The 6 books that inspired me the most

This list of the six books that inspired him most, which he shared with CNBC Make It, includes fiction and nonfiction entries from the past five decades.

1. “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson

Stevenson is a law professor at New York University and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit that provides legal representation to underserved clients and wrongly convicted prisoners. Published in 2014, “Just Mercy” is a memoir that focuses largely on Stevenson’s work to overturn a wrongful conviction that sent Walter McMillian to death row for six years before his release in 1993.

The story was adapted into a 2019 film of the same name starring Jamie Foxx.

“I think everyone should read the book ‘Just Mercy’. It will really make you think about capital punishment and why it doesn’t deserve its place in the world,” said Branson, who called for end of the death penalty. “While it is ultimately a story of hope, it is also a damning indictment of a system still characterized by discrimination, error and unimaginable cruelty.”

2. “The Dice Man” by Luke Rhinehart (aka George Cockcroft)

This 1971 novel centers around the role of fate in our lives. It follows a psychiatrist who chooses to make all of his daily decisions by literally rolling dice, leading to exciting, and sometimes tragic, outcomes. The provocative thought experiment at the heart of the book has helped give it a cult following.

Branson calls it “a very entertaining read that has always stayed with me.”

He first read the novel “just before starting Virgin Records” in 1972 and even sometimes used the strategy of rolling the dice to make difficult decisions about which bands to sign to his label.

“It meant making a list of potential actions, rolling a die, and choosing the number the die landed on,” says Branson, noting that the method produced mixed results: “It’s safe to say that I didn’t ‘I didn’t continue to use the book to influence my decisions for long!’

3. “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek

Sinek is an author and leadership expert whose first book, “Start With Why,” published in 2009, focuses on how the most effective leaders can inspire others to take action. The moral of the book is that great leaders and great companies focus on a strong purpose or belief to drive their mission before worrying about process or results.

This philosophy struck a chord with Branson, who believes that happiness comes from exploring opportunities that you find genuinely interesting and rewarding, and that success is about “making a difference in the lives of others,” a- he told CNBC Make It in May.

In “Start With Why,” Branson says: “My main takeaway is that it doesn’t matter what you do, but why you do it… If you don’t understand why you’re doing something something and if you’re not passionate about it, it’s harder to create something unique and something that adds value to people’s lives.”

4. “I am a daughter of Africa” by Elizabeth Nyamayaro

Branson believes the memoir illustrates the idea that “the greatest challenges of our time also present the greatest opportunities,” he says.

Nyamayaro writes that she grew up in a famine-stricken village in Zimbabwe in the 1980s, where she received food and aid from the United Nations, through UNICEF. This experience inspired her dream of working for the UN and helping others in need.

She writes about her family scraping together money to pay for her education, and eventually serving as a senior advisor to the UN and leading the gender equality organization HeForShe’s initiative.

“Nyamayaro is an incredible humanitarian and author with an inspiring story that reminds us of our common humanity and the power of perseverance,” Branson said.

5. “The Emerald Mile: the epic story of the fastest run in history through the heart of the Grand Canyon” by Kevin Fedarko

This nonfiction book tells the true story of a massive 1983 flood that nearly overwhelmed Glen Canyon Dam, which holds back one of the nation’s largest reservoirs on the Colorado River. “The Emerald Mile” follows a group of rafting guides who saw an opportunity in this near-crisis for a “downright suicidal” adventure, according to Fedarko.

They launched a small wooden boat into the dangerous rapids in an attempt to set a record for the fastest boat to travel the entire length of the Colorado River.

“This book reminds us that our greatest limitations are often the ones we impose on ourselves,” says Branson, who has attempted his share of dangerous stunts over the years. “It’s a true story that reminds me of the fictional adventures I loved as a child and the world record attempts I’ve made as an adult!”

6. “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles

Towles’s 2016 best-selling novel follows a former Russian aristocrat who is placed under house arrest in the 1920s following the Bolshevik Revolution. Under these conditions, the central character embarks on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth that Branson says “gave me reason to rethink” a “long-held unwritten rule of trusting my first impressions.”

What really resonated with Branson was the idea that following the courage of your convictions matters more than recognition: “I’ve always been more focused on the journey than the destination, and I’ve discovered that success comes from doing what you love, not because you crave recognition,” he says.

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