Dit boekje belooft ‘alles over de Amerikaanse verkiezingen’, wat enigszins overdreven is. Wel is het een leuk en nuttig overzicht van de smerigste campagnes (de allersmerigste is die van 1856), slimste leuzen (de beste: I …
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De smerigste, slimste en gekste campagnes
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COP21: the best or the most expensive treaty ever?
Whenever I see big masses of people cheering for a cause, like now with the COP 21 treaty (beware of the lofty rhetoric!), I get suspicious. Combined with my skepticism of top down change (“The …
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Wandelen door Parijs met Adriaan
Gidsje waarin Van Dis ons meeneemt langs plekken in Parijs die bepalend zijn geweest voor de eerste periode dat hij er woonde. Met aantal rake observaties, zoals die over verschil met de Nederlandse metro: ‘In …
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Superforecasting – Philip Tetlock (2015)
Most important take-away: don’t take ‘experts’ too seriously, especially not the famous ones. They are very prone to looking at the world through the lens of a so-called hedgehog: there is only one truth and …
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Oorlog en Kermis – Olaf Koens (2015)
A set of stories about the surreal world Russians, Ukrainians and other former Soviet peoples live in. A world wherein everything and everyone is suspect, where the abnormal is normal and vodka is consumed like …
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How to say farewell to your mother?
Touching. Brutally honest. A story about dying. About the, painful, relationship between mother and son – full of secrets and, as the story unfolds, more and more outpourings. Van Dis has an audacious way of …
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Magie in al je communicatie – Bas Mouton (2015)
A self-help book that promises magic in all our communication by getting rid of the well known tricks (where to put your hands, how to capture the audience with your eyes etc), and have the …
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The Tyranny of Experts – William Easterly (2014)
This book wants to provoke, to stir debate and eventually change our thinking on how to help the poor. Its great subtitle, Economist, Dictators and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor, is just the start. …
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Putinism, Russia and it’s Future with the West – Walter Laqueur (2015)
As one of the most important actors on the geopolitical chess board I’m dying to better understand Putin and his Russia: Should he be feared and contained or, as some pundits argue, is he in …
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The Utopia of Rules – David Graeber (2015)
The premise of this book is that we live a deeply bureaucratic society – if we do not notice it, it is largely because bureaucratic practices and requirements have become so all-pervasive that we can …
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Liberalism, The Life of an Idea – Edmund Fawcett (2014)
This is what one could call a tour de force: a biography of liberalism from 1830 until now. As far as I know, the first of its kind. And its a great joy to read …
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The Magic Mountain – Thomas Mann (1924)
The all-time classic that most people advise me to read, when advising an all-time classic. I like the style, the characters and the beautiful sentences, but it is a slow-read. Would I after all be …
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Simple Rules – D. Sull and K. Eisenhardt (2015)
Simplification is not necessarily a form of stupidity – it can be a form of intelligence. Even of brilliance. Simple rules are, simply put, rules of thumb. And simple rules are applicable to almost every …
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Reis naar het continent – Mathieu Segers (2013)
This is a very well researched account of the creation of Europe, from World War II to the present day, with quite some technical details. Nevertheless, Segers never loses his general thread. He starts with …
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Superpower – Ian Bremmer (2015)
As the US presidential election approaches, books on candidates, geopolitical issues and the hard choices would-be presidents will see themselves confronted with, will hit the bookstores in big numbers. My guess is that this one will probably stand out for clarity, …
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Mountains of the mind – Robert Macfarlane (2003)
This book has put my passion for mountain climbing into words. A must read for hikers, explorers and nature lovers alike; providing essential context to books as Touching The Void and Into Thin Air. In a …
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La vérité sur l’affaire Harry Quebert – Joël Dicker (2012)
The first part reminded me of The Secret History, the second is an amazing whodunnit. Ingeniously structured – as a book within a book, telling three interwoven stories – and beautifully written (by the enviable …
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Resource Revolution – Stefan Heck & Matt Rogers (2014)
Well researched (authors are McKinsey consultants) and full of fascinating examples, the book explains how to capture the ‘biggest business opportunity in a century’: the resource revolution. Combining sustainability challenges (doing more with less) with …
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Baltische Zielen – Jan Brokken (2010)
Beautiful, often emotional, stories describing the fascinating and cruel history of the Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, wedged between Europe and Russia. Brokken makes us witnesses of the lives of both normal and famous people dealing with fear, …
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Is the EU doomed? – Jan Zielonka (2014)
The short answer is: yes, the EU is doomed (and will only survive in minimal form), but Europa will further integrate and have a bright future. Zielonka foresees a European structure led by cities, regions …
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Soumission – Michel Houellebecq (2015)
One of the most intriguing notions Houellebecq puts forward in his latest novel is not that the populist right is a stable force in the political landscape, nor that in 2022 a Muslim party wins …
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Exodus – Paul Collier (2014)
Famous economist Paul Collier’s latest book focuses on the effects of migration; on both the immigrant as the people who welcome them. He manages to stay away from the moral high ground, that so often …
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Heretic. Why Islam must change to join the modern world – Ayaan Hirsi Ali (2015)
Right in the beginning of her book Hirsi Ali admits thats she was wrong to state, as she did in her last book, that Islam can’t be reformed. The Arab Spring is the reason of her …
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Reasons to stay alive – Matt Haig (2015)
Highly recommended by Stephen Fry (a reason in itself to purchase it) this book shows Haig is a writer of great talent. With a mix of humor and sensitivity he takes us to the deepest …
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Dit kan niet waar zijn – Joris Luyendijk (2015)
Set up as an anthropological study, Luyendijk spent a year and a half in the London City interviewing around 200 bankers, so-called quants, recruiters and everyone willing to participate in his experiment -published as a …
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Essentialism, the disciplined pursuit of less – Greg McKeown (2014)
Without bringing surprising new insights, this books makes a compelling case for achieving more by doing less. ‘Less but better’, clarity and focus as guiding principles for a good life. A real ‘essentialist’ knows to set …
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The Meaning of Hitler/ Anmerkungen zu Hitler – Sebastian Haffner (1978)
This little gem was first published in 1978 and dissects the Führer’s life in 7 thematic chapters, with simple titles as Life, Successes, Treason etc. Simple maybe, but it’s quite a special approach To start …
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The Islamist Phoenix – Loretta Napoleoni (2014)
Tells the stunning success story of IS in Iraq and Syria and explains the drivers behind the creation of a Caliphate that, under the leadership of Al-Baghdadi, invites all Sunni Muslims to join the new Holy Land. IS has made maximum …
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HhhH – Laurent Binet (2009)
Sublime historical thriller about the murder of ‘the blonde Nazi Beast’ Reinhard Heydrich, or, as Hitler liked to call him, ‘The man with the Iron Heart’. Remembered me of Slaugtherhouse 5, with a zest of …
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En nu laat ik mijn baard staan – Leen Zevenbergen (2007)
I had expected more insights and surprising lessons from the Dutch management book of the year 2007. The book stresses the importance of creativity, inspiration and how to have more fun in your job as …
