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The Summer Reading List

In the spirit of summer, of reflection and contemplation, of slowing down and spending time with stories and ideas, I asked the nation's top tech, media and entertainment executives — and one governor — to share the best books they've read recently, or the books they look forward to reading in the weeks ahead. Enjoy.

TIM COOK

Apple CEO

• "Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight, a memoir by the Nike founder about the company's founding and its path to success. Cook tells me it's the "best business book of the century." (Buy)

• "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon diagnosed with lung cancer who seeks to discover what makes a life worth living. Cook says it's the "best book on re-examining life and values." (Buy)

MARK ZUCKERBERG

Facebook CEO

• "The Last Days of Night" by Graham Moore. "It's about the competition to electrify the nation between Edison, Westinghouse and Tesla," Zuckerberg tells me. "Graham is a great storyteller." (Buy)

SHERYL SANDBERG

Facebook COO

• "The Moment of Lift" by Melinda Gates. The philanthropist and global advocate for women's rights explains through research and personal experience how empowering women can change the world. (Buy)

BOB IGER

Disney CEO

• "The Second Mountain" by David Brooks, in which the New York Times columnist explores what it takes to lead a meaningful life in a self-centered world. That's "the last one I read," Iger tells me. (Buy)

• Bonus: Iger tells me he's also just read the first nine Horatio Hornblower books by CS Forester (Buy), and re-read Thomas Friedman's "Hot, Flat and Crowded," about the need for a green revolution. (Buy)

STEVE BURKE

NBCUniversal CEO

• "Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power" by Jon Meacham, in which the Pulitzer Prize-winning author explores the life of the politician and president, his understanding of power and his passion for popular government. (Buy)

ARI EMANUEL

WME Co-CEO

• "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism" by Shoshana Zuboff, about the quest by powerful corporations to predict and control our behavior and the steps necessary to preserve a human future (Buy).

• Plus: "The Last Pirate of New York: A Ghost Ship, a Killer, and the Birth of a Gangster Nation" by Rich Cohen (Buy), and "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone" by Lori Gottlieb (Buy).

DAWN OSTROFF

Spotify CCO

• "Educated: A Memoir" by Tara Westover, about a young girl kept out of school who goes on to earn a Ph.D from Cambridge University. Ostroff calls it "a beautiful book about family, tragedy, and hope." (Buy)

• Bonus: Ostroff also recommends the new true-crime podcast "The Clearing," which she describers as "a stunning story about a woman who realizes her that her father was a serial killer." (Download)

EVAN SPIEGEL

Snap CEO

• "Mortal Republic" by Edward Watts, a new history of the fall of the Roman Republic that explains why Rome exchanged freedom for autocracy, and provides warning signs for America in the 21st Century. (Buy)

BARRY DILLER

IAC Chairman

• "The British are Coming," by David Atkinson. The first volume of the Revolution Trilogy starts in 1775 and recounts the first twenty-one months of America’s violent war for independence. (Buy)

• "Elvis in Vegas" by Richard Zoglin, who argues that Sin City is where the King of Rock and Roll resurrected his career and created the most exciting show in Vegas history. (Buy)

JEFFREY KATZENBERG

WndrCo

• "White Working Class" by Joan Willams, in which the law professor exposes the elite's misguided analysis of the white working class and explains how they can overcome their class cluelessness. (Buy)

• "21 Lessons for 21 Century" by Yuval Harari, who offers a thought-provoking investigation into rapid technological changes and the most pressing challenges of the future. (Buy)

GINA RAIMONDO

Rhode Island Governor

• "The Future of Capitalism" by Paul Collier (Buy), who argues for an ethical and pragmatic approach to healing our economic, social and cultural rifts and saving capitalism from itself.

• Plus: "Designing the New American University" by Michael Crow (Buy); and "The Moment of Lift," by Melinda Gates (Buy). The Governor says she's currently in the middle of reading all three.

RICHARD PLEPLER

Former HBO CEO

• "Our Man" by George Packer, a portrait of the extraordinary and deeply flawed diplomat Richard Holbrooke, his tenure in foreign affairs and the elite spheres of society and government he inhabited. (Buy)

• Bonus: Like Spotify's Ostroff, above, Plepler tells me he also loved "Educated: A Memoir" by Tara Westover. (Buy)

JIMMY PITARO

ESPN President

• "The Sixth Man" by Andre Iguodala. The former Golden State Warriors forward's memoir explores his life on and off the court, including his tech investments, his philanthropy and his contributions to the conversation about race in America. (Buy)

RUPERT MURDOCH

Fox/NewsCorp Chair

• "When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi" by David Maraniss. The book, published nearly two decades ago, explores the man and the myth that transformed football into a metaphor of the American experience. (Buy);

• Plus: "Alfred Hitchcock: A Brief Life" by Peter Ackroyd (Buy); "Picasso: Creator and Destroyer" by Arianna Huffington (Buy); and "Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life" by Steve Martin (Buy).

🚣 See you Monday, August 12.