The 25 best self-help and business books
The 25 highest-ranked self-help and business books in our ranking of 2,819, scored on how much readers love them, their prize, best-list and bestseller record, and current buzz. We rank 85 self-help and business books in all. How we rank
- 1Atomic Habits91.0Must-Read Score
Atomic Habits
It's the defining self-help book of the decade: one of the ten best-selling books in America five years running, and more than 400 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists.
- 2
How to Win Friends and Influence People89.7Must-Read ScoreHow to Win Friends and Influence People
It's one of the best-selling books of all time because its advice still works, nearly a century later, in jobs, marriages and friendships.
- 3
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty89.2Must-Read ScoreEmpire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
It's a gripping, meticulously reported story of greed and consequence that reads like a novel and makes you furious.
- 4Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It86.8Must-Read Score
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
It's one of the most widely recommended books on negotiation, and it has spent 48 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists in the last year alone.
- 5Thinking, Fast and Slow86.8Must-Read Score
Thinking, Fast and Slow
It brought a lifetime of research into one book and changed how people think about judgment and decision-making, in business, medicine and everyday life.
- 6
Tuesdays with Morrie83.5Must-Read ScoreTuesdays with Morrie
It spent more than a year at #1 on the New York Times list and is one of the best-selling memoirs ever.
- 7Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup83.5Must-Read Score
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
It spent 84 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists and is one of the defining business books of its era.
- 8The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine83.4Must-Read Score
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
It spent six weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and more than 100 weeks on the lists overall.
- 9
Outliers: The Story of Success83.3Must-Read ScoreOutliers: The Story of Success
It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list and popularized the "10,000-hour rule." It's fast, entertaining and full of conversation-starting stories.
- 10Unreasonable Hospitality83.3Must-Read Score
Unreasonable Hospitality
It has spent more than 120 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists and became a favorite after appearing on the TV series The Bear.
- 11The Simple Path to Wealth83.0Must-Read Score
The Simple Path to Wealth
It has become a foundational book of the Financial Independence movement and has spent 33 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists.
- 12Shoe Dog82.9Must-Read Score
Shoe Dog
It spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists, and it's one of the most loved business memoirs ever written.
- 13
Moneyball82.9Must-Read ScoreMoneyball
It's on the Guardian's list of the best books of the century and became a film with Brad Pitt.
- 14Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End82.9Must-Read Score
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
It spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists and changed how many doctors and families talk about aging and dying.
- 15
Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China81.8Must-Read ScoreAge of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China
It won the National Book Award and was a Pulitzer finalist.
- 16The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times81.4Must-Read Score
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times
It spent eight weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
- 17
What Happened to You?80.7Must-Read ScoreWhat Happened to You?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist and a bestseller.
- 18
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives80.4Must-Read ScoreCobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives
It was a Pulitzer finalist and a Goodreads Choice finalist.
- 19
Steve Jobs80.1Must-Read ScoreSteve Jobs
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller.
- 20
Elon Musk80.0Must-Read ScoreElon Musk
It hit #1 on the New York Times list and spent months on it.
- 21
Have a Little Faith: A True Story79.9Must-Read ScoreHave a Little Faith: A True Story
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller.
- 22The Ride of a Lifetime79.8Must-Read Score
The Ride of a Lifetime
It has spent 45 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists.
- 23Will78.5Must-Read Score
Will
It reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and won the NAACP Image Award for literature.
- 24
192977.9Must-Read Score1929
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and was a Goodreads Choice finalist.
- 25Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World77.4Must-Read Score
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
It has spent 38 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists.