Four APB Authors Featured on McKinsey’s Annual Reading List

17 Jul 2026

Test reads Featured on McKinsey's Annual Reading List with all four book covers shown

Every year, McKinsey & Company publishes its annual book recommendations, a curated collection of titles reflecting ideas shaping conversations in business, leadership, innovation, personal growth, and the future of work.

This year’s list includes books by four authors on the APB roster: David Pogue, David Epstein, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, and Arthur C. Brooks. Together, their work explores some of the questions many leaders are asking now: how technology changes organizations, how constraints can fuel creativity, how teams perform under pressure, and how people find purpose in a complex world.

Featured Authors

David Pogue

Apple: The First 50 Years

Featured by McKinsey in the Business category, David Pogue’s Apple: The First 50 Years explores the story behind one of the world’s most influential companies, tracing the ideas, personalities, risks, and breakthroughs that helped shape modern technology.

A bestselling author, Emmy-winning correspondent, and trusted voice on innovation, Pogue brings that same clarity and curiosity to the stage. His presentations help audiences understand technology, AI, creativity, and the future of business in ways that are engaging, accessible, and immediately relevant.

David Epstein

Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better

Featured by McKinsey in the Business category, David Epstein’s Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better challenges the assumption that more freedom always leads to better ideas. Instead, he explores how limitations, boundaries, and focused challenges can push people to think more creatively, make sharper decisions, and discover unexpected solutions.

Known for his research-driven approach to performance, learning, and human potential, Epstein helps audiences rethink what it takes to innovate and adapt. His keynotes are especially valuable for leaders and teams navigating change, complexity, and the pressure to perform in new ways.

Lindy Elkins-Tanton

Mission Ready: How to Build Teams That Perform Under Pressure

Featured by McKinsey in the Workplace Culture category, Lindy Elkins-Tanton’s Mission Ready: How to Build Teams That Perform Under Pressure offers practical lessons on collaboration, trust, resilience, and decision-making drawn from some of the most ambitious work imaginable: leading teams through the uncertainty of deep-space exploration.

On stage, Elkins-Tanton connects the world of NASA missions to the challenges organizations face every day. Her perspective helps leaders build teams that communicate openly, solve complex problems, learn under pressure, and stay aligned when the path forward is difficult or uncertain.

Arthur C. Brooks

The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness

Featured by McKinsey in the Personal Development category, Arthur C. Brooks’ The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness speaks to one of the most important questions facing leaders, employees, and organizations today: how do we build lives and workplaces rooted in meaning?

A Harvard professor and bestselling author, Brooks brings together research, storytelling, and practical insight to help audiences understand happiness, purpose, leadership, and human flourishing. His work resonates with organizations looking to support stronger cultures, more fulfilled teams, and a deeper sense of connection in a rapidly changing world.

Bringing Big Ideas Beyond the Page

The best books do more than introduce new ideas. They spark better conversations, challenge assumptions, and help audiences see their work and lives in new ways.

These featured authors bring the insights behind their books to the stage through keynotes that help organizations think differently, lead more effectively, and prepare for what comes next. Whether the topic is technology, creativity, teamwork, or purpose, their work gives audiences ideas they can carry beyond the page and into action.