Ian Rogers Recommended Books

Chosen by BusinessWeek as One of the Top Ten Business Books of the YearWith apologies to Hegel, Marx, and Lenin, the basic unit of modern society is neither the state, nor the commune, nor the party; it is the company. From this bold premise, John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge chart the rise of one of history’s great catalysts for good and evil.In a “fast-paced and well-written” work ( Forbes ), the authors reveal how innovations such as limitations on liability have permitted companies to rival religions and even states in importance, governing the flow of wealth and controlling human affairs–all while being largely exempt from the rules that govern our lives.The Company is that rare, remarkable book that fills a major gap we scarcely knew existed. With it, we are better able to make sense of the past four centuries, as well as the events of today.

Montage d’entretiens avec les protagonistes du punk-rock américain, ce livre vivant, drôle, tragique, nous plonge dans la vie quotidienne du Velvet Underground, des Stooges, des New York Dolls, de Patti Smith ou encore des Ramones. Les acteurs relatent avec gouaille des anecdotes délirantes, on rit des frasques d’Iggy Pop ou de l’impayable Dee Dee Ramone. Les amitiés indéfectibles côtoient les antipathies et les amours explosives. Tous dévoilent leur mode de vie extrême, moins centré sur l'image que le punk anglais, refusant le peace and love des années 60 et la culture de l’argent roi qui naît avec les années 80. Mais l'innocence paradoxale verse un lourd tribut à ses excès (overdoses, prostitution) et manipule la dérision comme une arme de destruction massive.

La lutte contre le cancer est une histoire humaine : une aventure pleine de découvertes dues au hasard, d'opportunités saisies au bon moment mais surtout une célébration de la ténacité des hommes. Des premiers traitements chirurgicaux, novateurs mais brutaux, jusqu'aux travaux des époux Curie sur les radiations et leur dénouement tragique ; des risques démesurés pris par Sidney Farber dans sa mise au point de la chimiothérapie jusqu'à l'auteur lui-même et au traitement de ses patients, ce livre captivant retrace un combat plusieurs fois centenaire. De nos jours, alors que le cancer devient une expérience universelle, le besoin de mieux connaître notre vieil ennemi et ses traitements est plus fort que jamais. Dans ce récit exceptionnel, traduit dans trente-cinq pays et notamment récompensé par le prix Pulitzer, Siddhartha Mukherjee nous dévoile le chemin parcouru pour résoudre l'un des grands mystères de la science et nous offre un aperçu fascinant de nos progrès futurs.

The twentieth century should make sense. It's the period of history that we know the most about, an epic geo-political narrative that runs through World War One, the great depression, World War Two, the American century and the fall of the Berlin Wall. But somehow that story doesn't quite lead into the world we find ourselves in now, this bewildering twenty-first century, adrift in a network of constant surveillance, unsustainable competition, tsunamis of trivia and extraordinary opportunity. Time, then, for a new perspective. With John Higgs as our guide, we step off the main path and wander through some of the more curious backwaters of the twentieth century, exploring familiar and unfamiliar territory alike, finding fresh insight on our journey to the present day. We travel in the company of some of the most radical artists, scientists, geniuses and crazies of their age. They show us that great innovations such as relativity, cubism, quantum mechanics, postmodernism and chaos maths are not the incomprehensible, abstract horrors that we assume them to be, but signposts that bring us to the world we live in now. John Higgs brings us an alternative history of the strangest of centuries. He shows us how the elegant, clockwork universe of the Victorians became increasingly woozy and uncertain; and how we discovered that our world is not just stranger than we imagine but, in the words of Sir Arthur Eddington, 'stranger than we can imagine'.

A panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys, a book as unique as the band itself--by band members ADROCK and Mike D, with contributions from Amy Poehler, Colson Whitehead, Spike Jonze, Wes Anderson, Luc Sante, and more.Formed as a New York City hardcore band in 1981, Beastie Boys struck an unlikely path to global hip hop superstardom. Here is their story, told for the first time in the words of the band. Adam "ADROCK" Horovitz and Michael "Mike D" Diamond offer revealing and very funny accounts of their transition from teenage punks to budding rappers; their early collaboration with Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin; the debut album that became the first hip hop record ever to hit #1, Licensed to Ill--and the album's messy fallout as the band broke with Def Jam; their move to Los Angeles and rebirth with the genre-defying masterpiece Paul's Boutique; their evolution as musicians and social activists over the course of the classic albums Check Your Head, Ill Communication, and Hello Nasty and the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits conceived by the late Adam "MCA" Yauch; and more. For more than thirty years, this band has had an inescapable and indelible influence on popular culture.With a style as distinctive and eclectic as a Beastie Boys album, Beastie Boys Book upends the typical music memoir. Alongside the band narrative you will find rare photos, original illustrations, a cookbook by chef Roy Choi, a graphic novel, a map of Beastie Boys' New York, mixtape playlists, pieces by guest contributors, and many more surprises.

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER'An intricately detailed, deeply sourced and reported history of the origins and growth of the cyberweapons market . . . Hot, propulsive . . . Sets out from the start to scare us out of our complacency' New York Times'A terrifying exposé' The Times'Part John le Carré and more parts Michael Crichton . . . Spellbinding' New YorkerZero a software bug that allows a hacker to break in and scamper through the world's computer networks invisibly until discovered. One of the most coveted tools in a spy's arsenal, a zero day has the power to tap into any iPhone, dismantle safety controls at a chemical plant and shut down the power in an entire nation - just ask the Ukraine.Zero days are the blood diamonds of the security trade, pursued by nation states, defense contractors, cybercriminals, and security defenders alike. In this market, governments aren't regulators; they are clients - paying huge sums to hackers willing to turn over gaps in the Internet, and stay silent about them.This Is How They Tell Me the World End s is cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth's discovery, unpacked. A intrepid journalist unravels an opaque, code-driven market from the outside in - encountering spies, hackers, arms dealers, mercenaries and a few unsung heroes along the way. As the stakes get higher and higher in the rush to push the world's critical infrastructure online, This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends is the urgent and alarming discovery of one of the world's most extreme threats.