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12 GOOD READS EXPAND YOUR SKILLS, GAIN INSIGHT, AND GET INSPIRED WITH THESE TOP PICKS. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike By Phil Knight Nike founder and chairman Phil Knight shares the inside story of Nike's evolution from an intrepid start up company into one of the world's most iconic and profitable brands. In 1963, Knight, who was fresh out of business school, borrowed $50 from his father to launch a company that could import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. In Nike's first year, Knight grossed $8,000 while selling shoes from the trunk of his Plymouth Valiant. Today, Nike's annual sales usually top $30 billion while the swoosh has become an instantly recognizable brand all over the world. Knight tells the story of how he created a brand and culture that changed everything. Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few By Robert B. Reich Reich, a leading political economist and bestselling author, illuminates the path toward restoring America's fundamental promise of opportunity and advancement in Saving Capitalism. At one time, a large and prosperous middle class is what defined America, but that class is shrinking as the country faces its greatest wealth disparity since the Great Depression in the 1930s. In examining how a failing economic system that once made America strong can be fixed, Reich examines a political and economic status quo that no longer serves the people and exposes the myth of the "free market," when alliances between Washington and Wall Street control the invisible hand. The Art of Crisis Leadership: Save Time, Money, Customers and Ultimately, Your Career By Rob Weinhold and Kevin Cowherd Weinhold, the CEO of Baltimore-based crisis management and communication firm Fallston Group, relates authentic stories of people and companies who have dealt with crises and calamities such as social media attacks, sex scandals, financial distress, civic riots, active shooter situations, data breaches, natural disasters, and more. Weinhold learned during his decades serving on the core executive teams of the Baltimore Police Department and the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as from the baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., that leaders' strengths and shortcomings are never more magnified than during the most difficult times. In e Art of Crisis Leadership, Weinhold shares his secrets on how to survive and to thrive during times of crisis. The Mortgage Wars: Inside Fannie Mae, Big-Money Politics, and the Collapse of the American Dream By Timothy Howard Former Fannie Mae CFO Timothy Howard, who held the position from 1990 to 2004, provides a no-holds barred account of the dramatic struggles between corporations and politicians that led to the mortgage crisis. Howard tells readers how Fannie Mae evolved into the most successful mortgage finance system in the world, how the subprime market grew and exploded with very little oversight, how political and financial jockeying sparked the mortgage wars, and what can be done to keep the country from experiencing a similar financial crisis. Howard provides a candid look at how an $11 trillion dollar industry really fights its battles and offers insight on how to keep the mortgage industry safe in an uncertain future.

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