Books of August 2025
- 8/6/2025 - The Path to Power by Robert Caro, (Audible, Narrated by Grover Gardner): This is the first volume in his biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, tracing Johnson’s rise from a poor Texas Hill Country childhood to his early political career and first run for the U.S. Senate. Caro portrays Johnson as both a master of political ambition and a man whose relentless drive often overshadowed ethical considerations.
- 8/9/2025 - In Cold Blood by Truman Capote: This recounts the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in rural Kansas and the subsequent investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, Perry Smith and Richard “Dick” Hickock. Blending journalism and novelistic detail, Capote explores the crime’s impact on the community while probing the complex psychology of the murderers and the moral weight of justice.
- 8/14/2025 - Burn Book by Kara Swisher: (Audible, Narrated by Kara Swisher) Kara Swisher’s memoir chronicles her three-decade journey through Silicon Valley as an incisive and unapologetic tech journalist—from wide-eyed fascination to fierce disillusionment with the industry's billionaire power brokers. It blends sharply personal anecdotes and scathing character portraits of figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk with a plea for accountability and thoughtful innovation amid the looming perils of unchecked tech growth.
- 8/14/2025 - The Art of War by Sun Tzu:(Audible, Narrated by Aidan Gillen) This ancient Chinese military treatise teaches strategy, deception, and adaptability as keys to victory in both war and life. Emphasizing knowledge of oneself and the enemy, it advocates careful planning, efficient use of resources, and the pursuit of triumph with minimal conflict.
