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Fareed Zakaria Recommended Books
Fareed Zakaria has recommended 26 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.
Fareed Zakaria is an American journalist, political scientist, and author.
(Read more on Wikipedia)26 Books Recommended
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The Meritocracy Trap
How America's Foundational Myth Feeds Inequality, Dismantles the Middle Class, and Devours the Elite
by Daniel Markovits
"The most interesting and provocative book I have read in a while." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Lee Kuan Yew
The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World
by Graham Allison
"Packed with intelligence and insight. If you are interested in the future of Asia, which means the future of the world, you've got to read this book." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Ryan Shea recommended this bookRyan Shea
Ryan Shea recommended this book on his website.
Ryan Shea's recommendation of this book
Destined for War
Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?
by Graham Allison
"A very smart and important book." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
6 people
Ray Dalio recommended this bookRay Dalio
"Reminds us that over the last 500 years there have been 16 times in which there has been [...] an empire challenging another. In 12 of those cases there have been wars." - Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio's recommendation of this book 
Walter Isaacson recommended this bookWalter Isaacson
"When a new power arises in the world, it results in a clash with the dominant power. This important and fascinating book extracts lessons for how we can avoid such a confrontation." - Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson's recommendation of this book 
Anthony Scaramucci recommended this bookAnthony Scaramucci
"Read every page… Twice." - Anthony Scaramucci
Anthony Scaramucci's recommendation of this book 
David Sacks recommended this bookDavid Sacks
"The most timely and important book I read [in 2018]." - David Sacks
David Sacks's recommendation of this book 
Lloyd Blankfein recommended this bookLloyd Blankfein
"Informs the moment like Guns of August did for Kennedy in [the] Cuban Missile Crisis." - Lloyd Blankfein
Lloyd Blankfein's recommendation of this book 
Elon Musk recommended this bookElon Musk
"Worth reading." - Elon Musk
Elon Musk's recommendation of this book
Prisoners of Geography
Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World
by Tim Marshall
"Explains the world starting with geography." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Talking to Strangers
What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know
by Malcolm Gladwell
"Fascinating." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Elizabeth Warren recommended this bookElizabeth Warren
"About how our perceptions [...] are based on us, and not on reality." - Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren's recommendation of this book 
Melinda Gates recommended this bookMelinda Gates
Melinda Gates recommended this book on Twitter.
Melinda Gates's recommendation of this book 
Mark Manson recommended this bookMark Manson
Mark Manson recommended this book on his website.
Mark Manson's recommendation of this book
The Death of Truth
Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump
by Michiko Kakutani
"Brilliantly explains the cultural and political forces that brought us to our current sorry condition." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
The Guarded Gate
Bigotry, Eugenics and the Law That Kept Two Generations of Jews, Italians, and Other European Immigrants Out of America
by Daniel Okrent
"A gripping account of a dark wave in American history." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Marc Andreessen recommended this bookMarc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen recommended this book on Twitter.
Marc Andreessen's recommendation of this book
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
by Yuval Noah Harari
"Wide-ranging, speculative look at the world today and where it is going -- fascinating big think." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
4 people
Joe Rogan recommended this bookJoe Rogan
"A great book." - Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan's recommendation of this book 
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
"A guide to worrying in the 21st century." - Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Jack Dorsey recommended this bookJack Dorsey
"[The] last chapter is around meditation." - Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey's recommendation of this book 
Vinod Khosla recommended this bookVinod Khosla
"An important examination into today’s most pressing political, technological, social, and existential issues as we move into the unchartered territory of the future." - Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla's recommendation of this book
The World Is Flat
A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
by Thomas L. Friedman
"[This book's] insight is true and deeply important. . . . The metaphor of a flat world, used by [the author] to describe the next phase of globalization, is ingenious." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Jon Stewart recommended this bookJon Stewart
"A really interesting premise." - Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart's recommendation of this book - Bill Gates recommended this book
Bill Gates
List of books Bill Gates read in 2011.
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Jamie Dimon recommended this bookJamie Dimon
On Jamie Dimon's list of favorite books.
Jamie Dimon's recommendation of this book
Don't Be Evil
How Big Tech Betrayed Its Founding Principles -- and All of Us
by Rana Foroohar
"Terrific." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe
From the Ancien Régime to the Present Day
by Sheri Berman
"A superb historical study of the forces that produce democracy and threaten its survival." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
The Great Reversal
How America Gave Up on Free Markets
by Thomas Philippon
"The most important book on economics I've read in a while." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
The American Story
Conversations with Master Historians
by David M. Rubenstein
"Really came out of [...] educating American congressmen about the country's history." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Marc Benioff recommended this bookMarc Benioff
"Illuminates that the tensions in our democracy are actually the fuel that powers our country forward." - Marc Benioff
Marc Benioff's recommendation of this book
A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves
One Family and Migration in the 21st Century
by Jason DeParle
"The best book on immigration I've read." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
The Professor and the Madman
by Simon Winchester
"An unbelievable tale, one that reminds us of the extraordinary range, depth and beauty of the English language." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
The Hundred-Year Marathon
China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower
by Michael Pillsbury
"In my book I talk a lot about [this book]." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Erdogan's Empire
Turkey and the Politics of the Middle East
by Soner Cagaptay
"The best book on Turkey today." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Blowout
Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth
by Rachel Maddow
"A brilliant description of many of the problems caused by our reliance on fossil fuels." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Hit Makers
The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction
by Derek Thompson
"Superb." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Tim Urban recommended this bookTim Urban
"Every time I talk to [this author], I can't stop taking my phone out to jot down insights that pop up in the convo. [This book] has the same effect." - Tim Urban
Tim Urban's recommendation of this book 
Daniel Pink recommended this bookDaniel Pink
"Offers a fresh and compelling take on how the media function and how ideas spread." - Daniel Pink
Daniel Pink's recommendation of this book
The Decadent Society
How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success
by Ross Gregory Douthat
"Argues that Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump both represent the mood of our times." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Peter Thiel recommended this bookPeter Thiel
"Sets the stakes for the most urgent public debate of the 2020s: How do we get back to the future?" - Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel's recommendation of this book 
Tyler Cowen recommended this bookTyler Cowen
"Excellent book!" - Tyler Cowen
Tyler Cowen's recommendation of this book
The Inevitability of Tragedy
Henry Kissinger and His World
by Barry Gewen
"A study of Kissinger's worldview & the challenge of using power to pursue justice." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word
How Six Everyday Products Make the Case for Trade
by Fred P. Hochberg
"[The author] has managed to do the seemingly impossible, write a breezy, smart, funny book about trade." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Casey Neistat recommended this bookCasey Neistat
"Does a great job making sense of complicated issues." - Casey Neistat
Casey Neistat's recommendation of this book - Jamie Dimon recommended this book
Jamie Dimon
"By turns practical and insightful." - Jamie Dimon
Jamie Dimon's recommendation of this book
The Narrow Corridor
States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty
by Daron Acemoglu
"The authors help you understand that the balancing act of liberal democracy is rare." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Satya Nadella recommended this bookSatya Nadella
"[About] the real, constant tension between what does a society want, and what does the government want, and you have to find the narrow corridor." - Satya Nadella
Satya Nadella's recommendation of this book
The Aristocracy of Talent
How Meritocracy Made the Modern World
by Adrian Wooldridge
"Asks the essential question." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Losing the Long Game
The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East
by Philip H. Gordon
"A seemingly narrow subject matter, but it's really a broad book about America's engagement with the world." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
The Ascent of Money
A Financial History of the World
by Niall Ferguson
"Fascinating." - Fareed Zakaria (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Max Levchin recommended this bookMax Levchin
One of Max Levchin's answers to "what's your favourite business book you'd advise to young entrepreneurs?"
Max Levchin's recommendation of this book
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