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Chris Hayes

Recommended Books

Christopher Loffredo Hayes is an American progressive commentator, cable television news anchor, author, and podcaster. Hayes hosts All In with Chris Hayes, a weekday news and opinion television show on MSNBC.
22 books on the list
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Pensees book cover
Pensees
Blaise Pascal - 1995-07-27 (first published in 1670)
Goodreads Rating
Explore the contradictions of human nature in Blaise Pascal's philosophical masterpiece. In this collection of essays and notes, Pascal delves into psychological, social, metaphysical, and theological themes. Discover the precociously brilliant mathematician and physicist's exploration of mankind's wretched nature and the transformative power of faith in God's grace.
Chris Hayes
2022-11-17T21:30:00.000Z
This is a fun list of book recs. My own is Pensees by Pascal, which I've just read for the first time and is insightful and strange and great.      source
City of Fortune book cover
City of Fortune
How Venice Ruled the Seas
Roger Crowley - 2011-01-01
Goodreads Rating
Explore Venice's captivating rise and fall in this epic historical account. From the Fourth Crusade's catastrophic aftermath to Venetian dominance of the Mediterranean, follow the city's journey to become the richest place on earth. With firsthand accounts of battles and negotiations, experience the conflicts that shaped Europe and the world. A dramatic tale of greed, ambition, and power, City of Fortune is a must-read for history enthusiasts.
Chris Hayes
2022-08-14T16:27:47.000Z
Two books I've been reading on vacation, prompted by questions my kids were asking in Italy that I didn't have great answers to. I've been learning a ton from both: and      source
From Jesus to Christianity book cover
From Jesus to Christianity
How Four Generations of Visionaries & Storytellers Created the New Testament and Christian Faith
L. Michael White - 2005-10-25 (first published in 2004)
Goodreads Rating
Discover the astonishing story of how Christianity grew from the personal vision of a humble Jewish peasant living in a remote province of the Roman Empire into the largest organized religion in the world. L. Michael White, one of the world's foremost scholars on the origins of Christianity, provides a historical approach to uncover what we can know of Jesus and his early followers through layers of archaeological excavations, buried fragments of largely unknown texts, and historical sources. From Jesus to Christianity explores how early debates spurred the evolution of Christianity as we know it, diving into arguments over how to understand Jesus as both human and divine, the role of women in the church, the diversity of beliefs among Christian communities, Gnostic influences, and political disputes over which books would be included in the New Testament. With illustrations, photos, charts, and maps, this book presents the fullest picture yet of the beginnings of the most popular religion on earth.
Chris Hayes
2022-08-14T16:27:47.000Z
Two books I've been reading on vacation, prompted by questions my kids were asking in Italy that I didn't have great answers to. I've been learning a ton from both: and      source
Heat Wave book cover
Heat Wave
A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago
Eric Klinenberg - 2003-07-15 (first published in 2002)
Goodreads Rating
This book examines the 1995 Chicago heat wave, one of the deadliest in American history, and how it was made worse by social, political, and institutional breakdowns in the city. Through years of research, including interviews and archival work, the author reveals surprising and unsettling forms of social breakdown that contributed to the high fatality rates. This incisive and gripping account highlights the contemporary urban condition and the challenges facing cities worldwide in the face of climate change.
Chris Hayes
2022-07-21T22:34:08.000Z
This book is a classic and can't recommend it enough.      source
Recommended by
Diane Coyle
Gödel, Escher, Bach book cover
Gödel, Escher, Bach
An Eternal Golden Braid
Douglas R. Hofstadter - 1999-01-01 (first published in 1979)
Goodreads Rating
This inquisitive book by Douglas R. Hofstadter delves into the very essence of cognitive science - the intricate links between formal systems. Hofstadter explains how the system behind mental activity goes beyond its support system, and questions whether machines may one day attain human-level intelligence. Gödel, Escher, Bach covers a range of captivating topics from reduction to recursion, offering readers an intriguing exploration of the intricacies of meaning.
Chris Hayes
2022-07-21T02:44:11.000Z
The book changed my life! Curious if college-aged students still read it.      source
Smuggler Nation book cover
Smuggler Nation
How Illicit Trade Made America
Peter Andreas - 2013-02-14
Goodreads Rating
Follow the history of America's contraband capitalism through illicit imports such as West Indies molasses, African slaves, French condoms, and more. In Smuggler Nation, Peter Andreas provides a fascinating and often-overlooked account of America's continuous engagement in smuggling from colonial times to the present. Despite being born and growing up through smuggling, the United States is now the world's leading anti-smuggling crusader. Andreas challenges the hyperbolic depictions of out-of-control borders and global crime threats, reminding readers that illicit trade is not a new concept but an old American tradition that has helped fuel the country's rise to become a world superpower.
Chris Hayes
2022-04-14T22:48:58.000Z
@aoscott @jbouie Yes I think that's the one I was thinking of! This book is somewhat adjacent but is *fascinating* along very similar lines      source
Princess Cora and the Crocodile book cover
Princess Cora and the Crocodile
Laura Amy Schlitz - 2017-03-28
Goodreads Rating
In Princess Cora and the Crocodile, a Newbery and Caldecott Medalist duo team up to give a princess a much-needed break from her overly-scheduled life. Tired of boring lessons and endless baths, Princess Cora turns to her fairy godmother for help, but the unexpected arrival of a mischievous crocodile turns her castle upside down. With hilarious dry humor and playful illustrations, this book is a fun adventure in giving helicopter parents a lesson in loosening up.
Chris Hayes
2022-03-29T20:15:57.000Z
Random children's book rec: Princess Cora and the Crocodile. Delightfully weird and funny. My four year old and I have been reading it every morning.      source
The Verge book cover
The Verge
Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World
Patrick Wyman - 2021-07-20
Goodreads Rating
Discover the four explosive decades between 1490 and 1530, a period that marked a turning point for both European and world history. The Verge explores world-altering implications of various developments in the short- and long-term. Author Patrick Wyman tells this story through the lives of ten real people, illustrating how their lives set the stage for an unprecedented globalized future. Learn about the foundations of our modern world and how they came into being. The Verge provides a nuanced look at the West's rise to global dominance.
Chris Hayes
2021-07-20T17:57:45.000Z
Been reading this book and really enjoying it. Check it out!      source
Recommended by
Duncan Weldon
The Evolution of Cooperation book cover
The Evolution of Cooperation
Revised Edition
Robert Axelrod - 2006-12-05 (first published in 1984)
Goodreads Rating
Discover The Evolution of Cooperation, a classic book that sheds light on the question of whether cooperation is truly possible in a world of individual egoists without a central authority. Author Robert Axelrod explores the emergence of cooperation across different fields and recounts famous computer tournaments where the “cooperative” program Tit for Tat came out victorious. Gain valuable insights and learn how to apply cooperative principles to your own life and teach them to others.
Chris Hayes
2020-12-12T03:32:58.000Z
Speaking of which, this is one of my all-time favorite books.      source
Recommended by
Naval Ravikant
It Was All a Lie book cover
It Was All a Lie
How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump
Stuart Stevens - 2020-08-04
Goodreads Rating
A political insider reveals the truth about how the Republican Party lost its way. With decades of experience under his belt, the author exposes the hypocrisy, racism, and dishonesty at the heart of the modern GOP. This book is a candid and unflinching account of what he's seen firsthand, and he's not asking for pity or forgiveness. Instead, he wants to see the party he helped to create burned to the ground.
Chris Hayes
2020-08-18T00:49:30.000Z
What I liked about @stuartpstevens book was that it was about so much more than Trump's personal awfulness and was the first attempt I've seen at a GOP/conservative "God That Failed" genre. Would really like to see more.      source
Recommended by
Steve Schmidt
Separated by Jacob Soboroff
This Land Is Our Land by Suketu Mehta
We've Got People by Ryan Grim
My Father Left Me Ireland by Michael Brendan Dougherty
Necessary Trouble by Sarah Jaffe
The Master Switch by Tim Wu
Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes
A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit
The Origins of the Urban Crisis by Thomas J. Sugrue
Sexing the Body by Anne Fausto-Sterling
Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott
Secrets of the Temple by William Greider