In preparation to our summer program in Portugal, Cascais, we asked our Portuguese partners what are the books that have impressed them and kept them hooked until the final page. This is what we learned..

For Marcos Ribeiro, the Head of Santander Universities these books are Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman and The Digital Mind by Arlindo Oliveira. High IQ may be great, but in the times where computers are becoming smarter than humans, all we have left is an emotional connection, which still gives us an advantage over robots.

A book that has changed the life of Miguel Pinto Luz, VP of the Cascais City Council is the highly praised The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama. He also recommends great Youtube channels such as Smarter Every Day for knowledge on how a backwards brain bicycle really messes with your head and the physics behind cat flipping. The CaseyNeistat channel is for all the rebels out there not willing to act according to the society rules. And if you get in trouble for doing any of the stunts he recommends – you can thank us later for opening up your mind for all the new possibilities!

 Ricardo Marvão, the co-founder of Beta-i would like to break the belief that you cannot do things without money. Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy by Isadore Sharp is a great story on how much you can really do with hospitality and offering a great service. Having a smile on your face and being kind to strangers may not come naturally to you if you’re from the northern hemisphere, but this is eventually what makes or breaks you.

 If you would like to learn more on how innovation is born, then Isabel Rocha, the pro rector for entrepreneurship from Universidade NOVA de Lisboa would recommend any book from Clayton M. Christensen from Harvard. Another book she highly recommends is The Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos on the ultimate learning algorithm and a machine that knows what we want before we have the chance to ask.

Here are all the recommendations to add to your reading list:

 

  1. Daniel Goleman,  Emotional Intelligence
  2. Arlindo Oliveira The Digital Mind
  3. Francis Fukuyama The End of History and the Last Man
  4. Podcast: Smarter Every Day
  5. Casey Neistat: https://www.youtube.com/user/caseyneistat
  6. Isadore Sharp, Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy
  7. Clayton M. Christensen, Innovators Dilemma
  8. Pedro Domingos, The Master Algorithm

If you would like to join EIA in Portugal this July, you can still make it! Limited number of spots still available – apply here!