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Books I’d skip a date or hangout for :)
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Donnell Ray
Nonfiction, fiction, and self-help I've actually finished cover to cover. These are definitely good enough to make me bail on plans to keep reading.
Sections
3
 
Non-fiction
 
Fiction
 
Self-Help

Non-fiction

The nonfiction that shaped how I see leadership, history, and where things are headed.

 
Donnell Ray profile picture
First book I picked up when I started digging into AI agents; clear entry point without dumbing anything down.
Principles of Building AI Agents: Bhagwat, Sam
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Read it in a couple of sittings. Grounded in a way most memoirs aren't.
Becoming: Obama, Michelle
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Long, but never once felt long. The pacing alone is worth studying.
A Promised Land: Obama, Barack
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Useful lens for anyone trying to stay sharp in a world that rewards confidence over knowledge.
The Death of Expertise: Campaign Against Knowledge
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Changed how I think about influence at work, because you don't need the title to lead.
Leading Without Authority: Keith Ferrazzi
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Fiction

Myth, dystopia, graphic novels, and more stories that pulled me all the way in.

 
Donnell Ray profile picture
A different angle on a myth I thought I already knew. Worth it for the reframe alone.
I, Medusa: Gray, Ayana
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Unsettling in the right way; near-future fiction that sticks with you after you close it.
The Future: Alderman, Naomi
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Read it in high school, picked it back up years later. Hits different now.
1984: George Orwell
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Dense, but every page earns its place. One of the few I'll actually reread.
Invisible Man: Ellison, Ralph
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The premise spirals in ways you won't see coming.
Eight Billion Genies: Charles Soule
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Still the standard for what a graphic novel can do.
Watchmen: Alan Moore
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Self-Help

Books I keep coming back to for money, mindset, and everything in between.

 
Donnell Ray profile picture
If faith is part of how you approach relationships, this one's worth working through together.
Together With Christ: A Dating Couples Devotional
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Donnell Ray profile picture
One I come back to every year or so. Simple ideas, hard to actually live out.
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Less about the math, more about behavior. Reframed how I think about money.
The Psychology of Money: Lessons on Wealth
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Not an easy read, but an important one. worth sitting with.
The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Flips a lot of conventional 'success' advice on its head.
Barking Up the Wrong Tree
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Dense but practical, and it's the kind of book you annotate.
Awaken the Giant Within: Take Control
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Read this while I was still figuring out what building something outside the 9-5 could look like.
The 4-Hour Workweek
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Donnell Ray profile picture
Good entry point if investing still feels intimidating. this made it click early for me.
Learn to Earn: Beginner's Guide to Investing
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