What Leaders Read | Orange County Library System | Orlando, Florida

What Leaders Read

Buddy Dyer - - Mayor, City of Orlando

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My Favorite Books

The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling,
Leadership by Rudolph Giuliani,
The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida

The Harry Potter Series is a favorite of mine because it appeals to adults and children alike. It is an escape to a world of make-believe with intricate plot lines.

Patty Sheehan - - District 4 Commissioner, City of Orlando

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My Favorite Books

Leadership by Rudy Giuliani,
Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen,
Reason - Why Liberals Will Win the Battle for America by Robert Reich

With my crazy schedule I seldom have time to read for pleasure, but I did mange to finish "Leadership" by Rudy Giuliani. While we are of different political stripes, I did find his ideas on crime prevention very useful.

Dr. John C. Hitt - - President, University of Central Florida

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My Favorite Books

The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad by Harrison Salisbury,
D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II by Stephen Ambrose,
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann

History has much to teach us, and I am an eager student of historical fiction and non-fiction. Two of my favorite books deal with events experienced by the “greatest generation” during World War II. 1491 describes pre-Columbian civilizations with details recently discovered that are still unknown to most non-historians. Finally, Wolf Hall (winner of the 2009 Man Booker Prize) is a brilliantly written account of Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell, and their struggle for power.

Dr. Guy Houk - - Campus College Chair, Humanities, Social Science and Natural Sciences at University of Phoenix

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My Favorite Books

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov,
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain,
Hamlet by William Shakespeare

The Master and Margarita is a brilliant mixture of two modes of discourse that are thought to be antithetical; epic and novelistic. It is also a mixture of genres, time periods and textual strategies that combine a moving love story, scathing social satire and profound re-telling of the story of Christ and Pilate, leading the reader to examine the relative status of "great men" versus common people leading ordinary lives. It is virtually a sacred text for millions of Russians, and with good reason. There is nothing like it in world literature.

Sara Brady - - President, Sara Brady Public Relations

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My Favorite Books

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell,
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry,
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Representative Geraldine Thompson - - State of Florida

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My Favorite Books

Wrapped in Rainbows by Valerie Boyd,
Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama,
From Slavery to Freedom by John Hope Franklin

This book (Wrapped in Rainbows) highlights the extraordinary life and accomplishments of Zora Neale Hurston.

Representative Scott Randolph - - State of Florida

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My Favorite Books

Watership Down by Richard Adams,
The Trial by Franz Kafka,
Perfectly Legal by David Johnston

My favorite childhood book is Watership Down. It is a story of the relationship between different societies and different governments told in a manner children can relate to.

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