(gentle music)
- [Narrator] Given his jam packed schedule
founding company after company
and going on endless daredevil adventures,
you might be surprised to learn
that Sir Richard Branson is a very avid reader.
The Virgin founder often speaks about the books
that have influenced him
and also runs a monthly book club
through a company called Literati.
If you're curious about some of the books
that have shaped this iconic entrepreneur,
Branson detailed his three book recommendations
he feels that everyone should read
at least once in their lifetime.
Branson says there is a near endless list of enlightening,
enduring and impossibly brilliant books to recommend,
but here are the ones that come immediately to mind.
So let's take a look at his top three picks,
Number one, Just Kids by Patti Smith.
Brandon describes Just Kids by rocker, Patti Smith,
as part memoir, part love story and part eulogy.
One of the most enchanting books I've ever read.
The book recounts Smith's early days in the late 1960s,
early 70s, New York.
According to both Branson and other reviewers,
the book offers much more than celebrity gossip
and a portrait of a more bohemian New York.
Branson insists Just Kids reminded him
that life is made richer by the people around you
and, no matter what direction you're pulled in,
you can always come back to yourself.
Number two, 1984 by George Orwell.
If you haven't read Orwell's classic since high school,
Branson suggests now might be the time to revisit it.
Although the book is fictional
and was written over 70 years ago,
it's concerning to see how relevant it is today.
1984 explores a dystopian world
where a totalitarian regime maintains power
through spreading destructive misinformation and propaganda.
In today's world where science is scrutinized,
surveillance is on the rise,
fear tactics dominate politics
and alternative facts stifle the truth,
1984 explains the unbreakable relationship
between truth and freedom.
As we navigate the post-truth era,
1984 reminds us why it's important to defend the truth
above all else.
And number three, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.
You may be familiar with Stevenson,
a celebrated civil rights attorney and the founder
of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice
from his blockbuster Ted Talk,
but Branson insists that just about everyone can benefit
from investing time in his memoir, Just Mercy,
Branson says Bryan's firm belief that each of us
is more than the worst thing we've ever done
is such an important message.
Especially in today's climate,
noting that the book has shifted many people's opinions
on criminal justice.
Perhaps it could shift yours too.