Books Everyone Should Read, According to Mark Zuckerberg

Zuckerberg introduced these books through his 'A Year of Books' reading group

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:

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  The Muqaddimah by Ibn Khaldun

  

  Princeton University Press

  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.
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  The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

  

  The New Press

  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.
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  Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson

  

  Crown Business

  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.
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  The Rational Optimistby Matt Ridley

  

  Harper Perennial

  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.