Fareed Zakaria's Reading List

By the Book: Fareed Zakaria (2020)

NYT By the Book column (2020-11-06).

"W. H. Auden's "Collected Poems" — wonderfully written, and I can put it down after 15 minutes, sated and ready for bed."

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

Michael Chabon · 2000 · Buy on Amazon

"A total pleasure, full of joy and vigor. I didn't want it to end."

East of Eden

John Steinbeck · Buy on Amazon

"I tried it and was captivated. It really is the Great American Novel, beginning on the East Coast and moving to the West, spanning America's rise from an agricultural nation to an industrial powerhouse."

The Great Indian Novel

Shashi Tharoor · Buy on Amazon

"It's a wickedly funny satire, sparing no one, not even Mahatma Gandhi. The structure is complicated, filled with all kinds of clever historical and literary allusions, and yet it's a rollicking narrative. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back and reread it."

The Remains of the Day

Kazuo Ishiguro · 1989 · Buy on Amazon

"Kazuo Ishiguro, whose first three books are works of genius."

The Golden Gate

Vikram Seth · Buy on Amazon

"Vikram Seth, whose most astonishing work is a novel in verse, "The Golden Gate." As you read it, you are charmed by the story while still aware and in awe of Seth's talent."

Mating

Norman Rush · Buy on Amazon

"Someone I was dating gave me a copy of Norman Rush's clever, funny novel "Mating," and we bonded over it, reading passages out loud to each other."

Why We're Polarized

Ezra Klein · 2020 · Buy on Amazon

"Ezra Klein's "Why We're Polarized," which gets at the state of our politics."

American Nations

Colin Woodard · Buy on Amazon

"Colin Woodard's "American Nations," which gets at the cultural divides."

Democracy in America

Alexis de Tocqueville · 1835 · Buy on Amazon

"Alexis de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America," because it is still the best book ever written about this country."

Four Essays on Liberty

Isaiah Berlin · Buy on Amazon

"A family friend gave me a copy of Isaiah Berlin's "Four Essays on Liberty." It has profoundly shaped my political views and sensibilities."

Crime and Punishment

Unknown · Buy on Amazon

"Raskolnikov in "Crime and Punishment," surely one of the most compelling characters ever invented."

Favorite books (2023)

Favorite books recommended by Fareed Zakaria, as compiled by radicalreads.com. Source article: https://radicalreads.com/fareed-zakaria-favorite-books/.

Source: radicalreads.com

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman (also rec’d by Garry Kasparov , Sam Altman & Yuval Noah Harari ) · Buy on Amazon

"Most ‘idea books’ are bloated essays; this one, from a Nobel Prize–winning economist, is worth reading all the way through. Kahneman offers a fascinating set of ideas about how human beings think and reason, for better and worse."

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