Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever
Written and narrated by Bill O’Reilly, it’s a really detailed story of Lincoln’s final days and his assassination. (View on Amazon)
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Pre-Suasion: Channeling Attention for Change
An interesting perspective on the impact of what happens immediately before a persuasive event. Stuffed full of findings from various psychological studies, which I really enjoyed. (View on Amazon)
The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve
Doomsday-ish, conspiracy theory-ish, and most concerning is that it’s eerily hard to dispute a lot of the author’s claims. The author tries (and in some ways succeeds) to make his point that the federal reserve is responsible for many of the tough facets of our economic reality, like…
The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation
It was surprising to learn just how much of our modern world was invented at Bell Labs. The transistor (which is in pretty much every electronic device), satellites, cell phones, lasers, and so much more. This story follows the Labs from its inception through its glory days. (View on…
Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed
A great read if you’re into airplanes and invention. Lockheed’s skunk works is responsible for some really cool aircraft (U-2 spy plane, Stealth Bomber, etc.) and Ben Rich was basically there for it all. (View on Amazon)
You May Also Like: Taste in an Age of Endless Choice
This is another book full of references to scientific studies. A deep dive on preferences, where they come from, and how they change. One key insight: we like what is familiar. (View on Amazon)
Napoleon: A Life
Napoleon rewrote the rules of war in 19th century Europe, conquering pretty much everything in his path. The book explains how this (essentially middle-class, non-french) guy from Corsica became Emperor of France. And then he stopped following his own rules and lost it all... (View on Amazon)
The Gene: An Intimate History
Everything you ever wanted to know about genetics, from the very very beginning when humans knew nothing, through some of the amazing things that scientists are able to do with today’s modern technology. (View on Amazon)
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
I had never heard of Robert Moses before this book. It is spectacularly well researched, detailed to the max. After the first chapter, I was hooked on the story. This guy RAN New York through the administrations of multiple mayors, governors and presidents. He’s single-handedly responsible for almost…
The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness
The prevalence of “normal” and “average” have always bothered me. The author does a great job of adding evidence to my feelings. People are “jagged”, and averages are often BS. There’s a story in here about US Air Force planes and crashes that really drives the point home.…
NeuroLogic: The Brain’s Hidden Rationale Behind Our Irrational Behavior
I’m a big fan of this book. I learned a lot about the oddities of how the mind works, and corner cases where it seems like it’s not working. Especially memorable topics were “Blindsight”, Conscious vs Unconscious brain systems, and the effectiveness of mental practice on physical performance. (View…
Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World
Bill Nye! A thorough overview of all of the technologies that are being theorized or developed that can help address the obvious human impact on our climate. Don’t believe in the human impact? Let’s talk after you’ve finished this book. (View on Amazon)
The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal
After reading about how Kim Philby played the UK and US for so long in the Soviet Union’s favor, I was happy to learn the story of a dramatic spy operation going the other direction. This is the story of the most impactful spy that the US had…
A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal
Kim Philby was an upper-class English guy who went to the “right” prep school and college, then joined the intelligence service during WW2. He rose to become the head of counterintelligence at MI6, focused specifically on the Soviet Union. Then, in 1963, he defected to the Soviet Union…
The Martian
It’s as if this book was made for the audiobook format. Because it’s mostly written as a diary, it really fits. And the narrator kicks ass at his role! (View on Amazon)
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Malcolm Gladwell references many studies to support his theory for how ideas spread “virally” - mavens, connectors, and salesmen. There’s a really interesting part of the book about why so many people continue to smoke despite knowing the risk factors. (View on Amazon)
The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
It’s hard to overstate the impact of the Morgan family & their legacy firms on global business. The story is a deep dive from the family’s beginnings when Junius Morgan became the partner of George Peabody in US-British trade through the fracturing of JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Morgan…
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
I drank the Elon Musk kool-aid. This guy is amazing, and the biographer (Ashlee Vance) does a great job of telling his story. (View on Amazon)
Andrew Carnegie
A true rags-to-riches story. Carnegie was a Scottish immigrant who made his fortune in the steel business, and then worked for many years to “give it away”. After he sold out (to JP Morgan), he was having trouble giving his money away fast enough, due to the effects…
The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt was another remarkable titan of industry. Making his original fortune in steamships, he switched gears and went all-in on railroads once he caught wind of the opportunity. Fun fact from the author - at the time of his death he was so rich that he effectively controlled…
The Oligarchs: Wealth and Power in the New Russia
Russians are crazy! This book details what happened through the transition from communism to capitalism, and how that resulted in a few newly-minted Billionaires taking the lion’s share of property for themselves. (View on Amazon)
Atlas Shrugged
Regardless of your view of Ayn Rand’s politics, it’s hard not to enjoy this book. It’s a really amazing story that tugs at a variety of human emotions. And if you also believe in some or all of her philosophy, there’s obviously plenty of that in this 63…
Sons of Wichita: How the Koch Brothers Became America’s Most Powerful and Private Dynasty
The Koch family is relatively well known for their political involvement in the last couple decades. There’s a lot more to the story of this remarkably successful and yet ridiculously dysfunctional family. (View on Amazon)