Recommendations based on The World As It Is: Inside the Obama White Houseby Ben Rhodes

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House

    by Michael Wolff
    An inside look at the chaos and dysfunction within the Trump administration, revealing shocking details about the president and his team.

    With extraordinary access to the West Wing, Michael Wolff reveals what happened behind-the-scenes in the first nine months of the most controversial presidency of our time in Fire and Fury: Inside ... (Goodreads)

  2. Fear: Trump in the White House

    by Bob Woodward
    An inside look at the chaos and dysfunction within the Trump administration, revealing the president's erratic behavior and decision-making.

    With authoritative reporting honed through eight presidencies from Nixon to Obama, author Bob Woodward reveals in unprecedented detail the harrowing life inside President Donald Trump’s White House ... (Goodreads)

  3. A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

    by James Comey
    Former FBI Director James Comey's memoir about his career and experiences with President Trump.

    Former FBI Director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ... (Goodreads)

  4. Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History

    by Katy Tur
    A journalist's firsthand account of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, from the campaign trail to the White House.

    A New York Times Bestseller “Compelling… this book couldn’t be more timely.” – Jill Abramson,, New York Times Book Review, Called "disgraceful," "third-rate," and "not nice" by Donald Trump, NBC News ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy

    by Sheryl Sandberg
    An exploration of resilience in the face of adversity, and hope in the midst of tragedy.

    From Facebook’s COO and Wharton’s top-rated professor, the #1 New York Times best-selling authors of Lean In and Originals: a powerful, inspiring, and practical book about building resilience and ... (Goodreads)

  6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

    by Doris Kearns Goodwin
    A comprehensive study of the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and the unique cabinet he assembled.

    Winner of the Lincoln Prize Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from ... (Goodreads)

  7. The Truths We Hold: An American Journey

    by Kamala Harris
    Memoir of Kamala Harris, detailing her life and political career, and advocating for social justice and equality.

    From one of America's most inspiring political leaders, a book about the core truths that unite us, and the long struggle to discern what those truths are and how best to act upon them, in her own ... (Goodreads)

  8. Obama: An Intimate Portrait: The Historic Presidency in Photographs

    by Pete Souza
    A photographic tribute to the 8-year presidency of Barack Obama.

    This is the definitive visual biography of Barack Obama's presidency, captured in intimate, unprecedented detail by his official White House photographer. Pete Souza began photographing President ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

    by Barack Obama
    A political memoir that explores Obama's vision for America and his hopes for the future of the country.

    The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama's call for a new kind of politics—a politics that builds upon those shared understandings that pull us together as Americans. Lucid in his vision of America's ... (Goodreads)

  10. Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose

    by Joe Biden
    A personal, reflective account of a momentous and difficult year.

    The Instant #1, New York Times, Bestseller,From President-Elect Joe Biden,, Promise Me Dad , is his deeply moving memoir about the year that would forever change both a family and a country.,“Biden ... (Goodreads)

  11. Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead

    by Laszlo Bock
    An inside look at Google's unique workplace culture, providing insights on how to create a happier and more productive office.

    From the visionary head of Google's innovative People Operations comes a groundbreaking inquiry into the philosophy of work-and a blueprint for attracting the most spectacular talent to your business ... (Goodreads)

  12. Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

    by Hans Rosling
    A data-driven book that challenges common misconceptions about the world and presents a more accurate, optimistic view of global progress.

    Factfulness:, The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts. When asked simple questions about global trends— what percentage of the world’s ... (Goodreads)

  13. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

    by Timothy Snyder
    A study of history and a call to action against the rise of authoritarianism.

    #1, New York Times, Bestseller •, A historian of fascism offers a guide for surviving and resisting America's turn towards authoritarianism., The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat ... (Barnes & Noble)

  14. Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five

    by John Medina
    Guide to parenting and raising a healthy, happy and intelligent child.

    What’s the single most important thing you can do during pregnancy? What does watching TV do to a child’s brain? What’s the best way to handle temper tantrums? Scientists know. In his New York Times ... (Goodreads)

  15. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

    by Anthony Bourdain
    A humorous and unflinching account of life in restaurant kitchens, exploring the culture and camaraderie of the culinary world.

    A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Selfish Gene

    by Richard Dawkins
    A study of evolutionary biology, exploring how genes act and how they impact behavior.

    Inheriting the mantle of revolutionary biologist from Darwin, Watson, and Crick, Richard Dawkins forced an enormous change in the way we see ourselves and the world with the publication of The ... (Goodreads)

  17. Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

    by Sheri Fink
    The gripping story of a hospital during Hurricane Katrina, examining issues of medical ethics and life-saving decisions.

    In the tradition of the best investigative journalism, physician and reporter Sheri Fink reconstructs 5 days at Memorial Medical Center and draws the reader into the lives of those who struggled ... (Goodreads)

  18. A House in the Sky

    by Amanda Lindhout
    A memoir of Amanda Lindhout's 15-month captivity in Somalia, and her journey towards forgiveness and healing.

    The dramatic and redemptive memoir of a woman whose curiosity led her to the world’s most beautiful and remote places, its most imperiled and perilous countries, and then into fifteen months of ... (Goodreads)

  19. Fascism: A Warning

    by Madeleine K. Albright
    A warning against the rise of fascism and authoritarianism in the modern world, drawing on historical examples and personal experiences.

    A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by one of America’s most admired public servants, the first woman to serve as ... (Goodreads)

  20. No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II

    by Doris Kearns Goodwin
    Examines the lives of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during WWII and their impact on the nation.

    Winner of the Pulitzer for History, No Ordinary Time is a chronicle of one of the most vibrant & revolutionary periods in US history. With an extraordinary collection of details, Goodwin weaves ... (Goodreads)

  21. What Happened

    by Hillary Rodham Clinton
    A candid look into the 2016 election, exploring the events leading up to her defeat.

    “In the past, for reasons I try to explain, I’ve often felt I had to be careful in public, like I was up on a wire without a net. Now I’m letting my guard down.” —Hillary Rodham Clinton, from the ... (Goodreads)

  22. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

    by Christopher McDougall
    A thrilling exploration of the Tarahumara tribe and their superhuman running abilities.

    Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does ... (Goodreads)

  23. The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

    by Chris Guillebeau
    Guide to starting a small business with minimal capital, turning your passion into a career.

    In, The $100 Startup, Chris Guillebeau shows you how to lead of life of adventure, meaning and purpose – and earn a good living. Still in his early thirties, Chris is on the verge of completing a ... (Goodreads)

  24. Thinking, Fast and Slow

    by Daniel Kahneman
    An exploration of the two systems of the mind, and how they influence decision-making.

    In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow , Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and ... (Goodreads)

  25. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

    by Susan Cain
    An exploration of the power of introversion, examining the implications of modern society's emphasis on extroversion.

    The book that started the Quiet Revolution, At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike ... (Goodreads)

  26. Think Like a Freak

    by Steven D. Levitt
    How to approach life's problems with a fresh perspective and solve them with unconventional solutions.

    The New York Times bestselling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning ... (Goodreads)

  27. The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

    by Steven Pinker
    Investigation into the causes of violence and the reasons why it has decreased in modern society.

    Believe it or not, today we may be living in the most peaceful moment in our species' existence. In his gripping and controversial new work, New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows that ... (Goodreads)

  28. All the President's Men

    by Carl Bernstein
    Investigative journalism that uncovered the Watergate scandal and its aftermath.

    The full account of the Watergate scandal from the two Washington Post reporters who broke the story. This is “the work that brought down a presidency— perhaps the most influential piece of ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds

    by Michael Lewis
    A fascinating examination of the two psychologists who changed the way we view the human mind.

    Forty years ago, Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky wrote a series of breathtakingly original papers that invented the field of behavioral economics. One of the greatest ... (Goodreads)

  30. Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

    by Brené Brown
    A journey to find true belonging in an age of increasing polarization.

    #1, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER - A timely and important book that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture, from the #1 ... (Goodreads)