BOOKSHELVES
Jason Bridges ’98
Co-founder, Nantucket Bicycle Tours, Handlebar Cafe
Walk into the Handlebar Café and you can’t miss the bookshelf. It’s hanging from the wall you pass on your way to order, right next to the “I Want to Ride My Bicycle” sign.
WM asked Jason to tell us about these books that have shaped his life:
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The only book that will always be on any bookshelf of mine, whether in the cafe or at home. Timeless. It showed me, layer by layer, how much I really didn’t understand when it came to working with others. I’ve read this book over, and over, and over again.
David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
When I am told what to do, I hesitate and question it. My psychology professor, Charlie Blaich, made us question everything! Challenging authority and questioning the status quo is how entrepreneurs think, how innovators progress. This book is on my shelf for those ready to fully understand that they are powerful regardless of the amount of wealth or power they possess.
And for those who possess both, to understand what they have and keep focusing on the bigger picture of treating those around them with kindness and empathy.
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
This was the only book on the shelf that I had not read. After flipping through it one night, I quickly realized that it was just the inspirational read that I needed. I really like the idea that when Option A goes away, you have to pivot and kick Option B’s ass.
Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
A book that should be on everyone’s shelf to remind us the many ways we can connect with others and the importance being the “connector” for others.
JASON BRIDGES ’98 Co-founder, Nantucket Bicycle Tours, Handlebar Café
Challenging authority and questioning the status quo is how entrepreneurs think, how innovators progress
“I believe that every conversation you have is an invitation to risk revealing the real you.”
Keith Ferrazzi, Never Eat Alone