Time for the RudeVC summer reading list again. Here are my picks for the summer of ’18.

Grave New World: The End of Globalization, the Return of History, by Stephen D. King.

Grave New World presents one of the starkest accounts I’ve read yet of the technological trade-offs facing our era. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, there may well have been economic, financial, and technological globalization, but there was not a globalization of institutions nor ideas. King sounds the alarm on risks such as self-censorship enabled by technology, and how the inconvenient traceability of voting records thwarts nuance, diplomacy, adaptability, thus giving rise to populist outsiders.

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Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, by John Carreyrou.

On a panel at a recent VC/PE conference, I was asked by the moderator what keeps me up at night as a VC. A conventional answer to these sorts of questions might be along the lines of “FOMO.” Instead, I answered, “investing in a fraud like Theranos and not getting out.” Pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporter John Carreyrou’s dogged perseverance brought to light one of the worst frauds in the history of Silicon Valley. In this gripping read, the villains are clear, and the heroes come from unexpected places, surviving intimidation tactics which could charitably be described as no less than disgusting.

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The Kingdom and The Thief, by Fuminori Nakamura.

The Kingdom and The Thief are two distinct books by this rising Japanese writer. I discovered only after reading them that Nakamura links the two in his mind. Both are simultaneously fascinating and thought-provoking. For anyone who values being in control, these two existential works depict how much of an illusion that may actually be. If you haven’t read Nakamura yet, he is one of Japan’s most accomplished writers of the day.

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Japan Bitcoin #1 and Land of the Rising Blockchain.

Switching gears from the professional authors above, I’d be remiss to not mention my two recent books about bitcoin and blockchain in Japan. If you’re willing to overlook the amateur writing quality, I can assure you that the topic matter is interesting and timely. Also, I contribute all profits from the sales of these books to Japan’s Tohoku region, still in reconstruction following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

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[Past editions of the RudeVC summer reading list: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012]