To a lot of people, myself included, TED (and its smaller components like TEDx, etc…) are synonymous with Greatness. Whether it’s talking about being aware of your own downfall, eradicating malaria, or bold statements about schools and their impact on creativity, the speakers are often among the most inspiring innovators and game-changers you can find.

With that in mind, and with the upcoming TEDxBrighton centered around “The Generational Gap”, we wanted to prepare a book list for you to indulge into, before, during, and after the event.

From new business methods by TEDxBrighton alumni Will McInnes to comparison between today’s society and our ancestors, from Parenting Guides to new Digital Trends, we have curated various books worth looking into to understand the different aspects of the world as it is today, no matter what generation we are part of.

You will find the following lists below:

• Books written by our speakers for the 2012 edition
• Books in relation to our topic: “The Generational Gap“
• Books available in the TED Books App for iPad

Speakers Booklist: 

• TIM DRAKE: You Can be as Young as You Think: Six Steps to Staying Younger and Feeling Sharper - http://bit.ly/tim_drake

• MAAJID NAWAZ: Radical: My Journey from Islamist Extremism to a Democratic Awakening - http://bit.ly/maajid_nawaz

• ROSIANNA HALSE ROJAS: Abstract and Brief Chronicles of the Time - http://bit.ly/rosianna_halse_rojas

• COLIN GRANT: Bageye at the Wheel - http://bit.ly/colin_grant

Advised Reading:

Business

• WILL MCINNES – Culture Shock - http://bit.ly/cltr_shck
• GRANT MCCRACKEN - Chief Culture Office - http://bit.ly/chief_culture_office
• CLAY SHIRKY - Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age  - http://bit.ly/cognitive_surplus-clay_shirky
• MA CASEY HAWLEY – Managing the Older Employee: Overcome the Generation Gap to Get the Most Out of Your Workplace - http://bit.ly/managing_older_employee
• JENNIFER J. DEAL – Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground - http://bit.ly/retiring_the_generation_gap
• JIM MATTHEWMAN – The Rise of the Global Nomad: How to Manage the New Professional in Order to Gain Recovery and Maximize Future Growth - http://bit.ly/rise_of_the_global_nomad

Politics

• MORLEY WINOGRAD - Millenials Makeover: Myspace, Youtube, and the future of American Politics - http://bit.ly/millenial_makeover

Health

• MARIANNE TALBOT – Keeping Mum: Caring for someone with dementia – http://bit.ly/keeping_mum

• WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION – Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health - http://bit.ly/closing_the_gap_WHO

Sociology/Parenting

• DAVID WILLETS – The Pinch: How the Baby Boomers Took Their Children’s Future (And Why They Should Give it Back) - http://bit.ly/the_pinch
• ED HOWKER – Jilted Generation - http://bit.ly/jilted_generation
• OWEN JONES – Chavs: the demonization of the working class - http://bit.ly/chavs_book
• J. WALKER SMITH – Generation Ageless: How baby-boomers are changing the way we live today and they’re just getting started - http://bit.ly/generation_ageless
• CHRISTINE HENSELER – Generation X Goes Global: Mapping a youth culture in motion - http://bit.ly/gen_x_goes_global
• TRICIA GOYER – Generation Next Parenting: A savvy parent’s guide to getting it right - http://bit.ly/generation_next_parenting

Technology

• ANDREW KEEN – Digital Vertigo: How today’s online social revolution is dividing, diminishing, and disorienting us - http://bit.ly/digital_vertigo
• NICHOLAS CARR – The Shallows: How the Internet is changing the way we think, read, and remember - http://bit.ly/shallows_book

Fiction:

• DOUGLAS COUPLAND – Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture - http://bit.ly/GenXBook
• DON DE LILLO – White Noise - http://bit.ly/white_noise_book

TED books:

We hope you will appreciate this list, and would gladly take more recommendations (in the comments below.)

books resources