By Teresa Torres · producttalk.org · @ttorres on X · LinkedIn
Teresa Torres shares her favorite books from the roughly 60 she read in 2014, spanning music, decision making, mathematics, persuasion, negotiation, time perception, integrative thinking, customer development, and writing. Each short review explains what makes the book worth reading and who it suits. The post also announces a planned blog about the books she reads and a two-week break from her Product Talk newsletter. For product people, the list points to practical reading on customer research, decision making under pressure, and clear thinking.
01Key takeaways
- Good thinking depends on checking your assumptions and whether they are justified, not only on the final deductive step.
- Integrative thinking means holding opposing ideas at once and inventing better options instead of choosing among weak ones.
- Customer development works best with specific guidance on who to talk to, what to ask, and how to judge what you hear.
- Real-world decisions under time pressure often rely on intuition, mental simulation, and storytelling, not only formal analysis.
- Influence depends on balancing strength and warmth, since showing more of one tends to reduce the other.
02Key sections
- Persuasion and influence
- Torres recommends classics and newer works on influencing people, including Carnegie's guide, Goulston's listening tactics, and Neffinger and Kohut's balance of strength and warmth. She also critiques Greene's power book while praising its insight into behavior.
- Thinking and decision making
- Several picks focus on sharper reasoning: Konnikova's use of Sherlock Holmes to teach scientific method, Ellenberg's mathematical thinking, and Klein's study of decisions made in real-world, high-pressure settings.
- Design and business thinking
- Martin's Opposable Mind is singled out for describing integrative thinking as a way to solve complex business problems, in contrast to his earlier book The Design of Business.
- Customer development and writing
- Alvarez's practical guide to customer development is recommended as a hands-on resource for customer visits, while Pinker's writing guide is praised for being research-based and accessible.
- Closing announcement
- The post ends by announcing a two-week hiatus from Product Talk, the return date, and plans for a new blog about books.
03From the post
“I’ve read 60 books (so far) this year. These were my favorites. If you like these reviews, I’ll be launching a blog after the new year about the books that I’m reading. I’ll share details in an upcoming newsletter. If you don’t get my newsletter,”
04Frameworks mentioned
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.