100 books like Alexander Hamilton

Churchill was a great leader and lawyer and showed how to overcome difficult times.

No leader in world history has exemplified overcoming great odds to lead a country to beat the Nazis and instill a morale within its people when none existed. Almost every chapter in the book is a lesson on how to be a better leader.

I love true crime, and Erik Larson is a pro. He takes two vastly different but significant events in our world’s history and brings them together. I’ve spent some time in Chicago, and I could easily picture the places he spoke of while recalling the details of the things that went wrong at the World’s Fair, as well as the activities of H.H. Holmes.

I immersed myself in his tails and was with him until the very last page. It was fascinating to learn of all the inventions that were first unveiled at the World’s Fair, as well as the number of significant people who took part in it. The sections on H.H. Holmes brought so many questions to my mind. What worries did he have? How did he get away with it for so long? After I finished reading Devil in the White City, I was so drawn… show more.

This book took me on a rollicking romp through antebellum Central Texas when the American frontier ended just west of Austin (where I currently reside). Gwynne expertly breathes life into the Comanche way, how they mastered side-saddle riding and rifle shooting and became such an overwhelming force on the high plains that even Mexico retreated its northern border to San Antonio.

It was captivating how Gwynne placed the reader within U.S. forts during Comanche raids or inside sprawling Comanche camps, bustling with stolen horses, abducted Westerners and with drying buffalo hides. At the book’s crux is the remarkable story of Cynthia Ann Parker, who is abducted at a young age and raised among Comanche, and her mixed-blood son, Quanah, who becomes the tribe’s greatest and last chief. 

I could not stop reading this book—and when the TV series came out, I fell in love all over again. A trapped, imprisoned aristocrat who is elegant and only slightly snotty and who has a bedrock of humanity underneath any stiffness and propriety—that’s the protagonist, Rostov.

This novel features not one but two abandoned children, and, in both cases, their plights bring out the best in Count Rostov. He is naturally kind, but he also finds resources and courage he never knew he had. I’ve experienced the book three times—reading, listening to an audiobook, and watching the TV series and I was in love every time.

This is a bestselling book that tackles the most important question in economics: why some countries are rich, and some are poor.

This well-written and convincing book provides a very broad and accessible overview of history of successful and failing societies. It argues that inclusive democratic institutions deliver better economic outcomes than authoritarian ones.

Given that this view is based on recent research in political economy and development economics – including the authors’ own groundbreaking work – this is a must-read for all advocates of liberal democracy who want to have quantitative arguments and historical narratives to stand up to the rise of authoritarianism around the world. 

I teach political economy of development. My job is to explain to the students why some countries are rich and others are poor.

Acemoglu and Robinson is a wonderful and accessible textbook. Students love it – even if they often argue with the… show more.

This book has become a classic. It’s a brilliant book.

Doris Kearns Goodwin gives specific examples of how Abraham Lincoln was a master in creating coalitions and mobilizing support in the face of continuous resistance. His cabinet was made up of senior and ambitious individuals, many of whom were strong leaders in their own right.

Lincoln had to figure out how to get them on his side and create viable coalitions in order to move his key agenda—win the war and ensure the passage of the 13th Amendment. In many ways, he was not simply a visionary but a master of balancing persuasion and authority—which is a desirable leadership skill.

This book is unequaled for its raw, inspiring portrayal of human resilience. Louis Zamperini's journey from troubled youth to Olympian to war hero captivated me from the first page. I was deeply moved by his unwavering spirit in the face of unimaginable hardships, especially during his harrowing 46 days at sea and brutal experiences as a POW.

I felt as if I were right there with Louis, experiencing every triumph and setback. What touched me most was Louis's eventual path to forgiveness and redemption. His ability to overcome trauma and alcoholism, rekindle his marriage, and find peace left me in awe. This book reminded me of the incredible strength of the human spirit and the power of forgiveness. I couldn't put it down and still find myself thinking about Louis's remarkable story.

This book is like a forbidden fruit, tempting and dangerous. But it came to my rescue when I’d lost sight of my own dreams for a little while. Sure, Ayn Rand’s philosophy has many simplistic flaws, but in this novel, she channels a Nietzschean spirit that jolts you awake. It was a call to never forget to embrace my ambition and to continue to forge my own writing path even when readers seem indifferent.

In a world full of compromises, there’s power in refusing to settle for less than your own extraordinary potential.

The Sioux, Red Cloud, is known for his actions rather than his words. But his actions led not just to a draw with the US Cavalry but to the only treaty ever signed between the United States of American and an indigenous nation where America gave up land. Winning it back and living was even better than dying for it.

This is a great textbook as well. But it has two important advantages.

First, it came out 10 years later than Why Nations Fail, therefore covering so much more recent research in this very vibrant field of interdisciplinary work on what drives and what slows down economic development.

Second, while the authors have worked on these issues themselves, they are much less focused on one of the explanations of development and provide a more balanced view of the field.

Very informative read even for those who (like me) have already read a lot on the subject. A treasure of previously unknown stories of development and underdevelopment to discuss with friends and students.