@dominik

A raging plague, social upheaval, and an uncertain future. COVID-19? No. The Black Death and the 14th Century. This surprisingly gripping history uses the lens of a medieval French nobleman’s trials and travails as a way to explore all aspects of the 14th century. Technology has changed, but humans have not. Deeply insightful, on aspects both mundane and profound.

A rich, sobering book, filled with deep insights about human nature, societies, governments, anti-Semitism, imperialism, and totalitarianism. It remains relevant today.

A swift survey of the entire Cold War, from its emergent beginnings to its unexpectedly quiescent ending.

It’s probably too close to reflect properly on it (as I write these words, COVID-19 daily new cases are at an all time peak…. 2 years into the pandemic), but this book tackles the early days of the pandemic and points out how bureaucratic instincts to avoid blame and follow proper procedures ultimately led to failure, over the strident objections of those who wanted to, y’know, actually help stop or at least mitigate the pandemic.

A short vignette about how modern-day bombing first arose. Enjoyably told.

A book that defies categorization. Persuasively argues that the future we could have had would have been significantly more awesome than the one we’re in, had we only not succumbed to failures of nerve and imagination. Compelling and entertainingly told, with a sobering and sad thread throughout as one pauses to consider what could have been. It is, of course, not too late to change our ways from bureaucracy, virtue-signalling, and stasis and instead orient toward new frontiers. As the book repeatedly puts it: *It is a possibility.*

A fascinating exploration of the cyclical nature of empires: how the seeds of their doom are borne in the fruit of their success.

A blistering tale of when the British tried to conquer Afghanistan, and how they met more than their match, much as the Soviets and the Americans would in subsequent centuries, for, tragically, much the same reasons.

It’s challenging to summarize the history of China in a single volume, but this book makes a valiant attempt and serves as a great starting point for better understanding.

A brilliant comprehensive history of one of the largest and most powerful Native American nations, the Lakota. Much, much more than the antagonists of Custer’s Last Stand, the Lakota and their history has been deliberately ignored for too long. This book is a powerful beginning toward rediscovering them.

A fascinating history of Christianity’s impact on Western culture by a stored historian, from its earliest beginnings, to its collision with the rise of Islam (Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Africa were once bastions of Christianity), to the Reformation, to the Enlightenment, and finally culminating in the modern day. Can a post-Christian society continue to energetically espouse a morality that is ultimately largely derived from Christianity?

A brilliant journey into the creation of the multinational oil industry and its adventures and run-ins with government bureaucrats, Texas oil men, Middle Eastern sheikhs, and South American autocrats. Contains perhaps the best explanation of the 70s oil crisis that I’ve read.

A sweeping survey of a turbulent time in the history of Europe, leading up to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. As a fan of the Europa Universalis IV grand strategy game, this book was a great complement to the game by providing deep historical background for the various nations and kingdoms that play a part.

As a new resident in the West Village, this surprisingly timeless tract on the nature of American cities struck home. It teaches how to perceive the order in what would otherwise appear to be chaotic, disorganized completely. Many of its lessons appear to have gone unheeded in the decades since its publication. Reflective study of this book could lend insights for the cities of the future.

Before reading this book, I had no idea France had first tried to construct a canal across the isthmus of Panama. An entertaining tale, skillfully told, takes the reader from those initial French attempts to the eventual American effort that culminated, through political and engineering challenges, into the canal that now exists.

Sobering, accessible tale of exactly how things went off the rails in the lead up to World War I.

Incredibly rich, even to the point of denseness. Lays out data and fact, country by country, continent by continent, but doesn’t always weave a story, often deliberately leaving interpretation to the reader. There’s no unifying narrative, no simple explanations: the raw complexity of the 19th century is laid bare and examined, meticulously, from almost every angle.

The events a hundred years before, and immediately after, Caesar crossed the Rubicon. Compellingly told and woven into a fine tapestry depicting the gradual and then sudden dissolution of the Roman Republic.

A tour de force history of the early days of interactive computing. A window into a near-forgotten era, and of the work of J.C.R. Licklider, who did much to bring the dreams of that era into the reality of instantaneous, planetary-wide, communication and computing that we take almost completely for granted today. Highly recommended.

A series of vignettes selected from history, highlighting themes of grand strategy across time.

Erudite and thoughtful consideration of the interplay between networks (the eponymous square of the title) and hierarchies (the tower) across history.

Caesar is dead. Long live Caesar. This book explores the immediate history of Rome after the murder of Julius Caesar, narrating the machinations and consolidations of power that led to the reign of the emperors for the next several hundred years.

Powerful exposition on the modern history of the opiate drug trade in the United States: how it came about, how it prospered, how its tale interweaves with that of prescription painkillers, and how it rages on today, with more Americans dying each year to drug overdoses than die in car crashes.

What would history look like if we placed the Middle East at the center of it? How did the events of the centuries impact that region? This book does that, and does so brilliantly, resulting in a lovely, wonderful, endearing, immensely scoped tale. Follow the history of an entire region across the span of thousands of years. The threads of the narrative pull together so well as to have kept me turning the pages. A tremendous work of scholarship and an enlightened insight into a region that, to this day, continues to be a locus of history.

Ancient (it came out in 2005) but offers timeless insights into how to create a product that people want, and, just as importantly, a business that can build and sell that product.

How do you actually craft a good strategy for a business? What does that even mean? This book delves into exploring and answering that question, building on the author’s previous Good Strategy Bad Strategy by focusing on the actual mechanics of coming up with and developing a strategy in the first place.

A heartfelt collection of insightful business lessons that achieves its goal of being a “mentor-in-a-book.” Contains perhaps the best articulation of what it is to be a great product manager.

A thought-provoking book about the nature of creativity, learning, and innovation, emphasizing the importance of being able to draw analogies across diverse fields.

Why is it so hard for big, successful companies to continue to innovate? This book analyzes the challenge and offers some potential solutions.

Written by a former FBI hostage negotiator, argues that successful negotiation is predicated on emotional understanding, not logic. Outlines a set of effective negotiation tactics emphasizing curiosity and humility.

Perhaps the single best book on product management as a career. Reading it felt like discovering GameFAQs as a kid: “oh, _this_ is how the game is played." The missing manual for the product management career.

Masquerading as a book about time management, this book is that, but only in the grander sense of one’s entire life being an exercise in, well, time management. The title refers to the rather shockingly ignored fact that each of us gets about four thousand weeks of life. What then should we do with it?

A useful summary of Amazon’s best practices, at least as they were back when the authors worked there. The first half of the book introduces practices such as the six-page memo and the second half explores how the practices were applied in products such as the Kindle and the Echo.

Expanding on the late author’s How To Speak annual lecture, this book is a wonderful compendium of a lifetime’s knowledge about effective communication.

Remember the puzzlement that greeted the US suing Apple in its attempt to work with large, legacy publishers to try to fight against Amazon? This book provides a deep dive into the workings of modern antitrust law, pointing out its shortcomings as well as the political realities that underpin it.

Perhaps the single best book on OKRs. Unusual in that the first half of the book is a fable, but the structure works in that the second half of the book explains the approach by referencing back to the fable, so there’s always a practical illustration instead of just abstract theory.

I think I first played the original Civilization sometime in the early 90s and immediately fell in love. Games are a new form of media, born the digital age, whose bounds have yet to be fully explored, but Sid Meier’s name will forever resound in history as an early innovator and creator of multiple genres. This is a heartfelt, honest, humble memoir of a career in the game industry and what it means to be a game designer, and more broadly, a creative and a businessperson.

This is a heartfelt and brilliant book. The "small things" are like finely crafted gemstones -- faceted and polished to focus their light of wisdom. Each small thing manages to capture and distill an “unspoken truth” about what makes effective management and leadership (as well as the difference between them!)

The successor to the famed Culture Deck, this look inside how Netflix works lays out a different perspective on business as usual: instead vigorously arguing that freedom and responsibility go together and complement each other in innovative, margin-enhancing ways.

Usually retrospective tomes by accomplished CEOs are not worth reading. This book is an exception, as Bob Iger takes an honest appraisal of his career and offers sound, thoughtful and dare I say humble advice throughout.

A compelling and inspiring book, framed using the creation of Netflix, but really containing lessons for anyone wanting to start something new.

An insightful analysis on how to be an effective engineering manager. Though I’m not an engineering manager, I still found this book contained a multitude of valuable insights in terms of how to communicate upwards to leadership, how to organize and orient teams, and how to think about scaling and growth (both of product and of the team itself).

Written in the classic Gladwell style, this is an intriguing and thought-provoking read about why we trust strangers (and some of the consequences therein).

A valuable introduction to the art of management, written for someone who’s managing for the first time, but informed by the perspective of the trajectory of what it means to be a manager. Clear, accessible prose that leaps off the page. A pleasure to read.

In the end, if the science doesn‘t work, the science doesn‘t work. This book illustrates just how long hype and spin and bluster and fraud can hold off a collision with reality.

This pair of books, best read together, share strategies and tactics on how to make time for deep work. In a world filled with shiny distractions (digital and otherwise), finding time to focus on what‘s important (as well as determining, what, in fact, is actually important) is itself of vital importance.

A brief survey of the business implications of the deep learning revolution, with a look at what sort of things are ripe for disruption and how that might happen. Accessibly written, even for a non-technical reader, this book does a great job of illustrating what sort of applications we're likely to see in the future and *why*.

From one of the authors of Netflix’s famous culture deck comes this amazing book. Honest, direct, filled with excellent, actionable guidance on how to create a company culture and what sort of company culture one should strive to create.

Entertainingly written by a former champion poker player, this book applies lessons learned around the card table to life and business. Insightful and a fun read.

Shipping containers. Seemingly so obvious and yet, as this book reveals, not.

Part autobiography, part business history by the founder of Nike, this book focuses on the early years. Heartfelt and honest; warmly written. Perhaps most surprising, to a modern reader, are the challenges of financing an aggressive growth strategy in a world before venture capital.

A practical, insightful look at international business cultural differences, told with humor and heart. Useful to anyone who works with folks from anywhere else.

A fascinating portrayal of the dissolution of the telephone monopoly in the early 80s. Memorable characters and a stirring story well told make this a surprisingly hard-to-put-down read.

I‘m surprised this book was not on any of the reading lists of strategy courses I took in business school. Perhaps the clearest articulation of how to formulate strategy, as distinct from sloganeering, a common doppelgänger thereof.

How to live and work effectively? This book explores, in great detail, Ray Dalio’s own approach, how he arrived at it, how he put it in practice, and why he believes it works. Not all lessons are every where applicable, but there’s something to learn from here.

Tim O’Reilly counters the zeitgeist’s prevailing pessimism about the future of tech and offers an inspiring vision of how things could/should be. Written with learning, humility, and love.

Much like Brad Stone’s earlier work The Everything Store explored the history and rise of Amazon, this book examines the rise of Uber and Airbnb, along with a few other companies that didn’t quite rise so far. Published in early 2017, so it doesn’t take into account the most recent upheavals at Uber.

A splendid book, replete with riches. Vital for understanding where we, as a society and an economy, are and where we’ll be heading in the decades ahead.

Preaches the importance of radical candor: a combination of caring personally and directly challenging. Contrasted, in sometimes humorous tales from the field, with the failure modes of ruinous empathy and obnoxious aggression. Clearly and concisely written, with lessons applicable to all, whether manager or individual contributor.

A comprehensive history of advertising, thoughtfully told, from the penny press to the native ad.

A timeless classic, dating from before the first tech bubble burst (written in 1999), this book contains advice that’s useful not only to active and aspiring managers, but to all those who report to a manager. Through the lens of encouraging self-discovery, it emphasizes the need for understanding as the engine for growth and provides a set of questions to help drive a career forward.

I’ve long been a reader of Rands in Repose, the author’s blog. This book contains some of the best essays from that blog, plus more, and provides a useful set of rubrics and lenses through which to view software engineering specifically and the technology industry more generally. Read this understand how giant tech companies actually get work done and the vital importance of middle managers: “A successful organization is built of layers of people that are glued together with managers. Each layer is responsible for a broad task, be it engineering or QA or marketing. Between each layer is a manager whose job it is to translate from one layer to the next . . . in both directions. He knows what his employees want. He knows what his manager wants, and he’s able to successfully navigate when those wants differ.” This book teaches how to be most effective as a manager in the middle between all those overlapping layers.

“A ship is a dream of whispers.” A beautifully crafted tale that unfolds, bit by bit, and reveals more and more as it continues until everything comes together satisfyingly at the end.

A fascinating unlike-anything-else romp through a sci-fi 25th century well-seasoned with 18th-century philosophy tied together with a page-turning plot set in a compelling and meticulously built world. One of those series that sticks with you long after you finish.

Set in the author’s Revelation Space universe, this book begins seemingly out of the way but quickly brings events back into the main thread of the series. I only wish I had read the short story collection Galactic North *before* having read this book, as that would have provided some additional backstory to characters featured in this book.

A fun sci-fi romp much in the style of the author’s earlier work, The Martian, but nonetheless enjoyable.

A sequel of sorts to the author’s earlier work, REAMDE, this book is a fascinating exploration of what it means to create a world, inspired at least partly by Milton’s Paradise Lost, but enjoyable and thought-provoking on its own merits.

What would life be like on a generation ship? How might things fail? What happens when they do? This book deeply explores these questions.

Opens with a gripping telling of the creation of new, non-embodied intelligence and proceeds from there. A fun exploration of possible implications of where physics could lead, if speculating on possible interpretations of physics is your flavor of fun (it is mine!).

Another dazzling exploration of the potentialities contained within the possibility space of quantum theory as well as what it means to encounter a truly alien universe.

This is a challenging, and, at times, bleak book, but ultimately an incredibly thought-provoking look at a potential future of the world as climate change continues to accelerate. One of those books that sticks with you long after you finish reading it.

As someone who enjoys an occasional costume drama miniseries or a novel by Jane Austen, this was an enjoyable tale set in a neo-Victorian future. Hard to believe it was written in 2003 as it correctly anticipated many of the aspects of an always-on, digitally connected world where people can work from anywhere.

I remember trying to read Red Mars as a kid when I was 10 or 11 years old. Needless to say it sailed entirely over my head and abandoned it unfinished. Returning now some decades later, the series as a whole is an incredible exploration of the human aspects of space colonization. The trilogy begins with a narrow focus on the initial set of colonists and their initial travails and then gradually widens the lens to ultimately encompass the entire planet, its transformation, and relationship with Earth.

Another collection of wonderfully crafted sci-fi short stories from a master of the genre.

Perhaps one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve ever read, mediating on the nature of knowledge and knowing itself. A beautiful blend of math, philosophy, and sci-fi/fantasy.

Rich, resplendent, and towering, this series of three (or eight, depending on how you count) books soars from the Glorious Revolution to the Court of the Sun King to rambunctious adventures around the globe. Filled with scientific references, historical tidbits, and cameos (as well as larger parts played) by historical figures, this series is a delight.

Translated from Chinese by Ken Liu (who translated *The Three Body Problem*), this collection of science fiction short stories offers new and intriguing perspectives on both classic and novel themes. Hao Jingfang’s Folding Beijing struck me as particularly moving and poignant; an imaginative meditation on inequality, class, and power.

Succinct almost to the point of austerity, Ted Chiang’s hauntingly written tales waste not a word to weave a web of wonder, delight, and, at times, echoing mystery.

Set outside the Revelation Space universe, Alastair Reynolds manages to craft a compelling tale that spans galaxies and offers new mysteries of its own.

Hard scifi space opera. Greatly enjoyable, with memorable characters, backstory, science, history, and of course the requisite galactic-scale threats.

I read the entire ten book series over the course of 2016. The Culture series is set in the distant future where enlightened AIs run society and humans, freed from a life of labor, have to deal with the rest of the galaxy. What is life like when material want is eradicated? What about encounters with less enlightened aliens? Or perhaps backward planets lagging in development? All this and more is thoughtfully and philosophically dealt with in this amazing series. My favorite out of the ten books was the brilliant Matter, but I’d recommend starting with Player of Games.

Continuing in my classic SF adventures, I tore through several of Ursula Le Guin’s novels. She writes with a poignancy and precision that makes her prose sing, and treats with themes that are larger than what’s typically encountered in science fiction. Among the books in the cycle, The Dispossessed stood out for me as a moving tale of two civilizations riven by decades of animosity. The entire work itself is beautifully and carefully framed, making it a work of art in its composition and form.

Compellingly argues for epistemic humility given our nature as biological creatures.

This book compellingly answers the question of how we can better equip ourselves to see, think, and act rationally.

This book offers a reflective look back at how to create, design, and drive complex organizations to accomplish great things. The author, Vannevar Bush, was a key figure in creating both the Manhattan Project and the National Science Foundation.

A brilliant exploration of the gene and how genes affect human lives, interwoven with a moving tale of how genes affected the author’s own family.

Hamming is a giant in the field. His “You and Your Research” talk served as an inspiration in my computer scientist undergraduate research days. This book runs along much the same themes, albeit with a deeper treatment and a wider scope.

It turns out 20 year old college students in prosperous Western countries are not actually valid as useful proxies for all of humanity. This book explains why.

A fascinating read exploring the eternal nature v. nurture debate, informed by the latest research. Importantly argues from a perspective of children as their own agents (children are people too!), e.g.

I picked up this book because, as I was reading Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers, I kept seeing this book mentioned in the footnotes. The academic underpinnings behind some of Gladwell’s theses, this book explains how deception detection happens (or doesn’t). Notably, it’s not because liars look like they’re lying.

Delightful. Educational and full of wonder.

A powerful juxtaposition of two different, even opposed, perspectives of approaching technology and the future, set alongside the history of two men you’ve probably never heard of (though you should know about them!). Should we aim to seek technical solutions to our challenges (as wizards propose) or should we instead change our behavior to prevent or eliminate those challenges in the first place (as prophets propose)?

An entertaining survey of the state of practical cognitive psychology and how we, as humans, routinely mispredict what will actually make us happy, as well as deceive ourselves about ourselves. Recommended.

An incredible read, providing a deep look into human biology and neuroscience as we know it now, viewed through the lens of what makes us behave the way we do when we do. Insightful, humorous … deeply thought-provoking. Be sure to read the delightful footnotes.

You know that sparkle in your eye when you learn something new? This book is full of those sparkles.

Short (86 pages!) and sweet. Evocatively explores seven aspects of modern physics and communicates the author’s passion for his field.

Perhaps the polar opposite of Truman, Napoleon also did not shy away from making tough decisions. This book tells the tale of how he navigated the storm of the French Revolution, became Emperor, remade France, conquered Europe, and lost everything.

Truman is thus far the only human to ever authorize the use of atomic weapons in warfare (and may that long continue to be the case). He did not shy away from making tough decisions: “I am here to make decisions and whether they prove right or wrong I am going to make them.” This book paints a nuanced, complex portrait of a humble, diligent, courageous, and deeply honorable man.

Surprisingly gripping narrative of how the Wright Brothers created and flew the first flying machine. Persistence and patience enabled them to see possibilities that others did not.

A heartfelt, honest, and at times, humorous, portrayal of what it was like growing up as a mixed race child in apartheid South Africa. Self-reflective and insightful.

A deep portrait of Lincoln’s leadership style and his genius for bringing together people and bringing forth the best from them. If only we had politicians of his stature today.

A compelling and powerful portrait of Rockefeller and, by extension, Standard Oil. Much more than one-dimensional robber baron caricature.

A human portrayal of a simple man from Southwestern Ohio; of his struggles, his character, his flaws, and his virtues.

I first heard the name Claude Shannon in undergrad, in a little experimental course called 6.095: Information and Entropy. I remember being fascinated at the simplicity and depth of the theory that Shannon laid out. This book surveys his life and the development of that theory, as well as Shannon‘s own incredible combination of intellectual breadth and depth.

Written in 2012, this book offers insight into Elon Musk‘s early life, initial success in business, and current motivation and drive.

This is perhaps the best historical biography I’ve ever read. Four books so far, with a fifth on the way, it is not only meticulously researched, but is deliciously and superbly well-written. The first book, The Path to Power, opens with a long consideration of West Texas topography — a topic in which I had previously found no interest — but does so so brilliantly that I found myself enraptured by the pages. Robert Caro can *write*. The third book, Master of the Senate, is a stunning telling of LBJ’s use of political power to Get Things Done in the Senate. The entire series is an amazing study of the nature of power (“Power, Lord Acton says, corrupts. Not always. What power always does is reveal.”) and an intimate portrait of LBJ.

A fun romp skillfully told. GRRM at his best. The man still has a way with prose.

As a huge Tolkien fan (having read pretty much everything published by Tolkien or Christopher Tolkien), I found this book a treat: an in-depth exploration of one of the oldest stories in the legendarium.

A suspenseful tale that imagines Circe on her own terms while staying true to the mythology.

Ancient tales, lovingly retold in clear, crisp prose.

A blistering look at the decline of globalization and how the world might fall apart in the decades to come. (Spoiler alert: America will be fine, if it doesn't self-destruct).

Compelling evaluations of the leadership strategies of several world leaders in the second half of the 20th century, as viewed by a long-serving diplomat who, to varying degrees, encountered and worked with them.

An evocative graphic nonfiction read that persuasively argues that the world’s present orientation toward immigration is not only unjust but also counterproductive and ultimately self-defeating.

This book argues that the postwar order as we know it did not just happen. It was created — deliberately — by the United States and the Allies in an attempt to prevent the horrors of the 20th century from ever recurring. The book briefly surveys the creation of the status quo before turning to look at the beginning of its dissolution, as America turns inward after ill-advised adventures abroad. The implications of what the world could look like, were the postwar order overturned, are harrowing. A dire, but well-written brief.

This short book presents the case that *migration*, particularly that precipitated by Libya and Syria, was the European establishment's kryptonite. Europe's ideals of human rights and equality put European leaders in an awkward position of either (in the eyes of their critics) ceding national sovereignty or heartlessly turning away from people in need. Europe's own refugee laws were built for a different era and unequipped to meet the necessary scale. This disruption-by-migration has not yet been settled in Europe and it is unclear how it will be settled, as evidenced by the rise of a variety of populist movements, on both right and left, and no consensus on how to resolve inherent contradictions in the foundation of Europe. A thought-provoking read.

Originally self-published in 2014 and republished, in an updated form, this year by Stripe Press, this book, by a former CIA analyst, looks at technological change as the catalyst that has caused the public to revolt against leaders and provoke a crisis of authority. Weaving together such seemingly disparate events as the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, Brexit, and Trump, the book makes a compelling case that all these movements, at their heart, are enabled by the distributed, unmediated communication enabled by the Internet. The author argues that these movements “from the outside” often lack a positive agenda but are instead able to unify various factions through a common desire to oppose the status quo, without agreement on what or how to replace it. Highly recommended.

An amazing book. Introduces the powerful lenses of *legibility* and *metis*; illustrates, with examples from scientific forestry to communist Russia, the dangers of hubris and model-blindness. Thought provoking, particularly considering the increasing legibility and inherent reductionism of a future mediated by ever-more-prevalent technology.

Why would someone join the Islamic State? This book examines that question both at the personal and global level.

This book should be titled “What to do (and not do) if you’ve just been handed the reins of power in a developing country,” because it’s almost a manual for what works (and what doesn’t) in developmental economics. Compellingly argues that what works for a full-powered, developed economy is a different brew than what a developing economy needs. Alas, then, that many of our global institutions have been prescribing the wrong medicine for decades.

I wear clothes every day and have done so for my entire life. Yet, until I read this book, I pretty much took clothing entirely for granted. This book narrates a beautiful journey into fabric and textiles: how they’re made, where they come from, how they become clothing, whence the vagaries of fashion arise. Written with a love for the subject that shines through its pages.

In some sense, this book picks up where The Prize, by the same author, leaves off. It looks at the future (and the past) as the world begins its transition away from carbon-based forms of energy.

An insightful read about how well-managed markets can lead to increased prosperity while, at the same time, reducing resource usage. Argues that environmental improvements have not solely been a product of regulatory initiatives but also, and importantly, are what people want. No one wants pollution: people want prosperity. If there’s a way to prosperity without pollution, that’s preferable to a polluted pathway. Technological innovation and development has carved and can continue to carve those pathways in the future.

Thoughtful, informative, detailed, data-backed. Makes a persuasive case for targeted public investment to spur private development.

A fascinating read on how money moves around the world (both offshore and onshore) and how interwoven it is with politics and power.

A thought-provoking read. Honest and humble, with creative new ideas (some of which may work, some of which may not, but all of which deserve consideration and additional thought). I learned about quadratic voting thanks to this book, which I have to admit is a pretty cool concept.

Highly readable, with ample helpings of fascinating historical vignettes, this book looks at nations through the lens of their institutions. Specifically, their economic and political institutions, and whether each of these are inclusive (economic growth or political power has a broad base and percolate within the system) or extractive (economic growth or political power drain out of the system). A valuable lens of looking at the world, of looking at political and economic decisions (does this increase inclusivity? is there an appropriate level of centralization?)

Though written at the turn of the century, this book‘s dated references do not distract from the underlying soundness of the theory and insight offered about the network economy.

Argues that 1870 to 1970 comprised the most productive hundred years of history and that future growth will not reach those heights of productivity any time soon. Strongest in its economic history, offering insights into the everyday and illustrating the impact of now-commonplace inventions such as the car, lightbulb, indoor plumbing, television, and flight.

A delightful read, replete with wisdom. This book can be a bit curmudgeonly at times, but overall it’s a enjoyable discourse on the necessity of accounting for downside risks / disincentives — i.e. making sure not only that the people who make a decision can benefit if it goes well, but that they have some downside if goes poorly. And lots of illustrations on what happens if that isn't the case.

Stoicism for the digital age. Entertainingly written, with profound lessons hidden beneath seemingly casual prose.

Each of us arrives at our most deeply held convictions through rigorous application of reason, right? Wrong. This book illustrates how and why.

James Clavell (1,301 pages)

Finely carved prose; almost austere, yet perfectly descriptive; utterly economical with words. Incredible characterization, introspection, and depth.

Understated, quiet, with a forceful, inexorable prose, with thought-provoking meditations on the nature of political conscience, representation, and opinion.

A fun, rollicking romp across worlds both virtual and real, told with Stephenson’s usual brilliant flair for detailed history and similarly detailed prognostication.

Told in an evocative, warm, almost conversational style, this quadrilogy compellingly tells the story of the life of two girls who grew up in Naples, and all that life brought them to bear, and all they brought to bear to life. Moving and meaningful.

An insightful peek into the process behind the incredible works of Robert Caro and why those works are so compelling.

Painstakingly researched through applied field research, the author embedded himself in Milwaukee to understand eviction, both from the perspective of tenants and landlords. Devastating, heart-wrenching, and depressing, but powerfully and evocatively told through moving, sonorous prose.

Written as a letter from father to son, this book features beautiful, almost lyrical prose, filled with heart and feeling. A moving, powerful work on a difficult-to-read-about topic. Poignant, almost private, it is a gift to be able to read this and take steps on the path to a better understanding.

I did not expect Middlemarch to blow me away, but it did. This book is an incredibly deep exploration of what it means to live as a human among other humans, with all our faults and failings and foibles. Brilliant.

Somehow I hadn’t read this classic until this year. Hemingway at his finest: a simple tale, beautifully told.

A classic that long rested on my bookshelves but that I hadn’t properly read, cover to cover. Dated in parts, stunningly farsighted in others, the book is treat to enter into and read.

Delightful meditations upon the nature of design, and indeed, of this wonderful world we find ourselves in.

Only available in hardcover, but worth it. Beautiful photos and timeless principles for permanent fashion. Focused pretty heavily on professional attire (think law firms more than tech companies, let alone startups), but the underlying principles (color matching across skin tone/eye color/clothing/accents) apply everywhere. As a bonus, it delves into how many of the “standards” have come about, with fascinating history lessons into why things are the way they are (when in doubt, blame the Duke of Windsor). I don’t wear a suit to work nowadays, but this book was still a fascinating, eye-opening, and ultimately quite useful read.

Moving, meaningful, lyrically written. A powerful reflection on what it means to be human.

Irreverent, dark, sardonic, at times caustic — yet compelling. This tale of one man’s adventures at a Silicon Valley startup tells it straight up. Viscerally honest, replete with unexpected wisdom and surprising amounts of heart. Also, as a bonus, contains the most lucid explanation of advertising tech that I’ve come across. Read this to understand part of what makes this Valley run.

The tale of a Yale-trained lawyer and his childhood in the hard scrabble backcountry of southern Ohio and northern Kentucky, used as a prism through which to view hillbillies, white working-class America, and the middle class. An illustrative collision of cultures, and of the havoc those collisions can bring upon lives.

A beautiful collection of charts and illustrations of how the NBA has evolved over the past decade. As a graph nerd and basketball fan, this book continually brought a smile to my face.