The Square and the Tower

By Niall Ferguson,

Book cover of The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook

Book description

The instant New York Times bestseller.

A brilliant recasting of the turning points in world history, including the one we're living through, as a collision between old power hierarchies and new social networks.

"Captivating and compelling." -The New York Times

"Niall Ferguson has again written a brilliant book...In 400 pages…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Square and the Tower as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Ferguson’s book “connects a lot of dots” to help make sense of where we are with regards to the influence of social media and the dramatic changes unleashed by the digital revolution as it transforms our society. Ferguson does an excellent job explaining that “networks” have always been with us, but how/why the more complicated/intricate our societal networks become, the more vulnerable we are. He places the role of Facebook into a sorely needed but sobering context. I have re-read many entire portions of this book and have viewed the PBS documentary on this book twice.

From Nelson's list on tell a story previously untold.

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