11 books the world's most influential people think you should read

Earlier this year, Facebook asked 62 such people — from Arianna Huffington to Richard Branson to Newt Gingrich — for the books they'd recommend. More than 230 titles came Facebook's way.

After some careful tallying, the social-media site narrowed down the most recommended books to a list of just 11 titles.

We can't guarantee they'll bring you the same level of success, but they'll move you in the right direction.

"Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari

"Freakonomics" by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt

Published in the summer of 2009, "Freakonomics" target="_blank" is the duo's first dive into bewildering social and economic trends.

In plain language, Dubner and Levitt break down complex topics on parenting research, death rates, and crime. They challenge conventional wisdom with compelling, if eyebrow-raising, examples to back up their claims.

"Freakonomics" helped spawn a genre of publishing that takes advanced concepts and distills them for a lay audience, usually with a sideways perspective.

"Originals" by Adam Grant

Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, Jr., and many other pioneers all have a number of things in common, argues Grant, a University of Pennsylvania psychologist.

In "Originals," target="_blank" Grant takes the reader from an idea's inception, through its (inevitable) backlash, and all the way to implementation and acceptance by a wider audience. He reveals how novel ideas are formed, how to advocate for those ideas, and how adults and kids alike can learn to be original.

"Writing My Wrongs" by Shaka Senghor

Senghor became an activist and mentor at 38 years old. Years before that, he was serving a 19-year sentence for a murder he committed as a teenager in Detroit.

" target="_blank"Writing My Wrongs" details Senghor's journey from the drug-infested streets of his youth to a life of meditation and positivity. What begins as a violent look at a community at risk of collapse eventually becomes a story of redemption.

The memoir serves as a point of entry into a broader discussion on America's mass incarceration epidemic.

"Team of Teams" by General Stanley McChrystal

McChrystal's most well-known accomplishment as the Joint Special Operations Task Force, a position he assumed in 2004 at the outset of the Iraq War, was = rethinking how the US fought Al Qaeda.

"The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

"Hillbilly Elegy" by JD Vance

Vance, now a successful venture capitalist, grew up poor in the hills of the Appalachia.

" target="_blank"Hillbilly Elegy" is his account of life during that time — dark moments, times of joy, and Vance's perspective on the culture that pervades life in America's forgotten, towns.

The book has become a favorite since its release shortly after the election of Donald Trump as president, as it reflects on many of the sentiments rural voters had leading up to casting their vote.

"Endurance" by Alfred Lansing

Explorer Ernest Shackleton made a name for himself in the early 20th century by surviving a treacherous journey to Antarctica.

In "Endurance," target="_blank" Alfred Lansing charts Shackleton's August 1914 mission, including the many near-death experiences the explorer and his 27-man crew faced along the way.

The voyage spanned 850 miles through the South Atlantic's roughest waters, almost killing everyone involved. The crew's only hope was a small lifeboat and the trust they would end up at their intended target: a tiny island in a vast sea of nothingness.

"The Industries of the Future" by Alec Ross

"Delivering Happiness" by Tony Hsieh

Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, has gained a reputation for being forward-thinking with his approach to hiring employees and running his online shoe store.

In " target="_blank"Delivering Happiness," he meditates on some of the more successful policies he's put into place, and discusses the psychological research that underpins much of what he does. New employees, for instance, are offered $2,000 to quit on the spot — a clever technique to weed out people who don't want to be there.

Zappos may sell shoes, but Hsieh emphasizes the principles apply no matter what you put up for sale.

"Conscious Business" by Fred Kofman

LinkedIn vice president and self-described philosopher Fred Kofman outlines the many ways companies can find success in both employee morale, community-building, and, of course, business.

Kofman points to nearly a dozen factors that make companies soar or tank. Many of them have to do with treating people as dignified human beings who want to communicate openly and make bosses proud.

" target="_blank"Conscious Business" argues for a more mindful, collaborative approach to conquering the market.