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Rupert Murdoch's Top Book Recommendations

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

1
Dear Reader,

In February 2013 I gave a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. Standing a few feet from President Obama, I warned my fellow citizens of the dangers facing our country and called for a return to the principles that made America great.


Many Americans heard and responded, but our nation’s decline has continued. Today the danger is greater than ever before, and I have never shared a more urgent message than I do now. Our growing debt and deteriorating morals have driven us far from the founders’ intent. We’ve made very little progress in basic...
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Recommended by Rupert Murdoch, and 1 others.

Rupert Murdoch@KurMudGin Carson would make a great candidate. Reading his wonderful book, One Nation. Recommend to everybody. (Source)

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2
In this revealing and thoughtful memoir, the former chancellor of the New York City schools offers the behind-the-scenes story of the city’s dramatic campaign to improve public education and an inspiring blueprint for national reform

In 2002, New York City’s newly elected mayor, Michael Bloomberg, began his first term with a controversial announcement: his administration had won control of the city’s school system in a first step toward reversing its precipitous decline. Joel Klein, an accomplished lawyer completely outside of the education establishment, was selected to...
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Recommended by Rupert Murdoch, and 1 others.

Rupert MurdochVery proud of friend @JoelIKlein on his book Lessons of Hope. Relentless advocate for students and better schools. (Source)

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3
From the intellectual leader of the Republican party, an unvarnished look into the state of the conservative movement today and a clear plan for what needs to be done to save the American Idea.

The Way Forward challenges conventional thinking, outlines his political vision for 2014 and beyond, and shows how essential conservatism is for the future of our nation.

Beginning with a careful analysis of the 2012 election--including a look at the challenge the GOP had in reaching a majority of voters and the prevalence of identity politics--Ryan examines the...
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Recommended by Rupert Murdoch, and 1 others.

Rupert MurdochLooking forward to reading Paul Ryan's The Way Forward. Ryan the most influential Republican in Congress. Will report. (Source)

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4

Lincoln Unbound

In this thoughtful mix of history and politics, the New York Times bestselling author and editor of National Review—the conservative bible founded by William F. Buckley, Jr.—traces Abraham Lincoln's ambitious climb from provincial upstart to political powerhouse and calls for a renewal of the Lincoln ethic of relentless striving.

Revered today across the political spectrum, Abraham Lincoln believed in a small but active government in a nation defined by aspiration. Fired by an indomitable ambition from a young age, the man who would be immortalized as the...
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Recommended by Rupert Murdoch, and 1 others.

Rupert MurdochGreat time to be reading Rich Lowry's fascinating new Lincoln Unbound. Surely our greatest, most interesting president. (Source)

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5
For decades, liberal democracy has been extolled as the best system of governance to have emerged out of the long experience of history. Today, such a confident assertion is far from self-evident. Democracy, in crisis across the West, must prove itself. In the West today, the authors argue, we no longer live in "industrial democracies," but "consumer democracies" in which the governing ethos has ended up drowning households and governments in debt and resulted in paralyzing partisanship. In contrast, the long-term focus of the decisive and unified leadership of China is boldly moving its... more
Recommended by Rupert Murdoch, and 1 others.

Rupert MurdochEnjoying reading Nicolas Berggruen's Intelligent Governance for the 21 st Century. Heavy going, but sweeping views, if too optimistic. (Source)

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6

Civilization

The West and the Rest

Western civilization’s rise to global dominance is the single most important historical phenomenon of the past five centuries

How did the West overtake its Eastern rivals? And has the zenith of Western power now passed? Acclaimed historian Niall Ferguson argues that beginning in the fifteenth century, the West developed six powerful new concepts, or “killer applications”—competition, science, the rule of law, modern medicine, consumerism, and the work ethic—that the Rest lacked, allowing it to surge past all other competitors.


Yet now, Ferguson shows how the Rest...
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Rupert MurdochCan't wait to start reading Niall Ferguson's new book, Civilization, The West and the Rest. Bet lots to think about. (Source)

Dambisa MoyoWhat I found interesting and what I like about this book is the fact that Niall takes a very broad look at the East-West theme. When people are looking at this issue of East versus West, or West versus the Rest, they tend to focus either on politics (which is very important and we’ll talk about that when we discuss Richard McGregor’s book on the Chinese Communist Party) or on economics. But there... (Source)

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7
Life is getting better—and at an accelerating rate. Food availability, income, and life span are up; disease, child mortality, and violence are down — all across the globe. Though the world is far from perfect, necessities and luxuries alike are getting cheaper; population growth is slowing; Africa is following Asia out of poverty; the Internet, the mobile phone, and container shipping are enriching people’s lives as never before. The pessimists who dominate public discourse insist that we will soon reach a turning point and things will start to get worse. But they have been saying this for... more

Mark ZuckerbergMy next book for A Year of Books is The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley. Two of the books I've read this year -- The Better Angels of Our Nature: and Why Nations Fail -- have explored how social and economic progress work together to make the world better. The Better Angels argues for that the two feed off each other, whereas Why Nations Fail argues that social and political progress ultimately... (Source)

Bill GatesIts subject is the history of humanity, focusing on why our species has succeeded and how we should think about the future. (Source)

Marc AndreessenSparkling explanation of how the economy evolves, producing the glorious cornucopia of goods and services available all around us. How to feel good about the future even in dark times. (Source)

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8
What is the secret of talent? How do we unlock it? In this groundbreaking work, journalist and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle provides parents, teachers, coaches, businesspeople—and everyone else—with tools they can use to maximize potential in themselves and others.

Whether you're coaching soccer or teaching a child to play the piano, writing a novel or trying to improve your golf swing, this revolutionary book shows you how to grow talent by tapping into a newly discovered brain mechanism.

Drawing on cutting-edge neurology and firsthand research...
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Peter Attia[One of] the books I’ve read the most. (Source)

Rupert MurdochGreat reading. The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle. Forget genes! Greatness isn't born, it's grown - the hard way. (Source)

Jason FriedHighly recommend reading The Talent Code. Wonderful book w/ great insights. (Source)

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9
If you want to build a better future, you must believe in secrets.

The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things.

Thiel begins with the contrarian premise that we live in an age of technological stagnation, even if we’re too distracted by shiny mobile devices to notice. Information technology has improved rapidly, but there is no reason why progress should be limited to...
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Elon MuskPeter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how.” - Elon Mus (Source)

Mark ZuckerbergThis book delivers completely new and refreshing ideas on how to create value in the world. (Source)

Eric WeinsteinIf you really understand something that the rest of the world is confused about, and it’s an important truth, [this book] says here are all the ways you might want to make that work. (Source)

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