20 Books To Read In Your 20s According To Ankur Warikoo
Right after passing our school and entering college at the end of our teenage, we see a world that is quite different than the world we used to live in. A world from where we start the real and tough journey of our lives. Apart from the guidance of our elders, there are multiple sources from which we can learn, and one of the trustworthy sources is books.
Here we are with a list of the 20 best books to read while you are in your 20s- offering you learnings, clarity, wisdom, experience, and from where you can take away something to make them yours.
Who is Ankur Warikoo?
Ankur Warikoo is an entrepreneur, an angel investor, a mentor, and an active public speaker. If you are in your 20s and you don’t know who Ankur Warikoo is, you are certainly living under the rocks.
He constantly shares his content on social media platforms- YouTube having 1.6M subscribers, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook surpassing 3M people.
An alumnus of the Indian School of Business. Appearing in the lists of:
- Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 in India,
- LinkedIn India’s PowerProfiles
- LinkedIn India’s Spotlight
- India’s Top Executives under 40
He also offers courses that are perhaps more valuable than some of your college courses. Checkout Books To Read In Your 20s
20 Best Books To Read In Your 20s According To Ankur Warikoo
Books To Read In Your 20s – Tuesdays With Morrie
Author: Mitch Albom
If you like to learn and grasp new things from general conversations and somebody else’s experience, this book will surely suit your taste. Do include it in the list of 20 books to read while you are in your 20s
‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ is a memoir book of Mitch’s Sociology professor Morrie Schwarts. While Morrie’s time of the end is near, he is gradually dying. This book throws light upon their conversations about life, they had every Tuesday for months.
‘This book deeply impacted my life’, Ankur says.
Books To Read In Your 20s – The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck
Author: Mark Manson
Though this book is new, Ankur certainly would have read it in his 20s and strongly recommends it. A self-help book that gives you a different perspective about life. It will help you with dealing to have a different energy from the others.
Don’t stress about things too much and it is not important to react towards everything around you. How it is okay to not have ambitions Ankur says. Not having an urge to earn a lot of money and just being simple. Ankur calls it fascinating, as Mark Manson is a very powerful writer.
Books To Read In Your 20s – The Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho
A very powerful book, you must have read or heard about this book from your friends or relatives. Very famous among young people, who are chasing their dreams and starting on their new journeys.
Akur describes this book with a famous dialogue by Shah Rukh Khan ‘“Kehte hain agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho, to puri kainaat usse tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai”.
More than wishful thinking, this book genuinely talks about a bit more practical process of when you want to achieve your goals, how things work around you to make it happen. To interestingly explain the practical process, it is adventurous, full of quests and a fantasy book.
Books To Read In Your 20s – Man’s Search For Meaning
Author: Viktor E. Frankl.
Ankur calls it an incredibly powerful book but it’s a very read. A biography book of Viktor, where he tells us about how Viktor was Jewish and he was held in the Nazi concentration camp. While his stay in the concentration camp, he changed his perspective towards life so beautifully. Ankur continues by saying, despite seeing deaths, sorrows, hopelessness, and depression constantly, Viktor tried to find meaning in his life and started walking towards positivity. The reason why he recommends this book is because if you read ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ in your 20s, it will give you a perspective and clarity about what is life.
Books To Read In Your 20s – How To Win Friends And Influence People
Author: Dale Carnegie
Once you step into the real world after school or college, you get to meet a lot of people. You converse with them and sometimes world with them.
Ankur refers to this book as a good one and by its name, it is obvious it will give practical ways on how to build relationships and friendship. Talks about how you can influence people through your personality and communication skills.
He calls it a toolkit for a lifetime, a must-read!
Books To Read In Your 20s – Quite: The Power Of Introverts
Author: Susan Cain
Ankur starts the introduction of this book by saying “The reality is that everyone thinks, only extroverts rule the world” Everything around is about those people who are confident, the pride of every group, and who can speak on stage without hesitation.
But if you are among the 40 to 50% population of introverts, you shouldn’t feel that you can’t achieve anything in your life.
He continues by saying, ‘Quite’ is solely focused on helping introverts find out how they can impact people around them with their unique personalities. So if are struggling with your impact on people, this book is absolutely for you!
Books To Read In Your 20s – Wait, How Do I Write This Email?
Author: Danny Rubin
One of Ankur’s favorite and calls it the best book he read in his early 20s. While you have mastered speaking skills, you know how important writing skills are to communicate and influence people when not meeting them face to face.
This self-help book is about how you can adopt powerful written communication. What do you do when you have to reach out to people for various things like jobs, internships, opportunities, funding, etc. We email, right.
‘Wait, how do I write this email’ mainly focuses on emails laying out the process and everything related to it so well. He shares that in his early 20s he trained himself on written communication through this book. After reading this book he started writing emails for every little thing, to every personality, be it Bill Gates, Narendra Modi, Mukesh Ambani. Although many of his emails didn’t have a reply back, surprisingly he did receive some unexpected replies.
Books To Read In Your 20s – Linchpin
Author: Seth Godin
Ankur considers Seth Godin as the deepest thinker he has known so far and Linchpin is the best book of Seth Godin. He tells about what this book is about, how you, in an organization can become the most important part. Just like how a machine works with the help of different parts, sometimes people think some parts are not needed. But through this book, you can learn how to be valuable, by the way, you approach your work.
Ankur shares, if you want to get clarity about how should you work and be a professional thorough so that people will be compelled to think, you are needed and not someone who is easily dispensable. Because this book will teach you how to have a firm personality, who brings something new and unpredictable to the table.
Books To Read In Your 20s – Start With Why
Author: Simon Sinek
Ankur finds Simon as an incredible deep think. He is one of Ankur’s favorite people when it comes to making presentations on leadership, culture, organization.
Ankur introduces, ‘Start with Why’ is inspired by Simon’s famous theory- The Golden Circle. It is a theory where all the powerful leaders, companies, and brands always start with a ‘Why’. Why do we exist? Why does it matter? Why are they in this? Why are they even doing what they are doing?
Since people constantly ask such questions, due to which they can establish and make their reasons super strong, the question of what and how is eventually sought out easily.
Ankur talks about when you are in your 20s and while you are choosing your career or a partner, always start with a why. Suddenly everything will start becoming clear and easy for you to approach.
Books To Read In Your 20s – Mindset
Author: Dr. Carol S. Dweck
Ankur shares, after he had finished reading this book, it opened up his mind. It makes you feel, you now know something, quite meaningful in your life, almost as if you have begun a second life.
This book is about growth and fixed mindset, Ankur continues by explaining the definition beautifully – growth mindset is where a person thinks he/she can surpass the current level of its IQ. There are no limits. They can become whoever they want and achieve more than their capabilities. A fixed mindset is all about those people who think they can never cross their current capabilities and will always stay the same. One of the best books considered by Ankur, so give it a read!
Books To Read In Your 20s – The Defining Decades: Why your Twenties Matter
Author: Meg Jay
Ankur says that it is very interesting even though it is quite an obvious book. Clinical psychologist Dr. Meg Jay is the writer. She argues about how our Twenties are the defining decades of our lives. Because during this period, we make the most important choices, relations, studies, basically the foundation of our adulthood. Ankur says, this book is about how you navigate through this specific time and how do your twenties come to define you.
He calls this book a brilliant one, strongly recommends it. He feels it’s a very liberating book, as it makes you realise how important this time is and opens your eyes.
Books To Read In Your 20s – Freakonomics
Authors: Steven Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
A very interesting book. It is based on economics. Ankur says if you haven’t studied economics at all, the best thing about this book is that it’s a very humouristic take on economics. It talks about the normal things daily based activities Explains them, in a fashion that you will be able to understand it easily.
Ankur tells, how simply and uniquely written this book is. Containing 6 essays, which will transform your perspective of looking at the word, Economics.
Books To Read In Your 20s – A Short History Of Nearly Everything
Author: Bill Bryson
A book which is the summary of things, from the Big Bang to everything that is currently present in our world. Within this book, every important thing has been explained. Ankur calls is an awesome book, a simple read yet very fun!
Books To Read In Your 20s – Sapiens
Author: Yuval Noah Harari
Ankur calls one of the best books written out there. A must-read, which would clarify numerous things, such as how money began? Why did the agricultural revolution start? What is the meaning of religion?
Ankur talks about an illustrated version of this book, hard bounded which you can buy and read as well.
Books To Read In Your 20s – Poor Dad, Rich Dad
Authors: Robert Kiyosaki & Sharon Lechter
Akur starts by saying, “you must have heard, but if you haven’t then welcome to this book”. It will give you the utmost clarity about money. The best way to understand and the way it should have been understood in general.
Ankur continues by saying, that our parents don’t tell us about money that much, as they might not know. But this book will open up your mind on how to look at money the right way.
Books To Read In Your 20s – Thinking, Fast & Slow
Author: Daniel Kahneman
Ankur refers to this book as slightly deep yet meaningful. It is about when we face any situation, there are two ways in which our mind thinks. One mind instantly says we should do this. The other patiently thinks the right way to do it. And these two minds compete with each other. This book is all about these two aspects and which is more sensible and why. Again a great recommendation by Ankur.
Books To Read In Your 20s – Wings Of Fire
Author: A. P. J Abdul Kalam
Ankur calls this autobiography book, brilliant and unbelievably inspirational. A beautiful journey of man from a small humble became a rocket scientist to becoming the president of India.
A very inspiring figure and to Ankur APJ is the testimony of – If you take a strong decision of doing something and are determined, you will reach your goal.
Books To Read In Your 20s – Beyond The Last Blue Mountain
Author: R.M Lala
Another inspirational biography book about J.R.D Tata. A magnificent journey upon establishing Tata Company and being the respected and trusted industrialist.
Ankur says this is a phenomenal story from where you can learn so much, especially at the young of 20s when you are eager to learn and get inspired.
Books To Read In Your 20s – Atomic Habits
Author: James Clear
A new book, but firmly recommended by Ankur. This book explains how the smallest habits in your life can bring huge changes. We tend to think, to make immense changes huge actions are needed, but Atomic Habits proves this thinking wrong, presenting to you a different way of changing your life.
Books To Read In Your 20s – Ikigai
Authors: Hector Garcia & Francesc Miralles
Ikigai is quite famous and you must have heard about this book, no doubt. “Ikigai” is a Japanese term, which essentially means ‘the meaning of life. It is a story that goes about describing how do you find it. What is its concept, the theory? Ankur says it is a good book to start, giving you an understanding and awareness about what “Ikigai” is. What should you go after, although it may not entirely help you, still if you happen you be interested then there are avatars of such a concept which will take you to a next level.
These are the best book recommendations by Ankur Warikoo, you should read in your twenties to lead a beautiful, sought, and planned adulthood.
We definitely cannot miss recommending the book he has recently authored. It’s already a best seller on Amazon.
He also has plenty of tips for those who are in their 20s, don’t forget to check this thread and follow him on his social channels.
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