Support Us
Five Books
 
Search
MENU MENU
  • Nonfiction
        • NONFICTION BOOKS
        • BEST NONFICTION 2023
        • BEST NONFICTION 2024
        • BEST BIOGRAPHIES
          • Historical Biographies
          • The Best Memoirs and Autobiographies
          • Philosophical Biographies
        • True Crime
        • History Books
          • World War 2
          • World History
          • American History
          • British History
          • Chinese History
          • Russian History
          • Ancient History (up to c. 500 AD)
          • Medieval History
          • Military History
        • Art
          • Art History
        • Travel Books
        • Essays
        • Philosophy Books
          • Ancient Philosophy
          • Contemporary Philosophy
          • Ethics & Moral Philosophy
          • Great Philosophers
          • Social & Political Philosophy
        • Classical Studies
        • Science
          • New Science Books
          • Astronomy
          • Biology
          • Chemistry
          • Maths & Statistics
          • Popular Science
          • Physics Books
        • Nature
        • Environmental Books
          • Climate Change Books
        • Language
          • How to Write
          • English Grammar & Usage
          • Books for Learning Languages
          • Linguistics
        • Politics & Society
          • Political Ideologies
          • Migration
          • War
          • Foreign Policy & International Relations
          • American Politics
          • British Politics
        • Religion
          • Theology
          • Buddhism
          • Christian
          • Islamic
          • Jewish
          • Religious History Books
        • Law
        • Psychology
          • Mental Health
          • Neuroscience
          • Self Help
          • Child Psychology
        • Music & Drama
          • Film & Cinema
          • Opera & Classical Music
        • Economics Books
          • Behavioural Economics
          • Development Economics
          • Economic History
          • Finance
          • Financial Crisis
          • World Economies
        • Business Books
          • Investing Books
        • Technology
          • Artificial Intelligence/AI Books
          • Data Science Books
          • Computing
        • Health & Lifestyle
          • Happiness
          • Sex & Sexuality
          • Death & Dying
          • Education
        • Food & Cooking
        • Sports, Games & Hobbies
  • Fiction & Literature
        • FICTION BOOKS
        • BEST NOVELS 2024
        • BEST FICTION 2023
        • Contemporary Fiction
          • New Literary Fiction
        • World Literature
        • Literary Criticism
        • Literary Figures
        • Classic English Literature
        • American Literature
        • Poetry
        • The Best Memoirs and Autobiographies
        • Comics & Graphic Novels
        • Fairy Tales & Mythology
        • Historical Fiction
        • Horror
        • Humour
        • Crime Novels
        • Science Fiction
        • Short Stories
        • Romance
        • Thrillers
        • Mystery
        • Fantasy
  • World
        • Africa
          • Egypt
          • Ghana
          • Nigeria
          • Rwanda
          • South Africa
          • Zimbabwe
        • Americas
          • Latin America
            • Argentina
            • Brazil
            • Caribbean
            • Chile
            • Cuba
            • Mexico
          • United States
          • Canada
        • Arctic & Antarctica
        • Asia
          • Afghanistan
          • Bangladesh
          • Myanmar (Formerly Burma)
          • China
          • India
          • Japan
          • Kazakhstan
          • Korea
          • Pakistan
          • Sri Lanka
          • Singapore
          • Vietnam
        • Australia
        • Europe
          • Azerbaijan
          • Belgium
          • Britain
          • France
          • Georgia
          • Germany
          • Greece
          • Ireland
          • Italy
          • Netherlands
          • Norway
          • Russia
          • Spain
          • Ukraine
        • Middle East
          • Iran
          • Iraq
          • Israel
          • Palestine
          • Syria
          • Turkey
          • Yemen
  • Kids
        • Kids Recommend Books for Kids
        • High School Teachers Recommendations
        • Prizewinning Kids' Books
        • Popular Series Books for Kids
        • BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS (ALL AGES)
        • Books for Toddlers and Babies
        • Books for Preschoolers
        • Books for 6-8 Year Olds
        • Books for 9-12 Year Olds
        • Books for Teens and Young Adults
        • THE BEST SCIENCE BOOKS FOR KIDS
        • BEST KIDS' BOOKS OF 2024
        • BEST BOOKS FOR TEENS OF 2024
        • Best Audiobooks for Kids
        • History
        • Economics
        • Environment
        • Mental Health
  • Best Books of 2024
        • Best Books for Teens of 2024
        • Best Kids' Books of 2024
        • Best Novels of 2024
          • Historical Fiction
          • Science Fiction
          • Fantasy
          • Mystery & Crime
          • Romance
        • Best Nonfiction of 2024
          • Travel Writing
  • New Books
    • NEW BOOKS
    • New History Books
    • New Literary Fiction
    • New Historical Fiction
    • New Biography
    • New Memoirs
    • New World Literature
    • New Economics Books
    • New Climate Books
    • New Math Books
    • New Science Books
    • New Philosophy Books
    • New Psychology Books
    • New Physics Books
  • Audiobooks
    • THE BEST AUDIOBOOKS
    • Actors Read Great Books
    • Best Audiobooks for Kids
    • Books Narrated by Their Authors
    • Best Audiobook Thrillers
    • Best History Audiobooks
  • Book Awards
    • Nobel Literature Prize
    • Booker Prize (fiction)
    • Baillie Gifford Prize (nonfiction)
    • Financial Times (nonfiction)
    • Wolfson Prize (history)
    • Royal Society (science)
    • NBCC Awards (biography & memoir)
    • Pushkin House Prize (Russia)
    • Walter Scott Prize (historical fiction)
    • Arthur C Clarke Prize (sci fi)
    • The Hugos (sci fi & fantasy)
    • Audie Awards (audiobooks)
    • Wilbur Smith Prize (adventure)
  • Experts

East & West

East & West

Last updated: August 10, 2023

    The best books on Global Power, recommended by Joseph Nye

  • Read
    The best books on Global Power - The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria

    1

    The Post-American World
    by Fareed Zakaria

  • Read
    The best books on Global Power - History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides

    2

    History of the Peloponnesian War
    by Thucydides

  • Read
    The best books on Global Power - Rivals by Bill Emmott

    3

    Rivals
    by Bill Emmott

  • Read
    The best books on Global Power - Power by Steven Lukes

    4

    Power
    by Steven Lukes

  • Read
    The best books on Global Power - Cyber War by Richard A Clarke and Robert Knake

    5

    Cyber War
    by Richard A Clarke and Robert Knake

  • The Harvard University Professor Joseph Nye talks about changing power in the 21st century – and how whose story wins matters as much as whose army wins.

  • The best books on Global Power - The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria
  • The best books on Global Power - History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
  • The best books on Global Power - Rivals by Bill Emmott
  • The best books on Global Power - Power by Steven Lukes
  • The best books on Global Power - Cyber War by Richard A Clarke and Robert Knake

The best books on Global Power, recommended by Joseph Nye

The Harvard University Professor Joseph Nye talks about changing power in the 21st century – and how whose story wins matters as much as whose army wins.

The best books on Global Power, recommended by Joseph Nye

    The best books on Contemporary Russia, recommended by Edward Lucas

  • Read
    The best books on Contemporary Russia - Internal Colonization by Alexander Etkind

    1

    Internal Colonization
    by Alexander Etkind

  • Read
    The best books on Contemporary Russia - Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder

    2

    Bloodlands
    by Timothy Snyder

  • Read
    The best books on Contemporary Russia - Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum

    3

    Gulag: A History
    by Anne Applebaum

  • Read
    The best books on Contemporary Russia - Lenin's Tomb by David Remnick

    4

    Lenin's Tomb
    by David Remnick

  • Read
    The best books on Contemporary Russia - Putin’s Kleptocracy by Karen Dawisha

    5

    Putin’s Kleptocracy
    by Karen Dawisha

  • Journalist and author Edward Lucas explains how a revanchist Russia can be traced back to Putin’s sense of betrayal after the collapse of the USSR

  • The best books on Contemporary Russia - Internal Colonization by Alexander Etkind
  • The best books on Contemporary Russia - Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder
  • The best books on Contemporary Russia - Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum
  • The best books on Contemporary Russia - Lenin's Tomb by David Remnick
  • The best books on Contemporary Russia - Putin’s Kleptocracy by Karen Dawisha

The best books on Contemporary Russia, recommended by Edward Lucas

Journalist and author Edward Lucas explains how a revanchist Russia can be traced back to Putin’s sense of betrayal after the collapse of the USSR

The best books on Contemporary Russia, recommended by Edward Lucas

    The best books on East and West, recommended by Ian Buruma

  • Read
    The best books on East and West - Chinese Shadows by Simon Leys

    1

    Chinese Shadows
    by Simon Leys

  • Read
    The best books on East and West - A Passage to India by E M Forster

    2

    A Passage to India
    by E M Forster

  • Read
    The best books on East and West - The Inland Sea by Donald Richie

    3

    The Inland Sea
    by Donald Richie

  • Read
    The best books on East and West - The Hidden Force by Louis Couperus

    4

    The Hidden Force
    by Louis Couperus

  • Read
    The best books on East and West - The Quiet American by Graham Greene

    5

    The Quiet American
    by Graham Greene

  • The writer and historian Ian Buruma selects five Western perspectives of the East, including a novel of colonial India, a travelogue of disappearing Japan, and the collection of essays that lifted the veil on Mao's China.

  • The best books on East and West - Chinese Shadows by Simon Leys
  • The best books on East and West - A Passage to India by E M Forster
  • The best books on East and West - The Inland Sea by Donald Richie
  • The best books on East and West - The Hidden Force by Louis Couperus
  • The best books on East and West - The Quiet American by Graham Greene

The best books on East and West, recommended by Ian Buruma

The writer and historian Ian Buruma selects five Western perspectives of the East, including a novel of colonial India, a travelogue of disappearing Japan, and the collection of essays that lifted the veil on Mao’s China.

The best books on East and West, recommended by Ian Buruma

    The best books on Islam in the West, recommended by Tariq Ramadan

  • Read
    The best books on Islam in the West - Muslims in the West by Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad (editor)

    1

    Muslims in the West
    by Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad (editor)

  • Read
    The best books on Islam in the West - Islam in America by Jane I Smith

    2

    Islam in America
    by Jane I Smith

  • Read
    The best books on Islam in the West - Islam and the Blackamerican by Sherman A Jackson

    3

    Islam and the Blackamerican
    by Sherman A Jackson

  • Read
    The best books on Islam in the West - Young, British and Muslim by Philip Lewis

    4

    Young, British and Muslim
    by Philip Lewis

  • Read
    The best books on Islam in the West - British Muslims by Mohammad Siddique Seddon, Dilwar Hussain and Nadeem Malik (editors)

    5

    British Muslims
    by Mohammad Siddique Seddon, Dilwar Hussain and Nadeem Malik (editors)

  • The Islamic scholar and commentator tells us what it means to be Muslim and Western, and explains how mainstream views get trapped between noisy extremism and a sensation-seeking media

  • The best books on Islam in the West - Muslims in the West by Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad (editor)
  • The best books on Islam in the West - Islam in America by Jane I Smith
  • The best books on Islam in the West - Islam and the Blackamerican by Sherman A Jackson
  • The best books on Islam in the West - Young, British and Muslim by Philip Lewis
  • The best books on Islam in the West - British Muslims by Mohammad Siddique Seddon, Dilwar Hussain and Nadeem Malik (editors)

The best books on Islam in the West, recommended by Tariq Ramadan

The Islamic scholar and commentator tells us what it means to be Muslim and Western, and explains how mainstream views get trapped between noisy extremism and a sensation-seeking media

The best books on Islam in the West, recommended by Tariq Ramadan

    The best books on The End of The West, recommended by David Marquand

  • Read
    The best books on The End of The West - Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt

    1

    Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945
    by Tony Judt

  • Read
    The best books on The End of The West - The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria

    2

    The Post-American World
    by Fareed Zakaria

  • Read
    The best books on The End of The West - The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916 by Alistair Horne

    3

    The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916
    by Alistair Horne

  • Read
    The best books on The End of The West - The Ornament of the World by Maria Rosa Menocal

    4

    The Ornament of the World
    by Maria Rosa Menocal

  • Read
    The best books on The End of The West - The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen

    5

    The Argumentative Indian
    by Amartya Sen

  • The former British MP says the myths we have perpetuated about the West are dangerous and need to be revised. He tells us what we should read to understand the changing world order

  • The best books on The End of The West - Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt
  • The best books on The End of The West - The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria
  • The best books on The End of The West - The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916 by Alistair Horne
  • The best books on The End of The West - The Ornament of the World by Maria Rosa Menocal
  • The best books on The End of The West - The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen

The best books on The End of The West, recommended by David Marquand

The former British MP says the myths we have perpetuated about the West are dangerous and need to be revised. He tells us what we should read to understand the changing world order

The best books on The End of The West, recommended by David Marquand

    The best books on The Decline of the West, recommended by Dambisa Moyo

  • Read
    The best books on The Decline of the West - Civilization by Niall Ferguson

    1

    Civilization
    by Niall Ferguson

  • Read
    The best books on The Decline of the West - The End of the Free Market by Ian Bremmer

    2

    The End of the Free Market
    by Ian Bremmer

  • Read
    The best books on The Decline of the West - The Party by Richard McGregor

    3

    The Party
    by Richard McGregor

  • Read
    The best books on The Decline of the West - This Time Is Different by Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff

    4

    This Time Is Different
    by Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff

  • Read
    The best books on The Decline of the West - The Net Delusion by Evgeny Morozov

    5

    The Net Delusion
    by Evgeny Morozov

  • The author and economist argues that the West is in decline, the U.S. faces structural unemployment, and authoritarian states like China are in many ways better positioned to deal with financial busts

  • The best books on The Decline of the West - Civilization by Niall Ferguson
  • The best books on The Decline of the West - The End of the Free Market by Ian Bremmer
  • The best books on The Decline of the West - The Party by Richard McGregor
  • The best books on The Decline of the West - This Time Is Different by Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff
  • The best books on The Decline of the West - The Net Delusion by Evgeny Morozov

The best books on The Decline of the West, recommended by Dambisa Moyo

The author and economist argues that the West is in decline, the U.S. faces structural unemployment, and authoritarian states like China are in many ways better positioned to deal with financial busts

The best books on The Decline of the West, recommended by Dambisa Moyo

About

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand seven hundred interviews, or eight thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

Five Books participates in the Amazon Associate program and earns money from qualifying purchases.

Newsletter Contact us Privacy Policy Terms of Service Mastodon Social

© Five Books 2025

Get our newsletter