SHORTLISTED BOOKS:
 |
Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty became a publishing phenomenon after its English translation appeared. The FT’s Gillian Tett said the book had “forced Americans to confront a growing sense of cognitive dissonance” between the founding fathers’ objective of a meritocratic society and reality of growing inequality. The French economist’s voice is “charming” and the book’s “historical sweep” impressive, according to one of the award judges. Belknap Press/ Harvard University Press, April 2014 |
 |
Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull weaves entertaining tales of the making of Pixar’s wildly popular animated films – from Toy Story on – with broader lessons in how to manage creative people. Working with journalist and co-writer Amy Wallace, Pixar co-founder Catmull is a rare example of an executive author able to analyse his own successes and failures, including the cultural challenge of Pixar’s takeover by Disney. One book award judge called it a “wonderful insight into how hard it is to be innovative”. Bantam Press/Transworld Publishers (UK), Random House (US), April 2014 |
 |
Dragnet Nation by Julia Angwin chronicles the author’s “exhausting and mostly futile” attempt to escape electronic surveillance “dragnets”. Maija Palmer called the book “entertaining, if somewhat disturbing”, in her FT review. It was singled out by the award judges as an impressive work of “brave, well-documented” journalism. Times Books/Henry Holt, February 2014 |
 |
Hack Attack by Nick Davies lays out in devastating detail what he uncovered as he dug further into the phone hacking scandal that has shaken up UK media in general, and Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers in particular. Judges hailed Davies’s courage in pursuing the story, despite opposition from his own peers in the industry. Writing in the FT, John Lloyd said Davies had done “a colossal service to Britain’s democracy”. Chatto & Windus (UK), Faber & Faber (US), July 2014 |
 |
House of Debt by Atif Mian and Amir Sufi adds substantially to the genre of post-crisis literature by laying out a prescription about how to avoid the next recession, as well as analysing what laid the banks low. Former US treasury secretary Lawrence Summers has lauded the title, which argues for a shift away from traditional debt instruments, as “the most important economics book of 2014”. University of Chicago Press, June 2014 |
 |
The Second Machine Age by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee helped set the tone for this year’s vibrant debate about the pros – and potential cons – of the digital revolution. Though they have been called “techno-optimists”, the authors also recognise that technology will disrupt millions of jobs, and offer various strategies for people and economies to survive the revolution. W.W. Norton Ltd, February 2014 |
