Les meilleurs livres de l'année 2015

“Philip Tetlock’s Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction is a common-sense guide to thinking about decision-making and the future by a man who knows this terrain like no one else.”

“After sitting in on a remarkable lecture by Valerie Hansen on ‘The Year 1000’ at my recent college reunion, I read her recently published The Silk Road: A New History. It’s a well-documented, broad historical sweep of this famous trade route—but with some surprising findings. The ‘Silk Road’ was not really one major route, but a series of smaller, loosely connected trade paths. And Samarkand, not Xi’an (or Venice), was probably the most important city on the Road. Another observation was that more paper was traded than silk, and that gift giving for diplomatic reasons was of extreme importance. As China prepares its new ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative, this is a serious work of scholarship to put it in historical perspective.”

A World Lit Only by Fire

“Required reading. Period.”

The Witches: Salem, 1692

“Economic Rules by Dani Rodrik is a good attempt to defend economics, not as a grand science of universal valid laws and a single ideal model, but as an art to choose from a set of models the one most appropriate for the given practical problem.”

Between Debt and the Devil

De Adair Turner

“Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic, by Sam Quinones, is as fast-paced and compelling as any thriller, and tells the parallel stories of two murderous epidemics, one of illegal black-tar heroin from Mexico and one of legal opioid prescription painkillers. If we are going to destroy ourselves, this is how it might happen.”

“To explain scarcity to rich people, talk about time (or power outlets), not money. This book outlines, lucidly and with scientific precision and cited experiments, why people tend to behave ‘stupidly’ when they are short of resources, with some suggestions of what to do about it. It made me learn, and taught me to think differently about things I already knew.”

“Big-picture economic history at its best. Hoffman’s answer: chronic military conflict that gave European leaders incentives to harness widely known gunpowder technologies more effectively than leaders in other parts of the world. Also a good reminder of what economic history brings to today’s economic and political table.”

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life

De William Finnegan

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“An entertaining, thought-provoking memoir that effectively evokes a special time and place. Recommended especially for people who grew up in California in the 1950s and 1960s and attended the University of California, Santa Cruz (like me), but also for non-surfers (like me).”

“My two picks this year speak to issues that are yet to gain sufficient traction among company and government leaders, and yet they are key to the well-being of current and future generations. Notwithstanding growing awareness of the forgone opportunities, and despite a broad-based willingness to do more to achieve greater gender equality and develop human capital, society is yet to fully unleash the productive power of its people—especially women but also men. In Unfinished Business, Anne-Marie Slaughter discusses the binding constraints, and what can be done to lift them. She does so in a wonderfully engaging and accessible fashion, bringing to life critical issues for future inclusive prosperity.

Rise of the Robots

De Martin Ford

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“In Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future, Martin Ford documents the transformational and disruptive nature of the latest phase of automation. Because of sophisticated machine learning and enormous advances in big data, machines will be replacing a notably larger scale and scope of labor activities, raising fundamental issues for companies, government, and society at large. Whether you agree or not with the policy prescriptions put forward by these two well-written books, and quite a few will likely disagree, they are important reads for those wishing to better understand and influence the future.”

“The Conservative Heart offers a powerful vision for helping the less fortunate in our country, a noble pursuit regardless of your political leanings. Brooks skillfully reconciles the liberal appeals for equality and social justice with a conservative economic vision that eschews traditional redistribution models while lifting millions out of poverty through practical policy.”

“This is a gem of a book in that it has the audacity to paint in big strokes to portray a great intellectual history that puts our often competing, current belief systems into their 18th and 19th century contexts. In light of the increasingly perplexing news headlines, this type of bold context setting is a real gift.”

The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories

De Anthony Marra

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“One of my favorite novels of the past few years was Marra’s A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, so returning this year to this author with a fabulous collection of stories that skillfully interconnects characters and recurring themes. Truly beautiful and elegant fiction that shows that we have yet to fully learn all we can learn from the Soviet and post-Soviet regimes, and fiction may be the best way to do so.”

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“I have been immensely impressed by Jeremy Friedman’s debut, Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World. This is a formidable work of historical scholarship which sheds dazzling new light on the global rivalry between the Chinese and the Russians. Not many people can range as far and wide as Friedman: Chile, China, Germany, Mozambique, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and South Africa—not to mention the United States. On top of the erudition, Friedman is a punchy writer. You will find yourselves thinking differently about the present as well as the past.”

The Buried Giant

“It is the true story of three young adults and their parents in Paris during World War II. The three young adults are serving in the French Resistance. It comments on the family’s tremendous courage and the heavy cost they wound up bearing.”

“Hank Paulson’s extensive access to Chinese officials as CEO of Goldman Sachs and U.S. Treasury secretary shows the challenges China faces.”

“‘Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road…’ Jack Kerouac’s words and vision of the open spaces of America provide essential life lessons and remain inspirational mantras of optimism. What’s past informs our future. And our ambitions, guide our direction—constantly looking forward in the direction of opportunity.”

“I love to read, and I’m kind of voracious. If you looked at my book list, it’s schizophrenic. … [This book] was so meaningful to me. I was determined to meet him, so I met his literary agent and I knew he was going to be in Orlando. I met him and got to know him, and I just got a galley copy of his new book, Originals.”

“I visited Hiroshima in August a week after the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the nuclear weapon (I was posted to Japan twice in the 1980s and 1990s). This gives a wider, deeper, and more far-reaching account of events which influenced the decision to drop the bomb, the choice of targets, and the impact on ordinary Japanese than many mainstream Western histories record. It is well written and passionate.”

“A very interesting and provocative analysis containing powerful arguments on the need to act now to address climate change. Even if you don’t agree with all the perceptions and conclusions, there is definitely valuable inspiration in this book for those of us convinced that we are on a collision course with nature and that governments need to start taking action to put us on a pathway to zero net greenhouse emissions in the second half of this century.”

“We are in an era of technological optimism but sociological pessimism. Martin Ford’s Rise of the Robots captures why these shifts are related and what challenges this might pose to our conventional economic and social infrastructures.”

“It’s a fascinating story of the assassination of the principal architect of the Final Solution—cleverly telling the story of all the protagonists, including the assassins. Weaving fact and fiction together, the book brings to life a tale for the ages.”

“Diaries of those who were close to, and not the principals themselves are often of most interest because they combine careful observation and intriguing gossip. Maisky, as the Soviet ambassador in London in the 1930s, does not disappoint.”

The Courage to Act

De Ben Bernanke

“It shows that you can get information from a lot of different sources. Knowledge is all around us and it doesn’t have to come from the experts.”

“Joe has had an amazing career from president of Smith Barney to chairman and CEO of Willis Insurance. Joe’s book tells his life story and is one of the most inspirational, heartwarming, sad, and wonderful books I’ve read. Joe has had an amazing life, built great companies, and lives every day with passion. His energy jumps out from every page.”

“I have this stack of books, and honestly I’ve got to get to this stack and choose from among them. The book I started reading and put down was How Google Works by Eric Schmidt. I was fascinated by the first five or so chapters, but I had to put it down.”

“The book Creativity, Inc. is this generation’s In Search of Excellence. This story of Pixar’s success with animated movies transcends Hollywood. It encourages managers to remember what is important (‘the story is king’), to use frank peer review (establishing a ‘braintrust’), and to incorporate failure as part of the process (it is OK to be wrong, but be wrong ‘quickly’).”

“Kissinger’s grasp of modern history and the rigor of his thought give statesmen an indispensable map to navigate through the convulsions of our times.”

“Liked the ‘personal touch’ in Ben Bernanke’s The Courage to Act.”

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“Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy is perhaps one of the most powerful and important stories of our time. I have learned a great deal from this man in just a few short months of knowing him, and I believe more Americans need to hear his story as we, as a nation, try to make sense of the horrific and tragic issues affecting so many communities today—particularly for those young people of color who have been left out of the economy and continue to face barriers to opportunity that are rooted in inequality, prejudice, and injustice. With every passing page of this book, I learned that there is a powerful story of struggle, fortitude, and triumph waiting to be told—stories that prove we need to create more opportunities for youth who face hardship and lack of a clear pathway to a future.”

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“Through his book The Road to Character, David Brooks has encouraged me and thousands of others to reflect further and more deeply on our priorities and aspirations, through the lens of humility and moral depth. David’s insights, wit, and deep curiosity are all applied to a fantastic journey of learning from the lives of some of the greatest leaders and thinkers of our time.”

“I am one of the many people who see flying as part of the job and not a joy, so it was really refreshing to read Mark Vanhoenacker’s book, Skyfaring: A Journey With a Pilot. Vanhoenacker flies Boeing 747s, in which many of us spend an inordinate amount of time, and he has an eye for the kind of detail frequent fliers will have thought about but never quite articulated to themselves. This pilot can write, and shows us how to enjoy the world from 30,000 feet.”

Napoleon: A Life

De Andrew Roberts

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“Andrew Roberts’s Napoleon: A Life parses the fascinating legacy of a controversial imperialist who to this day is lionized in France, while often viewed as a despot in Britain. Roberts, who is British, manages to stifle national bias, cut through the myths, and paint a convincingly nuanced portrait of this extraordinary historical figure.”

“The book describes the broad characteristics of recessions and recoveries. Understanding what drives an economy into and out of a recession is critical for investors across all asset classes.”

“The Great Escape by Angus Deaton, the Scotsman who got this year’s Nobel Prize in economics, is an extremely thoughtful overview of economic development and what goes into it. In ways the book is a stirring tale of the long march since the Industrial Revolution out of generalized poverty to the much more prosperous world we know today, with close attention to the relationship between rising prosperity and generally improved health conditions. Well-written by a superb economist with great command of analysis and data. I recommend it highly.”

 De Jordan Ellenberg

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“Another book I read earlier this year that I would also recommend is How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg, a well-known and noted mathematician who is currently a professor at the University of Wisconsin. It’s a real tour de force, giving both the general reader and even professionals an easy-to-read, lively discussion of using the power of math to solve problems and improve people’s understanding of complex phenomenon. It’s a splendid primer of math and its uses by a gifted writer on the subject.”

“In these days of short-term focus, this enduring classic highlights the importance of creativity in building businesses for the long term, and the simplicity of the process of creating and formulating ideas.”

Dealing With China
De Henry M. Paulson

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“Paulson’s insights into the rise of China are always illuminating. Over time he will assume Kissinger’s mantle as the go-to Western expert on the opportunities and challenges of the People’s Republic.”

Crippled America

“So that we all know what we may be letting ourselves in for.”

“Cutting-edge story with profound insights with substance and clarity into the American criminal justice status quo—reflecting the awkward imbalance between poverty and justice—told by a legal mind turned perceptive pen who in a short period of time is regarded as the anchor of courage, passion, and the protection and preservation of human dignity today. A compelling, powerful story with a frightening timeliness for 2015 America.”

“It portrays the most important economist of the 20th century in all his extraordinary uniqueness. His likeness does not exist today.”

“The true story was chilling in revealing the other side of terrorism and why the Germans were willing to risk their lives to take down civilian targets such as the Lusitania. Not as chilling as what we face now, but a step in that direction. It also made all too clear how we can know and not know an attack is coming and still not act fast enough.”

De Paula Hawkins

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“It reminds us all of how much we see what we want to see, but too often miss reality in doing so.”

“With amazing candor but also real passion, Henry Marsh describes his art, neurosurgery, in a truly riveting way. The book delivers very effectively a message of compassion and love. It is a must-read for all those who work under pressure and face difficult decisions every day.”

De Jamil Ahmad

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“A very interesting book about the life of the tribes at the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, written by a retired Pakistani customs official. I found it full of insights on a part of the world that I have always wished to be able to understand better.”

“Musk rivals Jobs in the same way this book rivals Isaacson’s classic.”

“A book of huge intellectual reach, full of insights about human nature and institutions, which makes us think deeply about where we have come from and where we are going.”

Submission

“Ever the intellectual provocateur, Houellebecq’s story of a France under Islamic government, with some intellectuals embracing the benefits (to men) of patriarchy, achieves Houellebecq’s intent of unsettling the reader.”

“An excellent book of description and analysis of the 2007-09 global financial crisis, the worst since the Great Depression in the ’30s. Ben Bernanke was the chair of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2014, which is why he lived and faced that crisis. Once the crisis started, his studies on the Great Depression allowed him to avoid mistakes made back then and to implement a series of stimulus policies that helped the North American economy come out of a particularly difficult economic period, even if they remain a source of controversy.”

“It taught me about the breathtaking acceleration in technological progress that has taken place very recently in some key areas, and made me think about whether the sheer scale and pace of it means that its economic effects might be different from historical episodes of rapid technological progress.”

“I probably should recommend Tim Geithner’s or Ben Bernanke’s memoirs, both of which are eminently readable, but I still go for Mary Katharine Ham and Guy Benson’s End of Discussion. It is a timely warning, rich in examples, of how latter-day PC and manufactured outrage shuts down debate and biases political choice.”

“I found myself captivated by Louis Begley’s novel with its up-close study of upper-class life on the U.S. East Coast and its richly drawn characters. A gripping book, not so much about marriage as about life itself, fate, love, and growing old.”