The best business books of 2018

Eva-Katalin/Getty Images

It was hard to keep up with all the great books published in 2018 — but a few stood out as insightful, entertaining, and helpful.
We’ve defined “business books” as reporting on businesses and the economy, as well as career and finance guides.
Highlights include “Bad Blood” by John Carreyrou, “Imagine it Forward” by Beth Comstock, and “Big Debt Crises” by Ray Dalio.

If you’ve got some time off to finally catch up on your reading, or you’re still looking for a last minute holiday present, now’s a great time to look through the best business books of 2018.

A bonus just for you: Click here to claim 30 days of access to Business Insider PRIME

This year’s highlights include a corporate tale of deception that seems too good to be true, an executive’s memoir that’s also a comprehensive career guide, and investing insights from two of the greatest to ever do it.

Here are our favorites.

‘Bad Blood’ by John Carreyrou

Amazon

The medical device startup Theranos was once the world’s hottest startup, its founder Elizabeth Holmes— deemed the “youngest self-made female billionaire” — a revolutionary. But after some digging into the company, it all unraveled.

Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou has the definitive account of what happened at Theranos, and how it was revealed to have been built on lies, secrecy, and an oppressive culture.

It’s a story that sometimes sounds too wild to even be true, but Carreyou’s narrative is an excellent piece of journalism.

Find it here »

‘Imagine It Forward’ by Beth Comstock with Tahl Raz

Random House

“Imagine It Forward” is Beth Comstock’s memoir of her near 30-year career as an executive at General Electric and NBC.

It’s full of juicy tidbits, like the time Comstock interviewed with Steve Jobs for a position at Apple and her meetings with Jack Welch. But the book also features practical advice for people at any level of an organization, like the idea that you can’t expect a promotion to fall in your lap if you never expressed that you wanted it.

The book inspires readers to be creative and innovative, constantly pushing boundaries, regardless of their level in the corporate hierarchy. Comstock writes that she used to hand out “permission slips” to managers, so they would feel free to take risks that could potentially benefit the organization. The idea is to stop making excuses about why you can’t take on big challenges and start holding yourself accountable.

Find it here »

‘Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises’ by Ray Dalio

Bridgewater

Ray Dalio is the founder and co-CIO of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates. Last year, he offered his account of the firm’s highly unusual culture and how it’s an extension of his life philosophy with “Principles: Life and Work,” but this year he released a book on the economy.

“Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises” arrived on the tenth anniversary of the financial crisis, and shows how Dalio and his team learned from and navigated it.

It’s a dense book, not unlike an economics text book, but you’ve got Dalio as your guide throughout, keeping the material as clear as possible. It’s essential reading if you want to truly understand what happened in the last crisis and what to expect from the inevitable next one.