Celebrate World Book Day With These Books Written by Michigan Ross Authors

World Book Day celebrates reading and promotes the accessibility of books from every genre. Numerous Michigan Ross alums, from CPAs to CEOs, faculty, and small business owners, have published their own works to share with the world, including children’s books, memoirs, explorations of pop culture, and more.

To celebrate World Book Day this year, we’ve compiled a list of amazing books by Michigan Ross authors that we recommend for your reading list.

Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion

Author: Sowmya Krishnamurthy, BBA ’06
Genre/topic: Music/pop culture

This first comprehensive anthology of the marriage between hip-hop and luxury fashion draws on exclusive interviews to tell the story of the hip-hop artists, designers, stylists, and unsung heroes — from Pharrell and Cardi B to Versace and Tommy Hilfiger — who fought the power and reinvented style around the world over the last 50 years.

Named “one of the best books of 2023” by Kirkus Reviews and Booklist and “one of the most stylish” by The New York Times.

Featured in: NPR, New York Magazine, The Breakfast Club, and Harper’s Bazaar.

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Autumn Song: Essays on Absence

Author: Patrice (Harduar) Gopo, MBA/MPP ’07
Genre/topic: Essays/memoir

Autumn Song: Essays on Absence invites readers into one Black woman’s experiences encountering absences, seeing beyond the empty spaces, and grasping at the glimmers of glory that remain. In a world marred with brokenness, these glimmers speak to the possibility of grieving losses, healing heartache, and allowing ourselves to be changed.

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The Nine Shifts: The Mind-First Method To Transform Your Body and Your Life

Author: Deekron Krikorian, MBA ’99
Genre/topic: Health and fitness

When it comes to achieving our desired body and health, the typical approaches of dieting or exercise often fail to deliver lasting change. That's because they do not account for the mental, physical, and external obstacles that can derail us from staying consistent with our habits. By contrast, The Nine Shifts proposes a holistic, mind-first approach to achieving a lasting body transformation.

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Talk to the Devil: Surviving Severe Depression

Author: Howard Frank, MBA ’80
Genre/topic: Mental health

In this candid, no-holds-barred book, a writer battles major depressive disorder with courage, navigating despair to find hope and meaning. Through candid storytelling, we explore the complexities of mental illness and the indomitable human spirit, offering inspiration for resilience and redemption.

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Let’s Be Fair

Author: Robyn K. Fuller Butler, CPA/BBA ’07
Genre/topic: Children’s book

The first title of the Parker & Jhett Rose Chronicles teaches our children to establish a value system, understand consideration, and learn the idea of compensation for completing a task. It is relatable and a great way to begin the conversation about what to do with our money.

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Your Mini Sabbatical

Author: Colleen Newvine, MBA ’05
Genre/topic: Travel

Have you ever gone on vacation and fantasized about tearing up your return ticket? Have you dreamed of quitting your job? Have you wondered what your life would be like on that path not chosen? What if you could run away to chase your dreams – without hitting the eject button on your regular life?

You can do it. Even if you’re pretty sure you can’t. Newvine will show you both how and why to quit your life temporarily.

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Navigating the Impossible: A Survival Guide for Single Moms from Pregnancy through the First Year of Motherhood

Author: Aisha Taylor, MBA/MHSA ’08
Genre/topic: Women’s health

Being a single mom can be overwhelming, but it’s not impossible. Navigating the Impossible helps single moms create a tangible roadmap from pregnancy through the first year of motherhood and deals with the financial, emotional, and spiritual needs of single motherhood. A single mom of twins, Taylor shares lessons and personal reflections on single motherhood and how to lean on God’s promises.

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Borders Bridges Belonging

Author: Premlata Poonia, MBA ’13
Genre/topic: Memoir

This must-read memoir by a U-M alum captures her journey from rural India to small-town America. A panoramic tale, Borders Bridges Belonging travels through many layers of India — rural, urban, and global. Through its masterful emotional exploration, you will feel woven into the hopes of a constantly migrating family, with lighthearted moments, deep insights, and heartfelt stories.

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Better Decisions Faster: Unshakable Confidence When You Need It Most

Author: Paul Epstein, MBA ’19

Genre/topic: Business

In more than 15 years as an NFL and NBA executive, Paul Epstein saw firsthand how even elite performers can become paralyzed by indecision. In Better Decisions Faster, Paul draws from the proven, green-light wisdom of Fortune 500 CEOs, Olympians, Shark Tank entrepreneurs, world-record holders, Ivy League professors, and Navy SEALs to reveal a revolutionary new system for confident decision-making.

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