What books does Serena Williams recommend?
Serena Williams' book recommendations move easily between boardroom, nursery, and fantasy world, matching a career that spans 23 Grand Slam titles and a venture firm. Now managing partner of Serena Ventures, she reads for motivation, leadership, and pure escape. This collection of 7 titles is drawn from interviews with Vogue, Wondermind, and Harper's Bazaar, plus a personal essay, and its themes are biographies and memoirs, leadership and management, and self-improvement. One of her favorites is the deceptively simple Who Moved My Cheese?, which she says is about "staying in the moment and staying in the present" and which she finds genuinely motivating. She also names Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In, and confesses a love of fantasy, calling Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series a favorite. Her reading also shaped a life decision: she credits reading Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom with her choice to return to Indian Wells.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
Who Moved My Cheese?
An A-mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
bySpencer Johnson
199896 Pages“One of my favorite books is so simple, it's called, Who Moved My Cheese? It's an easy read, and it's just great. It talks about staying in the moment and staying in the present... I really am motivated by that.”
— Serena Williams
Source: Wondermind Interview
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
bySheryl Sandberg
2013240 Pages“Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.”
— Serena Williams
Source: Vogue 73 Questions
Read by Serena Williams
byBrandon Mull
2006368 Pages(230,000)
“I also love reading. My favorite is fantasy. I love the Fablehaven series.”
— Serena Williams
Source: Harper's Bazaar Singapore Interview
Read by Serena Williams
Whoa, Baby!
A Guide for New Moms Who Feel Overwhelmed and Freaked Out (and Wonder What the #*$& Just Happened)
byKelly Rowland, Tristan Bickman
2017192 Pages“It's just raw. It's everything that no one wants to tell you. I highlight things in it. I study it. It's been really, really, good for me.”
— Serena Williams
Source: WHAS11 News / People
Read by Serena Williams
From the Ground Up
A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America
byHoward Schultz
2019368 Pages“From the Ground Up will resonate with anyone who knows what it's like to overcome adversity. Howard Schultz's dream to make the world more fair and welcoming for everyone is truly a breath of fresh air.”
— Serena Williams
Source: Official Book Blurb
Read by Richard Branson, Sir Lewis Hamilton, Serena Williams and 1 others
Long Walk to Freedom
The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
byNelson Mandela
1995656 Pages“Nearly two years ago, while reading Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom... That's when I realized I had to go back [to Indian Wells].”
— Serena Williams
Source: Vogue Personal Essay
Read by Serena Williams
The Holy Bible
King James Version / English Standard Version
byVarious Authors
14551200 Pages(319,472)
“There's so much practical advice you can get from the Bible that applies in our lives today. I really love learning about what the Bible promises and actually teaches.”
— Serena Williams
Source: Essentially Sports / Various Interviews
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Serena Williams recommend?
Her 7 recommendations include Who Moved My Cheese?, Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull, From the Ground Up by Howard Schultz, and Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela.
What is Serena Williams' favorite book?
She names Who Moved My Cheese? as "one of my favorite books," praising how it talks about "staying in the moment and staying in the present" and saying "I really am motivated by that."
Where do Serena Williams' book recommendations come from?
They come from interviews with Wondermind, Vogue's 73 Questions, and Harper's Bazaar Singapore, a Vogue personal essay, and a book blurb she wrote for Howard Schultz's From the Ground Up.
Has Serena Williams written any books?
Yes, two: Venus & Serena: Serving From The Hip and On the Line, drawing on her life and career in tennis.
How did a book influence Serena Williams' decision to return to Indian Wells?
She writes that "nearly two years ago, while reading Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom," she realized "I had to go back," tying the memoir directly to that personal decision.