Best books I read in the past two years
Before going to bed, I read. I read insane stories based on true events. Here is my top 15.
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I picked up reading a few years ago. Never an avid reader, but it served a purpose. Building a business takes you from working 9 to 5 to 24/7 and at one point I felt like it was taking a toll on me.
I was thinking about my business every minute of the day. I worked evenings and closed my laptop just before going to bed. Problem: I couldn’t sleep. My head kept spinning and I lay awake for hours before falling asleep.
Someone told me to read a book before going to bed. “Even if it was just 15 minutes, it would help to wind down”, he said. I followed this advice, but not in the right way since I started reading business books… As you can imagine, this didn’t fix the problem.
When business books were out of the question, I needed to figure out what type of books I’d like to read. I have never been a fan of science-fiction or even fiction at all. I needed true stuff, but since it couldn’t be related to business, I hooked into this genre: “Insane stories that really happened.”
Here is my top 15 of “Insane stories that really happened” that I read in the past couple of years.
I’m starting with Lazarus Heist. My crypto friend Rosco (founder of Revoke) recommended it to me. The story is about how North Korea uses hacking as a way of national income to add to their GDP. It’s a fascinating story. Since they are cut off the world they are finding “alternative ways” of financing. One of this is hacking governments, companies and institutions for ransom. It’s a state-wide program in which whizzkids are trained from a young age to master the craft of hacking. This is actually happening.
Even a few weeks ago, they stole $1.5 billion from crypto exchange Bybit (see image). Also, they hacked Sony because they didn’t agree on the movie The Interview which features Kim Jong Un (not in the way the North Korean government would like).
Unbelievable story about a random guy in his twenties that manages to befriend the corrupt president of Malaysia. He proceeds to become the boss of the countries’ multi-billion dollar sovereign wealth fund. Read that again, a guy in his twenties gets to manage billions of state money (read: tax money).
With billions in his pocket, Jho Low goes on a bender around Hollywood, splashing cash and befriending Leonardo DiCaprio in the process. Fun fact: He funded the Wolf of Wall Street movie. It’s the biggest money heist ever and Jho Low is still a fugitive.
Odd one in this list, but a very intimate story about an African slave finding his way to Japan and becoming a Samurai. It’s (apparently) a true story from the 17th century where a East-African native gets captured by European merchants and eventually sold to a Japanese ruler. He starts as a bodyguard of the emperor but rises through the ranks quickly and to become the first (and only?) black Samurai.
A subgenre that I like to read about is dynasties. This one is about Jewish families from Iraq that got ousted and set up shop in India in the early 1800s. Eventually, they decided to take another leap and move to the New World, China. It’s quite a fascinating story on how these families traded their way into a massive empire and how China developed through the 19th and 20th century.
Whereas one dynasty ended (Sassoons), the Kadoories are still worth billions.
This one is incredible for the fact that this is still going on! There is an Israeli company called NSO Group that creates spy software. They claim to help governments tackle terrorism, but a syndicate of journalists found out, they sell it to rogue dictatorships in Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Russia. These countries use it to crack down on journalists, activists and dissidents.
The facts speak for themselves, but NSO disputes them and continues doing business as usual (read: helping regimes put surveillance of journalists). Interesting investigative journalism story.
Number 10 of my list. A great read on a girl escaping North Korea. There are two fascinating elements in this book. First, it reads like a novel. A memoir about her life and how she escapes North Korea, and how she returns to get her family out. Second, it also gives an insider perspective on life in North Korea. It’s quite different from what we generally think.
North Pole expedition in the early 20th century that goes wrong. Some 100 years ago, Ernest Shackleton sets sail for his South Pole expedition. It’s an intimate story of a crew of men going on an adventure. The ship gets stuck in the ice, breaks and sinks. It leaves the crew deserted on an ice sheet in the middle of nowhere. The story is about how they miraculously survived in the Arctic for almost two years!
Shipwreck again. This time a true story about a British naval ship in the 18th century. After rounding the most southern point of Argentina, they get stuck in the Patagonian wilderness with only a few survivors to tell the story. It’s incredible how much hardship people can tolerate. It’s a story about death, hunger, mutiny, betrayal and cannibalism.
Going a different direction again here. This is a memoir of a working-class guy that becomes the top trader at Citibank. Insider story about the dealings on the trading floors of big investment banks. It’s exactly how you’d imagine it to be. Written in a really funny British way showing on how traders at big banks work.
The main character turned away from banking and now runs a YouTube channel explaining economic theory.
This is a classic. I knew the name Edward Snowden, but I didn’t know the details of what he pulled off. This book is about him and how he exposed top secrets about the NSA surveilling its people, citizens of the United States. Interesting read if you want to know how he managed to get these secrets out in the open.
It’s self-sacrificing act to protect the people from rogue government actions. He paid the price and is now living in exile in Russia.
The first one of my top five books, SAS Rogue Heroes, is about the origins of the SAS, the secret service. It’s a great story about how a team of “rogue” soldiers changed the course of the war from the deep desert in North Africa. There is a series on HBO about this as well. Great read and HBO series. Must watch!
Again a memoir. This time of a British soldier that gets captured by the Japanese during WWII while being stationed in Singapore. The cruelties this guy went through are insane and it’s a miracle he managed to survive. Story about resilience, survival and the horrors of the war.
Mount Everest climb gone horribly wrong. A journalist gets invited for a Mount Everest climb, so he can advertise the organization in his magazine. Not knowing this would be one of the most deadly attempts to climb Earth’s highest mountain. It’s a firsthand account of the author who witnesses everything going on.
I knew nothing about diving and its dangers. This book is about diving junkies that explore shipwrecks until they stumble on a mysterious submarine. It costs the lives of several divers, but these guys don’t leave a stone unturned to figure out its identity and the story of the crew that went down with it.
My number one. True story of a Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz during WWII who became the Tattooist, marking fellow prisoners. He survives the horrors of the camp and falls in love with Gita, another inmate and vows to survive for her.
I visited Auschwitz with my dad and brother after finishing this book. It’s an intimate read, a harrowing story and a reminder that we can’t forget what happened there.
Final Thoughts
These are the best books I’ve read in the past couple of years. I’ll try to update this list every year.
Reading has helped me a lot to keep me sane and fall asleep easily. I’d highly recommend picking up a book before going to bed. Only if it’s just for 10 minutes a day. When you do, just pick one from the list that resonates. I’m certain it won’t disappoint.
If you have any recommendations to add, please list them below. Would love to check them out!
Life is good ✌️✌️
oh and yes, I will write something about growing businesses again next week!
Cheers,
Iron
Nice. Endurance by Shackleton is great. Try 'The Push' by Tommy Caldwell. It will also help you relate to all the people bouldering around you