December 17-31, 2024

Finding the right book at the right time can transform your life or your organization. We help you discover your next great read by showcasing four recently released titles each week.

The books are chosen by Porchlight's Managing Director, Sally Haldorson, and the marketing team: Dylan Schleicher, Gabbi Cisneros, and Jasmine Gonzalez. (Book descriptions are provided by the publisher unless otherwise noted.)

This week, we're highlighting books coming out through the remainder of the year. Here are our choices:

Sally’s pick: All the Lonely People: Conversations on Loneliness by Sam Carr, Picador UK (Dec. 31) 

In stories of love and loss, of trauma and hope, told from care homes, living rooms, classrooms and kitchens, All the Lonely People is an intimate portrait of loneliness. Over countless cups of tea, psychologist Dr Sam Carr has collected hours of conversations with people young and old, including single parents, carers, teenagers and the bereaved, and found that while each of their stories is utterly unique, they are all born out of the same desire for human connection.

As Carr interweaves these touching and powerful tales with his own personal narrative, he opens a window onto the inner lives of regular people – the forgotten, misplaced or misjudged – who all feel isolated in some way. Sparking a profound conversation about a universal emotion, which may simply be an inevitable part of life, he questions what we can do to build stronger human relationships and be a part of something bigger than ourselves in an increasingly disjointed world.

Gabbi’s pick: The Childfree Guide to Life and Money: Make Your Finances Simple So Your Life Without Kids Can Be Amazing by Jay Zigmont, Sourcebooks (Dec. 31) 

In a recent study, 1 in 5 adults said they are childfree, meaning they don't have kids and never plan to. It's also estimated that there are between 50 and 60 million Americans who are childfree, and that number is only expected to get bigger. When it comes to financial planning, most benchmarks assume you do have children or will have them someday. For childfree people who are not looking to leave behind generational wealth for their kids, not having to save for their kids' college, and probably not needing life insurance, this advice is not helpful. All this to say: Financial planning looks vastly different for folks who are childfree.

Jay Zigmont is a certified financial planner who specializes in working with clients who are childfree. He was featured or mentioned in 240 media outlets in 2022 alone, including MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, PopSugar, and USA Today. You may have heard of the FIRE concept in personal finance (financial independence, retire early), but Jay helps people FILE (financial independence, LIVE early), meaning you're not planning to go to the grave with accrued wealth that you'll then leave to your children.

With high profile celebrities like Chelsea Handler and Seth Rogen speaking publicly about their decision to be childfree and more people sharing their stories on social media platforms like Tiktok and Reddit (#childfree has over 580 million views, and the childfree Reddit community has 1.5 million members), the conversation around this stigmatized topic is changing. This book will meet an underserved and growing market in a big way, and we will be one of the first books on this subject.

Dylan’s pick: Conscience Incorporated: Pursue Profits While Protecting Human Rights by Michael H. Posner, NYU Press (Dec. 17)

Amid growing international concerns about income inequality, labor abuses, racial injustice, and disinformation online, Conscience Incorporated examines the gaps in current corporate social responsibility measures and what more needs be done to address these challenges. The rise of new technologies such as smartphones and social media have made it easier than ever to document and spread awareness of corporate actions. Despite these developments, large corporations often fail to meaningfully address the human rights abuses linked to their business models and practices.

In Conscience Incorporated, Michael Posner addresses what lies at the root of these challenges, drawing on his extensive personal experience as a human rights lawyer, State Department official under President Obama, chair of the Fair Labor Association and Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern School of Business.

Drawing from research into the history of business ethics and anchoring his argument with examples of companies publicly accused of human rights abuses—Nike, Coca-Cola, Walmart, Meta, and more—Posner provides a blueprint for global business leaders to navigate human rights challenges and adopt sustainable corporate practices. 

Conscience Incorporated highlights the need for increased protections for outsourced workers in faraway nations, greater attention to harmful online content, and prioritization of human rights by investors. He argues that growing public awareness has not been enough to enforce ethical practices for global businesses. As a result, governments, especially in Europe, are becoming more involved in regulating global business practices in various industries.

Posner proposes a series of concrete reforms and argues compellingly for why businesses need to devote greater time and resources to protecting basic human rights. Conscience Incorporated is a powerful challenge to the status quo and advocates for a fundamental shift in the principles that govern global businesses.

Jasmine’s pick: I Will Scream to the World: My Story. My Fight. My Hope for Girls Everywhere by Jaha Marie Dukureh, Dafina (Dec. 24)

On the wedding night of her first arranged marriage, fifteen-year-old Jaha learned that she had undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as an infant. That painful discovery, coupled with her experiences with a second arranged marriage, set Jaha on her path as an activist—a courageous mission that would require her to brave hostility in her community and family, and even attempts on her life.

Despite the challenges, and with ever-growing determination, Jaha founded Safe Hands for Girls, an organization that succeeded in having FGM banned in Gambia. She is now working to eradicate FGM and forced child marriage worldwide by 2030 and running to be the next President of The Gambia.

I Will Scream to the World! recounts Jaha’s ongoing, uphill journey to be seen as a survivor, activist, but most of all as a human. She dives into her childhood to show the root causes of her crusading, shares her personal and professional life, and explores, as only a survivor can, a practice that while violent and troubling, is often culturally misunderstood.

Above all, Jaha’s unflinchingly honest memoir is a story of resilience and extraordinary fearlessness, of the strength that comes with learning to love oneself, and of the power within everyone to create meaningful and lasting change.