Educated, by Tara Westover, was unquestionably one of my literary shocks this year. This book is not only well written and inspiring, but it is also deep, eye-opening and brutally mind-shaking. While there are tons of excuses out there not to change anything, Educated is a testimony that everyone should read. As long as they’re ready to be shaken, provoked, brutalized and put outside of their comfort zone, that is. Beware, however. You won’t come out unscathed of this book.
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Hedge, A Greater Safety Net for the Entrepreneurial Age by Nicolas Colin: what if our society models and approach to innovation and entrepreneurship were outdated? While at some point being a Tech entrepreneur was a trendy thing, nowadays our relationship to tech and innovative companies has shifted. Complexity, perplexity, the words aren’t difficult to find. The question is, how do we move forward? This book is interesting, well written and very well research. And you should read it if you are wondering how entrepreneurship is about to turn. Just saying!
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Climate change is a big topic these days, but what do we really know about the topic? Earth Masters, The Dawn of the Age of Climate Change is one of those books which contribute to the debate by explaining some of the side aspects very few people talk about.
In short? The topic here isn’t climate change per se, but rather the idea that geoengineering – or the ability to use technology to treat the symptoms – is seen as a potential solution. Except that the author is very skeptic about the idea and provides an analysis of the situation.
This book is interesting, well written and enlightening, especially if you are curious about the topic without knowing much about it. Want to find out more? Keep reading!
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Outsiders Changing the World by Jamie Bartlett: what if a little bit of radical thinking made you think smarter? Considering radicals as originals and marginals is easy, we all do it. But what if their way of thinking actually had an impact? What if their methods had things in common? Things we can learn from to understand whether, perhaps, their actions go somewhere? Radicals is an easy-to-read book which documents how extreme ideas and ways of action proliferate. There’s a lot of food for thought in there, and my take is that you won’t think about radicalism again… Just saying!
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The Future of Power by Joseph Nye is one of those books that have the potential to make you think about the world you live in. In this case, and as the title suggests, the main topic is power, which the author analyses and explains in great length, but in a practical way. Soft power, hard power, smart power, military and economic power, Nye takes the reader by the hand and provides food for thought on what the heck is happening around us. If you are looking for an interesting and challenging read, this book will be worth your time!
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Book suggestion & review – The China Questions | What if asking the correct China questions made you smarter? China is hot stuff these days. People talk about it a lot but sadly China-bashing is often the focus. In reality, there’s much more to say. The China Questions (edited by Jennifer Rudolph and Michael Szonyi) is one must-read book if you want to learn what China is about. Totally worth adding to my society and politics books suggestion list…
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Politics and society books | Politics is a nasty topic. Controversial, dirty, boring, you name it. But couldn’t you use some food for thought on why politics are so complex? In his book ‘Politics’ David Runciman does just that. The book explores what politics are about and overall Runciman explains why getting results is so complex. This book is worth your time if you want to try and think smarter! Interested by my book suggestion? Read my book review of Politics by David Runciman …
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Wondering why there is so much fuss about capitalism at the moment? Time to get back to the basics. Don’t take risks, though. Go for a big name. Today, my economics and society book suggestion is ‘Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy’ by Joseph Schumpeter. First, Schumpeter is one of those names everyone’s heard of (without being able to say a thing about the guy). So, time to dig in and think smart. Second, ‘Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy’ is a challenging book which contains key ideas you should know about. Does creative destruction ring a bell? You have no excuse… Read my book review!
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The U.S. Presidential elections of 2016 were messy, dirty even. So what happened to Hillary Clinton? The book explains the elections. It elaborates on Hillary’s mindset throughout the campaign (and after). The book tells her side of the drama and will be of interest to those who wonder why things didn’t work. This book is quite an interesting read overall, especially if you want to know how politicians think. But I must say that selective-reading helped me get through the book. There’s a lot of food for thought in there, read my review of What Happened and find out more about the book!
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Here is a book suggestion if you are into contemporary and current global politics, with an emphasis on United States foreign policy: ‘Who Rules the World?’ by Noam Chomsky. I didn’t enjoy reading the book at all, to be honest. Still, my goal isn’t to make you read books because I like them but because they bring something to the debate, so here we go. Who rules the world is polemical, but the book has the merit to show one side of the discussions we don’t hear about that much: the extremes. Read my book review to find out more.
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Trade is one sensitive topic today, between strategical and polemical. So, what is global trade about? How do things work out there? What are the basic principles? In his book ‘Specialization and Trade’, Arnold Kling gives us the basics. Kling starts from the theories of Adam Smith and explains what matters. ‘Specialization and Trade’ is a little complex but it is a very insightful book. Very relevant to those interested in learning more about economic theories and the way they do – or do not – apply in today’s world. Read smart, think smart! Read my book review of Arnold Kling’s ‘Specialization and Trade’!
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I Will Make You Think Smart 