Your Summer Reading List 2026: Books Harvard Business Professors Are Recommending
If you’re looking to level up your business knowledge with some summer reading, why not pick up a book or two that Harvard Business School faculty are also reading?
Curated by Avery Forman, the Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2026 showcases a few books that business students ought to read. Anyone who’s preparing for an internship, strengthening their resume, or joining the business world can definitely benefit from the messages within these reads.
BOOK NO. 1 – THE VOLATILITY MACHINE
The first pick comes from Mattias E. Fibiger, Associate Professor of Business Administration. He recommends a book called The Volatility Machine by Michael Pettis.
This one is absolutely essential, says Fibiger, for those who want to understand why economies are unstable. It covers financial crises but also has a ton of fun lighthearted humor woven in.
“Idiosyncratic and iconoclastic, Michael Pettis’ The Volatility Machine blends corporate finance, macroeconomic theory, and economic history to explain the recurrence of financial crises across the centuries,” says Fibiger. “I’ve found myself returning to this book, which should be regarded as a modern classic, in our own era of economic turbulence.”
Goodreads say this book is a model of how sovereign liability, international lending, and external shocks shape emerging‑market crises. One reviewer on their site describes it this way: “An excellent combination of market practitioner experience, historical analysis, and a simple, useful theoretical framework… strongly recommended for anyone interested in EM debt and crises.”
BOOK NO. 2 – THE INFINITE ALPHABET: AND THE LAWS OF KNOWLEDGE
Next up is a title recommended by a Harvard’s Professor of Investment Banking, Josh Lerner. His pick is The Infinite Alphabet: And the Laws of Knowledge by César Hidalgo. Lerner says this one is a great choice for students trying to understand how ideas spread and how to position themselves in an AI‑accelerated world.
“Hidalgo looks at the process by which knowledge forms and shapes across economies, a topic particularly relevant in this AI era,” says Lerner. “The many mini‑cases that he features are thought‑provoking and surprising. While the discussion draws on insights from economics, history, and sociology, among other perspectives, the book is super readable.”
Goodreads summarizes the book as one that discusses the “three laws” that govern how knowledge grows, moves, and decays, illustrated through stories ranging from Ecuador’s attempts to build a “city of knowledge” to China’s innovation boom.
One reviewer on Goodreads frames the book this way: “Great introduction and suggestive notions for individuals, groups, or societies on how to better use our talents.”
BOOK NO. 3 – IS A RIVER ALIVE?
If you’re looking for a break from academic work and want something that feels more like an escape while still expanding your worldview, professor of business history Geoffrey Jones has you covered. His summer read has been Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane. For business students who want to understand sustainability as a worldview, this book is the one for you.
“The book takes readers on journeys along rivers in Canada, Ecuador, and India and makes the case that rivers are living things and not just resources for human beings, and should be recognized as such in law,” says Jones. “At a time when concerns about the environment seem to be slipping from many people’s priorities, this enchanting book is a reminder of how all life is interconnected, and of our responsibilities to preserve and protect our planet.”
Goodreads describes this title as a blend of travel writing, natural history, and philosophical inquiry, following Macfarlane through cloud forests, wounded waterways, and wild rivers.
One reviewer on their site writes, “It’s wonderful to get to see someone experience the world, literature, and thinking through these stories… a grounded and beautiful perspective in the ongoing saga of climate change.”
For those who’d like to explore the other recommended titles, the full list can be found on Harvard’s site.
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