Read by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Manson and 4 others
What books does Fareed Zakaria recommend?
Perspective from one of the most influential voices on global affairs runs through Fareed Zakaria's book recommendations. Host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS and a Washington Post columnist, the former editor of Newsweek International and Foreign Affairs has flagged 20 titles here, sourced from his "6 favorite books" feature in The Week, his GPS "Book of the Week" segments, and his Washington Post column. Society and politics lead, joined by history, economics, psychology, and science. Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature is a top pick he calls "a monumental achievement," and he praises Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow as worth reading "all the way through." The list spans sweeping history like Civilization: The West and the Rest and geopolitics like Prisoners of Geography. A bestselling author on power and democracy, Zakaria recommends with an analyst's eye.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
The Better Angels of Our Nature
Why Violence Has Declined
bySteven Pinker
2011832 Pages“A monumental achievement. Pinker, a Harvard psychology professor, draws on 5,000 years of historical evidence to explain in fascinating detail how violence has declined across human history.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: The Week, 'Fareed Zakaria's 6 favorite books'
Read by Barack Obama, Sam Altman, Ray Dalio and 14 others
byDaniel Kahneman
2011498 Pages“Most 'idea books' are bloated essays; this one, from a Nobel Prize–winning economist, is worth reading all the way through.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: The Week, 'Fareed Zakaria's 6 favorite books'
Read by Fareed Zakaria
The Righteous Mind
Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
byJonathan Haidt
2012528 Pages“A brilliant mixture of political philosophy and sociology. The book explains why we embrace certain ideologies better than any other I've read.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: The Week, 'Fareed Zakaria's 6 favorite books'
Read by Fareed Zakaria
byNiall Ferguson
2011402 Pages“I love big, sweeping history, and this account of the West's rise to global dominance is one of the best recent examples.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: The Week, 'Fareed Zakaria's 6 favorite books'
Read by Fareed Zakaria
byFrancis Fukuyama
2006464 Pages“Fukuyama's ideas are often caricatured, mischaracterized, and misunderstood, but his basic point here still holds.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: The Week, 'Fareed Zakaria's 6 favorite books'
Read by Ray Dalio, Nir Eyal, Fareed Zakaria and 1 others
The Power of Habit
Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
byCharles Duhigg
2012400 Pages“Duhigg's examination of how people get caught in loops of frequently counterproductive behavior is entertaining and can help you develop good habits.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: The Week, 'Fareed Zakaria's 6 favorite books'
Hillbilly Elegy
A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
byJ. D. Vance
2016264 Pages“Vance gets underneath the data and shows us what these impersonal forces mean to actual people.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: Washington Post column, August 18, 2016
Read by Jordan Peterson, Fareed Zakaria, David Lynch and 2 others
byFyodor Dostoevsky
1866608 Pages“I was delighted to discover Oliver Ready's new translation of Crime and Punishment... It is brimful of a young man's rage and energy and bullshit. I adored it.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: The New York Times Book Review (praise for Oliver Ready translation)
Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World
Interviews and Selections
byGraham Allison, Robert D. Blackwill, Ali Wyne
2013224 Pages“If you are interested in the future of Asia, which means the future of the world, you've got to read this book.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS 'Book of the Week'
Read by Fareed Zakaria
The Collapse
The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall
byMary Elise Sarotte
2014320 Pages(1,134)
“This is easily the best book on the fall of the Berlin Wall. It reads like a thriller, it's deeply researched and smoothly written.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS 'Book of the Week'
Read by Fareed Zakaria
Prisoners of Geography
Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World
byTim Marshall
2015304 Pages“Ten maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics, by Tim Marshall. This is a good idea superbly executed.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS 'Book of the Week'
Read by Fareed Zakaria
The Great Reset
How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity
byRichard Florida
2010240 Pages“If you're looking for a book to brighten your outlook on current events, pick up Richard Florida's, The Great Reset.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS 'Book of the Week'
Read by Fareed Zakaria
Talibanistan
Negotiating the Borders Between Terror, Politics, and Religion
byPeter Bergen, Katherine Tiedemann
2013528 Pages“This is the one book to read on Afghanistan now.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS 'Book of the Week'
Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?
Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?
byGraham Allison
2017384 Pages(7,323)
“A very smart and important book.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS Featured Interview
Read by Fareed Zakaria
Losing the Long Game
The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East
byPhilip Gordon
2020368 Pages“It's a first-rate work, intelligently analyzing a complex issue, and learning the right lessons from history.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS 'Book of the Week'
Read by Fareed Zakaria
Open
The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital
byKimberly Clausing
2019360 Pages“A highly intelligent, fact-based defense of the virtues of an open, competitive economy and society.”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS 'Book of the Week'
Read by Fareed Zakaria
The Age of Hiroshima
A multifaceted portrait of the Hiroshima bombing and its many legacies
byMichael D. Gordin, G. John Ikenberry
2020448 PagesSource: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS 'Book of the Week' (Oct 11, 2024)
Read by Fareed Zakaria
Crude Nation
How Oil Riches Ruined Venezuela
byRaúl Gallegos
2016256 Pages“Zakaria praises this work for its brisk narrative style and insightful analysis of the so-called 'oil curse.'”
— Fareed Zakaria
Source: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS recommendation
Read by Fareed Zakaria
The Death of Democracy
Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic
byBenjamin Carter Hett
2018304 PagesSource: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS 'Book of the Week'
A Peace to End All Peace
The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East
byDavid Fromkin
2001672 Pages(9,671)
Source: CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS 'Book of the Week'
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Fareed Zakaria recommend?
His 20 recommendations include The Better Angels of Our Nature, Thinking, Fast and Slow, The Righteous Mind, Civilization: The West and the Rest, and The End of History and the Last Man, weighted toward politics, history, and psychology.
What is Fareed Zakaria's favourite book?
Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature is a top pick; Zakaria calls it "a monumental achievement." He also praises Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow as an idea book "worth reading all the way through."
Where do Fareed Zakaria's book recommendations come from?
They are drawn from his "6 favorite books" list in The Week, the "Book of the Week" segment on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS, and his Washington Post column, where he recommended Hillbilly Elegy.
Has Fareed Zakaria written any books?
Yes. He has authored six titles noted here, including The Future of Freedom, In Defense of a Liberal Education, Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World, and Age of Revolutions.
Which geopolitics books does Fareed Zakaria recommend?
He praises Prisoners of Geography as "a good idea superbly executed," Graham Allison's Destined for War as "a very smart and important book," and the Lee Kuan Yew volume as essential reading on "the future of Asia."
All 20 Books Fareed Zakaria Has Recommended
- The Better Angels of Our Nature · Steven Pinker
- Thinking, Fast and Slow · Daniel Kahneman
- The Righteous Mind · Jonathan Haidt
- Civilization: The West and the Rest · Niall Ferguson
- The End of History and the Last Man · Francis Fukuyama
- The Power of Habit · Charles Duhigg
- Hillbilly Elegy · J. D. Vance
- Crime and Punishment · Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World · Graham Allison
- The Collapse · Mary Elise Sarotte
- Prisoners of Geography · Tim Marshall
- The Great Reset · Richard Florida
- Talibanistan · Peter Bergen
- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap? · Graham Allison
- Losing the Long Game · Philip Gordon
- Open · Kimberly Clausing
- The Age of Hiroshima · Michael D. Gordin
- Crude Nation · Raúl Gallegos
- The Death of Democracy · Benjamin Carter Hett
- A Peace to End All Peace · David Fromkin