№ 01
“It's fitting to end the year with 'The Beginning of Infinity' by David Deutsch, about how the way we explain things unlocks greater possibilities.” source
Co-founder and CEO of Meta
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook (now Meta) in 2004 and remains its chairman and CEO. In 2015 he ran a public reading challenge called A Year of Books, picking a new book every two weeks and discussing it with millions on Facebook. Every pick below comes from that challenge.
26
Recommendations
2015
Most recent list
Non-Fiction
Most-recommended
On the record
All Mark Zuckerberg book recommendations.
№ 02
“It's a Chinese science fiction book that has gotten so popular there's now a Hollywood movie being made based on it. This will also be a fun break from all the economics and social science books I've read recently.” source
№ 03
“World Order by Henry Kissinger, about foreign relations and how we can build peaceful relationships throughout the world.” source
№ 04
“I'm very interested in what causes innovation, what kinds of people, questions and environments. This book explores that question by looking at Bell Labs, which was one of the most innovative labs in history.” source
№ 05
“My next book for A Year of Books is The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley.” source
№ 06
“This is a good complement to our last book, Portfolios of the Poor, which focused on how people live in poverty. This one discusses why poverty exists and how to reduce it.” source
№ 07
“[Andy's] book played a big role in shaping my management style.” source
№ 08
“It's mind-blowing that almost half the world, almost 3 billion people, live on $2.50 a day or less.” source
№ 09
“When I read Sapiens, I found the chapter on the evolution of the role of religion in human life most interesting and something I wanted to go deeper on.” source
№ 10
“This book aims to tell a history of humanity from the perspective of genetics rather than sociology.” source
№ 11
“This book is about physical rather than social sciences. It explores important topics around how energy works, how our production and use might evolve, and how this affects climate change.” source
№ 12
“This is a change of pace from all the recent social science books. Instead, it's a science fiction book about an advanced civilization with AI and a vibrant culture.” source
№ 13
“This book is a big history narrative of human civilization, from how we developed from hunter-gatherers early on to how we organize our society and economy today.” source
№ 14
“It's a history of the world written by an intellectual who lived in the 1300s. It focuses on how society and culture flow, including the creation of cities, politics, commerce and science.” source
№ 15
“I read The New Jim Crow, a study of how the U.S. justice system disproportionately criminalizes and jails blacks and Latinos. We can't jail our way to a just society, and our current system isn't working.” source
№ 16
“Orwell's Revenge is an alternate version of 1984. After seeing how history has actually played out, Huber's fiction describes how tools like the Internet benefit people and change society for the better.” source
№ 17
“This book is about Paulson's experience working with Chinese leaders over two decades as US Secretary of the Treasury and as head of Goldman Sachs. Over the last 35 years, China has experienced one of the greatest economic and social transformations in human history. Hundreds of millions of people have moved out of poverty.” source
№ 18
“The book is about the concept of 'common knowledge' and how people process the world not only based on what we personally know, but what we know other people know and our shared knowledge as well.” source
№ 19
“It's a history of science book that explores the question of whether science and technology make consistent forward progress or whether progress comes in bursts related to other social forces. I tend to think that science is a consistent force for good in the world.” source
№ 20
“This book is written by the founder of Pixar and is about his experience building a culture that fosters creativity. His theory is that people are fundamentally creative, but many forces stand in the way of people being able to do their best work.” source
№ 21
“Vaccination is an important and timely topic.” source
№ 22
“Gang Leader for a Day is loosely related to the themes Better Angels in that it explores what life is like for those who don't live under effective governance.” source
№ 23
“It's a timely book about how and why violence has steadily decreased throughout our history, and how we can continue this trend.” source
№ 24
“It's a book that explores how the world is shifting to give individual people more power that was traditionally only held by large governments, militaries and other organizations. The trend towards giving people more power is one I believe in deeply.” source
№ 25
“This book delivers completely new and refreshing ideas on how to create value in the world.” source
№ 26
“Ben's experience and expertise make him one of the most important leaders not just in Silicon Valley but in the global knowledge economy. For anyone interested in building, growing or leading a great company, this book is an incredibly valuable resource and a funny and insightful read.” source
Readers with overlapping taste
