Book Reviews: Summer Reading Suggestions

Now that warm weather is here at last, it is time to wish our first year MBA’s a happy summer break and to extend our congratulations to our graduating second years and all MMS students.

But before our students depart, there is just enough time to introduce a handful of books that are just for fun.

silence-priceThe Price of Silence by William D. Cohan. Duke alumnus (T’81) and best selling author William Cohan writes an exhaustive account (600+ pages) of the Duke Lacrosse scandal, the story that captivated both Duke and Durham for most of 2006. Every detail is presented and every conversation is recounted.  Yet the book is infinitely interesting.

flash-boysFlash Boys : a Wall Street revolt by Michael Lewis.  Anyone who has read Michael Lewis’s books (including two about Wall Street, Liar’s Poker and The Big Short, as well as my personal favorite, Boomerang) knows that he is a master storyteller. His most recent work is about a small group of Wall Street men who discover that high-frequency trading shops are rigging the market and then go on to create their own more ethical exchange.

simpsons-mathThe Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh.  Math nerds will enjoy this book about the popular TV show “The Simpsons” and its hidden jokes and gags about mathematics.  Five of the show’s writers have advanced degrees in math or physics and they pepper the program with references to the perfect science.  Book includes entertaining anecdotes and explanations of mathematical topics.

dating-econEverything I Ever needed to Know About Economics I Learned from Online Dating by Paul Oyer.  Divorced after 20 years of marriage, an Economics professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business enters the market for life partners and discovers that the economic principles that he teaches students (utility, externalities, signaling, thin/thick markets, adverse selection) are driving the behavior of online dating participants.

© Reviewer: Meg Trauner & Ford Library – Fuqua School of Business.
All rights reserved.

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