JPMorgan’s yearly summer reading list, now a staple choice for the affluent when picking beach reads, features 16 books this year. The lineup spans a range of works: from Suzy Welch’s career advice book and Melinda French Gates’ personal and philanthropic musings to Palantir CEO Alex Karp’s forecasts on AI and Kenneth Rogoff’s in-depth analysis of the dollar.
This marks the 26th year of the list, which started with over 1,000 recommendations from JPMorgan’s client advisors. A dedicated review committee then narrowed down these suggestions to form the final list.
Darin Oduyoye, the chief communications officer for JPMorgan Asset and Wealth Management who oversees the list, noted, “This year, we centered the list around the strength of curiosity. It can be looked at through the lens of reflection or transformation.”
Oduyoye added that JPMorgan also got input from family offices—private investment entities of wealthy families—and many of them emphasized the importance of guiding the next generation of wealth inheritors. With an estimated over $100 trillion set to be passed down from older generations to their spouses and children, family offices have made educating and preparing the next generation a key focus.
“From our survey of family offices, one clear message emerged: values matter a great deal to the next generation,” he stated. “When considering the next generation’s adult leadership roles in family operating committees or businesses, they want to ensure these individuals are ready. It involves thinking about this from a psychological angle too—making sure there’s a balance not just in maintaining wealth prosperity, but also in taking actions that create an impact, both in the community and within the business.”
In addition to the 16-book list—a jump from the 10 books in previous years—this summer’s reading recommendations also include suggested experiences for the season. These range from the Dataland exhibit at The Grand LA to the SailGP racing series and a visit to the Hill Family Estate in Napa, California.
Below is the complete list of books:
“Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life” by Shigehiro Oishi
“Becoming You: The Proven Method for Crafting Your Authentic Life and Career” by Suzy Welch
“Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working” by Dan Heath
“The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward” by Melinda French Gates
“Iron Hope: Lessons Learned from Conquering the Impossible” by James Lawrence
“The Tell: A Memoir” by Amy Griffin
“Coming of Age: How Technology and Entrepreneurship are Changing the Face of MENA” by Noor Sweid
“The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West” by Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska
“Inevitable: Inside the Messy, Unstoppable Transition to Electric Vehicles” by Mike Colias
“Raising AI: An Essential Guide to Parenting Our Future” by De Kai
“MirrorMirror: The Reflective Surface in Contemporary Art” by Michael Petry
“The Fricks Collect: An American Family and the Evolution of Taste in the Gilded Age” by Ian Wardropper
“Mars: Photographs from the NASA Archives” by Nikki Giovanni, James L. Green, Emily Lakdawalla, Rob Manning and Margaret A. Weitekamp
“Living with Flowers” by Aerin Lauder
“The Values Compass: What 101 Countries Teach Us About Purpose, Life, and Leadership” by Mandeep Rai
“Economic Spotlight: Our Dollar, Your Problem: An Insider’s View of the Seven Turbulent Decades of Global Finance, and the Road Ahead” by Kenneth Rogoff