I have a close cousin posts reviews of the best books he read the past year. When we were advised by the government to stay in due to COVID-19, learn to meditate and read, I thought I’d help out and post some of my favorite books. I tend to lean toward non-fiction so the list is dominated by the category.

The Power Broker - You’ll see this book on just about every bookshelf of everyone in NYC government. Anyone who lives in the NY area will see the name Robert Moses just about everywhere. He was a great builder in the 20th Century and is responsible of so much of the contours of downstate NYC, but he was never elected, yet weld extraordinary power and cast a shadow over government as perhaps the most powerful figure in NY politics over the past 100 years. It’s an incredible read of the rise and fall of a great builder and ultimately a tremendously polarizing figure. His fingerprints on various areas of the city will surprise you and our infrastructure is as much defined by what he built along with what was attempted but ultimately not. Warning: this a lengthy read, clocking in over 1,300 pages, but I loved it! True story, you have to buy the paperback. It’s not available on Kindle!!! So I suppose it’s also a fashion accessory for the civic minded

Outlive - Is this the most life-changing book on this list? I heard rumblings that this was one of the hot books being read by the Silicon Valley CEO set and I’m not surprised. Time will tell how much of it is good thinking but the author, Dr. Peter Attia, gained a lot of credibility by emphasizing the importance of sleep and not espousing any particular diets — he was great instead at summarizing the three main dietary strategies and dissecting their merits (spoiler alert: you need to do something but it has to be individualized). In particular I found his guidance on exercise to be quite useful and the first part of his book about aging and the roots of the three main chronic killers (heart disease, cancer & Alzheimers) to be darn near mandatory reading. What I found most useful is that unlike my perceptions prior, there’s a lot you can do in the early stages of your life to live longer & better. I’m a high locus of control person and would like to manage my own destiny as much as possible so putting a lot of externalities that I thought I couldn’t control into my own hands is extremely empowering. Others may be overwhelmed. In addition, he gave me a short, but helpful list of diagnostic tests to make sure I receive in my early 40’s to help flag any preventable issues.

Agendas & Instability in American Politics - I was a Political Science major in college so I read A LOT of books with various theories about how “stuff” happens. This was the best in my view. In brief, policy is guided by the forum & framework in which it is debated. But then big things happen and it changes. The book highlights the Three Mile Island accident in changing the course of nuclear policy and after I read it in the shadow of 9/11, it held huge sway over me and continues to this day as I’ve thought about how things will change due to COVID-19.

From Beirut to Jerusalem - I’ve always read Tom Friedman’s columns in the New York Times religiously. In my view, he’s always had the best understanding of the Middle East and his articles on the region, while increasingly infrequent, are a must read. Though its seems a bit dated now, the book is a memoir of Friedman’s early career covering the Middle East for API in Beirut & Jerusalem from the late seventies through the eighties.

Becoming (The Michelle Obama autobiography) - It’s no wonder her autobiography outsold anything written by her husband. The best ways of describing it are revealing and honest. In addition to being highly authentic it’s a fascinating tale of what happens when you meet & marry a once in a generation leader. Though there may be other books with more details about what it’s like to really live in the White House, it was my first time reading deeply on the subject and I found it fascinating. About 10% of it explains and defends her husband’s career and political philosophies. You can skim that part if you’re so inclined and the appreciation for the book will not suffer.

Dreams of my Father (The First Barack Obama autobiography) - So I read ‘Becoming’ before this one and I agree that’s an easier and more enjoyable read. But reading this one, I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that in 100 years, this will be the book read by Sophomore Year high school students. At a young age & leaving aside everything he became, Obama encapsulates the experience of a mixed race boy becoming a man in the late 20th century, while exploring his roots. It’s a fascinating ‘mirror into the times’ work

Total Recall (The Arnold Schwarzenegger autobiography) - I was never a huge Arnold fan but this was a great one. It’s not so much one autobiography as three: First Schwarzenegger was the greatest body builder of all time. Then he went on to become the highest-grossing actor of all time. And lastly, a successful politician who married into the Kennedy family and served a term as governor of California. The book is roughly divided into the three phases of his life and admittedly gets less interesting as he gets political, but I loved it!

Will (The Will Smith autobiography) - I read it before he infamously slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars and after the incident, I was glad I read it because on many levels you come away with impression from his most recent years that he’s a deeply flawed character, despite his more squeaky clean image until recently. So, while it was shocking that he blew himself in the way he did, reading the book also helps fill in the larger picture. His revealing honesty, particularly about his childhood and early career years are fascinating and filled with many incredible stories. The phase where his rap career was imploding and the stories about how his career as an entertainer were resurrected as an actor in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air was the climax of the book. A fun, page turning read perfect for a beach vacation.

Bad Blood - This cautionary tale of Theranos was a fun read but also proved that it’s possible to throw up in your mouth for 300 consecutive pages. The story of Theranos was a page-turner, but the account of how the Wall Street Journal wrestled with and ultimately broke the story may be even more interesting.

All the President's Men - I rewatched the movie a couple years ago and it got me thinking about how Nixon compared with the current administration. The book is a much more expansive account of the Watergate years than the movie (which only covers the first half of the book) that I wanted to read to find out what really takes to impeach a President -- flagrantly illegal & widespread abuse of power in office, a poorly executed cover-up captured on tape (and then clumsily, partially erased), investigations by both houses of congress, tough judges, an independent media investigating from all angles. After reading the book it was pretty easy to see how likely it was that Trump wasn’t going to be removed from office

Lincoln: Team of Rivals - This one makes a lot of lists like this and earns it. Doris Kearns Goodwin does a great job of capturing the personalities and tribulations of the consensus Greatest President.

The Right Stuff - I’ve seen the end of the movie a number of times and I’m dying to see the whole thing. It took Tom Wolfe's death for me to pick it up. This is a great read that will entertain the most casual observer or the space program or its biggest fans.

Failure is Not an Option - If you like The Right Stuff and want to read more about the space program, the memoir by Gene Krantz, the head of Mission Control for Apollo 13 (played by Ed Harris) covering his career in the space program is a great overview of the Mercury, Gemini & Apollo programs. There were also some useful management nuggets particularly in time of crises or ambiguity along the way'

Kitchen Confidential - The book by Anthony Bourdain that started it all. Before he was a tragic, culinary traveller and erstwhile philosopher, Anthony Bourdain was a struggling, drug-addicted chef at a slightly upscale French restaurant in midtown. Then he let public in on the secrets behind the kitchen door with bluntness and hilarity. And as a result, I still am skeptical of any brunch or Sushi on a Sunday night

Liar’s Poker - Michael Lewis’ first book and probably his best. He meant it as a cautionary tale of the excesses in Wall Street and instead inspired a generation to follow in his footsteps. It’s a great read about the insides of the industry and 35 years later, is still a very salient read

Bringing Down the House & Busting Vegas - Both fun reads by Ben Meinrich about two separate, but related MIT circles who made millions off Vegas casinos playing Blackjack. Like everything else to do with Vegas, the ride is a lot of fun but everyone knows who wins in the end

The Biggest Bluff - OK, this one’s actually about Poker and GREAT! I was a Psychology major AND only had the money during senior year of college for a $5 buy-in game so this naturally appealed to me but it’s a great book about a Psychology PhD going from a complete novice to poker pro in about a year, and in the following year makes over $200,000 in poker tournaments. It’s a great story not just about poker and the characters in the game, but also what it reveals about life with a lot of connections to leading Psychology research

Confessions of a Wall Street Addict - The book that put Jim Cramer on the map. This is a great read on how Cramer became a successful hedge fund manager, how he lived and informed a number of his philosophies. Cramer’s a great writer and it gives good perspective on the stock market, but the guy’s nuts

Barbarians at the Gate - A seminal read about the battle for RGR Nabisco in the 80’s, documenting the fall of “fat corporate America” and the rise of KKR & Private Equity. To be honest it’s more a great read about the personalities and the story than necessarily the factors that contributed to the changing of our economy but it’s still a good one.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - I’m not one for self-help books but this one was a useful inspiration to me in gaining my own personal center and improving my relationships with those around me. Though the title hints that it’s about letting go; many around me have joked that the focus for me needed to be on the ‘subtle’ part.

Born a Crime - I loved Trevor Noah’s memoir. Admittedly I thought Jon Stewart was past his date on the Daily Show and felt Trevor was a great pick to replace him so I’m biased. The end will shock you

Red Notice — Bill Browder’s indictment of Putin-era Russia is a sobering read. A captivating tale that held my attention all the way through. Coming soon to the movies in 2021!

Love Life - Rob Lowe’s got some stories! Also a nice encyclopedia of eighties pop-culture references

Greenlights - Matthew McConaughey can’t top Rob Lowe for the name dropping but the stories are even better. It’s one of the few books I wish I had listened to on tape and McConaughey is a rare someone who is way more “out there” than even portrayed by the media. A really fun read

The Worst Team Money Could Buy - OK, we’re finally at sports, the topic I probably read the most. This book by Bob Klapisch & John Harper chronicles the failure of the 1992 Mets and how they got there. No book better captures better the zeitgeist of the late-eighties and early-nineties, when professional athletes (never the poster boys for being role models in society) got rich. You could also read it and pretty much understand the story of the Mets for 15 of the past 28 years.

Tiger and Phil - I recently read the unauthorized biographies of Tiger Woods & Phil Mickelson (Not to be confused by a book about the two’s rivalry with a similar name) recently in close proximity and enjoyed it for the similarities and contrasts. In many respects they’re similar; child prodigies seeking to overcome their upcoming as gifted nerds with a singular passion for the game (IMO golf isn’t a sport because alcohol is a performance enhancer in moderation) to grow up to be larger than life figures with vices. While Tiger Woods imploded in a haze of injuries & addictions in his early thirties based on the classic tale of the child prodigy singularly wired to dominate a golf course, Phil Mickelson is a much more complicated character who despite being wounded by associations with gamblers and having strong conservative political opinions, was generally beloved as a epitome of the modern, friendly, everyman golfer until an interview in preparation for the book when he revealed the motivations for entertaining joining a new, rival, Saudi-funded golf tour despite their abysmal human rights record, which has for the moment imploded his image and paused his career. Because Tiger is working on his own autobiography (having sold the rights to the story when he went pro), he and his inner circle did not participate in his biography, leading to a very negative story line as there are very few with good relationships with him willing to talk. Conversely Mickelson is a bit more of an open book and despite the controversy generated by the book, comes across as a more complex but positive character. I’d add that if you read “Tiger” you should probably watch the accompanying HBO documentary that followed in which Rachel Uchitel (his mistress) and Steve Williams (his former caddy) spoke publicly and on camera after not participating in the book as named sources.

The Bullpen Gospels - From the big leagues to life on the farm….If Ball Four by Jim Bouton was the ultimate tell-all that peeled back life in the big leagues for better or for worse, The Bullpen Gospels is the ultimate Minor league counterpoint. Revealing & insightful, by the end you will definitely think “You know what, professional ballplayers should probably get paid better.”

Open (Andre Agassi) - Revealing and honest in the way that you always hope in an autobiography, Andre Agassi pulls the curtain behind the career of one of the most enigmatic, yet successful tennis players in history. Whether a sports fan, a casual observer or someone looking to read an interesting story, I think you’ll like this one.

The Nightingale - The only fiction book on the list as I usually stick with non-fiction, but this one is great. Recommended by my girlfriend as this historical novel takes place in France in World War II. While a bit formulaic the author is weaves an incredible story starting from the first paragraph which has some of the best words that capture humanity that may have ever been written: “In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.”