This is part of a series of book reviews by Mayer Brown chair Jon Van Gorp, whose reading informs his perspective as a lawyer and leader of a global law firm and helps him draw insight from unexpected sources.

I get a lot of book recommendations. Often the titles fit into the category of professional self-improvement: how to be a better decision maker, how to use time wisely, how to build relationships, both personal and professional. And I like these books because they push readers to focus on simple steps that, if applied with discipline, can help be better at our jobs and in our professional relationships. Others deal with cultural and sociological challenges such as the attention-deficit-inducing effects of the internet and social media.