What books on immigrant achievement do you suggest?
The library is vast, but we found these books most helpful in understanding the power of immigrants and the secrets of immigrant entrepreneurs.

THE HYPOMANIC EDGE
The Link Between a Little Craziness and a Lot of Success in America, by John D. Gartner, Simon & Schuster, 2005
One of the most fascinating books on the risking taking brilliance of entrepreneurs that you will ever read.

THE GOOGLE STORY
Inside the Hottest Business, Media and Technology Success of Our Time, by David A. Vise and Mark Malseed, Delta Trade Paperbacks, 2008.
An entertaining profile of teammates Sergey Brin and Larry Page and the remarkable company they created.

THEY MADE IT
by Angelika Blendstrup, Happy About, 2007.

Blendstrup, an American culture coach to many successful immigrants in Silicon Valley, asked super achievers how they did it, then revealed their answers in an easy to read, Q&A format.

TOP OF THE CLASS
How Asian Parents Raise High Achievers and How You Can Too, by Dr. Soo Kim Abboud and Jane Kim, Berkley Books, 2006.

Sisters Soo and Jane, the daughters of Korean immigrants, reveal the real secrets to Asian success.

THE NEW AMERICANS
How the Melting Pot Can Work Again, by Michael Barone, Regnery Publishing, 2001.

A penetrating and reassuring examination of the role of immigrants, and America’s ability to assimilate them, by one of the nation’s foremost political historians.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ANDREW CARNEGIE AND HIS ESSAY
The Gospel of Wealth, Signet Classics, 2006 (originally 1920).

The über immigrant entrepreneur, Andrew Carnegie, tells his amazing story of falling in love with books and knowledge, and of his ambition to achieve something special in life. The book starts with his life as a young penniless boy in Scotland, his immigration to America, and his success in creating Carnegie Steel and later dedicating his life to philanthropy.

IMMIGRANTS : YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS THEM
by Philippe Legrain, Princeton University Press, 2006

Legrain does a great job in documenting the financial, cultural and other benefits that immigrants bring to their new countries.

A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS
by John F. Kennedy, HarperCollins, 1964

Robert Kennedy writes in the forward that his brother John first penned this book in the 1950’s as a “weapon” for immigration law reform to end the legal bias against non-Europeans (which eventually happened via the 1965 Immigration Act).

THE UPROOTED
The Epic Story of the Great Migrations that Made the American People, Oscar Handlin, Little, Brown & Co, 1953

Quoted by John F. Kennedy in his book, A Nation of Immigrants, The Uprooted is a poignant depiction of the severe physical hardships and humiliations that immigrants withstood to immigrate to America in the 19th and early 20th centuries.


RESTLESS NATION
Starting Over in America, by James Jasper, Unviersity of Chicago Press, 2000

A startling book that uncovers the penchant of Americans to move and relocate, 1 out of 5 every year. An insightful look at the American character, and its connection to our immigrant heritage.

IMMIGRANT ENTERPRENEURS
Venturing Abroad in the Age of Globalization,by Robert Kloosterman (editor), Alan Russell (editor), and Jan Rath (editor), Berg Publishing, 2003.

An scholarly look at immigrant entrepreneurship around the world. Interesting chapter on immigrant entrepreneurship, breaking down the rates of entrepreneurship by nationality Greeks, Koreans and Iranians head the list!

OUTLIERS
The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown and Company, 2008

Fantastic book about the origins of success, written by Malcolm Gladwell the immigrant journalist from the U.K. who writes for The New Yorker and penned another big hit, the Tipping Point. In Outliers, he explores the work ethic and technology successs of Asian immigrants by connecting it to the centuries old “Rice Paddy” culture.

CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE
America’s Heartland in the Age of Globalism, by Richard C. Longworth, Bloomsbury USA, 2008

Richard Longworth, a fellow at the Chicago Council on World Affairs, and former reporter of Chicago Tribune (twice nominated for Pulitzers), looks at the Midwest and rust belt region, documents its historic rise to commercial glory, and its slow and painful decline. He sees immigrants as an important part of a larger revitalization plan for the region.

FROM IMMIGRANT TO INVENTOR
by Michael Pupin, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1930.

Michael Pupin was an immigrant from a small town in Serbia who became one of America’s greatest scientist. This book outlines his immigrant experience and his belief that an “outsider” can see things that often are not perceived by the native.

TOWERS OF GOLD
How one jewish immigrant named isaias hellman created california, by Frances Dinkelspiel, St. Martin’s Press, 2008

A wonderful account of Isaias Hellman’s climb to commercial fame. The German immigrant started out as a clerk in his cousin’s dry goods store in 1859, soon became L.A.’s first banker, and later build a banking empire.

GLOBALITY
Competing with Everyone from Everywhere for Everything, by Harold L. Sirkin, James W. Hermerling, and Arindam K. Bhattacharya, Business Plus, 2008

Fascinating account of the hyper-competitive world we now live in, where the boundaries of borders, language and distance are increasingly irrelevant.

THE CITY
A Global History, by Joel Kotkin, Modern Library, 2006.

A remarkable examination of cities by historian and social commentator Joel Kotkin. Kotkin has long been a pioneer in seeing why cities succeed, and why they don’t.

FLIGHT OF THE CREATIVE CLASS
The New Global Competition for Talent, by Richard Florida, HarperBusiness, 2005.

Florida examines the mobility of the creative class, and their movement to places that welcome and integrate talented people of all shapes and sizes.

THE ROAD TO HOME
by Vartan Gregorian, Simon & Schuster, 2003

A beautifully written chronicle by Vartan Gregorian, the President of the Carnegie Foundation, about his life in Iran as an Armenian minority, moving to Lebanon for education, and eventually to Stanford. The former President of Brown University and the New York City Library System writes with love and a unparalleled knowledge of history and the human heart.

Andy Grove, THE LIFE & TIMES OF AN AMERICAN
by Richard S. Tedlow, Portfolio, 2006

This book about Andy Grove provides much insight into the co-founder of Intel and one of the most successful immigrants to America.

THE GLOBAL CITY
by Saskia Sassen, Princeton University Press, 1991

This book by sociologist and historian Saskia Sassen is the bible for those interested in what makes cities economically and culturally vibrant in the global age.

INNOVATION AND ENTERPRENEURSHIP
by Peter Drucker, HarperBusiness, 1985

Peter Drucker, the management guru and immigrant from Austria, looks at the knowledge economy and writes incisively about the importance of understanding the changing demography within the economy.

THE NEW ARGONAUTS,
Regional Advantage in a Global Economy, by AnnaLee Saxenian, Harvard University Press, 2006

AnnaLee Saxenian is a pioneer at connecting the dots between immigrant innovation and entrepreneurship and the New Economy. Based on years of research, here she writes about Silicon Valley and the immigrants that helped make it the center of the information technology universe.

IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY ENTERPRENEURS
Continuous Rebirth of American Communities, by John Sibley Butler, Praeger, 2004

John Sibley Butler, a professor at University of Texas, Austin, and Director of the IC² Institute, edits this wonderful book on immigrant and minority entrepreneurs. In his introduction, he astutely points out that historical similarities of societal exclusion of African Americans and immigrants, and points out his view that both communities are critical entrepreneurial pools of talent for urban revival.

DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA
by Alexis De Tocqueville, Harper Perennial, 1988

This is the ultimate view of a young America by an outsider. Frenchman Alexis De Tocquiville traveled America in the 1830s and comments on the vigor and dynamism of the upstart country, which was in no small amount do to the influx of new immigrants ready to start a new life in the new land.

DREAMS OF MY FATHER
A Story of Race and Inheritance, by Barack Obama, Three Rivers Press, 2004

After becoming the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review, Barack Obama was offered the opportunity to write a book about his young and fascinating life. Born to a white Kansan and black Kenyan, being raised partly in Indonesia with a crocodile in the back yard and monkey in the front, and attending high school in Hawaii which was attracting immigrants from throughout Asia, Barack Obama understands diversity and alienation, and writes with a calm view of a world that does not yet exist.

CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY OF IMMIGRANTS
by Ramaswami Mahalingham, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006

An scholarly examination into the psychology of immigrants, and into the motivations behind the myriad of decisions that immigrants make.

GOOGLE SPEAKS
Secrets of the World’s Greatest Billionaires, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, by Janet Lowe, Wiley, 2009

A rare glimpse into the very private and super elite world of Sergey Brin, one of America’s youngest billionaires, and one of the most successful immigrants in America history.

FRESH BLOOD
by Sanford Ungar, Simon & Schuster, 1995

A joyful read on the need for society to replenish itself with newcomers, and how the energy and optimism of immigrants keeps America moving.

ONLY IN AMERICA
From Immigrant to CEO, by Paul Oreffice, Stroud & Hall Publishing, 2006

The immigrant story of Paul Oreffice, the former CEO of Dow Chemical (founded by immigrant Herbert Henry Dow), who was born in Italy.

STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND
by Robert A. Heinlin, Berkeley Publishing, 1971

A science fiction classic that explores the experience of a space alien arriving on earth trying to fit in. A masterpiece about alienation, being an outsider, and building connections. For all you aliens out there, let’s grok!

BILLIONS OF ENTREPRENEURS
How China and India Are Reshaping Their Futures and Yours, by Tarun Khanna, Harvard Business School, 2008

Harvard Professor Tarun Khanna crafted a beautiful book that will scare the hell out you. By numbers alone, plus the astounding drive, entrepreneurs in China and India are hungry and getting ready to each America’s lunch.

SWIMMING ACROSS
A Memoir, by Andy Grove, Warner Books, 2001

Andy Grove, the most prolific writer of the present day immigrant entrepreneurs, tells his immigrant tale and how his life in Hungry and resettlement in America shaped his thinking for business success.

THE STRANGER
Albert Camus, Vintage, 1989

No one who has run the gauntlet of the American immigration system is unfamiliar with the concepts served up in The Stranger: lost in an inhuman, unforgiving and indiscernible bureaucracy that breaks you down, bit by bit.

FOUNDERS AT WORK
Stories of Start-ups, by Jessica Livingston, Apress, 2008

A nice collection of stories about start-ups, and the ideas and people behind them.


THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF NEW BUSINESSES
by Amar Bhide, Oxford University Press, 2000

An intellectual giant, Bhide digs deep into how and why companies begin and succeed.

ONLY THE PARANOID SURVIVE
How to Exploit the Crisis Points that Challenge Every Company, Andy Grove, Broadway Business, 1998

Andy Grove never forgets to think like an immigrant. This book explores his business philosophy, which is not far removed from the philosophy of survival and adaptation that he utilized as a new immigrant. He never looks back at the old world, and suggests we don’t either.

THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP DYNAMIC
Origins of Entrepreneurship and the Evolution of Industries, by Claudia Schoonhoven (editor) and Elaine Romanelli (editor), Stanford Business Books, 2001

This book delves into the entrepreneur’s motivations, and the interaction of entrepreneurship and evolving new industries.