- Select a language for the TTS:
- UK English Female
- UK English Male
- US English Female
- US English Male
- Australian Female
- Australian Male
- Language selected: (auto detect) - EN
Play all audios:
Walter Isaacson is the CEO of the Aspen Institute, a former managing editor of _Time_, and the author of _Benjamin Franklin: An American Life._ Here he chooses his favorite books of the
current season. _THE FABRIC OF THE COSMOS_ by Brian Greene (Knopf, $28.95). With a conversational style and fun examples, Greene makes relativity and quantum physics understandable. Don’t
worry about getting confused; he holds your hand as he walks you through contemporary speculations about space and time. _THE GRAND IDEA_ by Joel Achenbach (Simon & Schuster, $26).
George Washington was obsessed with the Potomac River. Achenbach, with wit and color, explains why. In the process, he shows the values that helped shape a new nation. SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE SIGN UP FOR THE WEEK'S FREE NEWSLETTERS From our morning news
briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The
Week delivered directly to your inbox. _RISE OF THE VULCANS_ by James Mann (Viking, $25.95). Evan Thomas and I once wrote a book about the early Cold Warriors called _The Wise Men._ This
book is a similar chronicle, of Bush’s war-cabinet members. Unlike the Wise Men, the rising “Vulcans” were deeply ideological—especially Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz—and Mann shows how
they operate. _SOFT POWER_ by Joseph Nye (Public Affairs, $25). America’s influence depends more on the appeal of its values than the might of its military. Professor Nye provides a timely
reminder of that. _IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD_ by Robert Rubin (Random House, $35). A remarkable source of wisdom about Washington, Wall Street, and powerful people, written with humility and
insight by the former treasury secretary. It’s both personal and poignant, like Madeleine Albright’s riveting best-seller, _Madam Secretary_ (Miramax, $27.95), the other juicy recent memoir
of the Clinton years. _MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS_ A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com Explore More Book List
