What book are you reading now?

A Zimbabwean friend of mine remarked that he was frustrated because he could not hold a meaningful debate with most Zimbabweans because they debate from a position of ignorance. He is widely read and finds that a lot of his countrymen have not read a book since high school or college. Despite being a highly literate nation, we seem to close our books as soon as we finish mainstream education. Our conversations thereafter are dominated by football and religion. We need to read more, read anything, newspapers, novels, audiobooks, we have the internet, mobile phones and traditional libraries. Enriching our minds with knowledge will improve our debate and open up new possibilities for problem solving the myriad of challenges that we face as a nation. We have enough sources of reading material available in this day and age that it is mostly a matter of will to read or not to read.

So what have I read in the last 24 months?

1. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man: The shocking story of how America really took over the world by John Perkins (Author)
2. The Big Data-Driven Business: How to Use Big Data to Win Customers, Beat Competitors, and Boost Profits by Russell Glass (Author), Sean Callahan (Author)
3. Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work and Think
   by Viktor Mayer-Schonberger (Author), Kenneth Cukier (Author)
4. Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (New Rules Social Media Series). Allan Handley, C.C. Chapman.
5. Dangerous Diplomacy: How the State Department Threatens America's Security by Joel Mowbray.
6. Capital in the Twenty-First Century
   by Thomas Piketty (Author), Arthur Goldhammer (Author)
7. The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest To Understand, Enhance and Empower the Mind Paperback – 26 Feb 2015
   by Michio Kaku (Author)
8. How Google Works
   by Eric Schmidt (Author), Jonathan Rosenberg (Author)
9. Mastery
   by Robert Greene (Author)
10. The Economist: Modern Warfare, Intelligence and Deterrence: The technologies that are transforming them
    by Benjamin Sutherland (Author)
11. The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business
    by Eric Schmidt (Author), Jared Cohen (Author)
12. Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and Our Future in the Cosmos
    by Michio Kaku (Author)
13. ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income Paperback – 16 Mar 2012
    by Darren Rowse (Author), Chris Garrett (Author)
14. Sane New World: Taming the Mind
    by Ruby Wax (Author)
15. The Lowdown: Blogging for Business (Unabridged) [Audio Download]
    by James Long (Author), Lorelei King (Narrator)
16. We are Smarter Than Me: How to Unleash the Power of Crowds in Your Business
    by Barry Libert (Author), Jon Spector (Author), Foreword Don Tapscott (Author)
17. What Would Google Do ?: What Would Google Do?
    by Jeff Jarvis (Author)
18. Nineteen Eighty-Four
    by George Orwell (Author)
19. Physics of the Future: The Inventions That Will Transform Our Lives Paperback – 1 Mar 2012
    by Michio Kaku (Author)
20. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration of the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation and Time Travel Paperback – 28 May 2009
    by Michio Kaku (Author)
21. Physics of the Future: The Inventions That Will Transform Our Lives by Kaku, Michio (2012) Paperback
    by Michio Kaku (Author)
22. A Universe from Nothing by Krauss, Lawrence M. (2012) Hardcover – 0100
    by Lawrence M. Krauss (Author)
23. Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think Paperback – 7 Jun 2012
    by Peter H. Diamandis (Author), Steven Kotler (Author)
24. How The West Was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly - And the Stark Choices Ahead Paperback – 26 Jan 2012
    by Dambisa Moyo (Author)
25. Dead Aid: Why aid is not working and how there is another way for Africa Paperback – 28 Jan 2010
    by Dambisa Moyo (Author)
26. Winner Take All: China's Race For Resources and What It Means For Us Paperback – 7 Feb 2013
    by Dambisa Moyo (Author)
27. How to Create a Mind Paperback – 30 Jan 2014
    by Ray Kurzweil (Author) [currently reading...]
28. The Singularity is Near Paperback – 9 Mar 2006
    by Raymond Kurzweil (Author)[currently reading...]
29. Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life (A Free Press Paperbacks Book) Paperback – 7 Feb 1996 by Richard J. Herrnstein (Author), Charles Murray (Author) [currently reading...]
30. Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography
    by Walter Isaacson (Author) [cureently reading...]

These books have completely changed my world outlook and I have promised my friend that I will read his two recommendations:

1. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism Paperback – 1 May 2008
   by Naomi Klein (Author)
2. Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media Paperback – 20 Apr 1995
   by Edward S Herman (Author), Noam Chomsky (Author)

The Bell Curve is also a recommendation from another good friend. Besides the books I regularly watch the following YouTube Channels:

1. Big Think
2. TEDx Talks
3. Veritasium
4. Minute Physics
5. Minute Earth
6. CrashCourse
7. Khan Academy
8. World Economic Forum
9. AsapSCIENCE
10. CNET

I also watch podcasts from a wide range of interests including politics, business, education and Africa. I believe books and information technology can change the fortunes of Africa and the rest of the world.