What books does Adam Grant recommend?
The Adam Grant book recommendations collected here come from Wharton's top-rated professor and a #1 New York Times bestselling author who studies motivation, generosity and the art of rethinking. Eighteen titles are gathered from his official reading lists, seasonal must-read roundups, his Granted newsletter, Inc. columns and the book blurbs he lends to authors. Psychology and human behavior anchor the list, alongside business, leadership and self-improvement. His clearest favorite is Chip and Dan Heath's Switch, which he calls the best book he has ever read on change. Daniel Coyle's The Culture Code he describes as even better than he imagined after waiting years for someone to write it, while he flags Johann Hari's Stolen Focus as one of the most underrated non-fiction books in the world. Grant has also written five of his own bestsellers, including Think Again, Give and Take, and Hidden Potential.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
byChip Heath, Dan Heath
2010320 Pages“The best book I've ever read on change.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Adam Grant's Official Reading List
The Culture Code
The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
byDaniel Coyle
2018304 Pages“I've been waiting years for someone to write this book... It is even better than I imagined.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Book Blurb
Masters of Scale
Surprising Truths from the World's Most Successful Entrepreneurs
byReid Hoffman, June Cohen, Deron Triff
2021304 Pages“If I had to describe Masters Of Scale in one word, it would be 'extraordinary.' It contains life-changing business advice.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Book Blurb
Stolen Focus
Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again
byJohann Hari
2022352 Pages“Stolen Focus is one of the most underrated non-fiction books in the world.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Adam Grant's Top 12 Books of 2022
Read by Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Sam Harris and 6 others
The Anxious Generation
How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
byJonathan Haidt
2024400 Pages“Advocates for a return to a play-centric childhood and postponing the introduction of smartphones.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Adam Grant's Seasonal Must-Reads
Read by Adam Grant
Nine Lies About Work
A Freethinking Leader's Guide to the Real World
byMarcus Buckingham, Ashley Goodall
2019304 Pages“This is one of the most provocative, lucidly written books I've read on work.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Inc. Magazine Column
Read by Adam Grant
The Perfection Trap
Embracing the Power of Good Enough
byThomas Curran
2023304 Pages“Lifts the lid on this personality trait and its societal drivers, offering strategies to help manage the pressures of modern life.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Book Foreword
Read by Ryan Holiday, Kobe Bryant, Changpeng Zhao and 3 others
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
byDavid Epstein
2019352 Pages“In a world that's increasingly obsessed with specialization, star science writer David Epstein is here to convince you that the future may belong to generalists.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Inc. Magazine Column
Read by Adam Grant
Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment
A Flaw in Human Judgment
byDaniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, Cass R. Sunstein
2021464 Pages“If you want to end the summer smarter than you started it, you can't do much better than this book.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Inc. Magazine Column
Read by Adam Grant
Algospeak
How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language
byAdam Aleksic
2025256 Pages“A linguist explores how the internet is redefining our vocabulary. No cap—this bruh slaps and slays.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Granted Newsletter, August 2025
Read by Adam Grant
The Friction Project
How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder
byRobert I. Sutton, Huggy Rao
2024288 Pages“Leaders looking to smooth out organizational kinks will find invaluable advice.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Adam Grant's Seasonal Must-Reads
Read by Adam Grant
Supercommunicators
How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
byCharles Duhigg
2024320 Pages“Promises to revolutionize communication strategies, turning even the most challenged communicators into adept conveyors.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Adam Grant's Seasonal Must-Reads
Read by Adam Grant
Professional Troublemaker
The Fear-Fighter Manual
byLuvvie Ajayi Jones
2021304 Pages“If you've seen her TED Talk or read her first bestseller, you know there isn't a smarter or funnier cultural critic alive.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Adam Grant's 2021 Picks
Read by Adam Grant
Upstream
The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen
byDan Heath
2020320 Pages“The co-author of my all-time favorite book on change... has a real gift for finding captivating stories.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Marker Leadership Picks
Read by Bryan Johnson, Jonathan Haidt, Adam Grant and 1 others
Indistractable
How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life
byNir Eyal, Julie Li
2019290 Pages“Provides a robust framework for overcoming the constant distractions of modern life.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Official Recommendation
The Scout Mindset
Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't
byJulia Galef
2021288 Pages“Gain a new perspective and make better decisions.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Adam Grant's 2021 Reading List
Read by Adam Grant
High Conflict
Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out
byAmanda Ripley
2021368 Pages“Reveals how we can escape the binary thinking that fuels this damaging phenomenon.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Adam Grant's 2021 Reading List
Read by Adam Grant
Subtract
The Untapped Science of Less
byLeidy Klotz
2021304 Pages“Reveals how humans underestimate the power of subtraction in problem-solving.”
— Adam Grant
Source: Adam Grant's 2021 Reading List
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Adam Grant recommend?
His 18 recommendations include Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, Daniel Coyle's The Culture Code, Reid Hoffman's Masters of Scale, Johann Hari's Stolen Focus, and Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation, drawn largely from psychology and business.
What is Adam Grant's favorite book on change?
Grant names Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath as the best book he has ever read on change, and elsewhere calls Dan Heath the co-author of his all-time favorite book on the subject.
Where do Adam Grant's book recommendations come from?
They come from his official reading lists and yearly picks, his seasonal must-reads, the Granted newsletter, columns for Inc. and Marker, book forewords, and blurbs he has written for titles he admires.
Has Adam Grant written any books?
Yes. Grant has authored five bestsellers featured here: Think Again, Originals, Option B, Give and Take, and Hidden Potential, works that explore motivation, generosity and the science of realizing potential.
What genres does Adam Grant read most?
His picks concentrate on psychology and human behavior, business and strategy, and leadership and management, with a strong self-improvement thread running through titles on focus, communication and decision-making.
All 18 Books Adam Grant Has Recommended
- Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard · Chip Heath
- The Culture Code · Daniel Coyle
- Masters of Scale · Reid Hoffman
- Stolen Focus · Johann Hari
- The Anxious Generation · Jonathan Haidt
- Nine Lies About Work · Marcus Buckingham
- The Perfection Trap · Thomas Curran
- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World · David Epstein
- Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment · Daniel Kahneman
- Algospeak · Adam Aleksic
- The Friction Project · Robert I. Sutton
- Supercommunicators · Charles Duhigg
- Professional Troublemaker · Luvvie Ajayi Jones
- Upstream · Dan Heath
- Indistractable · Nir Eyal
- The Scout Mindset · Julia Galef
- High Conflict · Amanda Ripley
- Subtract · Leidy Klotz