Experts > Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton's Top Book Recommendations

Former USA President

Want to know what books Bill Clinton recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Bill Clinton's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1

Grant

The #1 New York Times bestseller.

New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2017

Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Chernow returns with a sweeping and dramatic portrait of one of our most compelling generals and presidents, Ulysses S. Grant.

Ulysses S. Grant's life has typically been misunderstood. All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and an inept businessman, or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War. But these stereotypes don't come close to capturing him, as Chernow shows in his masterful...
more
Recommended by Bill Clinton, Jeremy Boudinet, and 2 others.

Bill ClintonThis is a good time for Ron Chernow’s fine biography of Ulysses S. Grant to appear… As history, it is remarkable, full of fascinating details sure to make it interesting both to those with the most cursory knowledge of Grant’s life and to those who have read his memoirs or any of several previous biographies… For all its scholarly and literary strengths, this book’s greatest service is to remind... (Source)

Jeremy BoudinetI read Ron Chernow's biography of Ulysses S. Grant at a crucial point in my life, when I was struggling with a few personal and professional career ups-and-downs. Grant is a fascinating character in U.S. history. His life was a dramatic roller coaster of major personal and professional triumphs that were inevitably followed by periods of massive failure and disappointment. Of course, all of this... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

2
In an unparalleled collaboration, two leading global thinkers in technology and foreign affairs give us their widely anticipated, transformational vision of the future: a world where everyone is connected—a world full of challenges and benefits that are ours to meet and to harness.

Eric Schmidt is one of Silicon Valley’s great leaders, having taken Google from a small startup to one of the world’s most influential companies. Jared Cohen is the director of Google Ideas and a former adviser to secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. With their combined knowledge...
more

Walter IsaacsonThis is the most important—and fascinating—book yet written about how the digital age will affect our world. With vivid examples and brilliant analysis, it shows how the internet and other communications technologies will empower individuals and transform the way nations and businesses operate. How will different societies make tradeoffs involving privacy, freedom, control, security, and the... (Source)

Richard BransonAt last, a brilliant guide book for the next century—what the future holds for entrepreneurs, revolutionaries, politicians, and ordinary citizens alike. Schmidt and Cohen offer a dazzling glimpse into how the new digital revolution is changing our lives. This book is the most insightful exploration of our future world I’ve ever read, and once I started reading I was simply unable to put it down. (Source)

Bill ClintonEvery day, technological innovations are giving people around the world new opportunities to shape their own destinies. In this fascinating book, Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen draw upon their unique experiences to show us a future of rising incomes, growing participation, and a genuine sense of community—if we make the right choices today. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

3
An urgent new warning from two bestselling security experts--and a gripping inside look at how governments, firms, and ordinary citizens can confront and contain the tyrants, hackers, and criminals bent on turning the digital realm into a war zone.

America's next major war is likely to be provoked by a cyber attack. From well-covered stories like the Stuxnet virus, which helped slow Iran's nuclear program, to lesser-known tales like EternalBlue, the 2017 cyber battle that closed hospitals in Britain and froze shipping crates in Germany in midair, we have entered...
more
Recommended by Bill Clinton, Leon Panetta, and 2 others.

Bill ClintonIn the battle raging between offense and defense in cyberspace, Clarke and Knake have some important ideas about how we can avoid cyberwar for our country, prevent cybercrime against our companies, and in doing so, reduce resentment, division, and instability at home and abroad. (Source)

Leon PanettaCyberspace is the battlefield of the future. Our national security is dependent on whether we wake up and recognize the nature of this threat. In The Fifth Domain, Richard Clarke and Robert Knake are issuing a strong wake-up call. As they conclude, ‘what is missing is national consensus, will, and priority setting.’ If we fail to take the necessary steps to defend ourselves, we may lose not just... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

4

Bold

How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World

Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

From the coauthors of the New York Times bestseller Abundance comes their much anticipated follow-up: Bold—a radical, how-to guide for using exponential technologies, moonshot thinking, and crowd-powered tools to create extraordinary wealth while also positively impacting the lives of billions.

Bold unfolds in three parts. Part One focuses on the exponential technologies that are disrupting today’s Fortune 500...
more

Eric SchmidtAbundance showed us where our world can be in 20 years. BOLD is a roadmap for entrepreneurs to help us get there. (Source)

Bill ClintonBold is a visionary roadmap for people who believe they can change the world---and offers invaluable advice about bringing together the partners and technologies to help them do it. (Source)

Michael DellI loved Peter Diamandis’ and Steven Kotler’s book Abundance, their writing and their Vision. BOLD is an amazing sequel, a book that every entrepreneur should read. It is inspiring, filled with incredible insights and offers a practical how-to game plan for going big and impacting the world. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

5
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The former governor of Virginia tells the behind-the-scenes story of the violent “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville—and shows how we can prevent other Charlottesvilles from happening.

When Governor Terry McAuliffe hung up the phone on the afternoon of the violent “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, he was sure Donald Trump would do the right thing as president: condemn the white supremacists who’d descended on the college town and who’d caused McAuliffe to declare a state of emergency that...
more
Recommended by Bill Clinton, Eric Swalwell, and 2 others.

Bill ClintonI highly recommend Terry McAuliffe’s book “Beyond Charlottesville.” A powerful reminder of what real leadership looks like—and why we all have to call out racism, hatred and violence whenever and wherever we see them and continue to fight for a better America, just as Terry did. (Source)

Eric SwalwellI'm reading @TerryMcAuliffe’s new book #BeyondCharlottesville on lessons on fighting racism. Amazingly timely. As my colleague John Lewis writes in a powerful Foreword, "throughout our country, there's still a deep sickness." So true. https://t.co/wD7kUdq4DN (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read Bill Clinton's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.