John Amaechi shares the 6 books that changed his thinking
- John Amaechi’s unconventional path to the NBA and his methodical self-discipline illustrate the power of vision in overcoming the odds.
- A self-professed bookworm, his life and work in organizational psychology has been shaped by the ideas and themes he explores through his reading.
- From childhood favorites to psychological deep dives, these books helped Amaechi reflect on ideas of identity, intellectual humility, and self-transformation.
Most elite athletes start specializing in a sport between the ages of 10 and their early teens. John Amaechi didn’t even play basketball until he was 17, but he soon fell in love with the sport and the sense of belonging that came with being part of a team. Not considered the most athletic kid, even in his hometown of Stockport, England, Amaechi nonetheless decided he would play for the NBA and drafted a personal guide he called “The Plan” to see it happen.
In 1995, The Plan came to fruition. A mere six years after first playing the game, he signed a contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. From 1995 to 2003, he played five seasons, scoring more than 1,800 points and nearly 800 rebounds. After retiring from professional ball, he revealed he was gay, the first player from the league to do so and paving the way for other players, such as Jason Collins, to come out during their playing career.
“I think there’s a lot of great evidence out there that when you try to protect some part of you psychologically, whether it be your sexuality or something else, you’ve now spent a portion of your energy on that protection,” Amaechi tells Sportsnet.“I know I would’ve been better had I not had to use that energy to protect my identity.”
While Amaechi is well-known for his basketball career, he has always considered himself a “psychologist who played basketball for a time.” Studying for his doctorate while traveling to games, Amaechi earned his degree and is today an organizational psychologist and educator. He is also the best-selling author of two books: Man in the Middle, his memoir, and The Promises of Giants, a “how-to-guide for winning” rooted in the belief that unlikely people can become extraordinary.
Big Think+ recently sat down with Amaechi to discuss the psychology of achieving remarkable things. While we had him, we also asked the self-professed “British bookworm” about the books that inspired him. Here are the six titles he said changed the way he thought:
Whistling Vivaldi by Claude Steele
Stanford social psychologist Claude Steele’s early work focused on concepts such as self-image, self-affirmation, and the role of self-regulation in addiction. But today, he is best known for his work on stereotype threat, and his 2010 book, Whistling Vivaldi, encapsulates this groundbreaking research.
Stereotype threat is the concept that when people risk conforming to stereotypes about their race, gender, cultural group, etc., they grow anxious and feel other disruptive emotions. These can lead to a loss of confidence, poor performance on tasks, and harmful health outcomes, which in turn lead to more negative emotions, resulting in further deleterious effects that ultimately spiral into a vicious cycle.
Steele examines this research while also suggesting potential actions that institutions and individuals can take to mitigate stereotype threat and promote diversity.
“Whistling Vivaldi is Claude Steele’s insightful exploration of (and my first introduction to the concept of) stereotype threat and how identity shapes performance and experience, especially in education and the workplace,” Amaechi says. “It’s a foundational text for anyone serious about understanding the psychological barriers to equity and inclusion — and how to begin dismantling them.”
Think Again by Adam Grant
Many view intelligence as possessing extensive knowledge and having confidence in what you know. Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist and Wharton professor, not only questions this notion but also our social tendency to valorize self-assurance in one’s intelligence.
What if, he asks, there exists another set of cognitive skills that are even more valuable? Those being: rethinking and unlearning.
In this 2021 book, Grant explores research that shows the benefits of questioning your assumptions, letting go of outdated opinions, and rethinking to improve your mental acuity. He lays out the evidence for why these cognitive skills lead to better results than raw intelligence and shows how individuals and organizations can better encourage healthy doubt and rethinking.
Given that, it’s little wonder that this book changed the way Amaechi thinks: “Think Again is [Grant’s] invitation to embrace intellectual humility and the inherent power of reconsidering our beliefs. In a world such as this, the recommendations in this book are a collective survival imperative.”
He adds, “I love Adam’s work (and am proud of our friendship) and his ability to frame ideas in a provocative and thoughtful way.”
The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
Amaechi wasn’t only inspired by the books he read as a professional adult. Like many lifelong readers, the books he encountered as a child influenced not only his childhood but the person he would become later in life. One of those books — actually a whole series of them — was Asimov’s Foundation series (1942–93).
The story begins when the renowned mathematician Hari Seldon formulates “psychohistory,” a blend of mathematics and sociology that allows practitioners to use statistical laws to predict the future. While Seldon’s psychohistory can’t prevent the inevitable collapse of the universal Empire, it can ease the following dark age if Seldon can build a sanctuary for intelligent minds and human knowledge — the titular Foundation. What follows is a series of stories spanning hundreds of years in which the Foundation must navigate wars and galactic politics to bring Seldon’s brighter future to light.
“[Asimov’s] world-building gave me a place to live when the real world felt inhospitable,” Amaechi tells us. “I would hide in the library of my school in Stockport and read. Strangely, even when I skipped classes to read, the library seemed to be one of the few places my teachers didn’t look for me.”
The End of Leadership by Barbara Kellerman
Returning to the more business-minded fare, this 2012 book by Kellerman, a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center of Public Leadership, reveals how leadership has changed in the 21st century.
Today’s “leadership industry” is massive due to the widespread belief that leaders are the key to growth and success. However, Kellerman argues, this belief has long since passed its expiration date. Advances in technology, social media, and other cultural forces have shifted the balance of power from leaders downward. To help organizations and would-be leaders evolve with the times, Kellerman considers alternatives to existing leadership beliefs and models, as well as the advantages of fostering a sense of “followership” throughout an organization.
“This book is an essential read for anyone rethinking what it means to lead, and to follow, in the 21st century,” Amaechi says. “It challenges conventional wisdom by arguing that leadership as we know it is in decline — not because leaders have lost relevance but because followers have gained power. The leadership industry has failed to evolve, offering little meaningful guidance in a world where authority is more contested and influence more distributed than ever.”
The Last Legionary series by Douglas Hill
Another of Amaechi’s childhood favs, The Last Legionary series (1979–82) is a young-adult science fiction epic. It tells the story of Keill Randor, the last survivor of the mercenary people of the planet Moros. After a planetary genocide, led by a mysterious figure known only as the Warlord, Keill seeks revenge on those responsible. It’s a straightforward beginning that opens up into an epic space opera.
“It’s one of the defining books of my childhood,” he says. “The epic sadness when Keill Randor discovered his world had ended and all his most important connections were severed. His hesitance to trust or love again, and his friendship — I think almost romantic bond — with Glr, was heartwarming to me.”
In fact, while Keill is the series’ protagonist, it was the character of Glr, a telepathic, bird-like alien with a keen intelligence and fierce loyalty, who spoke to the young Amaechi most.
“Though physically fragile, Glr provides invaluable strategic insight and emotional balance throughout the Last Legionary series. As much as I envied Keill for his physical skills and prowess, I always related to Glr,” Amaechi says, adding, “His name is cool, too.”
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
You’re probably familiar with Michael Ende’s 1979 classic from its equally classic 1984 film adaptation. A boy named Bastian finds a mysterious book about a fantasy world in danger from an existential threat known simply as “The Nothing.” But as he reads about the Childlike Empress and the boy warrior Atreyu’s attempts to save the world, he discovers that the characters in the book are aware of him, and he has a part to play in their story.
As for why it’s an inspiring read, we’ll let Amaechi take it from here:
“I read this book one summer when I was 11 or 12 through a crack in the door of a caravan bunk bedroom. I finished it in one day and one evening. I was enraptured by this bullied boy and his heroic alter-ego in Fantasia, envious of his wish dragon and triumphant, even just by watching as he succeeded against the odds and realised what most people wish in one way or another: that they do indeed matter in the grand story of life, that something they do or say is consequential.”
