The Altimapa team is keeping busy this summer even while away on vacation. Our diverse group has a wide range of interests which reflected in how we quench our curiosities, from management to history and to poetry. So with no further ado, here is the first ever Altimapa summer reading list!
Andrea, our current intern, is reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. It turns out it is very popular with the team, as both Maroun and Lewis are also midway through paper and audio versions. This best-selling, fascinating book gives an insight into human history, turning popular misconceptions and assumed facts on their head. Did you know that 7 species of humans have co-existed and interacted on Earth?
Oliver, from our placements team, has a strong preference for podcasts and is currently indulging in the wisdom of Freakonomics. For Oliver, the unique aspects of this podcast lie in its emphasis on behavioral economics and by approaching topics from an array of perspectives.
Hugo, in the origination team, is currently (re)reading 1984 by George Orwell. He finds the representation of England under a communist/fascist dictatorship intriguing; due to the parallels we are witnessing today in society and a changing tone against freedom of speech.
Our newest team member, Lewis, also in origination, has a special knack for starting books, less so for finishing them. A book he has in fact completed is the Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams. The sense of humor that overarches the collection of essays, articles, poems and short stories captivated Lewis and made for a delightful read. Another book in his growing collection of yet-to-finish publications is Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo, which provides insights into the techniques and skills employed by the most inspirational public speakers to cross TED's global stages, and how one can apply them in everyday life.
Aisha, in the placement team and also a recent joiner, has a passion for poetry. She's currently exploring Poetry Pharmacy by William Sieghart.
Finally, Pedro our founder and CEO, is currently multi-tasking three separate books. One of them is High Output Management by Andy Grove, co-founder and former CEO of Intel. The book sheds a remarkable light on his management approach, leading Pedro to regard it as one of the best practical books ever written on management for organisations of any size. For a more summery read, Pedro is exploring To Room Nineteen by Doris Lessing, a collection of short stories from a master storyteller that is sometimes fierce, but a thoroughly enjoyable voyage through many aspects of the human condition and experience. And finally, The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, which is a unique take on the science fiction genre, with a decidedly Chinese feel which breaks from more traditional Anglo-Saxon flavours.