Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant

Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

Author: Adam Grant

Genre: Non-fiction

Format: Digital (Kindle Purchase)

Publish Date: February 2017

Read: July 2021

Favorite Quote: When we become curious about the dissatisfying defaults in our world, we begin to recognize that most of them have social origins: Rules and systems were created by people. And that awareness gives us the courage to contemplate how we can change them.

Story Synopsis: I decided to read Originals when Adam Grant released his newest book, Think Again. Probably not his intention, but here we are. I bought Originals ages ago and never made time for it, but now, it’s the right place and the right time for me. In Originals, Grant looks at people who’ve moved companies, cultures, and movements forward. What makes an original, well, original? In short, nothing and everything makes an original.

Part of the Stoic philosophy is to do the right thing, always. It’s “planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” Originals underscores this philosophy as well. You can’t control if you’re considered an “original” in the eyes of others, but you can be helpful, be well-rounded, and share your experiences. That’s a bit of what Grant conveys in Originals. It’s often not one thing that makes an original but a body of work. Originals is well-written, well-researched, and approachable. It’s not stuff or data-heavy. I didn’t love the long chapters, but that’s a personal preference.

Thoughts & Feelings: Anyone who has a stack of books in their office or on their nightstand (or the pile is the nightstand) knows that certain books will tell you when they need to be read. Sometimes, you find a book and read it immediately. Other times, you’ll own a book for two, three, five, or fifteen years before you read it. This is the Universe’s way of telling you the right time to read the book. Or re-read it. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, by Adam Grant, is one of those books for me.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

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Reading Guide: Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant Book Club Guide