23 books Mark Zuckerberg thinks everyone should read
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a single mission: to connect people around the world.
It's one reason why he decided to launch a Facebook-based book club last year, with a reading list that focused on "different cultures, beliefs, histories, and technologies."
Although the birth of his daughter, Max, kept him from hitting his goal of a book every two weeks, he ended the year with 23 selections in his A Year of Books reading group.
We've put together a list of his picks and why he thinks everyone should read them:
'The Muqaddimah' by Ibn Khaldun
"The Muqaddimah," which translates to "The Introduction," was written in 1377 by the Islamic historian Khaldun. It's an attempt to strip away biases of historical records and find universal elements in the progression of humanity.
Khaldun's revolutionary scientific approach to history established him as one of the fathers of modern sociology and historiography.
"While much of what was believed then is now disproven after 700 more years of progress, it's still very interesting to see what was understood at this time and the overall worldview when it's all considered together," Zuckerberg writes.
Find it here »
'The New Jim Crow' by Michelle Alexander
Alexander is a law professor at Ohio State University and a civil-rights advocate who argues in her book that the "war on drugs" has fostered a culture in which nonviolent black males are overrepresented in prison, and then are treated as second-class citizens once they are freed.
"I've been interested in learning about criminal justice reform for a while, and this book was highly recommended by several people I trust," Zuckerberg writes.
Find it here »
'Why Nations Fail' by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
"Why Nations Fail" is an overview of 15 years of research by MIT economist Daren Acemoglu and Harvard political scientist James Robinson, and was first published in 2012.
The authors argue that "extractive governments" use controls to enforce the power of a select few, while "inclusive governments" create open markets that allow citizens to spend and invest money freely, and that economic growth does not always indicate the long-term health of a country.
Zuckerberg's interest in philanthropy has grown alongside his wealth in recent years, and he writes that he chose this book to better understand the origins of global poverty.
Find it here »
'The Rational Optimist' by Matt Ridley
"The Rational Optimist," first published in 2010, is the most popular and perhaps the most controversial of popular-science writer Matt Ridley's books.
In it, he argues that the concept of markets is the source of human progress, and that progress is accelerated when they are kept as free as possible. The resulting evolution of ideas will consistently allow humankind to improve its living conditions, despite the threats of climate change and overpopulation.
Zuckerberg says that he picked up this book because it posits the inverse theory of "Why Nations Fail," which argues that social and political forces control economic ones.
"I'm interested to see which idea resonates more after exploring both frameworks,"Zuckerberg writes.
Find it here »
'Portfolios of the Poor' by Daryl Collins, Jonathan Morduch, Stuart Rutherford, and Orlanda Ruthven
Researchers Daryl Collins, Jonathan Morduch, Stuart Rutherford, and Orlanda Ruthven spent 10 years studying the financial lives of the lowest classes of Bangladesh, India, and South Africa.
A fundamental finding that they include in "Portfolios of the Poor" is that extreme poverty flourishes in areas not where people live dollar to dollar or where poor purchasing decisions are widespread, but instead arises where they lack access to financial institutions to store their money.
"It's mind-blowing that almost half the world — almost 3 billion people — live on $2.50 a day or less. More than one billion people live on $1 a day or less," Zuckerberg writes. "I hope reading this provides some insight into ways we can all work to support them better as well."
Find it here »
'World Order' by Henry Kissinger
In former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's 2014 book, "World Order," the 91-year-old analyzes the ways different parts of the world have understood the concept of empire and political power for centuries, and how the modern global economy has brought them together in often tense or violent ways.
It's "about foreign relations and how we can build peaceful relationships throughout the world," Zuckerberg writes. "This is important for creating the world we all want for our children, and that's what I'm thinking about these days."
Find it here »
'The Varieties of Religious Experience' by William James
William James (1849-1919) is "considered by many to be the most insightful and stimulating of American philosophers,"according to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy from the University of Tennessee.
"The Varieties of Religious Experience" is a collection of written lectures that explore the religious consciousness and the mechanics of how people use religion as a source of meaning, compelling them to move onward through life with energy and purpose.
"When I read 'Sapiens,' I found the chapter on the evolution of the role of religion in human life most interesting and something I wanted to go deeper on," Zuckerberg writes.
Find it here »
'Creativity, Inc.' by Ed Catmull
23 books Mark Zuckerberg thinks everyone should read
Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook; Mike Windle/Getty ImagesMark Zuckerberg.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a single mission: to connect people around the world.
It's one reason why he decided to launch a Facebook-based book club last year, with a reading list that focused on "different cultures, beliefs, histories, and technologies."
Although the birth of his daughter, Max, kept him from hitting his goal of a book every two weeks, he ended the year with 23 selections in his A Year of Books reading group.
We've put together a list of his picks and why he thinks everyone should read them:
'The Muqaddimah' by Ibn Khaldun
"The Muqaddimah," which translates to "The Introduction," was written in 1377 by the Islamic historian Khaldun. It's an attempt to strip away biases of historical records and find universal elements in the progression of humanity.
Khaldun's revolutionary scientific approach to history established him as one of the fathers of modern sociology and historiography.
"While much of what was believed then is now disproven after 700 more years of progress, it's still very interesting to see what was understood at this time and the overall worldview when it's all considered together," Zuckerberg writes.
Find it here »
'The New Jim Crow' by Michelle Alexander
Alexander is a law professor at Ohio State University and a civil-rights advocate who argues in her book that the "war on drugs" has fostered a culture in which nonviolent black males are overrepresented in prison, and then are treated as second-class citizens once they are freed.
"I've been interested in learning about criminal justice reform for a while, and this book was highly recommended by several people I trust," Zuckerberg writes.
Find it here »
'Why Nations Fail' by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
"Why Nations Fail" is an overview of 15 years of research by MIT economist Daren Acemoglu and Harvard political scientist James Robinson, and was first published in 2012.
The authors argue that "extractive governments" use controls to enforce the power of a select few, while "inclusive governments" create open markets that allow citizens to spend and invest money freely, and that economic growth does not always indicate the long-term health of a country.
Zuckerberg's interest in philanthropy has grown alongside his wealth in recent years, and he writes that he chose this book to better understand the origins of global poverty.
Find it here »
'The Rational Optimist' by Matt Ridley
"The Rational Optimist," first published in 2010, is the most popular and perhaps the most controversial of popular-science writer Matt Ridley's books.
In it, he argues that the concept of markets is the source of human progress, and that progress is accelerated when they are kept as free as possible. The resulting evolution of ideas will consistently allow humankind to improve its living conditions, despite the threats of climate change and overpopulation.
Zuckerberg says that he picked up this book because it posits the inverse theory of "Why Nations Fail," which argues that social and political forces control economic ones.
"I'm interested to see which idea resonates more after exploring both frameworks,"Zuckerberg writes.
Find it here »
'Portfolios of the Poor' by Daryl Collins, Jonathan Morduch, Stuart Rutherford, and Orlanda Ruthven
Researchers Daryl Collins, Jonathan Morduch, Stuart Rutherford, and Orlanda Ruthven spent 10 years studying the financial lives of the lowest classes of Bangladesh, India, and South Africa.
A fundamental finding that they include in "Portfolios of the Poor" is that extreme poverty flourishes in areas not where people live dollar to dollar or where poor purchasing decisions are widespread, but instead arises where they lack access to financial institutions to store their money.
"It's mind-blowing that almost half the world — almost 3 billion people — live on $2.50 a day or less. More than one billion people live on $1 a day or less," Zuckerberg writes. "I hope reading this provides some insight into ways we can all work to support them better as well."
Find it here »
'World Order' by Henry Kissinger
In former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's 2014 book, "World Order," the 91-year-old analyzes the ways different parts of the world have understood the concept of empire and political power for centuries, and how the modern global economy has brought them together in often tense or violent ways.
It's "about foreign relations and how we can build peaceful relationships throughout the world," Zuckerberg writes. "This is important for creating the world we all want for our children, and that's what I'm thinking about these days."
Find it here »
'The Varieties of Religious Experience' by William James
William James (1849-1919) is "considered by many to be the most insightful and stimulating of American philosophers,"according to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy from the University of Tennessee.
"The Varieties of Religious Experience" is a collection of written lectures that explore the religious consciousness and the mechanics of how people use religion as a source of meaning, compelling them to move onward through life with energy and purpose.
"When I read 'Sapiens,' I found the chapter on the evolution of the role of religion in human life most interesting and something I wanted to go deeper on," Zuckerberg writes.
Find it here »
'Creativity, Inc.' by Ed Catmull
"Creativity, Inc." is the story of Pixar, written by one of the computer-animation giant's founders.
Catmull intersperses his narrative with valuable wisdom on management and entrepreneurialism, and argues that any company should consciously avoid hampering their employees' natural creativity.
"I love reading first-hand accounts about how people build great companies like Pixar and nurture innovation and creativity,"Zuckerberg writes.
Find it here »
'Sapiens' by Yuval Noah Harari
First published in 2014, "Sapiens" is a critically acclaimed international best seller by Hebrew University of Jerusalem historianHarari. He uses his book to track the evolution of Homo sapiens from hunter-gatherers into self-empowered "gods" of the future.
"Following the Muqaddimah, which was a history from the perspective of an intellectual in the 1300s, 'Sapiens' is a contemporary exploration of many similar questions," Zuckerberg writes.
Find it here »
'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions' by Thomas S. Kuhn
If there was ever a philosophy book to read by a physicist, it's probably "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions."
Since its initial publication in 1962, this look at the evolution of science and the effect it has on the modern world has become "one of the most cited academic books of all time,"according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Zuckerberg thinks that being aware of how scientific breakthroughs are the catalysts for social progression can be a "force for social good."
Kuhn's book is best known for introducing the phrase "paradigm shift," representing instances in scientific history when a perspective was fundamentally shifted, like when quantum physics replaced Newtonian mechanics.
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