We love to get book recommendations, particularly from people whose opinion we unwaveringly respect … .
When my idol of the moment Fareed Zakaria speaks, I listen (he’s columnist for Newsweek; host of CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” 1:00 EST Sundays; author of “The Post-American World,” a book we suggested for reading earlier this year).
In his show on Sunday, he ended with the book recommendation that “The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope” by Jonathan Alter was a worthwhile read, particularly as Obama prepares to enter his first 100 days. Zakaria also posts his ongoing book list recommendations online:
THE ECONOMY
• “The Black Swan” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• “The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World” by Niall Ferguson.
• “The Bottom Billion” by Paul Collier
• “A Piece of the Action” by Joe Nocera
U.S. HISTORY
• “The Wise Men” by Walter Isaacson.
• “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House” by Jon Meacham
• “Exploring American History” by Michael McHugh
• “One Minute to Midnight” by Michael Dobbs
TERRORISM
• “Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001”, by Steve Coll.
INDIA/PAKISTAN
• “Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found” by Suketu Mehta.
• “Slumdog Millionaire” is a fascinating movie about life and love in Mumbai.
• “The Idea of Pakistan” by Stephen Cohen
OTHER
• “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius
Thought I’d also mention that my book club just finished reading “The Nine” by Jeffrey Toobin. While all members weren’t universally enthusiastic (some said “a bit of a slug”), I thought it provided new insights and some real surprises; for example, my respect for Sandra Day O’Connor grew exponentially (read it and find out why)!
Happy reading.
Harriett
