3 Best Books Richard Branson Thinks Everyone Should Read at Least Once

The founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson, recommends his top three books for everyone to read them once

Richard Branson is the gem of the century. He is an entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, business magnate, and, most of all, an avid reader. He founded his Virgin Group in the 1970s that holds over 400 companies today. He stretched his business to engulf diverse fields such as traveling, telecommunication, health services, and music.

Given his busy schedule, who finds company after company and engages with various people on various levels, one can hardly imagine that he would read that much. But to honor World Book Day, he has shared his favorite list of 65 books and recommended them to his admirers. The list contains the most valuable reads that everyone can get benefit from as it contains various genres.

But over the years, he has boiled down his list of recommended books to just three titles he thinks everyone should read once in life. He writes about these three brilliant books like this:

“There is a near endless list of enlightening, enduring, and impossibly brilliant books to recommend, but here are the ones that come immediately to mind.”

3. 1984 by George Orwell

1984 is the classic book by George Orwell published almost 71 years ago on June 8, 1949. The book changed the perception of the world. The book contains a futuristic vision that tells us how totalitarian governments spread misinformation, use propaganda, and make an engineered public opinion and lead people to believe their lies.

I had read it when my friend recommended it to me. But I was amazed to find that the book holds a prominent place in Branson’s top three best books.

If you haven’t read it, Branson feels you should read it. If you have read it in your high school days, he recommends reading it again because you will understand the world more. He believes you should discern and defend the truth above all. He says:

“Although the book is fictional and was written over 70-years-ago, it’s concerning to see how relevant it is today. 1984 explores a dystopian world where a totalitarian regime maintains power through spreading destructive misinformation and propaganda. In today’s world — where science is scrutinized, surveillance is on the rise, fear tactics dominate politics, and ‘alternative facts’ stifle the truth, 1984 explains the unbreakable relationship between truth and freedom. As we navigate the post-truth era, 1984 reminds us why it is important to defend the truth above all else.”

Famous quotes from the book 1984 by George Orwell

“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”

“The best book are those that tell you what you know already.”

“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.”

“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”

“We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.”

2. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson published his famous book, Just Mercy, on October 21, 2014, which opened new vistas of discussion on criminal justice. An unforgettable and movingly true story of how mercy can redeem us and help pave the way to end the illegal detention, incarceration and to defend the wrongly condemned poor people from imprisonment.

The Just Mercy is based on a true story of a poor black man, Walter McMillian, accused of murdering a white woman, Ronda Morrison, in 1986. MacMillian was convicted already and was not provided any remedy to call the witnesses.

When Stevenson studied the case, he was convinced that MacMillian was not guilty. After much resistance from two sheriffs, intimidations of the Stevensons and the MacMillian’s witnesses, finally, Stevensons freed MacMillian. They both remained friends till the death of MacMillian in 2013.

Later on, a follow-up investigation was carried out that confirmed MacMillian’s innocence in the case.

The book is a beautiful memoir against racial injustice, death sentence, execution, incarcerating children, and aimed at reforming the American criminal justice system.

To achieve his goals, Bryan Stevenson founded a non-profitable office, the Equal Justice Initiative, that helps the poor and people of color to get legal help for free. The office dedicatedly works toward the freedom of the poor, children or old, regardless of gender, to get them out of wrongful imprisonment.

According to Branson, the book has already helped people shift their opinion about criminal justice and will, perhaps, changes yours too. Branson tells about the Just Mery like this:

“Bryan’s firm belief that ‘each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done’ is such an important message.”

Quotations from the Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

“We have a choice. We can embrace our humanness, which means embracing our broken natures and the compassion that remains our best hope for healing. Or we can deny our brokenness, forswear compassion, and, as a result, deny our own humanity. I.”

“We have to reform a system of criminal justice that continues to treat people better if they are rich and guilty than if they are poor and innocent.”

“In Alabama, even though 65 percent of all homicide victims were black, nearly 80 percent of the people on death row were there for crimes against victims who were white.”

“Why do we want to kill all the broken people? What is wrong with us, that we think a thing like that can be right?”

“The power of just mercy is that it belongs to the undeserving. It’s when mercy is least expected that it’s most potent —.”

1. Just Kids by Patti Smith

Just Kids is the best memoir written by Patti Smith, published on January 19, 2010. The book recounts the best memories of the relationship of the two American artists. She has provided a glimpse of her relationship with a famous photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe.

Her first book in prose, it offers a remarkable insight into friendship, love, and youth in the late 1960s and early 1970s New York. The book contains an honest and moving depiction of their relationship. She has wrapped the events in her book in a language that is at the same time captivating and insightful.

The book is on the top three lists of Branson. He recommends it to his admirers to read it once in life as the book provides more than the gossips between the two celebrities and enlightens us on the importance of relations in life. Branson describes the book like this:

“Part memoir, part love story, and part eulogy. One of the most enchanting books I’ve ever read. Life is made richer by the people around you and, no matter what direction you're pulled in, you can always come back to yourself.”

Famous quotes from the Just Kids by Patti Smith

“No one expected me. Everything awaited me.”

“Where does it all lead? What will become of us? These were our young questions, and young answers were revealed. It leads to each other. We become ourselves.”

“I learned from him that often contradiction is the clearest way to truth.”

“I imagined myself as Frida to Diego, both muse and maker. I dreamed of meeting an artist to love and support and work with side by side.”

““What will happen to us?” I asked. “There will always be us,” he answered.”