Celebrate World Book Day 2025 With Must-Reads From Ross Alums
Looking to curl up with a good book? This month is the perfect time to expand your library as we celebrate World Book Day on April 23.
World Book Day celebrates reading and promotes the accessibility of books from every genre. Numerous Michigan Ross alums, from consultants to CEOs, small business owners, and faculty, have published their own works, including children’s books, historical accounts, autobiographies, and everything in between.
To celebrate World Book Day, we’ve compiled a list of books by Michigan Ross authors to add to your reading list this year.
For a more complete list of books, check out the World Book Day 2024 list for last year’s featured books.
The Shift
How Digital Innovation is Irreversibly Transforming Gastroenterology and Healthcare
Author: Praveen Suthrum, MBA ’04
Genre/Topic: Nonfiction - Health
What if the future of healthcare is already here, but you haven’t noticed it yet? We live in an era of digital innovation, which is reshaping every aspect of our lives. Healthcare, particularly gastroenterology, stands on the brink of radical transformation. The Shift delves deep into this change, offering insights from leading innovators on how artificial intelligence and other exponential technologies are revolutionizing patient care. Beyond technological advancements, this book challenges you to rethink your mindset and question the status quo to steer healthcare toward a different future.
Ripening Time
Author: Patrice Gopo, MBA/MPP ’07
Genre/Topic: Children’s book - Fiction
Delight in the power of food to create delicious, lasting memories with this poetic and playful exploration of the joy of waiting for and finally sharing fried plantains. Ripening Time celebrates how food and family connect us across generations — and serves as a touching reminder that some of the sweetest rewards in life are worth the wait.
Michigan Ross School of Business: A Century of Stories Celebrating the “Leaders and Best”
Author: George John Siedel, JD ’70, professor emeritus of business administration and business law
Genre/Topic: Nonfiction - History
How did a new business school with 22 students in 1924 evolve into a world-class leader in management education a century later? Who were the legendary faculty members who revolutionized the accounting profession, influenced public policy decisions by U.S. presidents, and created the vocabulary that shapes business strategy? What role does the school’s location within a world-renowned university and a popular college town play in the school’s success? These and other questions are answered as Siedel reveals the secret sauce that enabled Michigan Ross to build a better world through business.
Deal Guy
The Life and Adventures of Alan Gelband
Author: Alan Gelband, BBA ’65/MBA ’67, and Michelle Miller
Genre/Topic: Nonfiction - Autobiography
Investment banker. Rock band manager. All-women’s brokerage firm founder. Self-help greeting card guru. Cosmopolitan’s Bachelor of the Month. These are just a few of the labels that accurately describe Alan Gelband, in addition to “devoted husband,” “proud father,” and “deeply loyal friend.” In this memoir, written on the evening of his 75th birthday, Gelband recounts it all with honesty, humor, and searching insight into what the human experience is all about. His conclusion? It really is a crazy ride, and he’s an awfully lucky man.
A Capital Journey
Author: Scott Douglas Halm, MBA ’79
Genre/Topic: Nonfiction
A Capital Journey is the culmination of a 35-year quest to photograph our 50 state capitol buildings. Fifty unique stories intertwine with humor and emotion, with a bit of history, architecture, and geography added, creating an entertaining and personal journey through our 50 states. At the same time, the author grows from a rookie traveling teenager to a seasoned traveler grandfather-to-be. Enjoy the ride!
Contact author directly for purchase information
The Great Recession Resurrection
How I Brought My Career Back to Life and Tips to Navigate Unemployment During a Down Economy
Author: Omurhu U. Onokpise, MBA ’07
Genre/Topic: Nonfiction - Business/Memoir
The Great Recession Resurrection is the story of how Onokpise navigated trying circumstances to achieve his dream opportunity. It also lays out the practical steps that any faithful professional can diligently follow to overcome unemployment challenges and achieve their dream career opportunity. Unemployed people are not throwaways. They are just one step away from the door that leads to their destiny. Sometimes, that door might be a gateway, and sometimes, it may be a pinhole. The key is to be prepared and ready to take advantage of the blessing before you.
Outsmart the Learning Curve
How Ordinary People Can Achieve Extraordinary Success
Author: Joe Sipher, BA ’86/MBA '93
Genre/Topic: Nonfiction - Personal Growth/Careers
Are you ready to transform your life and achieve extraordinary success? Outsmart the Learning Curve reveals the secrets of how ordinary people can overcome obstacles, rapidly acquire new skills, and reach their full potential. Whether you're a recent grad, a mid-career professional seeking change, or simply striving for continuous improvement, this book is your roadmap to personal and professional growth.
The Startup Squad: You're the Boss
A Kid's Ultimate Guide to Starting Your Own Business
Author: Brian Weisfeld, BBA ’90 and Bonnie Bader
Genre/Topic: Nonfiction - Middle Grade/Young Entrepreneurs
Are you bursting with great ideas for a new business but unsure where to start? Do you know that you'd be great at selling something, but first, you need to figure out what that "something" actually is? Are you gearing up to be an entrepreneur, but think that kids can't really build anything big? If any of these sound like you, you've come to the right book! You’re never too young to start a business. Whether you want to launch a babysitting service, run a lemonade stand, sell crafts online, or don’t even know what business to start — You're the Boss is here to help. In this book, you'll learn how to figure out which business is right for you, find your ideal customers, manage the competition, calculate costs and profits, pitch your ideas, and so much more.
The Co-Intelligence Revolution
How Humans and AI Co-Create New Value
Author: Venkat Ramaswamy, professor of marketing, and Krishnan Narayanan
Genre/Topic: Nonfiction - Artificial intelligence
We stand at the dawn of a new industrial revolution — not one defined by automation and substituting human intelligence but by co-intelligence, where human ingenuity and artificial intelligence (as a different kind of intelligence) collaborate in ways never imagined. The Co-Intelligence Revolution is a visionary road map for this emerging era, which will redefine human experiences, innovations, and economic and social systems, reshaping not just how we work but also how we live.
Advanced Introduction to Corporate Compliance
Author: David Hess, Everett E. Berg Professor of Business Administration and professor of business law
Genre/Topic: Nonfiction - Business
Providing a clear overview of compliance programs, Hess explores not only their key features and how to implement them but also the public policy issues related to their use in criminal and regulatory law enforcement. Hess uses research on behavioral ethics and organizational behavior to present insights into implementing compliance program elements and establishing an ethical corporate culture.
Business School and the Noble Purpose of the Market
Correcting the Systemic Failures of Shareholder Capitalism
Author: Andrew Hoffman, professor of management and organizations
Genre/Topic: Nonfiction - Business
Business School and the Noble Purpose of the Market explains the intellectual foundation MBA students, faculty, and administrators need to reform capitalism and restore its noble purpose for the 21st century. Many business students seek this kind of education and are frustrated that they are not getting it from their professors. This book will fill in gaps in their education, equipping them with the models and mindset to rethink shareholder capitalism and serve society's needs. Business faculty and administrators will find a practical program for amending curriculum and pedagogy, changing student and faculty rewards, and bringing a new spirit and sensibility to the business school.
Buy at Stanford University Press
The Influence Economy
Decoding Supplier-Induced Demand
Author: Maxim Sytch, Jack D. Sparks Whirlpool Corp. Research Professor of Business Administration, professor of management and organizations, and management and organizations faculty doctoral coordinator
Genre/Topic: Nonfiction - Business
What shapes a buyer's needs and wants? In The Influence Economy, Sytch explores the influences that nudge buyers toward questionable decisions and consumption, revealing how professional services — consulting, marketing, banking, and legal firms — create demand for unnecessary and potentially harmful products and services. Supplier-induced demand can take many forms, including superfluous reorganizations, frivolous lawsuits, and ill-conceived acquisitions. These actions may not only fail to produce positive outcomes but can also inflict detrimental consequences on the buying organization, from squandering valuable resources and demotivating the workforce to disrupting business operations and causing various operational, legal, and financial setbacks.
