a16z's Must-Read Summer Book List: 10 Eye-Opening Picks
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a16z's Must-Read Summer Book List: 10 Eye-Opening Picks
Our latest reading list spans true stories, speculative fiction, and poetry, revealing clear themes: the pursuit of excellence, understanding edge cases—whether in human, legal, or technological realms—and embracing unconventional thinking.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsCompiled by: TechFlow
From Beach Reads to Basic Economics: 10 Books for Your Long Weekend
Below are some books the a16z crypto team is reading and recommending this summer. Our latest reading list spans true stories, speculative fiction, and poetry—and reveals a few clear themes: the pursuit of excellence, understanding edge cases (whether human, legal, or technological), and embracing unconventional thinking.
Here are 10 highlighted titles, but you can find even more in our full reading list.
Business, Economics & Strategy
Focus: The ASML Way – Inside the Power Struggle over the Most Complex Machine on Earth by Mark Hijink
"ASML is a strange and fascinating company—the quiet giant building massive, complex machines that produce most of the world’s chips. This book offers an interesting look into its history and internal dynamics." — Arianna Simpson (Investing)
Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell
"No one writes more clearly or powerfully about the fundamental economic principles that govern human behavior. Packed with essential mental models, this book reveals many of the core logics driving how the world works." — Ali Yahya (Investing)
Nearly Perfect by Thomas Drach
"Just published this summer, this book nearly perfectly captures the relationship between competitive advantage and product design. Without a doubt, it's the best work I've read in this area in years." — Scott Duke Kominers (Research)
Biography, History & Memoir
A Cracking of the Heart by David Horowitz
"On the surface, this is a book about grief, reflection on regret, the strength of family bonds, and emotional healing through storytelling and truth-telling about lost loved ones. But it's also about how to live life on your own terms, find meaning and purpose, and connect across ideological, political, and communicative divides." — Sonal Chokshi (Editorial)
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
"Founders deep in the trenches of startup struggles can draw inspiration from Theodore Roosevelt and his son’s expedition down an uncharted river in the Amazon. It’s a story of endurance and resilience." — Jason Rosenthal (Operations)
Tunnel 29: The True Story of an Extraordinary Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall by Helena Merriman
"An almost unbelievable true story about a group of young, untrained students who dug a tunnel under the Berlin Wall to rescue dozens fleeing East Germany. What makes this book unforgettable isn’t just the danger and ingenuity, but the clarity of purpose—a small team risking everything to create freedom for others." — Conner Brown (Tech Operations)
The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester
"I love this book about how precision engineering shaped the world we live in. Winchester walks through chapter by chapter, escalating degrees of precision—from steam engines to silicon chips—tracing the evolution of exactness." — Robert Hackett (Editorial)
Science & Philosophy
Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson
"This book dives deep into the history, science, and impact of endurance research, using numerous real-world examples to show how and why we’re able to push past perceived limits—often by tricking our brains and bodies into performing better than we think possible." — Jay Drain Jr. (Investing)
Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life by Agnes Callard
"If you're willing to face the consequences, this book shows you how to truly live an examined life. A philosopher at the University of Chicago, Callard passionately advocates engaging with others via Socratic methods to challenge and reshape your assumptions." — Tim Sullivan (Editorial)
Fiction
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
"Set in Sicily after the Peloponnesian War, but narrated in modern Irish dialect. It begins with two unemployed potters delivering meals to prisoners at a local quarry, then spirals into an ambitious production of a Euripides play. Funny, moving, and slightly magical." — Stephanie Zinn (Editorial)
Recommended Reading for Founders and Beyond
If your reading list still feels light, check out a16z’s seasonal recommendations from previous years—including summer lists from 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2019, and winter lists from 2024, 2023, 2022, 2018, 2017, and 2016. Also explore curated reading lists for participants in our Crypto Startup Accelerator and attendees of the a16z crypto founders’ summit. These books cover not only topics relevant to crypto founders and entrepreneurs, but also biographies, organizational and company-building histories, creative inspiration, science fiction, and more.
Extra recommendation: Try forage.com, a tool built by Chris Dixon, a founding general partner in a16z crypto, to help discover new books.
— a16z crypto editorial team
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