Why Mark Zuckerberg wants everyone to read this book about the evolution of man

By Richard Feloni:

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's 2015 New Year's resolution was to read an important book every two weeks and discuss it with the Facebook community.

Zuckerberg's book club, A Year of Books, has focused on big ideas that influence society and business. For his 15th pick, he's gone with "Genome" by Matt Ridley, an exploration of both the evolution of genes and the growing field of genetics.

More than halfway through "A Year of Books," Zuckerberg's book list has included expansive histories of power structures, violence, science, sociology, and now the fabric of human life itself.

Zuckerberg explains his latest book-club pick on his personal Facebook page:

This book aims to tell a history of humanity from the perspective of genetics rather than sociology. This should complement the other broad histories I've read this year, as well as follow "Energy" well in focusing on science.

I've wanted to read Matt Ridley's books for a while. His recent book "The Rational Optimist" about how progress and the economy evolve is also near the top of my ever-growing pile of books to read.

Fans of Ridley's works include former president Bill Clinton, evolutionary scientist and atheist philosopher Richard Dawkins, and Microsoft chair Bill Gates.