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Cynthia Johnson's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Cynthia Johnson recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Cynthia Johnson's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1

Propaganda

“Bernays’ honest and practical manual provides much insight into some of the most powerful and influential institutions of contemporary industrial state capitalist democracies.”—Noam Chomsky

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”—Edward Bernays, Propaganda

A seminal and controversial figure in the history of political thought...
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Cynthia JohnsonWhat people don’t realise is that PR was originally called ‘propaganda.’ After World War II, that word had such negative connotations that they changed it to public relations, but PR and propaganda are one and the same. This book offers a really interesting breakdown of how little has changed in, almost, 100 years. (Source)

Dave Elitch[The author] was Sigmund Freud’s nephew. He took all of [Freud]’s theories on the subconscious and came to the conclusion that human beings are either savage animals that are going to rip each other apart, or they can be controlled and made docile via consumerism. (Source)

Jérôme JarreThis book opened my eyes to the marketing industry in a time when I was blindly playing my role in it. (Source)

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2
Extreme You less
Recommended by Cynthia Johnson, and 1 others.

Cynthia JohnsonThe idea of branding is to be unique enough to stand out among the things that are just like you. It’s how she’s presented it, and how she understands and knows that to its core, that’s what’s extraordinary. Not necessarily just her doing it, more so the way that she owns every element of it and has her priorities straight. (Source)

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3

Understanding Media

The Extensions of Man

Terms and phrases such as "the global village" and "the medium is the message" are now part of the lexicon, and McLuhan's theories continue to challenge our sensibilities and our assumptions about how and what we communicate.

This reissue of Understanding Media marks the thirtieth anniversary (1964-1994) of Marshall McLuhan's classic expose on the state of the then emerging phenomenon of mass media. Terms and phrases such as "the global village" and "the medium is the message" are now part of the lexicon, and McLuhan's theories continue to challenge our...
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Recommended by Cynthia Johnson, and 1 others.

Cynthia JohnsonThis book will help change the way you think about digital marketing tools or social media tools, or any sort of communication device. Really focus on what do they do and how do they work first, and then create the content. (Source)

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4

How Google Works

Both Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg came to Google as seasoned Silicon Valley business executives, but over the course of a decade they came to see the wisdom in Coach John Wooden's observation that 'it's what you learn after you know it all that counts'. As they helped grow Google from a young start-up to a global icon, they relearned everything they knew about management. How Google Works is the sum of those experiences distilled into a fun, easy-to-read primer on corporate culture, strategy, talent, decision-making, communication, innovation, and dealing with disruption. more

Gita WirjawanAnother great book by @ericschmidt and @jjrosenberg on how Google hire, manage and help their smart creatives thrive. https://t.co/qqenAmE5qQ (Source)

Russell Poldrack"How Google Works" is a great book, with useful ideas for anyone who manages people and projects and wants to innovate https://t.co/bCPAEdmvfn #SummerReading (Source)

Cynthia JohnsonWhat happens is that we look at things Google, or Facebook, and we see these big corporate enterprises. We don’t see the fact that there are people inside running them, and there have been hurdles. (Source)

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5
Out of Control chronicles the dawn of a new era in which the machines and systems that drive our economy are so complex and autonomous as to be indistinguishable from living things. less

Steve JurvetsonThe single book that’s had the most influence on me my entire life. [...] It started my life long fascination of the biological metaphors in technology. (Source)

Geoffrey Miller@kevin2kelly Love that book. Read it in grad school. Inspired my evolutionary robotics and artificial life research. (Source)

Cynthia JohnsonThis book was the basis of The Matrix. It goes down this rabbit hole of where machines begin and end, and where we fit into that. The entire idea is that as we move into this revolutionary, technology-driven world, we then also become parts of that. (Source)

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6
This is a biography of Darnell Riley, a thug from South Central who worked his way into Paris Hilton's inner circle. less
Recommended by Cynthia Johnson, and 1 others.

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7

No Easy Walk to Freedom

‘There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountain tops of our desires.’

After twenty-seven years in prison, Nelson Mandela finally walked free in February 1990. This collection of his articles, speeches, letters from underground, and the transcripts from his trials, vividly demonstrate the charisma and determination of a towering figure in the struggle for racial equality in South Africa. Now in a new edition, No Easy Walk to Freedom is both a vital historical document,...
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Recommended by Cynthia Johnson, and 1 others.

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8
The incredible tale of how ambitious oil rivals Marcus Samuel, Jr., and Henri Deterding joined forces to topple the Standard Oil empire

Marcus Samuel, Jr., is an unorthodox Jewish merchant trader. Henri Deterding is a take-no-prisoners oilman. In 1889, John D. Rockefeller is at the peak of his power. Having annihilated all competition and possessing near-total domination of the market, even the U.S. government is wary of challenging the great "anaconda" of Standard Oil. The Standard never loses--that is until Samuel and Deterding team up to form Royal Dutch Shell.
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Recommended by Cynthia Johnson, and 1 others.

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9
Andrew Romans captured wisdom from interviews with 100+ Corporate Venture Capitalists (CVCs), independent VCs, CEOs of startups, bankers and lawyers to write the definitive book on the topic of CVC. Masters of Corporate Venture Capital is packed with invaluable advice about how to best raise capital from CVCs, unlock synergies of partnering startups with large corporations for rapid international growth and avoid potential disasters and other dangers related to CVC. More than 20% of all Venture Capital financings include at least one CVC and thus startups need to understand this previously... more
Recommended by Cynthia Johnson, and 1 others.

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10

Let’s face it, we all know people who are irrational. No matter how hard you try to reason with them, it never works. So what’s the solution? How do you talk to someone who’s out of control? What can you do with a boss who bullies, a spouse who yells, or a friend who frequently bursts into tears?

In his book, Just Listen, Mark Goulston shared his bestselling formula for getting through to the resistant people in your life. Now, in his breakthrough new book Talking to Crazy, he brings his communication magic to the most difficult group of all—the downright...

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Recommended by Cynthia Johnson, and 1 others.

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Don't have time to read Cynthia Johnson's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.

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Arne GiskeRich20Something reminded me that my goals aren't too far off, and that, regardless of my age, I can create a business that gives me freedom and great income! (Source)

Jordan Nicole GillI always knew I wanted to do something big but it wasn't until I became part of Daniel's community and started learning from him that I actually took action. Thanks to him and Rich20Something.com for inspiring and motivating me every day! (Source)

James CollierDaniel's support with the Rich20Something community and his insights are probably the #1 reason I've had the success I've experience in business so far. (Source)

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Don't have time to read Cynthia Johnson's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.