Michael Pye – the edge of the world
A collection of juicy stories backed by interesting historical facts grounded in documented history and archeological finds.
Turing’s suprisingly practical perspective on logic, intelligence, and machines was far ahead of his time
Andrew Hodges – Alan Turing: The imitation game
A quite complete account of the life and death of one of the most fascinating figures of early computing.
Because we fundamentally believe resources can and will be redistributed, we will fall into the trap of always trying to make the overall pie as big as possible
Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo – Good economics for hard times
Smart agent-based modelling perspective on global challenges around poverty and sustainability.
The connection between East and West has shaped the world to a larger extent than generally acknowledged
Peter Frankopan – The Silk Roads
Due to the breadth of the topic, the compelling perspective disintegrates and it ends up as a long parade of interesting facts.
There are some vague connections between decreasing temperatures in the 17th century and historical events
Philipp Blom – Nature’s mutiny
The perspective of the ‘mini ice age’ reduces to little more than including quotes by historical figures on the harsh winters when narrating the events of the time.
The ignorance of the Trump administration when it comes to the inner workings of government creates immense risks
Michael Lewis – The Fifth Risk
The book should be mainly read for the anecdotes on female astronauts and nerdy coast guards.
Without massive and violent disruption of the established order, there will be no meaningful redistribution of wealth
The great leveler – Walter Scheidel
Next to revolution (in the spirit of Marx), the book claims there are just three other forces strong enough to achieve leveling: mass warfare, epidemics, and system collapse (the last of which is arguably overlaps with the others).
For a democratic leader, waging war is a balancing act between ethics, national interests and electoral impact
Michael Beschloss – Presidents of war
In choosing the personal perspective of the leader, makes the book prone to the narrative fallacy.
The US constitution has always been used as a tool for suppression
The author weaves the perspective of women, slaves, and other disadvantaged grouped into the narrative of US history, making the work part of a bigger movement.
Over the past 170 years Japan’s perception of itself has changed radically – multiple times
Christopher Harding – Japan Story
The author provides a richness of perspectives that guide the reader beyond clichés.
In Western societies the uneducated are outcasts, which poses systemic threats for democracy
Paul Collier – The future of capitalism
The author’s recommended retun to a local solidarity may address the issue at hand, but will also pose significant threats for ‘diversity and inclusion’.
Thanks to the US phone monopoly, Bell labs could produce breakthrough technologies
Jon Gertner – The idea factory
The fascinating history of Bell labs illustrates how a long-term view is essential for technological progress.
The MBTI type indicator helps corporates to contain the impact of individuality in the workplace
Merve Emre-The personality brokers
MBTI is more fascinating than expected, from its amateurish origins and its lack of scientific underpinning to its unlikely longevity and commercial success.
Increasing inequality and lack of immigration are the two big crises facing the US
the set-up in which interesting historical facts serve to make a political argument makes the author prone to the narrative fallacy.
The concepts comfort and privacy were first introduced in Western society at the court of Louis XIV and Louis XV of France
Joan DeJean – The age of comfort
Contains fascinating details on the construction of early water closets.
As an incumbent, organize disruptive innovation away from your core business
Clayton Christensen – The innovator’s dilemma
The history of disc drives and mechanical excavators showcases how difficult it is for incumbents to come out on top when technological innovation hits your market.
Some of the few women who ruled as pharaohs were depicted with male characteristics
Kara Cooney – When women ruled the world
The book illustrates how difficult it is to avoid speculation when trying to reconstruct a comprehensive narrative from ancient historical records.
Making a great painting is in large part a scientific achievement
Walter Isaacson – Leonardo da Vinci
Isaacson’s narrative falacy (‘Leonardo never finishing what he starts’) is at odds with the public recognition he received in his own day and age.
Steve Bannon skilfully helped Trump to play to his own strengths and avoid his considerable weaknesses
The level of Trump’s incompetency is not even shocking.