Train by Patti Smith: this recommendation comes from one of my colleagues in our Studio, Hilary, so obviously this is an art recco! She tells me, “I picked this up after falling in love with Patti Smith’s memoir Just Kids. Seeing art, relationships and family through Patti’s eyes is a transformative experience. And you’re never too old for a book with beautiful pictures.”
4. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett: this is book one of the Discworld series if you’re familiar (admittedly, I’m not). My colleague Siobhan tells me she loves this book because it’s “a fantasy series that’s a comedy!”
5. The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant: I have certainly heard of this author before, as she’s created quite a stir with The Red Tent, which from what I understand, is based off Bible stories. This book seems very different. My colleague Melanie tells me, “I love this book because the perspective is from an elderly woman telling her granddaughter about her life growing up as a young immigrant living in the North End in the early 1900s. The themes of family, friends, and feminism are still super relatable today.”

Reach out to FleishmanHillard for your next Boston public relations project.