Curated by Ernie Davis — The People’s Coach
The Coach’s Reading List
Twenty-five books that shape leaders, thinkers, and builders.
The next best thing to having a team of trusted mentors and advisors is access to the books that shaped them. Great books preserve the thinking, strategies, and life lessons of extraordinary individuals—people who refused to accept the status quo and instead chose to build, lead, and influence the world around them.
Through books, you can learn directly from historical figures such as Frederick Douglass, Andrew Carnegie, Harriet Tubman, Henry Ford, Booker T. Washington, and many others whose ideas continue to shape leadership, success, and personal responsibility today.
Why Great Books Matter
Books Preserve Insight You Can Return To for Life
A Permanent Record of Wisdom
Books provide something even the greatest conversation cannot: a permanent record of insight, strategy, and experience that you can revisit, study, and apply throughout your life.
A single powerful book can serve as a mentor for decades. It can sharpen your thinking, strengthen your discipline, and help you see possibilities that were previously invisible.
Why Serious Leaders Build Libraries
Serious leaders invest in their libraries. They read widely, study deeply, and return to the same books repeatedly over time.
Today, that library may include printed books, eBooks, audiobooks, and digital archives. Each format allows great ideas to travel with you wherever you go.
Pictured: Booker T. Washington, U.S. Presidential Advisor, Author, and Educator. Book: Up From Slavery, 1901.
I’ve long admired the teachings and example of Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee Institute, because his life demonstrates what disciplined leadership and institution-building truly look like. Born into slavery, Washington went on to build one of the most influential educational institutions in American history by focusing on practical education, self-reliance, economic development, and character-based leadership. He didn’t wait for perfect conditions—he taught people to build strength where they stood, develop their skills, create opportunities, and establish systems that produced lasting progress. For leaders and entrepreneurs today, his example is a powerful reminder that real influence isn’t built on inspiration alone, but on disciplined execution, strategic thinking, and the willingness to build institutions that outlive us.
A Note on Reading and Transformation
Books Can Change the Way You Think. Systems Help You Apply What You Learn.
Great books introduce new ideas, challenge old assumptions, and expand your understanding of leadership, discipline, and personal responsibility.
But ideas alone rarely change a life. Transformation usually occurs when ideas are organized into a structured process that guides consistent action.
That same principle inspired the development of the 9-Step Life Transformation System™, a structured framework designed to help individuals move from insight to implementation.
If the books on this page resonate with you, the next step may be learning how to apply those ideas within a clear structure.
Pictured: Robert C. Ogden, U.S. Secretary of War, William Howard Taft, 27th U.S. President, Booker T. Washington, and Andrew Carnegie, standing on the steps of a building, at the Tuskegee Institute's 25th anniversary celebration in April of 1906. Book: Think & Grow Rich, By Napoleon Hill.
In this one image you see Booker T. Washington, a man born into slavery who built Tuskegee Institute from the ground up; Andrew Carnegie, one of the most influential industrialists in American history; President William Howard Taft, representing the highest political office in the nation; and Robert C. Ogden, a prominent philanthropist and advocate for education. These men stood together because Washington had done something remarkable—he created a clear vision, developed a practical plan, executed it with discipline, and then shared that vision so effectively that leaders with resources, influence, and authority chose to support it.
Clarity, structure, and execution attract serious allies.
Find your mentors in the books below, discover the 9‑Step Life Transformation System™ and attract the right allies.
The Coach’s Top 25
Twenty-Five Books Worth Reading, Studying, and Returning To
The books below are timeless resources that have helped generations of leaders think more clearly, act more decisively, and pursue meaningful achievement.
Read them carefully. Study them deeply. Return to them often.
#25.
Psycho-Cybernetics is a term coined by Dr. Maxwell Maltz, which means, steering your mind to a productive, useful goal so you can reach …
#24.
This book teaches how each of us shapes the events around us, creating our own lives in the process. It shows how, in our own thou …
#23.
For more than four decades success‐oriented readers have turned to the no‐nonsense, time‐tested motivational techniques described in …
#22.
This is the landmark guide to wealth creation. Wallace D. Wattles spent a lifetime considering the laws of success as he found them in the …
#21.
This little yellow book will change your life as a Speaker and Teacher. These 11 Steps to Powerful Presentation and Public Speaking lai …
#20.
In this book Steve Harvey shows how your gifts hold your greatest chance at achieving massive success and fulfilling your life’s mission and pur …
#19.
Few entrepreneurs can claim to have radically changed the way we live, and Ray Kroc is one of them. His revolutions in food-service au …
#18.
America's leadership expert teaches that if your life in any way connects with other people, you are an influencer. Whatever your vocation or asp …
#17.
What's the difference between a dreamer and someone who achieves their dream? The answer lies in answering ten powerful and stra …
#16.
The complementary book to Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, organizes the success principles of life into twelve universal laws. Each law …
#15.
Are there tested tried and true principles certain to help you rise to a higher level? John Maxwell says yes. He has been passionate about …
#14.
If you’ve never read this book you’ve been missing out on one of the best-selling leadership books of all time. If you have read the original version …
#13.
This Wall Street Journal bestseller, is the perfect, compact read for today's fast-paced world. America's leadership expert John C. Maxwell will teach …
#12.
Are there tested tried and true principles certain to help you rise to a higher level? John Maxwell says yes. He has been passionate about …
#11.
This is the official pdf version of Think & Grow Rich used for our inhouse mastermind study groups and coaching programs. The quality of this …
#10.
Born in a Virginia slave hut, Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) rose to become the most influential spokesman for African-Americans of his …
#09.
A memoir and treatise on the abolition of slavery written by the famous orator and escaped slave Frederick Douglass. It is the most popular narra …
#08.
Dale Carnegie’s time tested advice is carried countless people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. One of the most groun …
#07.
Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim move …
#06.
Are you struggling to run productive meetings within your organization? If two heads are better than one, why does it seem like a room full of people …
#05.
The Negro, whether in Africa or America, must be directed toward a serious examination of the fundamentals of education, religion, literature, …
#04.
In 1937, Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, assembled his most trusted organizers to impart his life's …
#03.
According to countless mainstream news orgs, Elijah Muhammad, by far, was the most powerful black man in America. Known more for …
#02.
Standing apart from all other KJV study Bibles on the market, the King James Study Bible, Full Color Edition is the only Bible featuring extensive …
What Will You Build?
The leaders and thinkers on this page shaped the opportunities many of us now enjoy. The best way to honor their legacy is to use those opportunities by thinking clearly, building something worthwhile, and leaving the path stronger for those who follow.
To help you get started, I’d like to offer you a complimentary copy of my book, The 9-Step Life Transformation System™ | A Foundational Guide to Clarity, Structure, and Execution.
#01.
This is the 11th edition of the best-selling translation of the Meaning of The Holy Qur'an by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, published by Amana Publications. This …
Read Widely. Study Deeply. Apply What Matters.
A strong personal library can become one of the most powerful tools for personal transformation. These books are not simply meant to be read once. They are meant to be studied, revisited, and applied over time.
Enjoy the list, build your library, and share these resources with those committed to growth, leadership, and meaningful progress.
