I develop this theme in my latest Bloomberg columnhere is an excerpt:
So I have a modest suggestion for anyone interested in business books: Read books about specific companies or industries that you already know a lot about. This way you will have enough background knowledge for the book to make sense. Of course, many people don’t work in a company or industry big or famous enough that there are books about it, so I have a corollary proposition: You will learn more about management by reading books about sports and musical groups..
And that:
Many music and sports books are not only written for obsessed fans, but also by obsessed fans. In contrast, traditional business books are frequently written to obtain consulting work or to get on the speaking circuit. The goal is not to offend anyone and to put forward some “lowest common denominator” ideas, rather than to say something truly original that might be complicated to explain. The end result is a bookstore section that would be mind-numbing to have to read.
There is much more interest on the link, recommended.
