Black Sheep: Unleash the Extraordinary, Awe-Inspiring, Undiscovered You

Menswar (Rock ’n’ Roll with It), partner at the leadership consulting firm Banding People Together, challenges readers in his spirited debut to identify and use what he calls their inner “black sheep—five values necessary to live life authentically and happily.” He writes, “If you don’t know your core values, inevitably you are an unconscious creator of your own reality,” and leads readers through the process of identifying these values with a deceptively simple formula: think about one’s values in terms of “what,” instead of with “why.” To do this, he recommends making a list of the “unconscious creators” that drive one’s decisions, dictate one’s purpose (“why”), and eventually govern one’s mission (“how”). The author’s sprightly tone and straight talk (“In any case, you’re going to have to Tarantino this shit for a moment or two, and go back to move forward”) make his many prompts on the potentially dispiriting process of examining one’s weaknesses refreshing and entertaining. Fans of Mark Manson will enjoy Menswar’s punchy volume of lessons for living out one’s values. (Sept.)