TEDxZurich 2017 was live on November 17. 2017. In the wait to have the talks of our speakers published online we have asked them to share their favourite books. We hope this reading list will Open Doors to more ideas and inspiration for you!

Un sac de billes

Joseph Joffo

“It is very moving to hear the story of the second world war told from the perspective of a child on the run.”

One hundred years of solitude

Gabriel Gracia Marquez

“Because it taught Western readers to understand and tolerate a reality alternative to their own.”

Tipping point.

Malcom Gladwell

“It inspired me to start my first company”

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

“It is preposterous, mad and hilariously funny – a wild journey through interstellar space and time which gives us the ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything. With Vogon poetry, babelfish and Marvin the paranoid android, this is a sublime overdose of food for thought served with lashings of British humour.”

Leon & Louise

Alex Capus

“Emotional love story embedded into a fascinating historical framework.”

How Emotions are made

Lisa Feldmann Barrett

“The author shows that all the ideas we had so far about how human emotions work are false and that we as humans have more influence over our emotions than we thought.”

Trotzdem Ja zum Leben sagen. Ein Psychologe erlebt das Konzentrationslager

Viktor E. Frankl

“The author describes the indescribable and gives a testimony of how to overcome suffering, showing how the power of love and forgiveness can prevail over even the greatest acts of inhumanity.”

The David Hunter Stories

Simon Beckett

“Breathtaking and a enticing read.”

Where the red fern grows

Wilson Rawls

“I’m a big animal lover and I read this book when I was 15. The significance of a red fern, in the region of upstate New York, where I’m from, is that when an angel sheds a tear, where the tear lands a red fern will grow. In the book, when the two dogs die, they are buried and at the site a red fern grows. That same year my beloved cat, a Siamese named Muffin, died and we buried her in the winter. 2 weeks later our other cat MacArthur, died. They were aged 22 and 18. The following spring to our shock and disbelief 2 red ferns were growing in our back yard at the place we had buried them. I believe to this day our beloved and beautiful pets caused even the Angels in heaven to cry. That’s a true story.”

I, Maya Plisetskaya

Maya Plisetskaya

“I like that book, because ballet has been called a mute art, but Maya Plisetskaya opened up and decided not to be quiet and share all the struggles in her time in the Soviet Union and Bolshoi Ballet. One of the biggest superstars of Russia and in general in the ballet world has been so honest and inspirational, that I think every person who loves ballet has to read to book and learn more about the real struggles to the top and how in the previous century the art of ballet involved hard times, but also stunning artists, we are learning in our days.”

Les enfants terribles

Jean Cocteau

“Because it’s just magical!”

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky

“I find it’s an amazing coming of age story, illustrating the ups and downs of life which I often talk about in my songs as well. I believe it is very relatable to many teenagers and people in general and it shares a very human and genuine perspective on life. Things are not always easy, but you live through it all.”

Generation X

Douglas Coupland

“Because of the vibe, the style, and the realization that your story can have a happy ending without fame and fortune if you have the right family and friends.”