Most Wanted - May 2020

Rutger Bregman, Historian

Providing a new historical perspective on the last 200,000 years of human history, Humankind makes a new argument: that it is realistic, as well as revolutionary, to assume that people are good. When we think the worst of others, it brings out the worst in our politics and economics too. It is time for a new view of human nature.

Bob Geldof

Tales of Boomtown Glory is the musical life and times of one of our most powerful singer songwriters. An anthology of the complete lyrics from Bob Geldof’s The Boomtown Rats and solo albums, interwoven with Geldof’s witty, deeply felt and frank commentaries of the background, inspiration and context behind some of his songs. Together they provide a remarkable portrait of an extraordinary life which has always sought and found expression through lyrical storytelling.

Deborah Gruenfeld

"Acting with Power is an entertaining and uplifting read, filled with sharp insight and practical advice. This book will change how you think about power and how you handle it--and will help you see the power you may not have known you have."--Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and founder of LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org

Paolo Giordano

Writing from Italy in lockdown, physicist and novelist Paolo Giordano explains how disease

spreads in our interconnected world: why it matters, how it impacts us, how we must react...

By expanding his focus to include other forms of contagion – from the environmental crisis to fake news and xenophobia – Giordano shows us not just how we got here but also how we can work together to move forward.

Andrew J Scott & Lynda Gratton

Smart new technologies. Longer, healthier lives. Human progress has risen to great heights, but at the same time it has prompted anxiety about where we're heading. Are our jobs under threat? If we live to 100, will we ever really stop working? And how will this change the way we love, manage and learn from others?

Dean Stott

Special forces warrior Dean Stott lives his life by a powerful mantra - that of the relentless pursuit of excellence. In 16 years of service, Dean rose to the top of Britain's fighting force, taking part of some of the most daring and dangerous operations in the war on terror, and then in the private security force, where missions included him singlehandedly evacuating the Canadian Embassy in Libya.

Stuart Russell

Covid-19 has challenged what it means to be human, stopping us in our tracks to consider a future with each other, let alone machines.  Do we still dream of super-intelligent machines? And what happens if we actually succeed? Creating superior intelligence would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, according to the world's pre-eminent AI expert, it could also be the last.

Julia Shaw

In Making Evil, Shaw uses a compelling mix of science, popular culture and real life examples to break down timely and important issues. How similar is your brain to a psychopath's? How many people have murder fantasies? Can A.I. be evil? Do your sexual proclivities make you a bad person? Who becomes a terrorist?

Ozan Varol, Rocket Scientist

Nine simple strategies from a rocket science that you can use to make your own giant leaps in work and life -- whether it's landing your dream job, accelerating your business, learning a new skill, or creating the next breakthrough product. Today, thinking like a rocket scientist is a necessity. We all encounter complex and unfamiliar problems in our lives. Those who can tackle these problems -- without clear guidelines and with the clock ticking -- enjoy an extraordinary advantage.

Sarah Frier, Bloomberg Reporter

Bloomberg's Sarah Frier reveals how Instagram became the hottest app in a generation, reshaping our culture and economy in the process. With astonishing access to all the key players - from Instagram's co-founders to super-influencers like Kris Jenner - Frier offers behind-the-scenes gliampses of every moment in the company's life: from its launch, to its unlikely acquisition by Facebook, to its founders' dramatic disputes with their new boss, Mark Zuckerberg.

Brian Dumaine

Jeff Bezos has created a 21st century algorithm for business and societal disruption. He has turned the retail industry inside out, is swiftly dominating cloud computing, media and advertising, and now has his sights trained on every other domain where money changes hands and business is transacted.