Keeping up with tradition, the team at Altimapa has again compiled the list of its choice reading and listening choices for the summer of 2021.
Peter has chosen "A world of my own" by Robin Knox-Johnston
, following on from Team GB's strong sailing performance - hence a nautical book. There are few better examples of what can be achieved with sheer determination against better funded and more experienced competition than Robin Knox-Johnston's epic.
Vlad is currently halfway through "Good Economics for Hard Times" by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo , whic 
h is not quite the stuffy, academic read one would expect from the title, though it does get heavy at times (this book is thick!) . Of particular enjoyment are the countless examples of counterintuitive, real-world cases showing that the current policy and governance status quo is inadequate, leading to social fragmentation and inequality, amongst others. Unfortunately, the authors do not present any concrete solutions to these issues, at least not yet - 180 pages to go.
Claire is reading "L'Anomalie" by Herve Le Tellier
. It received the Prix Goncourt in 2020 and has been an immediate success with the public. It is a different type of novel that mixes different genres and is very intriguing. If this spikes your interest, an English translation is planned for November 21.
David C. is reading Barack Obama's book - "A Promised Land" . A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making - from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy.
The choice for Pedro has mixed business and pleasure. On the business category, he has been rereading "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries
, now a classic but still very relevant on how to build businesses that deliver. On the entertainment side of things Pedro has taken on "The Ministry for the Future" from Kim Stanley Robinson , a story about a possible (likely?) Future if nothing of substance is done about climate change. Pedro found the book puts some needed human substance on what a few degrees of warming mean, even if the "happy ever after ending" was somewhat incongruous with the otherwise very bleak story.
Iman has read "Kane and Abel" by Jeffrey Archer
. The novel tells the story of two men, born into wealth and poverty respectively, who battle it out for the success and triumph that only one man can have.
Fintan has just finished reading "Justice" by Michael Sandel
. The book goes through a multitude of moral dilemmas, and in doing so gives the reader different philosophical perspectives. The book is written in a manner that makes it easy for the reader to understand how different conclusions can be reached from the same question. Reflecting on this book helps us to realize just how nuanced many of our issues are. Politicians and lawmakers alike try and answer these issues through the policies they set, but if highly logical philosophers fail to agree on a consistent conclusion, how are they supposed to?