Fareed Zakaria
Author, Interviewer, Journalist, Producer, Writer
Fareed Zakaria is an Indian-American journalist and author who has hosted CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS since 2008 and written a column for The Washington Post since 2010. His books include The Post-American World (2008) and Age of Revolutions (2024).
Fareed Zakaria's 67 Book Recommendations
- The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and His World
- Prisoners of Geography
- Erdogan's Empire
- The Great Reversal
- Blowout
- Talking to Strangers
- The Decadent Society
- Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word
- The Meritocracy Trap
- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
- The Hundred-Year Marathon
- The Guarded Gate
- Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe
- The Death of Truth
- The Professor and the Madman
- Justice Abandoned: How the Supreme Court Ignored the Constitution and Enabled Mass Incarceration: “She is a professor at NYU Law School, and she has a terrific book out next month on a somewhat different but important topic, "Justice Abandoned."”
- Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress and How to Bring It Back: “So, let's start with a fascinating example in the book.”
- Abundance: “I'm back with Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson, talking about that terrific new book called "Abundance."”
- King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation: “The author and veteran war correspondent Scott Anderson has a fascinating new book revisiting the revolution and America's errors before and after.”
- 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World: “"10 Rules For Raising Kids In A High-Tech World." It's a wonderful book. And I like the first one because I think it says so much which is, to parents, you're in charge.”
- Inside the Situation Room: The Theory and Practice of Crisis Decision Making: “This is terrific. And it's a really substantive, fascinating book.”
- How to Save the Internet: The Threat to Global Connection in the Age of AI and Political Conflict: “Nick Clegg, the book is fascinating as is everything you are saying.”
- Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI: “A sobering perspective. Karen, thank you so much. Terrific book.”
- Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future: “He is a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover History Lab and the author of the excellent book "Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future."”
- Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder: “Mike McFaul, as I said, fascinating book. Everyone should go out and read it.”
- Notes on Being a Man: “First of all, really terrific book, very personal. It weaves in your own life with all kinds of advice. I really -- I would recommend it to all men, but to really anyone.”
- 1929: “Andrew, welcome. First of all, terrific book.”
- Charlatans: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Hucksters Bamboozle the Media, the Markets, and the Masses: “He has a new book out that is terrific, "Charlatans."”
- Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare: “Edward Fishman ... author of the excellent book "Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare."”
- Streetwise: Getting to and Through Goldman Sachs: “Lloyd has published an excellent, very readable new memoir called "Streetwise." ... a really terrific fun book.”
- Finding Me: A Memoir: “I think of a story I read in a memoir over the years, a memoir by Viola Davis, which I highly recommend, a great, great memoir.”
- The Next 100 Years: “In this book, he tells the future, specifically, speculating on the major world events of the 21st century. It’s fascinating.”
- How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University: “Theo, terrific book and about lots more.”
- Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America's Great Power Prophet: “Don't forget Ed Luce's book "Zbig" which is really a terrific read about it.”
- The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports: “I read the book in one sitting. It is so good. I cannot recommend it enough to people. And you don't have to be a runner to find it interesting, because there is a lot of family memoir.”
- The Best Kind of American: “Kim Ghattas, a wonderful book.”
- Meditations: “Let’s start with Wen Jiabao’s real favorite, the “Meditations” of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor in the second century A.D.”
- The Bottom Billion: “I actually recommended this to some of you this past summer, but I want to do so again, because it’s an important book that deals with many of the issues that Gates talked about.”
- One Minute to Midnight: “It’s a gripping, moment-by-moment account of the crisis, the best one I’ve read. I think you’ll enjoy it.”
- A Piece of the Action: How the Middle Class Joined the Money Class: “It’s a wonderfully clear and understandable book explaining exactly how Americans became so addicted to credit, and how Wall Street profited from that addiction.”
- What It Takes: “It came out back in 1993, but it’s a wonderfully personal account of what it’s like inside a presidential campaign.”
- The Wise Men: “It is a book I read as a young man and loved. It’s excellent. You really will enjoy it.”
- American Lion: “Jon makes a convincing argument that Jackson should be mentioned in the same breath as Washington or Jefferson or Lincoln”
- Ghost Wars: “Now, my book recommendation for this week is the book Obama was said to be reading over the last two weeks. It’s a Pulitzer Prize winner, “Ghost Wars.””
- The Ascent of Money: “It’s terrific. It’s called “The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World.” It couldn’t be more timely, but it’s also very illuminating.”
- Maximum City: “It’s a vivid, pulsating account of life at the top and at the bottom -- mostly at the bottom.”
- The Idea of Pakistan: “Pakistan is really at the center of the problem of global terrorism today. And this book will help you understand that complicated country.”
- The Black Swan: Second Edition: “It’s by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, “The Impact of the Highly Improbable.” ... It’s fascinating stuff.”
- The Defining Moment: “A great read, full of stories you haven’t heard, and particularly interesting as Obama’s first 100 days are about to begin.”
- The Clash of Civilizations: “It’s a comprehensive analysis of the state of world politics after the fall of communism.”
- What I Saw at the Revolution: “It came out in 2003, but it’s still a terrific read.”
- The Origin of Financial Crises: “It’s probably the single best brief account of how we got into this economic mess. ... I think you’ll learn a lot from it. I know I did.”
- Outliers: “I actually liked “Outliers” the best. The book asks a provocative question: Why do people succeed?”
- The Inheritance: “Also, I’d like to recommend a very timely book. It’s by David Sanger of the “New York Times,” and it’s called “The Inheritance.””
- Postcards from Tomorrow Square: “It is a first-hand chronicle of the political and economic transformation in China over the last couple of years.”
- John Maynard Keynes: Economist, Philosopher, Statesman: “Since we talk a lot about the economy on this program, I thought you should read this.”
- The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11: “It’s essentially a history of Islamic radicalism, tracing its roots -- many of them in Egypt -- all the way through to 9/11. It’s fascinating”
- The Accidental Guerrilla: “He’s written a fascinating new book called “The Accidental Guerrilla.””
- Imagining India: “It’s a fascinating book, very well written, worth reading.”
- Power Rules: “It’s a kind of update or modern version of Machiavelli. ... It’s a fascinating, interesting read. I think you’ll like it.”
- The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us and What We Can Do About It: “Ramo ... argues that innovation is the key to success, whether in business or government.”
- The Fat Tail: “It is a fascinating look at how to read an ever-changing geopolitical landscape.”
- War of Necessity, War of Choice: “It’s a fascinating insider’s look at the United States’ two wars with Iraq, in 1991 and in 2003.”
- The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008: “It’s about how the failure of regulation set us up for 1930s style problems.”
- God Is Back: “John Micklethwait, my guest earlier, has written a fascinating book that’s just been published, “God Is Back.””
- Engaging the Muslim World: “If you really want to understand the players and the policies in a crucial part of the world, this is the book for you.”
- The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: “Beautifully written ... it’s a great personal story of Egypt’s complicated history in the last half of the 20th century.”