The Reading Room

Each month a member of the team reviews a book of their choosing, irrelevant of genre or publishing date.

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

Peter Thiel

Published: 2014

“People also ask: How much money did Peter Thiel make from Facebook? Is Peter Thiel a genius? What is Peter Thiel known for? How can I get in touch with Peter Thiel?”

Tiananmen Square: The Making of a Protest – a diplomat looks back

Vijay Gokhale

Published: 2021

A new book by a former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to China, who revisits for the first time his first-hand experience of the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square incident, which he witnessed as a young diplomat from India, and explains why, 32 years on, its legacy remains significant for both China and the world.

How to avoid a climate disaster

Bill Gates

Published: 2021, Alfred A. Knopf

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, shares what he has learnt in more than a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address climate problems. In this urgent, authoritative book, Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical – and accessible – plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe.