<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/33435971.cms" />The tweets may be tempting, Instagram could be as good as the moment and Facebook may nurse narcissistic pleasures. But the leafy books are the best buddies that soothe your frayed soul. When you are in the corporate world and looking at growing bigger by leveraging knowledge and know-hows, it is also important to keep abreast with the ‘here and now’ of this space that will keep you going.<br />
 <br /> Information is always available to us. But reading brings us closer to wisdom. <keyword id="282274" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Harold-Bloom">Harold Bloom</keyword>, <keyword id="842" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="author">author</keyword> of <em>How to Read and Why</em>, explains in his book that the purest of all reasons (among the ones you could come up with) to read a book is to discover and augment self, shedding all that’s polemic along the way.<br />
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Here is a list (in random order) of the top 10 business books that every Indian must read to operate in the world of business, without losing one’s identity and power of the self.<br />
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<strong>1. Leaders Eat Last</strong><br />
He guided the world about finding the ‘purpose’ with his last book, <em>Start With Why</em>. Now, he tackles the question ‘how.’ In this book, Simon Sinek explores the most pertinent question that bothers all corporate leaders. What does it take to transform the paranoia and cynicism into safety and trust? And pssttt… corporate leaders are not all whom he has met for this book. He gathers a healthy dose from military leaders too!<br />
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<strong>2. Thanks for the Feedback</strong><br /> The content of this book is not meant for the corporate world alone. As the title makes it obvious, dealing with ‘feedback’ is the most important, yet the most difficult thing to do in the corporate world, especially when the feedback is not positive. Douglas Stone and <keyword id="2079217" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Sheila-Heen">Sheila Heen</keyword>, who also co-authored <em>Difficult Conversations</em> in the past, tell the readers how to look at the mirror, but not ask for ego-satiating answers. Instead, learn to accept what’s reflected and the change should happen to the person, and not to the image. Simple logic, yet described innovatively!<br />
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<strong>3. Think Like a Freak </strong>(Will be open to public in mid-May)<br />
The ‘rogue’ (yes, he loves that attribution) economist and a journalist way ahead of their times, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, have penned yet another wonderful guide for self. After the astounding success of <em>Freakonomics</em> and <em>SuperFreakonomics</em>, Steven and Stephen are bringing another gem in the ‘freaky’ series. Sure, the world would love it as much as the earlier two!<br />
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<strong>4. Thrive</strong><br />
Here is <em><keyword id="173701" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Huffington-Post">Huffington Post</keyword></em> co-founder <keyword id="554193" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Arianna-Huffington">Arianna Huffington</keyword>, on her mission to redefine success, beyond the power of money and the ‘clever networking’ it needs to grow. She talks about enhancing self by giving, serving, wisdom and creativity. These are most essential in a materialistic world where people end up doing the wrong things to amass the common parameters of success and stand lost at the end of the road. Growing within self can never leave anyone lonely and without friends – that is what Arianna intends to convey.<br />
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<strong>5. The Three Rules</strong><br /> This is a data-driven era where numbers speak stronger than conviction or the ‘gut feeling.’ So two colleagues at Deloitte put out the results of the analysis they derived from analysing 25,000 companies. They used 45 years of accumulated data. The authors, <keyword id="2187422" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Michael-E-Raynor">Michael E. Raynor</keyword> and <keyword id="218257" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mumtaz-Ahmed">Mumtaz Ahmed</keyword> talk about the basic rules the companies need to operate by. Attention, executives!<br />
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<strong>6. Crucial Conversations</strong><br /> <keyword id="2187423" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="This-New-York-Times">This New York Times</keyword>’ bestseller, with the foreword by management expert Stephen R. Covey, is a very useful tool to help people operate in difficult and high-stress environment without offending the ones with whom they are conversing. Written by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, this book aims at making conversations more persuasive.<br />
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<strong>7. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success</strong><br /> Written by psychologist <keyword id="1296350" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Carol-Dweck">Carol Dweck</keyword>, this book is the result of years of research and in-depth analyses of those studies. A Ph.D. and a Stanford University professor, Dweck talks about the need to change the mindset, in order to embrace success. On a positive note, this book tells why a traveller needs to take the road as it goes, and not insist on the road forming according to his/her wishes.<br />
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<strong>8. How to Win Friends and Influence People</strong><br /> Aha, here we arrive at the most coveted name. Dale Carnegie’s book on ‘life-saving’ techniques to create and maintain relationships, thus carving out a path for successful relationships leading to personal and professional achievements. And yes, it is worth mentioning that this book has changed the lives of many people and influenced them positively, including biggies such as Warren Buffet and <keyword id="6362665" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Berkshire-Hathaway">Berkshire Hathaway</keyword>. Just to put it on record, the book was first published in 1936!<br />
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<strong>9. David and Goliath</strong><br />
Malcolm Gladwell’s brand new bestseller is the toast of the year, probably. The book is dedicated to, not those dashing young intellects, geeks and executives, but to those underdogs who need to realise the advantages they have for themselves in any situation. The Goliaths of the world can be confident and hence careless, working much to the advantage of the Davids. Go, get your copy!<br />
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<strong>10. Lean In</strong><br />
For those who don’t know who the author Sheryl Sandberg is, here’s a pointer. She is the COO of a product that millions of people use to connect with each other – Facebook, to be precise. Sheryl’s book was the most discussed one of 2013. Here she pens some uncomfortable truths about how today’s women are facing career obstacles, but also points out that they can overcome those by speaking up, setting big goals and working hard while building their own support network.<br />


Top 10
Business Books For Indians With Big Dreams

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The best-selling author and one-time Democratic Party insider has aligned herself with figures from the political far right. </li><li>At rallies for her 'Five Freedoms' campaign, Wolf has railed against vaccine passports, mandatory masks, and emergency laws. </li><li>The academic scandal over her latest book <em>Outrages: Sex, Censorship &amp; The Criminalization of Love </em>undermined her literary reputation, while raising serious questions about publishing ethics.</li></ul><p>Many old friends and admirers of <keyword id="216899" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Naomi-Wolf">Naomi Wolf</keyword> are horrified. The great figurehead of 1990s "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCQI-ougLsg">third wave</a>" feminism, who bestrode the highest pinnacles of literature and <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> to become an inspiration to a generation of young women, has morphed into something other than the Naomi they thought they knew.</p><p>Wolf was the author of <em>The Beauty Myth</em>, a classic text that seemed to define the dichotomies of late 20th Century womanhood, and which became the first of her eight <em>New York Times </em>best-sellers. The book's global popularity was enhanced by the dazzle of the author's own persona as a product of Yale and Oxford who seemed to feel the pain of other women, in spite of her own obvious privileges.</p><p>With her apparently impeccable Democratic credentials she stood at the shoulders of Bill Clinton and Al Gore during their respective presidential campaigns, imparting her counsel as a trusted adviser. It was a time when great significance was discerned by many in every word that Wolf wrote or uttered. "<em>The Beauty Myth</em> was a really big deal and it was really smart, it did land her a lot of fame and a lot of plaudits" says Rosie Boycott, feminist pioneer, member of Britain's House of Lords and co-founder of Virago, Wolf's publisher. "She was clever and a good speaker and very competent and she rode a big wave."</p><p>As a public intellectual, Wolf was never far from the drama or the headlines, whether <a href="https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/features/n_9932/">writing in 2004</a> that Harold Bloom, the famous literary critic and her college professor at Yale, had made unwanted sexual advances on her 21 years earlier, or getting arrested at an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-occupy-homes-2011-12">Occupy Wall Street</a> protest in 2011 while dressed in an evening gown. (She happened upon the protesters while exiting a red-carpet event, she later <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/oct/19/naomi-wolf-arrest-occupy-wall-street">wrote, </a>and was advising them about their First Amendment right to use a megaphone.) </p><p>But lately a very different Naomi Wolf has emerged in the wake of an embarrassing academic scandal that has undermined her literary reputation, while raising serious questions about publishing ethics and doctoral examinations. A few weeks ago, she posted video of herself in the firing position, pumping out bullets from a powerful weapon as she underwent firearms training deep in the woods. "Naomi you need help. This is too weird, " <a href="https://twitter.com/KathaPollitt/status/1395483123870142469">responded</a> Katha Pollitt, the New York columnist and author. </p><div type="image" title="Wolf arrested " height="2104" width="3000" msid="83262370" hostid="261"></div><p>Pollitt is <a href="https://themillions.com/2012/09/the-feminist-hate-read-book-club-reads-naomi-wolfs-vagina-a-new-biography.html">not alone</a> in her concern. During recent weeks, as Wolf has aligned herself with figures from the political far right and turned on Joe Biden for taking America on a path to totalitarianism with his strategy for fighting Covid-19, her liberal allies have been aghast. "I daily get texts from friends and former friends telling me to 'stop'. One just messaged 'you're doing incalculable harm.'" she complained on Twitter, where she bombards her 142k followers with messages about vaccine side-effects, the profits of big pharma and the negative impact of masks on children. Benjamin Ramm, a liberal thinker and documentary maker, was an admirer of Wolf and thrilled when she endorsed as "timely and valuable" his 2011 <a href="http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/790817/12199442/1305385327970/citizensmanifesto.pdf?token=dKLZzqaTapuxGwn4tqZX3AjW8iY%3D">paper</a> <em>Citizens: A Manifesto</em>. He laments her current outlook as "very sad", saying "I've seen her wade deeper into a conspiracist whirlpool." (Wolf did not respond to Insider's interview request or a list of questions. As of Saturday, her Twitter account had been suspended.)</p><p>When Wolf was invited onto Tucker Carlson's show on Fox <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">News</keyword> in February, he could barely conceal his delight at the unexpected guest before him. Noting that she was a "faithful lifelong <keyword id="412635" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="democrat">Democrat</keyword>", he said she was "undoubtedly losing friends by being on this show tonight." </p><p>Her political transformation reached a new apogee in May when she enjoyed a love-in with former Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon on his WarRoom podcast. "I appreciate your help," she told the field marshal of the American right, as she thanked his followers for the "support and help and resources" they are giving to her 'Five Freedoms' campaign against vaccine passports, mandatory masks and emergency laws. Bannon, in turn, lauded her efforts and promised "we are going to have you back on."</p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K1eafNga5GM" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>Wolf has taken her protests across America, from Maine to Oregon, where she identified "a fascistic atmosphere" and compared <keyword id="8764262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid">Covid</keyword> rules to Jim Crow laws.</p><p>"I find her transition horrifying," says Boycott, a founding editor of ground-breaking feminist magazine <em>Spare Rib </em>and former editor of British <em>Esquire </em>and several national newspapers. "The moment she lost her grip on the intelligentsia because of a lazy error she had to find a new world to fit into where facts don't matter and that's the world she has gone to. Of course, she would become a superstar within it."</p><p>That "lazy error" stems from Wolf's University of Oxford thesis, which in 2015 fulfilled her dreams of holding a doctorate. The 495-page document was finally made public last month. It came with an embarrassing attachment: over nine pages and arranged in 63 bullet points, it set out 93 corrections and clarifications, from simple typos to serious howlers. This extended erratum slip was all the more remarkable for having been submitted by the internationally-famous author in 2020, five years after examiners had passed her work, granting her the right to use the prefix 'Dr.'</p><p>Furthermore, the DPhil, an exploration of the laws on homosexuality in 19th Century Britain and the life of Victorian poet John Addington Symonds, was the basis for <em>Outrages: Sex, Censorship &amp; The Criminalization of Love</em>, Wolf's latest book. (The release of the thesis was held up until the book's publication, a common practice in academic publishing.) </p><p>So flawed was some of the scholarship behind <em>Outrages</em>, that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the book's original American publisher, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/21/books/naomi-wolf-outrages.html">pulped it</a>. </p><p>At some universities, the book has become a case study in how not to do historical research. Dr Robin Mitchell, associate professor of history at California State University Channel Islands and an author on 19th century history, said her students were transfixed by Wolf's mistakes. "They were terrified of making an error that consequential. I felt like they got the responsibility to getting it right more than she did."</p><p>Dr Matt Lodder, senior lecturer in art history, uses Wolf's book in his "Introduction to Academic Writing and Research" course at the University of Essex. "She didn't read her sources properly, she failed to properly interrogate the existing literature, and she only sought evidence for a predetermined conclusion, rather than trying hard to disprove her hypothesis," he says. "The very idea that a published book can be 'wrong' is really quite a novel idea to young undergraduates, and Wolf's book provides such a perfect, distilled encapsulation of that."</p><p>Things began to unravel for Wolf in 2019 when she was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00057k4">interviewed</a> about <em>Outrages</em> by Dr Matthew Sweet, a presenter on the BBC radio show Free Thinking. The <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-48639663">exchange</a>, in Studio 8A at the top of the BBC's Broadcasting House in London, is excruciating. Wolf said she "found several dozen executions" of gay men extending into the late 19th century, claiming "this corrects a misapprehension…that the last man was executed for sodomy in Britain in 1835." Sweet, who also holds a doctorate from Oxford, told her: "I don't think you are right about this." </p><p>He pointed out that "death recorded," which Wolf had interpreted as an execution, was a term reflecting a crime punishable by death that was commuted to a custodial sentence. He referred Wolf to digitally-archived contemporary newspaper accounts of cases mentioned in her book.</p><p>Sweet says his discovery of the errors "took an hour on the Internet" scrolling on his laptop from his sofa. He thinks they should have been spotted not just by the author but by those who read her book manuscript and examined her DPhil.</p><p>On the radio Wolf came off as contrite and embarrassed. But afterwards she quickly shifted to accusing Sweet and her critics of trying "to whitewash LGBTQ+ history". </p><p>Baroness Helena Kennedy, a human rights lawyer who fact-checked <em>Outrages</em>, admitted that she too had misunderstood "death recorded,' but that the sentence still amounted to a "sword of Damocles" over the head of those convicted. The controversy was "a rather nasty British display of tall poppy syndrome," she suspected. "I am sure there is a high level of sexism in the mix, with a dismissal of female scholarship, and a territorial claim to certain kinds of subject matter." It was all just an  "academic brouhaha," Kennedy said. </p><p>But the whole thing erupted again early this year after Virago, Dr Wolf's British publisher, released the paperback edition with only minimal correction.</p><p>"I've never been so angry about a book," said Dr Fern Riddell, a specialist on the Victorian era and its attitudes to sex, in a 31-tweet thread on the book's errors and troubling omissions. "I know from experience the paperback is when you put your errors right. She hasn't," Riddell says. "Her indifference to these stories, the misleading of her readers, and her decision to commit historical fraud are some of the most disgusting and egregious actions I have ever witnessed another author willfully commit."</p><p>Virago says that it is "satisfied that Naomi Wolf had her book checked by scholars of the period."</p><p>The <em>Outrages</em> case raises questions over publishing ethics and whether Britain's doctoral examination system should be reappraised. "Given that the claims she was making in the doctorate were radically at odds with a well-known and established literature on 19th Century homosexuality, then it should have been absolutely interrogated very closely," says Tim Hitchcock, professor of digital history at the University of Sussex, whose Old Bailey Online archive was misunderstood by Dr Wolf.</p><p>In a statement, Oxford said: "A thesis is a product of its time, and factual matters arising after its publication can be addressed separately by its author attaching clarifications or in further works."</p><h2>"SMOKING GUNS EVERYWHERE" </h2><p>That Wolf completed the thesis at all was a surprise, even to her. A Yale graduate, she arrived at Oxford in 1985 as a Rhodes scholar and describes it as "the place that radicalised me". Her experiences of "an encrusted, smug, disdainful, contemptuous, and inward-looking institution" helped to inspire <em>The Beauty Myth</em>. Raised in San Francisco in a liberal and scholarly family, she wanted to emulate her grandmother, a professor of sociology, and gain a doctorate. But her adviser told her it would be "difficult to defend" her angry and polemical writing before Oxford's examiners, and so she "left in a rage" and turned the thesis into an international bestseller.</p><p>Then, in middle age and as a celebrity writer, she found herself back in the City of Dreaming Spires and riding her bicycle through its hallowed streets, having been invited to complete the DPhil that she failed to complete a quarter of a century earlier. Her thesis, "Ecstasy or Justice? The Sexual Author and The Law, 1855-1885," was examined, passed and placed for posterity in Oxford's historic Bodleian libraries.</p><div type="image" title="GettyImages 83333063" height="3000" width="2114" msid="83262374" hostid="261"></div><p>Some feminist writers who have followed Dr Wolf's career say her misuse of data is nothing new. "Belatedly people are asking questions that should have been asked a very long time ago," says Joan Smith, whose book <em>Misogynies</em> came out around the same time as <em>The Beauty Myth</em>. She remembers confronting Wolf at a TV studio over The Beauty Myth's use of statistics on deaths from anorexia. "She said she spoke to a doctor…who ran a clinic which was largely for patients with eating disorders and he told her what percentage of his patients had eating disorders and she applied that to the entire population of the UK. I thought it was complete nonsense." Wolf's misuse of statistics became the subject of a paper in Eating Disorders, an academic journal.</p><p>Wolf's next book, she says, will be called <em>Step Ten</em>, based on her contention that America is on the brink of fascism, as a result of responses to Covid. "A much-hyped medical crisis," she claims, "has taken on the role of being used as a pretext to strip us all of core freedoms." It is a sequel to a dystopian book Wolf wrote in 2008, The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, in which she examined 20th Century dictatorships and what brought them about. </p><p>But back then, her focus was on the hidden intent behind post-Sept. 11 anti-terror laws and it was Republicans who worried her. In a piece promoting the book, headlined "Fascist America in 10 Easy Steps", she wrote: "It is my argument that, beneath our very noses, George [W.] Bush and his administration are using time-tested tactics to close down an open society."</p><p>Wolf's taste for conspiracy theories is longstanding. She has <a href="https://gawker.com/naomi-wolf-is-a-snowden-truther-513470303">suggested</a> that Edward Snowden was a government plant, questioned the veracity of ISIS videos showing the beheadings of kidnapped Westerners, and posited that the Scottish independence referendum was rigged. She detected a secret agenda in the decision to send American troops to Liberia to coordinate the international response to the Ebola epidemic. It gave the disease a "direct vector into the U.S.", she claimed online. </p><p>More recently she has subscribed to conspiracy theories on the dangers of 5G. "Since November I've been noticing weird things happening in the clouds and also been noticing some strange group consciousness in Manhattan," she observed in a YouTube video on the supposed "huge health hazard" resulting from 5G rollout. She compared Covid adviser Anthony <keyword id="3540587" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="fauci">Fauci</keyword> to "Satan," described vaccine champion Bill Gates as "a monster capable of mass experiments on humans" and claimed that children wearing face masks are losing the ability to smile. "I'm seeing kids with their lower faces hanging inertly, absolutely unmoving facial muscles, when they take their masks off," she <a href="https://twitter.com/naomirwolf/status/1370521412381851649?lang=en">tweeted</a>.</p><p>When she recently complained that "progressive" friends were trying to "shame/bully me for talking to conservatives about liberty," Wolf argued: "How can I stop doing what I've always done?"</p>

Naomi Wolf's slide from feminist, Democratic Party icon to the 'conspiracist whirlpool'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54db696e69beddb222fd9830-842-632/abraham-lincoln-grant.jpg" border="0" alt="abraham lincoln grant"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln#mediaviewer/File:The_Peacemakers_1868.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p><p class="caption">The Peacemakers</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>In less than two centuries, about <a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/02/20/147062501/forget-lincoln-logs-a-tower-of-books-to-honor-abe">15,000</a> books have been written on Abraham Lincoln and his presidency.</p><p>Trying to weed through the options in order to figure out which ones are actually worth reading is a pretty daunting task.</p><p>In honor of Lincoln's birthday on Wednesday, we've put together a list of six great books about the 16th president of the US - each dealing with a different facet of his presidency.</p><p>Whether you're looking for the overall story, an analysis of his political career, or even something on the Gettysburg address, we've got it here. </p><hr><h3>1. "Lincoln" by David Herbert Donald</h3><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54db796e6bb3f7042680249a-898-673/abraham-lincoln.png" border="0" alt="Abraham lincoln" width="400" height="300"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></img></div><p></p></div>Why you want to read it:</strong></p><p>Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Herbert Donald tells the story of Lincoln's ascent from rural Kentucky to his presidency during the Civil War.</p><p>This one's a great option for anyone who wants an easy, flowing account of one of the most complex presidencies.</p><p>Book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/068482535X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=068482535X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biiplincolnbooks-20&amp;linkId=W2UPHURI6OKCSHJV">$15.02</a><br>Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/068482535X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=068482535X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biiplincolnbooks-20&amp;linkId=W2UPHURI6OKCSHJV">$14.99</a></br></p><hr><h3>2. "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin</h3><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54db799d6da8110043326d77-864-648/abraham-lincoln-1.png" border="0" alt="abraham lincoln" width="400" height="300"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></img></div><p></p></div>Why you want to read it: </strong></p><p>Doris Kearns Goodwin examines Lincoln's political genius through a multi-biography of him and his team of personal and political competitors.</p><p>She outlines how he brought together disgruntled opponents and harnessed their talents to keep the Union together.</p><p>Book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743270754/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0743270754&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biiplincolnbooks-20&amp;linkId=YVH5YMKRPTE3Y27W">$14.28</a><br>Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743270754/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0743270754&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biiplincolnbooks-20&amp;linkId=YVH5YMKRPTE3Y27W">$11.99</a></br></p><hr><h3>3. "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era" by James M. McPherson</h3><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54db79f36bb3f7292580249c-710-533/abraham-lincoln-2.png" border="0" alt="abraham lincoln" width="400" height="300"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></img></div><p></p></div>Why you want to read it: </strong></p><p><span>This book focuses on the Civil War, not just on Lincoln. But arguably, it's impossible to understand one without the other.</span></p><p><span>"Likely to become the standard one-volume history of our Civil War, this [book] vivifies, with palpable immediacy, scholarly acumen and interpretive skill, events foreshadowing the conflict, the war itself and its basic issue: slavery," writes Publishers Weekly.</span></p><p>Book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743270754/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0743270754&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biiplincolnbooks-20&amp;linkId=YVH5YMKRPTE3Y27W">$13.10</a><br>Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743270754/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0743270754&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biiplincolnbooks-20&amp;linkId=YVH5YMKRPTE3Y27W">$9.99</a></br></p><hr><h3>4. "Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade American" by Garry Willis</h3><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54db7a216bb3f7712880249c-855-641/abraham-lincoln-3.png" border="0" alt="abraham lincoln" width="400" height="300"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></img></div><p></p></div>Why you want to read it: </strong></p><p>The book examines Lincoln's Gettysburg address in the context of its historical and cultural frame.</p><p><span>"Garry Wills has given our nation's greatest gathering of words . . . new urgency . . . demonstrating that Lincoln's words still have power," wrote The New York Times' William McFeely.</span></p><p>Book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743299639/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0743299639&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biiplincolnbooks-20&amp;linkId=JQOWH6LGFWJQD6QG">$13.04</a><br>Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743299639/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0743299639&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biiplincolnbooks-20&amp;linkId=JQOWH6LGFWJQD6QG">$11.99</a></br></p><hr><h3>5. "Lincoln's Body: A Cultural History" by Richard Wightman Fox</h3><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54db7a4769bedd7f66fd9832-707-530/abraham-lincoln-4.png" border="0" alt="abraham lincoln" width="400" height="300"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></img></div><p></p></div>Why you want to read it: </strong></p><p><span>"In his sweeping discussion of Lincoln's physical body (how people viewed it during his lifetime or interpreted it after his death), Richard Wightman Fox deftly traces the high-stakes cultural battle-waged in poetry, prose, art, and film-over the meaning of Lincoln, man and myth, from his day to our own," writes Brenda Wineapple.</span></p><p>Book: $21.11<br>Kindle: $14.16</br></p><hr><h3>BONUS: <br>6. "Lincoln: A Novel" by Gore Vidal</br></h3><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right" style="width:401px"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54db7a6cecad04e57da75725-693-519/abraham-lincoln-5.png" border="0" alt="abraham lincoln" width="401" height="300"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></img></div><p></p></div>Why you want to read it: </strong></p><p>Technically, this one's a work of historical fiction, so we're labeling this as a bonus. Nevertheless, it's an incredible work that's worth the read.</p><p><span>"Superb . . . a grand entertainment. . . . A plausible and human Lincoln, of us and yet beyond us," wrote Yale professor Harold Bloom.</span></p><p>Book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375708766/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0375708766&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biiplincolnbooks-20&amp;linkId=NVZQAFXO67YAQRXI">$14.32</a><br>Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375708766/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0375708766&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biiplincolnbooks-20&amp;linkId=NVZQAFXO67YAQRXI">$11.84</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FQKRUG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B001FQKRUG&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipvalentinesmovies-20&amp;linkId=BP6T25YATMJN2VFM"><br /></a></br></p><p class="tagline">Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Business Insider's Insider Picks team. We aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting, and if you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale. This is not an advertiser sponsored post and we operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback.Have something you think we should know about? 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There are about 15,000 books on Abraham Lincoln - here are the 6 you should read

<p class="p2">You're never too old for a great book.</p><p class="p2">We've put together a list of our 16 favorite stories on growing up and what it means to be a man. They cover everything from how to live to how to be a leader to how people should handle crises.</p><p class="p2">Check them out.</p><form action="http://www.amazon.com/gp/aws/cart/add.html" method="GET"><hr><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e79833ecad048027e01aaf-777-379/screen shot 2015-02-20 at 3.07.21 pm.png" border="0" alt="books man"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E32MUEA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B00E32MUEA&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=MA2U7FASRSV4AVR4">"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig</a>, from $1.53<br /></strong>This book addresses the fundamental question of how to live life. The author suggests that no matter what a person is doing, he should do it with care and without external distraction.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385474547/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0385474547&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=DWIXGG6NU4GRI7IP">"Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe</a>, $7.99 for Kindle, $10.09 paperback</strong><br>The leader of a Nigerian village, Okonkwo, deals with the question of what it means to be a man as he navigates the shift from tradition to modernity.</br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553208845/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0553208845&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=345OGJKL5TNYUK5R">"Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse,</a> $0.99 for Kindle, $5.99 paperback</strong><br>Siddhartha's life is the classic tale of self-discovery. He pursues enlightenment and ultimately discovers that it is experience that leads to understanding. Moments alone, he finds, are meaningless.</br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374500010/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0374500010&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=GB2IMNFWU4CNTOGK">"Night" by Elie Wiesel</a>, $5.99 for Kindle, $6.00 paperback</strong><br>Elie Wiesel writes about his imprisonment at Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps, and his struggle to maintain his faith during moments of absolute brutality.</br></p><hr><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e7984becad04fa27e01aa9-765-328/screen shot 2015-02-20 at 3.10.57 pm.png" border="0" alt="books how to be a man"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307947106/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0307947106&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=P3OE33PLHECEFIU7">"Palace Walk" by Naguib Mafouz</a>, $13.16 paperback</strong><br>Mafouz's novel is set in Egypt right before the 1919 revolution. He describes the daily lives of a tyrannical husband and father, his docile wife, and their sons and daughters. </br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019953604X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=019953604X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=3S4D3G2PWYBMZPN2">"Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev</a>, $8.40 paperback</strong><br>Anyone who goes home for major family reunions during Thanksgiving will completely relate to this book. The story details the relationship between liberal students and their old school fathers.</br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374528373/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0374528373&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=FCLH4UGMX4DOZWYZ">"The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky</a>, $9.99 for Kindle, $12.66 paperback</strong><br>Dostoevsky debates the questions of morality, free will, law and science via four brothers. Albert Einstein <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/sep/17/featuresreviews.guardianreview4">reportedly</a> said that this is "the most wonderful book I ever laid my hands on."</br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140268863/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0140268863&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=ZFTQ2Z5XWNRD5IT5">"The Odyssey" by Homer</a>, $10.17 paperback</strong><br>Odysseus comes home after being MIA for 20 years to find his son grown up and his wife fighting off suitors. He must reclaim both his family and his kingdom.<br><br /></br></br></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e798656da811e809885280-763-326/screen shot 2015-02-20 at 3.14.04 pm.png" border="0" alt="books how to be a man"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1503379647/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1503379647&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=PUHQL53WOKKRBLI7">"The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli,</a> $6.99 paperback<br /></strong>Machiavelli declares that it's better to be feared than loved in this 16th century text. Hundreds of years later, we still haven't figured out whether that's true or not - and that makes this a very relevant text for any leader.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743482743/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0743482743&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=WCTELZJAIT2AGAA5">"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare</a>, $0.99 Kindle, $5.99 paperback</strong><br>The major characters, including Caesar and Brutus, deal with the complicated questions of free will, public versus private life, and whether friendship or ambition is more important.</br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1505572835/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1505572835&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=NSS2ED63PHJJYNVI">"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu</a>, $6.99 paperback</strong><br>Sun Tzu believes that although people should try to avoid war, it is a necessary evil. He argues about the importance of strategic positioning and meticulously describes war tactics. Interestingly, many of his principles can be applied to the business world.</br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416547878/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1416547878&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=EDDVTA6XTQSPLUIY">"The Bully Pulpit" by Doris Kearns Goodwin</a>, $11.99 Kindle, $17.24 paperback<br /></strong>This text chronicles the first decade of the progressive era - a turbulent time full of reform and change - via the friendship of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.</p><hr><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e798a7eab8ea0213d8ea8a-766-326/screen shot 2015-02-20 at 3.17.28 pm.png" border="0" alt="books how to be a man"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684803356/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0684803356&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=FTT4CAZ6NLRBWNER">"For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway</a>, $10.56 paperback</strong><br>Hemingway explores the value of human life and the atrocities of war with this mega-novel. Despite the pervasive cynicism, characters are often rejuvenated with romantic episodes.</br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0449213943/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0449213943&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=BZLZGFTA6PSFQFXR">"All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque</a>, $3.99 Kindle, $6.99 paperback</strong><br>Remarque, a WWI vet, writes about how soldiers truly feel in the war-zone - the incomparable stresses of combat and total detachment from civilian life.</br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140444688/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0140444688&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=JAM6ID3GCRXHIGFZ">"The Sevastopol Sketches" by Leo Tolstoy</a>, $4.74 paperback</strong><br>If you're can't handle the extra 1,000 pages of drama and social affairs in "War and Peace," this is for you. These three short stories chronicle what life was actually like in the Crimean war.</br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618706410/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0618706410&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=CP3I2MJM5TVEWXDF">"The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien</a>, $8.52 Kindle, $9.92 paperback</strong><br>"O'Brien's meditations--on war and memory, on darkness and light--suffuse the entire work with a kind of poetic form, making for a highly original, fully realized novel," Publishers Weekly <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618706410/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0618706410&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=DE7D7JTESYBEZG44">wrote</a> during the first printing.</br></p><hr><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e798c069beddd10e6dff08-780-330/screen shot 2015-02-20 at 3.20.45 pm.png" border="0" alt="books how to be a man"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226470490/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0226470490&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=CJUFMFZQFKYBWJ2F">"The Iliad" by Homer</a>, $8.10 Kindle, $11.54 paperback</strong><br>"The Iliad" is the original adventure story where heroes like Achilles and Hector learn that true heroism is not determined by the number of enemies killed.</br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393320979/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0393320979&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=G76RDE6FZQMCBW2Q">"Beowulf" translated by Seamus Heaney</a>, $10.17 paperback</strong><br><span><span>Uber-hero Beowulf takes on a merciless monster, Grendel, by himself and kills Grendel with his bare hands. You don't get anymore legendary than that.</span></span></br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060934344/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0060934344&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=CKMRH4ZFZDHEHWGM">"Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes</a>, $9.60 paperback</strong><br>"What is the true object of Don Quixote's quest? ... We cannot know the object of Don Quixote's quest unless we ourselves are Quixotic," writes the eminent Yale professor <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/dec/13/classics.miguelcervantes">Harold Bloom</a>.</br></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451531191/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0451531191&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=biipmanbooks-20&amp;linkId=WFAIHAL4WUSAI42P">"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" translated by Burton Raffel</a>, $6.95 paperback</strong><br>Sir Gawain faces the choice of honorably showing up to an event in which he will be killed, or dishonorably shirking his responsibilities.</br></p></hr></hr></hr></hr></form><p class="tagline">Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Business Insider's Insider Picks team. We aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting, and if you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale. This is not an advertiser sponsored post and we operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback.Have something you think we should know about? Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boys-asked-to-hit-a-girl-video-2015-1">What Happened When A Bunch Of Young Boys Were Told To Hit A Girl</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9rNWhtcjpiErbeYEZpeutYyTPqZIrd2_" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '9rNWhtcjpiErbeYEZpeutYyTPqZIrd2_',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

The 16 greatest books about how to be a man

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/515edfc06bb3f7e12200000a-2450-1837/yale-vs-harvard-football-game.jpg?maxX=400" border="0" alt="yale vs. harvard football game" width="400" /></div><p class="source">Al Bello/Getty Images</p><p class="caption">The annual football game between <keyword id="53675" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="harvard">Harvard</keyword> and <keyword id="66336" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Yale">Yale</keyword></p></div>Harvard vs. Yale. The two universities regularly battle for the top spot on <keyword id="6360288" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="college">college</keyword> rankings and claim some of the most powerful alumni networks in the world.</p>
<p>But which school is really better?</p>
<p>To answer the question we compared them across six categories  — cost, academics, job prospects, campus, student body, and student life — which together describe everything that should go into one's college choice.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 15px;">Here's what we found:</span></p>
<h3><strong>Cost</strong></h3>
<p>Annual tuition including room, board and personal expenses at <a href="http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/financial_aid/cost.html">Harvard costs $57,950</a>, while <a href="http://admissions.yale.edu/faq/what-current-tuition-yale">Yale costs $58,600</a> — a slight edge for Harvard but not much of a difference. When you factor in financial aid, however, Harvard still comes out ahead.  At Harvard, about <a href="http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do">60 percent of undergrads receive about $182 million in need-based financial aid</a>, while at Yale <a href="http://admissions.yale.edu/financial-aid">approximately 55 percent of undergrads receive $120 million in need-based financial aid</a>. At both schools, students whose families earn under $65,000 per year can qualify for financial aid.</p>
<p><strong>Harvard has a slight advantage in cost.</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><strong style="font-size: 1.17em; color: #000000;">Academics</strong></p>
<p>Harvard and Yale are both elite institutions that offer world-class academics.</p>
<p>Both schools stress the importance of a balanced liberal arts education. <a href="http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=core">Harvard has a Core Curriculum</a>, which requires students to take a variety of classes. Yale's <a href="http://admissions.yale.edu/liberal-arts-education">distributional requirements mean that students have to take classes in certain categories</a> like the humanities, social science, and natural science. Both schools have strong economics and political science programs. Yale excels in drama and the arts, while Harvard is arguably slightly stronger in the sciences.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/about/learning/concentrations.html">Harvard offers about 3,900 courses and more than 40 majors</a> for undergrads. <a href="http://admissions.yale.edu/majors-and-academic-programs">Yale offers 2,000 courses and more than 75 majors</a>. Let's call that a tie.</p>
<p>Both schools have world-renowned faculty members and a similar faculty-to-student ratio. (Harvard has a 7:1 ratio and Yale has a 6:1 ratio.) <a href="http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/harvard-university-2155/academics">At Harvard, 78 percent of classes have fewer than 20 students</a>, while <a href="http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/yale-university-1426/academics">at Yale 72 percent of classes have fewer than 20 students</a>, according to the US News &amp; World Report. Again it's a wash.</p>
<p><div class="image-container float_left" style="width:300px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5150a7daeab8eac719000007-4966-3725/harvard-18.jpg" border="0" alt="harvard" width="300" style="line-height: 1.5em;" /></div><p class="source">REUTERS/Brian Snyder</p><p class="caption">The statue of John Harvard sits in Harvard Yard</p></div></p>
<p>Harvard has <a href="http://www.harvard.edu/nobel-laureates">47 Nobel Laureates who are faculty or alumni</a>, while <a href="http://www.library.yale.edu/mssa/YHO/nobel_winners.pdf">Yale counts 25 Nobel Laureates among its faculty and alumni</a>. Harvard faculty or alumni have won a total of <a href="http://www.harvard.edu/pulitzer-prize-winners">47 Pulitzer Prizes</a>, while Yale comes out ahead with a<a href="http://www.library.yale.edu/mssa/YHO/pulitizerprizewinners.pdf"> total of 56 Pulitzer Prizes</a> awarded to faculty and alumni.</p>
<p>Students who rate professors on Ratemyprofessors.com gave <a href="http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/SelectTeacher.jsp?sid=399">Harvard professors an average rating of 3.84</a> and <a href="http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/SelectTeacher.jsp?sid=1222">Yale professors an average rating of 3.8</a>—a nominal difference.</p>
<p>In short, the schools are about equal, with similar course offerings, class sizes and high-quality professors and alumni.</p>
<p><strong>Academics are a tie.</strong></p>
<h3><strong>Job Prospects</strong></h3>
<p>Both Harvard and Yale have strong brand recognition that almost guarantees jobs for future students, but one school appears to have an advantage.</p>
<p><span>Harvard grads will earn slightly more money. According to PayScale, the </span><a href="http://www.payscale.com/research/US/School=Harvard_University/Salary">average starting salary for Harvard grads is $50,700</a><span>, while the </span><a href="http://www.payscale.com/research/US/School=Yale_University/Salary">average starting salary for Yale grads is $48,900</a><span>. The mid-career salary for Harvard grads is $111,000, while the mid-career salary for Yale grads is $105,000, <a href="http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2013/full-list-of-schools">according to PayScale</a>.</span></p>
<p><span></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">In our poll to determine the </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-50-best-colleges-in-america-2012-11">50 Best Colleges in America</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> — which focused on future job prospects — Harvard was ranked the the number three school in the country, while Yale came in behind at number four. Similarly,</span><a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2013/reputation-ranking"> the Times Higher Education ranking of universities by reputation</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> gave Harvard the number one spot last year, while Yale came in at number 10.</span></p>
<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:300px"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/9/27/endowment-dips-slightly/"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5154883869bedd1a1d00000e-400-300/yale-campus-students.jpg" border="0" alt="Yale campus, students" width="300" /></a></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/adam_jones/6942580552/">Flickr/Adam Jones, Ph.D. - Global Photo Archive</a></p></div>As for alumni networks, another critical factor in getting a job, both schools are excellent. Eight U.S. Presidents graduated from Harvard, while only five graduated from Yale. <a href="http://www.law.harvard.edu/library/special/research/hls-scotus.html">Twenty U.S. Supreme Court Justices attended Harvard</a>, while 10 Justices attended Yale.</p>
<p>According to US News, <a href="http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/articles/2012/05/14/where-the-fortune-500-ceos-went-to-school">Harvard topped the list of 2012 Fortune 500 CEO degree granters</a> with 65 total degrees. Yale didn't even make the list of the top 13 schools for CEOs.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/30-most-famous-harvard-students-of-all-time-2010-4">Harvard's notable contemporary alumni </a>include CEOs and financial bigwigs like Lloyd Blankfein and Ben Bernanke; foreign leaders like Mexico's Felipe Calderon; and actors like Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/30-most-famous-yale-2010-5">Yale's</a> include writers like Harold Bloom and Tom Wolfe; actors like Paul Newman and Meryl Streep; and political figures like Hillary Clinton and Dick Cheney.</p>
<p>The bottom line: Both schools have strong alumni networks and brand recognition that will land students great jobs, but Harvard takes the lead in brand value.</p>
<p><strong>Harvard has a slight advantage in job prospects.</strong></p>
<h3><strong>Campus</strong></h3>
<p><span>Harvard is located in Cambridge, Mass., a bustling district outside of Boston that's been called one of the </span><a href="http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/100-Best-Communities-for-Young-People/Five-Time-Winners.aspx">best communities for young people</a><span> and </span><a href="http://www.self.com/health/2011/12/10-healthiest-cities-slideshow#slide=1">the healthiest city in America</a><span> by Self magazine.</span></p>
<p>Yale is in downtown New Haven, Conn., which has a reputation for having some unsafe neighborhoods. But the area surrounding the college is filled with shops, restaurants, and bars, and students feel right at home there.</p>
<p>When it comes to architecture, it's tough to pick one over the other. Both Harvard Yard and Yale's campus are known for their centuries-old stone buildings, leafy quads, and high-tech laboratories. Harvard's libraries hold around 17 million volumes, while Yale's have 12.99 million.</p>
<p>Neither college has a central undergraduate student center, though Harvard students <a href="http://uc.fas.harvard.edu/index.php/2011/11/29/student-center-report/">launched a campaign</a> to build one in 2011.</p>
<p>Both have great athletic facilities: Yale's 9-story Payne Whitney Gymnasium has training centers for crew, gymnastics, swimming, and a state-of-the-art fencing salon, while Harvard's 5-floor Malkin Athletic Center has three pools, a cycling studio, and two cardio rooms.</p>
<p>As for future spending, <span class="s1" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/9/27/endowment-dips-slightly/">Harvard has the largest endowment in the world at $30.7 billion</a></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">. Yale's endowment is still impressive but not as high at <a href="http://investments.yale.edu/"><span class="s3">$19.3 billion</span></a>.</span></p>
<p>While students on both campuses are satisfied with their surroundings, we'll give Harvard the edge for its cool neighborhood, proximity to Boston, and the classic beauty of Harvard Yard.</p>
<p><strong>Harvard has a slight advantage in campus.</strong></p>
<h3><strong>Student Body</strong></h3>
<p>Yale and Harvard are <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ivy-league-acceptance-rates-2013-3">two of the most competitive schools in the world</a>. Yale admitted 6.7 percent of applicants for the class of 2017, while Harvard accepted 5.8 percent, giving Harvard the slight edge.</p>
<p>Both colleges have also admitted an increasingly diverse group of students in recent years. For the class of 2016, <a href="http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/statistics.html">Harvard's admitted students</a> were 21 percent Asian American, 10 percent African American, and 11 percent Hispanic or Latino<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, </span><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CDYQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fadmissions.yale.edu%2Fnode%2F2040%2Fattachment&amp;ei=_89iUa25AsXq0gGPk4CAAg&amp;usg=AFQjCNE5gI3WCjR_ye-zl9kE24GyNiQnNA&amp;bvm=bv.44770516,d.dmQ">while Yale's </a>were<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> 21</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.1 percent Asian American, 9.5 percent African American, and 10.5 percent Hispanic. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="image-container float_left" style="width:300px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/514be48569bedd585d00000a-620-465/harvard-basketball-beats-new-mexico.jpg" border="0" alt="harvard basketball beats new mexico" width="300" /></div><p class="source">Harry How/Getty Images</p></div>Student reviewers on <a href="http://collegeprowler.com/">College Prowler</a> gave both schools an A+ for diversity.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Yale's average SAT score is slightly higher than Harvard's. The SAT range at Yale is 2120-2390, compared to Harvard's 2080-2380, according to College Prowler.</span></p>
<p><span>Both schools have standout students within their current undergraduate ranks. </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/most-impressive-harvard-students-2012-11">Harvard's include undergrads</a><span> who are making strides towards curing cancer and have played at Carnegie Hall, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-famous-college-kids-2013-1#xi-mingze-12">even the daughter of the head of China's Communist party</a>.</span></p>
<p><span>Yale's student body includes Rhodes Scholars, entrepreneurs, a composer of classical music, and a professional magician.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Harvard's undergraduate student body is slightly larger at around 6,650, compared to Yale's 5,322.</span></p>
<p><span>Both schools fared well, but we'll give Harvard the category for its slightly lower admission rate <span>—</span> when you're talking single-digit percentages, one percent matters.</span></p>
<p><strong>Harvard has a slight advantage in student body.</strong></p>
<h3><strong><span>Student Life</span></strong></h3>
<p><span>Both colleges offer tons of extracurriculars and vibrant social scenes for undergraduate students. Yale's student life revolves around the residential college system, in which incoming freshmen are assigned to one of 12 residential colleges, where many students live, eat, and make their closest friends.</span></p>
<p><span>Harvard also has a house system. Freshmen live in dorms and join one of 12 houses at their end of their first year. Houses also have dorm rooms, dining halls, and common spaces.</span></p>
<p><span><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:300px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/515ee2d269bedd463f00000d-887-665/yale-university-student.jpg" border="0" alt="yale university student" width="300" /></div><p class="source">Northfoto / Shutterstock.com</p></div></span></p>
<p>Harvard does not have a formal Greek system, but its eight all-male "final" clubs serve a similar social purpose. Around <a href="http://yaledailynews.com/weekend/2007/10/12/assume-the-position-fraternities/">10 percent of Yalies</a> participate in Greek life. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/yale-secret-society-questions-2013-4">Fifty percent of seniors</a> are also members of the school's famous "secret societies."</p>
<p>Both schools offer tons of extracurriculars: Yale has more than 400 organizations on campus, including over 50 performance groups and 60 cultural associations. Harvard also has <a href="http://www.college.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k61161&amp;tabgroupid=icb.tabgroup84435">more than 400 campus organizations</a> for students with any interest under the sun.</p>
<p>When it comes to the dining halls, Harvard has Yale beat; Harvard, with 13 undergrad dining halls, ranked #12 on <a href="http://www.thedailymeal.com/52-best-colleges-food-america-slideshow">The Daily Meal</a>'s latest list of the best colleges for food, while Yale was #21.</p>
<p>But Yale bests Harvard when it comes to nightlife. College Prowler's reviewers gave Yale's nightlife an A+ for its variety, from campus-wide theme parties to frat parties to the dance floor at local nightclub Toad's. Harvard, where nightlife is centered around the finals clubs and local bars, got an A. </p>
<p>Overall, Yale seems to be a happier place to be. According to <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/galleries/2012/08/05/college-rankings-2012-25-happiest-schools-photos.html">The Daily Beast's latest ranking of the happiest colleges</a> — based on student opinion data and retention rates — Harvard ranked #11 and Yale was #3.</p>
<p>This one was almost too close to call. Both offer tons of clubs, ways to socialize, and house systems. But since Yale ranked higher in terms of nightlife and student happiness, we'll give it the edge in this category.</p>
<p><strong>Yale has a slight advantage in student life.</strong></p>
<h3><strong>THE WINNER </strong></h3>
<p>While both universities are excellent, Harvard is the winner, <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">coming out slightly ahead in  cost, job prospects, campus, and student body.</span></p>

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