39 Reading and Listening Recommendations for 2022

By Matt Henderson

As we look back on 2021 and Season 2 of our On Record PR podcast, we’re feeling inspired by the wealth of great material our guests have recommended to read and listen to. We’ve put together a list of the many informative books, blogs, articles, and podcasts discussed over the past year, organized by a few common themes that emerged throughout the season. We highly recommend adding these to your reading and listening lists in 2022. Links to the On Record PR discussions are below.

Classics to revisit:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Spotlight on AAPI authors:

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Activist Helen Zia

The Partner Track by Helen Wan

Novelist Chang-rae Lee

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Professional development:

To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink

Multipliers by Liz Wiseman

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Start with Why by Simon Sinek

Designing Dynamic Organizations by Jay Galbraith, Diane Downey, and Amy Kates

Personal inspiration:

The Algebra of Happiness by Scott Galloway

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

The Person You Mean to Be by Dolly Chugh

Scholar Dr. Deborah Tannen

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder by Brian Cuban

The Addicted Lawyer, Tales of The Bar, Booze, Blow, & Redemption by Brian Cuban

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

Thought-provoking reads:

The Case for Working With Your Hands (New York Times) by Matthew B. Crawford

Crazy Rich Identities (The Atlantic) by Kwame Anthony Appiah

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Harari

Podcasts to add to your playlist:

Pivot

Women of the Military

I Am The EggPod

Blogs and websites that will keep you informed:

Rand Fishkin

Neil Patel

World Data

Maria Forleo

Legal Evolution

On Record PR Podcast Episodes with Book and Other Recommendations

Episode 50: Planning for the Future of Digital Marketing in 2021, with Leslie Richards, CIO of Furia Rubel Communications

• Rand Fishkin
• Neil Patel
• World Data
• Maria Forleo
• 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Harari

Episode 51: How the #RealCollege Movement and Philadelphia Institutions Communicate during Covid-19 and in 2021 with Deirdre Childress Hopkins

• The Case for Working With Your Hands (New York Times) by Matthew B. Crawford
• Crazy Rich Identities (The Atlantic) by Kwame Anthony Appiah

Episode 54: How Law Firms Can Leverage Data for Competitive Advantage and Implement Strategies for Sustainable Growth with Marcie Borgal Shunk of The Tilt Institute

• To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink
• American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

Episode 55: The Do’s and Don’ts of Pitching Articles to Attorney at Work with Joan Feldman, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief

• The Algebra of Happiness by Scott Galloway
• Pivot

Episode 56: Driving Diversity, Inclusion and Intentionality in Legal with Pavani Thagirisa, Associate GC, VP and Global Head of Legal for ESG at S&P Global

• Multipliers by Liz Wiseman
• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Episode 61: Celebrating Veterans’ Advocacy with Ashley Gorbulja-Maldonado, Public Affairs Specialist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

• Women of the Military

Episode 64: How to Crash Outdated, Nondiverse and Non-inclusive Corporate Operating Systems with Susan Freeman, CEO and founder of the Conscious Inclusion Company

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• The Person You Mean to Be by Dolly Chugh
• Scholar Deborah Tannen

Episode 65: Navigating ALM Content and Putting It to Use for Lawyers and Legal Marketers with Vanessa Blum, Newsroom Innovation Director

• Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Episode 67: Coaching for Lawyers with Whittney Beard, Master Certified Coach at Volta Talent Strategies

• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
• Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

Episode 69: Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month with Joan Block, Co-Founder of the Hepatitis B Foundation

• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
• Novelist Chang-rae Lee

Episode 70: International Journalist and Host of The May Lee Show Goes On Record About AAPI Heritage Month

• Becoming by Michelle Obama
• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
• Activist Helen Zia

Episode 72: 6abc Action News Co-Anchor, Investigative Reporter and AAPI Journalist, Nydia Han, Goes On Record

• The Partner Track by Helen Wan
• The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Episode 76: How to Capitalize on Trends in Law Firm Marketing with The National Law Review

• Start with Why by Simon Sinek

Episode 80: Bloomberg Tax Journalist Kelly Phillips Erb, aka @Taxgirl, Talks Media Relations, Diversity and How Taxes are Fun

• Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

Episode 81: The Legal 500 Publisher, David Burgess, Talks Law Firm Marketing, Industry Trends and Law Firm Differentiation

• Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
• How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn
• Legal Evolution
• I Am The EggPod

Episode 84: Author Brian Cuban Talks About The Addicted Lawyer and the Addiction Crisis Among Lawyers

• Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder by Brian Cuban
• The Addicted Lawyer, Tales of The Bar, Booze, Blow, & Redemption by Brian Cuban

Episode 85: Legal Innovation Why and How with Jason Barnwell, Microsoft’s Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs Attorney

• Designing Dynamic Organizations by Jay Galbraith, Diane Downey, and Amy Kates
• The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

Episode 88: Chambers USA Trends and Guidance from Kushraj Cheema, North American Research Director

• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien