Books Recommended from 2023
Christopher M. Schroeder
Internet/Media CEO; Venture Investor; Writer on Startups, Emerging Markets and the Middle East
This is my favorite post to write, selfishly, because I get to step back and reflect on both the amazing reading I’ve done this year, and that nearly half of these books were recommended by some of the greatest readers in and around my life. (They are thanked by name at the end).
This year, as every year, I delve into areas of curiosity for me, but also where lessons and reflections can help me understand our times and where we are going. I am especially attracted to “bottom-up” books that take us to understanding the ground of people, countries, and science on their terms; history that contextualizes our worlds; and beautiful writing found in fiction and literature.
What jumped out most is how impossible it is for me to pick a “best” from each category I read. So please feel free to skim the list below for categories that interest you. As I now, finally, stop reading books that don’t resonate with me early, these all are very good. I’ve added editorial comments that may be of help.
Finally, a friend opened a wonderful new bookstore this fall in Middleburg VA, Middleburg Books . They are partnered with bookshop.org where any book we order credits them. The books at the top of my recommendation and any I’ve read since their opening have their links, the rest are Amazon. But please consider ordering from and supporting this special effort on books you purchase.
My Top by Category:
On Africa, New York Times reporter Helene Cooper’s memoir, The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood brings all her journalistic skill to her own astounding story of her family emigrating from Liberia in war.
On American History and Culture, I loved both magisterial and complementary biographies on Oppenheimer, Kai Bird’s, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer and Ray Monk’s? Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center . ?Ernie Pyle’s ?Brave Men is with With the Old Breed and Helmut for My Pillow , among the best World War II memoirs I’ve read. Stacy Schiff’s The Revolutionary: Sam Adams ?is perhaps the definitive biography of one of the most important and least known figures from our founding.
On Antiquity and Global Thought, I dug deeply into primary sources including Epictetus’ Discourses and Selected Writings – now become my favorites among the stoics, as relevant today as the first century, and Dio Cassius’ Roman Histories Volume I, through Augustus – a wonderful, readable, primary source from the 3rd century on the rise of Rome and her emperors. I stop and read everything Mary Beard writes, and her new Emperors of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World is brilliant, serious, for the lay reader, and filled with the latest research. I’ve given many young mentees and friends this crucial book to put today’s terrible conflicts in historic context, Margaret MacMillan’s War: How Conflict Shaped Us .
On Asia, Australia and South Asia, Malcom Turnbull’s? A Bigger Picture is a superb memoir with context of Australia today, great recent political battles, and an amazing life. Michael Vatikiotis’ Blood and Silk is an important, somber and sober overview of Southeast Asia today and historical context by the BBC journalist who covered it for thirty years.
On China, everything I read was wonderful. I will merely call out Andrew Small’s No Limits: The Inside Story of China’s War with the West which is a marvelous tour of tech, business and policy shifts with detailed focus on Europe in the China engagements. Bonnie Glaser’s’ U.S. Taiwan Relations: Will China’s Challenge Lead to Crisis is a superb and balanced analysis of one of the top hot-spots of our times. Jing Tsu’s? Kingdom of Characters is an excellent history of challenges/opportunities in Chinese language and characters in modernizing the country over the last century.
On Europe and North America, if I had to recommend one book this year it would likely be Stefan Zweig’s The World of Yesterday -- a brilliant, beautifully written look at the fall of societies in Europe building to World War I and World War II and a reminder of not taking our current security as a given. I had a wonderful re-reading of Barbara Tuchman, including her beautiful take on the first month of World War I, The Guns of August and The Proud Tower as a perfect precursor to the period before that War, with wonderful texture from America also. Written as Anonymous at the time, A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in a Conquered City is a brutal, breath taking, well-written memoir of occupied Berlin and I warn you nothing is spared. Kati Marton’s The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel is excellent, bordering on the hagiographic, on one of the remarkable figures of the past 50 years.
On fiction and literature, I delved greatly into old and new friends of the earlier part of the 20th Century and late 19th. I especially devoured books with a lens on empire, and how ill prepared most of us are in understanding the ground let alone even being curious about it. All by E.M Forster, Joseph Conrad, V.S. Naipaul, Graham Greene and F. Scott Fitzgerald below were superb, as is the chilling work on moral tradeoffs that is Fyodor Dostoevsky. I add Nevil Shute’s On the Beach, which holds up extraordinarily well as a deeply moving account of the last survivors of nuclear war. Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a? beautifully written novel as letters to his immigrant Mom and a gut punch on coming of age. Finally, a gorgeous short story comes from, of course, Ireland: Claire Keegan’s Foster is a? jewel of an Irish novella of coming of age and family complexity, capturing a moment in time.
On film and arts, I spent a great deal of time watching and studying David Lean films. Kevin Brownlow’s David Lean: A Biography is a good picture by picture detailed extensive biography of one of the greatest film makers to have lived.
On the Middle East, I have chosen three deep writings of personal experience and reflection. This beautiful debut by Katherine Saad Feghali, Glass Cedars is a gripping novel, but also memoir, of the Lebanese Civil War and cross-cultural experience in the US. Utterly powerful, with astounding and sometimes heart breaking context for our times right now is Amal Ghandour’s This Arab Life: A Generation’s Journey into Silence . Michael Vatikiotis’ Lives Between the Lines is a? poignant family history from Egypt to Lebanon in the early 20th century and influences today.
On spirituality, faith and unleashing our potential, for the first time since college I re-read the entire Bible. But this time with a version edited by Becky Tarabassi, Change Your Life Bible with substantial, provocative and poignant annotations and reflections. Gina Bianchini’s Purpose: Design a Community & Change Your Life is an excellent path of maximizing our best by being a part of others. I also reviewed it here . By my bedside remains Dag Hammarskjold’s Markings , with wonderful reflections of purpose, leadership and courage, some of my favorite quotes aggregated here . ?Finally, in all his craziness and brilliance I could listen to Rick Rubin on creativity for hours at a time – fortunately distilled in his ?The Creative ACT: A Way of Being .
On Science and Technology and Business, I rely much more on blogs and videos in these rapidly changing worlds, but on AI very good groundings include Reid Hoffman’s and (GPT4’s) , Impromptu: Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI which is a wonderful, right-setting tour of the central issues and opportunities we now face with AI. Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan’s, AI 2041: Ten Vision for the Future is a collection of short stories on the world in 20 years, with superb analysis on where tech may lead us. Mustapha Suleyman’s wrote a controversial push on both the strengths and concerns from a man who helped build it all, Coming Wave . One of the great business memoirs is Steven Myers’, Cross Winds: Adventure and Entrepreneurship in the Russian Far East which is one part adventure writing of Patrick Leigh Fermor, one part superb tale of impossible entrepreneurship. Internationally minded person that I am, Shannon K. O’Neil reminded me in her The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter that a global world is, in fact, more about regions – more so now than ever.
The rest really are superb also, to your interests:
AFRICA
Superb one volume on Africa during World War I. Remarkable figures and context.
AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
Scott Anderson, The Quiet Americans: Four CIA Spies at the Dawn of the Cold War
A thorough, researched lens on the cold war through the rise of spy-craft and four men at its center.
Spellbinder, near fiction account of the rise and fall of the Klan – except it is all true.
John Lewis Gaddis, The Cold War: A New History
Accessible one-volume by a legendary historian, though the world has changed dramatically since.
Adam Hochschild, American Midnight – Great War, Violent Peace Democracy’s Crisis
An eye-opening look at America post World War I – rise of unions, nativism and new economic order.
Excellent, detailed and thorough overview of President Reagan and his foreign policy.
Superb. I’ve read on World War II for years and I didn’t know half of this.
A historians look at the build up to War after September 11. Meticulously researched, and well written.
Joining a 250 mile walk from DC to NYC, exploring life/people along the way with views on our times.
John McPhee, Bill Bradley at Princeton: A Sense of Where You Are .
Beautiful 1964 look at one of the greatest players, but also human beings of discipline and impact.
The whistle blowers whistle blower’s new book brutally unpacking incentives and fraud in health care.
Eric L. Motley, Madison Park: A Place of Hope
Beautiful, personal coming of age growing up in the rural south with deep influence of people and place.
Nathaniel? Moir, Number One Realist: Bernard Fall and Vietnamese Revolutionary Warfare
Fall understood the ground and told power in DC what they didn’t want to hear. Never more needed.
Riveting overview of the interviews with and what we learned from Saddam and our War.
Intimate, well-written bio of an extraordinary and flawed figure at the heart of US Policy for fifty years.
Jim Popkin, Code Name Blue Wren
Page-turner story of one of the worst spies working for Cuba, forgotten in September 11.
Nicholas Reynolds, Need to Know
A comprehensive history of the rise of American Intelligence in World War II.
Richard Sander/Stuart Taylor: Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It’s Intended to Help
Provocative, data filled study that makes one understand our goals, outcomes and better plans.
Michael Shellenberger, San Fran-Sicko
Provocative author but must-read with data and analysis about the sad shifts in SF and other US cities.
Cliff Sloan, The Court at War
Definitive on the Court during WW II; wonderful surprises and how democracy functions even in crisis.
Kwame Ture and Charles Hamilton, Black Power: Politics of Liberation in America
It reads as if it was written today – here at home and abroad – as provocative and maddening as ever.
ANTIQUITY AND GLOBAL THOUGHT
Anothy Birley, Hadrian: The Restless Emperor
Good, one volume on one of the most important emperors most of us know little about.
Harry Eyres, Horace and Me: Life Lessons From and Ancient Poet
Lovely part personal memoir, part history of his history, biography, affection for the great poet.
John Lewis Gaddis, On Grand Strategy
Must read one-volume on the history of strategy from antiquity to the last century, and core lessons.
Adrian Goldsworthy, Rome and Persia: The Seven Hundred Year Rivalry
Excellent, accessible overview of the centuries tension, occasional war, navigation of two great powers.
Robert Kaplan, A Tragic Mind: Fear, Fate and the Burden of Power
Powerful, intimate look at how understanding tragedy is essential to life and leadership.
Irene Vallejo, Papyrus – The Invention of Books in the Ancient World
Marvelous historical look at the rise of reading and book from a lover of books.
ASIA, AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH ASIA
Herbert Bix, Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan
A comprehensive, meticulously researched bio on a figure wrongly forgotten for better and worse.
Bill Bryson, In a Sunburned Country
Marvelous, holds up well, often very funny overview of history and travel in Australia.
John Hersey, Hiroshima
I’ve not read since college, stunningly written reporting of the aftermath of the bomb.
One part history, one part travelogue in search of a 1,000 mile hedge built across India for the salt tax.
Mark Peel and Christina Twomey, A History of Australia
Short, concise and excellent overview of this extraordinary and impossible history.
CHINA
Paints with too broad and perhaps biased brushes, but also fascinating look at our ignorance on China.
Superb and wonderfully written book on these extraordinary women, and the leaders they shaped.
Wonderful historical novel about perhaps the most powerful foreigner in 19th Century China.
Very powerful history of rise of Alipay and WeChat Pay and the future of money moving now.
Superb, near spy thriller of two captured CIA agents as a lens to our China activity post War.
Definitive history on the rise of China through Tiananmen, and the forgotten Zhao Ziyang.
Provocative look at China’s rise from the Chinese perspective from the economy to culture to tech.
Magisterial read by a great Chinese historian who pulls no punches, definitive read.
Marvelous look at the brave historians/documentarians on China’s recent history.
Jonathan Pelson, Wireless Wars: China’s Dangerous Domination of 5G
A very good bookend to the superb Chip Wars, with a comprehensive tour of the history of 5G.
Susan Shirk, Overreach: How China Derailed its Peaceful Rise
Superb, must-read deep dive into the history and context of Xi up through the present.
Fascinating, academic, deeply researched look at how power shifted in these leadership vacuums.
EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA
Giorgio Agamben, Where are We Now?
A provocative take of this great philosopher questioning the liberties we sacrifice in the midst of crisis.
I read in one sitting – The Great Escape of World War I, all but impossible, told like a thriller.
Burkhard Bilger, Fatherland: A Memoir of War, Conscience and Family Secret
Very personal, moving exploration of the rise of Nazism from a grandson who unpacked his family.
领英推荐
Elizabeth Bowen, A Time in Rome
A reflection of time in the great city from 1959 – lyrical with wonderful history and context.
Anthony Doerr, Four Seasons in Rome
A marvelous, beautifully written tour of a year of writing and young family in the great city.
Modris Eksteins, Rites of Spring
A superb overview of culture and art as an expression of the period up to and after World War I.
David Grant, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
Riveting, novel-like history of an extraordinary mutiny and survival and government in the 19th century.
Winston Groom: A Storm in Flanders: The Ypres Salient 1914-1918
Excellent one volume account of the battles of Ypres including Passchendaele.
Ian Krastev, After Europe
Superb step by step and provocative view of how Europe sees itself in rising political uncertainties.
Extraordinarily important look at falling liberalism and rise of authoritarianism and why.
Bill Morneau, Where to From Here: A Path to Canadian Prosperity
Wonderful, sober, balanced view on the triumph of politics over substance, for any democracy.
Raoul Servais, Memories of War
Moving memoir of the great Belgium artists, and his childhood dramatically affected by World War II.
Superb memoir in search of identities, history and connection to his father.
Comprehensive and fun overview of the most influential economists of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
FICTION AND LITERATURE
Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis, 2034 – A Novel of the Next World War
Action-packed, breath-taking read that so resonates with the world/trends today. A must-read warning.
Albert Camus, The First Man
A moving fictionalized and posthumous account of growing up in Algiers to the rise of rebellion.
Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land
A well written spin from 15th century Turkey to the present, connected by unpacking a mystery.
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
Can a “good” person do anything to a “bad” person? Who decides? Epic read.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night
My favorite Fitzgerald novel by a mile – beautiful writing; deep and compelling character.
E.M. Forster, A Passage to India
I adored it, and much resonated with my own global travel. Also watched the beautiful Lean film with it.
E.M. Forster, A Room With a View
Lovely tale of appearances and what matters in Victorian England and a stunning visit to Florence.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust Parts I and II
Who among us is not tempted in some form each day? First read in college, more resonate now.
Graham Greene, The Confidential Agent
Gripping spy story, probably based in and around the Spanish Civil War.
Graham Greene, The End of the Affair
Poignant wrestling of forbidden lover, loss and all it touches.
Graham Greene, The Heart of the Matter
My favorite after Quite American – beautiful/gripping look at politics, love and corruption in East Africa.
Graham Greene, The Orient Express
The stories and surprising connection and drama of a collection of travelers across Europe to Istanbul.
Graham Greene, A Sort of Life
His first volume of his memoir, elegantly and amusingly written as ever; fascinating rise of the author.
V.S. Naipaul, A Bend in the River
Beautiful, provocative, disturbing look at the mindset of identity in an unnamed African country.
Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet
A provocative fictional account of the influences that made Shakespeare and specifically Hamlet.
Olga Tokarczuk, The Books of Jacob
Nobel winner, complex/beautiful delving into family, culture, life in 1700’s eastern Europe to the War.
Voltaire, Candide ????????
Had not read since college, and it was magnificent. The famous last line particularly resonates now.
FILM AND THE ARTS
Louise Brooks, Lulu in Hollywood
Riveting, blunt memoir of one the greatest silent stars who lived by her own rules.
Kevin Brownlow, Napoleon: Abel Gance’s Classic Film
Superb history of one of the greatest, most influential and near forgotten movies in film history.
THE MIDDLE EAST
Roger Hardy, The Poisoned Well
A brief but comprehensive overview of European empire building from World War 1 thru 1967.
Pulitzer winning biography that holds up very well over the years, deep in psychology as well as history.
David Runell, Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at a Crossroads
Very good, brief history and context of Saudi Arabia today, from a 30-year veteran analyst.
SPIRTUALITY, FAITH AND UNLEASHING OUR TALENTS AND CREATIVITY
Karen Armstrong, Buddha
Good, brief one volume overview of his life and principles by a great scholar of religion.
Ajahn Brahm, Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung? Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life’s Difficulties
A funny, story-filled overview of Buddhist perspective on daily encounters with ego, pain and others.
Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
Re-read this epic experience in concentration camps and finding meaning in whatever life throws.
Superb, uncomfortable, data-filled look at our inherent biases and how to engage responsibly.
Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching
A good, accessible tour of the great man and his teachings.
Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is the Way
An overview for working through challenges in life through the lens of the stoics.
Readable, anecdotal tour of re-framing voices in one’s head, and the stories we tell ourselves.
Wonderful, wise almost proverbs of counsel I, too, wish I had earlier from a great thinker and writer.
Karen Kingston, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui
Superb book that has inspired me to clear out so much junk, hence clearing out my thinking/spirituality.
Daniel Pink, A Whole New Mind
Written in 2005 that the right-brain will rule the future. Good guide on why, now with a new world of AI.
Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying
Very moving reflections on Buddhist principles in terms of processing death and its lessons for life.
Martin Schreiber, My Two Elaines
Deeply personal journey as a caregiver for a spouse with Alzheimer’s. Jarring and constructive.
David Von Drehle, The Book of Charlie: The Remarkable American Life of a 109 year old man
Part bio of a stoic time in the mid-west of America, part wisdom of a special life and friendship.
TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE AND BUSINESS
Derek Cheung/Eric Brach, Conquering the Electron – Geniuses, Visionaries, Egomaniacs, Scoundrels
Wonderful overview through the rise of Silicon Valley; amazing salute to innovation/business.
Richard P. Feynman, Surely, You’re Joking Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character
Marvelous, readable memoir of one of the great physicists, observers of people and BS.
Freeman Dyson, Disturbing the Universe ??????????
One part memoir, one part reflection on science, poetry and the world – brilliant read.
James Gleick, Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman
Gleick’s The Information is one of my favorites, and he does it again in this excellent biography.
Will Guidara, Unreasonable Hospitality
One of the best books I’ve read on brand building and culture in any organization.
Accessible, crucial, disturbing look at how we think about, pursue, accept cancer and how to discuss it.
William Thorndike, The Outsiders: Eight CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
Now a bit dated, but wonderful overview of the best CEOs of the end of the last century.
Vinod Thomas, Risk and Resilience in the Era of Climate Change
Concise, data filled argument for calling major weather events as climate, and building plans now.
Timothy C. Winegard, The Mosquito: A Human History of our Deadliest Predator
Nothing has killed close to this carrier of malaria and more, a tour of its defining effects across history.
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Special thanks for the recommendations and shared learning from: Herb Allen; Marc Andreesen; Lucas Bagno; Jen Balderama; Adi Berlia; Melissa Bethell; Shelby Bonnie; Marcus Brauchli; Randy Castleman; Bryan Chan; Connie Chan; Priyanka Chaurasia; Martin Chorzempa; Matt Clifford; Sandy Coburn; Heather Conley; Helene Cooper; Agnes Crawford; Hank Crumpton; Katherine Feghali; Nate Fick; Suzy Fry; Marc Grossman; Jorge Guajardo; Robert Hayes; David Hoffman; Reid Hoffman; Ben Horowitz; Vinod Khosla; Vina Lervisit; Dar Manaavi; Maricris; Bill Morneau; Mary Beth Morrell; Michael Morrell; Craig Mullaney; Steven Myers; Shannon O’Neil; Evan Osnos; Sarah Pasetto; Jim Pinkerton; Shane Sagor; Elaine Schroeder; Julia Schroeder; Catherine Scoville; Tom Smith; Andrew Stevens; Van Taylor; Vinod Thomas; Dan Twining; Will Wechsler; Bob Zoellick
Business Student
7 个月Great image.
Diretora de Acelera??o de Negócios @Endeavor Brasil
9 个月This is awesome. Here is a few I read and recommend from last year - I’m really into sports so I read a few about that: - Sweat Equity - Jason Kelly (about this “new economy” and businesses relates to mind/ body that are thriving) - ?How bad do you want it: mastering the psychology of mind over muscle (a really interesting study conducted with elite athletes - talks about how our phisycal limit is normally more related to our mind than to the body itself..) Then I read a few “classic” ones on leadership/ culture, best ones for me were: - Principles from Ray Dalio - ?Radical Candor And we also implemented a lot of the “Amazonian playbook” here at Endeavor this year: to raise the bar on recruiting and becoming more efficient in terms of management, and so this one was great - Working Backwards Another great one was - How will you measure your life - Clayton Christensen And also I read 2 biographys, from women I admire - Becoming - Michele Obama - ?Lessons - Gisele Bundchen
Founder & CEO, Group 8 Security Solutions Inc. DBA Machine Learning Intelligence
10 个月Thanks for sharing with us!
Strategy | Execution | Governance Digital | Telecom | Tech | Infrastructure
10 个月I recommend this book
Strategy | Execution | Governance Digital | Telecom | Tech | Infrastructure
10 个月The most diverse and interesting list of books and most helpful review of books. Two down and more to go! Loved The Peacemaker by W Inboden