7 non-fiction breezy reads for the CEO

1. After the Reich

What would a reading list be without WWII? After the Reich by Giles MacDonogh focuses on the suffering of the German civilian population after the Nazis surrendered. This take feels like a fresh perspective on well-trodden ground.









2. Buda’s Wagon

Start with a breezy tour through the history of the car bomb; this book by Mike Davis takes you from 1920, when an Italian anarchist blew up his horsedrawn cart on Wall Street, to the present day.









3. Gabriele D’Annunzio: Poet, Seducer, and Preacher of War

This book is a biography by Lucy Hughes-Hallett. One of Italy’s most famous writer, D’Annunzio has the dubious distinction of helping to drive Italy into WWI and introducing Fascism to the Italian public.



4. The Third Horseman: Climate Change and the Great Famine of the 14th Century

This book by William Rosen is a chilling look at what happens to human resources in an age of climate change. The book charts the “Medieval Warm Period”.



5. Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault

Speaking of a fragile urban infrastructure, this book by John Dvorak makes San Francisco seem like a house of cards waiting to blow over. (Or up.)



6. Other People’s Money

The 2008 housing crisis was six years ago, but new, excellent narratives are still emerging. This contribution by Charles V. Bagli, details the breathtaking cronyism and tunnel-vision that lead to a $5.4 billion sale of Stuyvesant Town in New York.



7. Nureyev: The Life

OK – Let’s take a breather from the doom and gloom. This Julie Kavanagh biography is about Rudolph Nureyev — the first USSR celebrity to defect to the West in the 60s. It’s hard to imagine a ballet dancer casting such an international spell.