Here are 45 books that The Courage to Act fans have personally recommended if you like The Courage to Act. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money: With the Economic Consequences of the Peace

David Carli Author Of Forex Fundamental Analysis: Trade Forex Like a Fund Manager

From my list on master currency market analysis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a financial analyst for over 30 years, including two as a fund manager specializing in currencies and commodities with a strong focus on fundamental analysis. These two markets are driven by distinct forces that must be understood to trade profitably and consistently. Ignoring these dynamics leads to pure speculation rather than a solid approach. Over time, I realized how essential it is to move beyond short-term trading and base decisions on solid fundamentals. Through Trading with David (website and YouTube channel), I share my insights and analyses, helping traders develop a deeper understanding of market dynamics and make well-founded trading choices.

David's book list on master currency market analysis

David Carli Why David loves this book

This is one of the most influential books on macroeconomics ever written. I found it particularly insightful because it explains the relationship between employment, interest rates, and money supply in a way that remains highly relevant today.

What I love about this book is how it challenges classical economic theories and introduces a more dynamic approach to understanding markets. Keynes’ insights into economic cycles and government intervention are invaluable for Forex traders who need to anticipate market reactions to fiscal and monetary policies. Even though it was written in the 1930s, many of its principles still shape modern economic thinking.

By John Maynard Keynes ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) is perhaps the foremost economic thinker of the twentieth century. On economic theory, he ranks with Adam Smith and Karl Marx; and his impact on how economics was practiced, from the Great Depression to the 1970s, was unmatched.

The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money was first published in 1936. But its ideas had been forming for decades ? as a student at Cambridge, Keynes had written to a friend of his love for 'Free Trade and free thought'. Keynes's limpid style, concise prose, and vivid descriptions have helped to keep his ideas alive -…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Currency Trading and Intermarket Analysis: How to Profit from the Shifting Currents in Global Markets

David Carli Author Of Forex Fundamental Analysis: Trade Forex Like a Fund Manager

From my list on master currency market analysis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a financial analyst for over 30 years, including two as a fund manager specializing in currencies and commodities with a strong focus on fundamental analysis. These two markets are driven by distinct forces that must be understood to trade profitably and consistently. Ignoring these dynamics leads to pure speculation rather than a solid approach. Over time, I realized how essential it is to move beyond short-term trading and base decisions on solid fundamentals. Through Trading with David (website and YouTube channel), I share my insights and analyses, helping traders develop a deeper understanding of market dynamics and make well-founded trading choices.

David's book list on master currency market analysis

David Carli Why David loves this book

I found this book to be an absolute game-changer in understanding how different asset classes interact and influence the Forex market. Before reading it, I focused mostly on currency-specific factors, but this book showed me how equities, bonds, and commodities play a crucial role in shaping forex trends.

Laïdi has a remarkable ability to break down complex intermarket relationships in a way that’s both clear and actionable. I particularly appreciated how he connects macroeconomic cycles with market movements, making it easier to anticipate potential shifts.

By Ashraf Laidi ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Currency Trading and Intermarket Analysis as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As head FX strategist at CMC Markets-one of the world's leading forex/commodity brokers-Ashraf Laidi understands the forces shaping today's currency market and their interplay with interest rates, equities, and commodities. And now, with Currency Trading and Intermarket Analysis, he shares his extensive experiences in this field with you. Throughout the book, Laidi outlines the tools needed to understand the macroeconomic and financial nuances of this dynamic field and provides you with insights that are essential to making the most of your time within it.


Book cover of The Secrets of Economic Indicators: Hidden Clues to Future Economic Trends and Investment Opportunities

David Carli Author Of Forex Fundamental Analysis: Trade Forex Like a Fund Manager

From my list on master currency market analysis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a financial analyst for over 30 years, including two as a fund manager specializing in currencies and commodities with a strong focus on fundamental analysis. These two markets are driven by distinct forces that must be understood to trade profitably and consistently. Ignoring these dynamics leads to pure speculation rather than a solid approach. Over time, I realized how essential it is to move beyond short-term trading and base decisions on solid fundamentals. Through Trading with David (website and YouTube channel), I share my insights and analyses, helping traders develop a deeper understanding of market dynamics and make well-founded trading choices.

David's book list on master currency market analysis

David Carli Why David loves this book

I recommend this book because it provides a comprehensive and accessible guide to understanding the economic data that moves financial markets. It helps you refine your approach to fundamental analysis by teaching you how to interpret key indicators, such as the three pillars of macroeconomics: GDP, inflation, and employment data, crucial elements in Forex trading.

The author does an excellent job of explaining how these indicators impact currencies and how traders can anticipate market movements based on economic reports.

By Bernard Baumohl ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Secrets of Economic Indicators as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For years, investors, business strategists, and policymakers worldwide have turned to one book to help them translate the massive flow of economic data into knowledge for intelligent decision-making. The Wall Street Journal called this book "...the real deal," saying it "miraculously breathes life into economic indicators and statistics." That book is Bernie Baumohl's classic best-seller The Secrets of Economic Indicators. Now, in a brand-new Third Edition, Baumohl has thoroughly updated his classic to reflect the latest US and foreign economic indicators, and brand-new insights into what all of today's leading indicators mean. Baumohl introduces dozens of new, forward-looking economic markers,…


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of International Economics: Theory and Policy

David Carli Author Of Forex Fundamental Analysis: Trade Forex Like a Fund Manager

From my list on master currency market analysis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a financial analyst for over 30 years, including two as a fund manager specializing in currencies and commodities with a strong focus on fundamental analysis. These two markets are driven by distinct forces that must be understood to trade profitably and consistently. Ignoring these dynamics leads to pure speculation rather than a solid approach. Over time, I realized how essential it is to move beyond short-term trading and base decisions on solid fundamentals. Through Trading with David (website and YouTube channel), I share my insights and analyses, helping traders develop a deeper understanding of market dynamics and make well-founded trading choices.

David's book list on master currency market analysis

David Carli Why David loves this book

I appreciate this book because it provides a solid foundation for understanding global economic dynamics, which is essential for fundamental analysis in Forex trading. It helped me grasp the intricate relationships between trade policies, exchange rates, and macroeconomic forces, all of which play a crucial role in currency valuation.

What I found particularly valuable is the authors break down complex economic concepts into digestible explanations supported by real-world examples. The discussions on balance of payments, monetary policies, and capital flows gave me deeper insights into what truly drives currency movements.

By Paul Krugman , Maurice Obstfeld , Marc Melitz

Why should I read it?

1 author picked International Economics as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For courses in international economics, international finance, and international trade.

A balanced, global approach to economic theory and policy applications
International Economics: Theory and Policy provides engaging, balanced coverage of the key concepts and practical applications of theory and policy around the world. Divided into two halves, with the first devoted to trade and the second to monetary questions, the text provides an intuitive introduction to theory and events as well as detailed coverage of the actual policies put into place as a response. In the 12th Edition, important economic developments are highlighted, with many lessons drawn from the recent…


Book cover of Debt

Andrew Bowie Author Of Aesthetic Dimensions of Modern Philosophy

From my list on why so much modern philosophy fails to make real sense of the world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a retired professor of philosophy, but my academic training was in modern languages. I am also an active jazz saxophonist. My dissatisfaction with many established approaches to literature led me to look at literary theory, which then made me focus on philosophy. Academic philosophy, though, seemed to me too often to concentrate on questions about theorising knowledge that neglected questions about how we actually make sense of the world. This led me to reassess the importance of art, particularly music, for philosophy. My chosen books suggest alternative ways of looking at the concerns of philosophy at a time when humankind’s relationship to nature is clearly in deep crisis.

Andrew's book list on why so much modern philosophy fails to make real sense of the world

Andrew Bowie Why Andrew loves this book

I have never found many philosophical accounts of ethics very satisfactory, because they don’t adequately explore how value is rooted in the myriad ways we relate to the world.

Graeber’s book takes a key notion, debt, that connects economics to ethics, in order to try and understand the origins and development of the distortions of human relationships that are characteristic of modern capitalism.

His conclusion that ‘money has no essence. It’s not “really” anything; therefore, its nature has always been and presumably always will be a matter of political contention’, which he arrives at through a detailed historical and anthropological investigation of debt, led me to reexamine very many assumptions about how the world works.

By David Graeber ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Debt as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now in paperback: David Graeber's “fresh . . . fascinating . . . thought-provoking . . . and exceedingly timely” (Financial Times) history of debt
 
Here anthropologist David Graeber presents a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom: he shows that before there was money, there was debt. For more than 5,000 years, since the beginnings of the first agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems to buy and sell goods—that is, long before the invention of coins or cash. It is in this era, Graeber argues, that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors.

Graeber shows…


Book cover of The Big Short

Claire A. Hill Author Of Better Bankers, Better Banks: Promoting Good Business through Contractual Commitment

From my list on bankers, especially bankers behaving badly.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been interested—a vast understatement to anyone who knows me—in what makes people tick. I’ve focused on analyzing business actors – bankers, lawyers, investors, executives, shareholders, and others. What do they want? Some combination of money, power, or prestige? How does loving to win fit in? How about hating to lose? When is enough (money/power/prestige) enough? What do they think is ok to do to get what they want? What do they think is not ok? Amazingly, as a law professor, I can pursue that interest as part of my job, and – I think and hope – do so in a way that might help lawmakers, regulators, and policymakers do better.

Claire's book list on bankers, especially bankers behaving badly

Claire A. Hill Why Claire loves this book

As everyone knows at this point, anything Michael Lewis writes will be enormous fun to read, while being about something really important—something he’ll make you care about even if you didn’t when you started the book.

In this case, the subject is people who bet on the direction of mortgages (and thus, house prices), and how those who bet on a huge plunge were right. This book has an amazing cast of characters, all richly drawn: some are smart, some are not so smart; some are excellent schmoozers, some can barely tolerate human interaction; some care a lot about money, some care more about being right, especially if everyone else is wrong.

Each book I've recommended cries out to be made into a movie. This one actually was.

By Michael Lewis ,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked The Big Short as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The real story of the crash began in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn't shine and the SEC doesn't dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real estate derivative markets where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower- and middle-class Americans who can't pay their debts. The smart people who understood what was or might be happening were paralyzed by hope and fear; in any case, they weren't talking.

Michael Lewis creates a fresh, character-driven narrative brimming with indignation and dark humor, a fitting sequel to his #1 bestseller Liar's Poker. Out of a…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World

Joseph Vogl Author Of The Ascendancy of Finance

From my list on the political power of contemporary finance.

Why am I passionate about this?

How did I – as a scholar of German literature – turn to economic topics? That had a certain inevitability. When I left for Paris in the early nineties, reading traces of anthropological knowledge in literature and aesthetics of the 18th century, I came across economic ideas on almost every page, in natural history, in medicine, in philosophy, in encyclopedias, in the theories of signs and in the teachings of beauty. There was circulation, communication, flows of exchange all over the place, and the Robinsons were the model. This reinforced the impression that the human being was engaged in aligning himself with homo oeconomicus. The question of  modern economics has therefore become unavoidable for me.

Joseph's book list on the political power of contemporary finance

Joseph Vogl Why Joseph loves this book

Focusing on the financial crisis of 2008 Adam Tooze’s book shows the transition from a geopolitical to a geo-economic world order in which the political destiny of old nation states is determined by the needs of international financial industry – including the rearrangement of global governance and the erosion of democracies.

I admire the way in which Adam Tooze demonstrates the entanglement between financial capitalism, crises, and the rise of populist and right-wing movements in Europe and the US.

By Adam Tooze ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Crashed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE LIONEL GELBER PRIZE
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2018
ONE OF THE ECONOMIST'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' TOP BOOK

"An intelligent explanation of the mechanisms that produced the crisis and the response to it...One of the great strengths of Tooze's book is to demonstrate the deeply intertwined nature of the European and American financial systems."--The New York Times Book Review

From the prizewinning economic historian and author of Shutdown and The Deluge, an eye-opening reinterpretation of the 2008 economic crisis (and its ten-year aftermath) as a global event that directly…


Book cover of The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

Andreas Killen Author Of Nervous Systems: Brain Science in the Early Cold War

From my list on the history of torture.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been fascinated by this topic ever since the first newspaper stories exposing American involvement in torture began to appear in the early years of the so-called War on Terror. This fascination has persisted up to the present, as it remains clear – given recent accounts of Ron DeSantis’ time at Guantanamo – that this story refuses to die. Equally fascinating to me have been accounts revealing the extent to which this story can be traced back to the origins of the Cold War, to the birth of the National Security State, and to the alliance between that state and the professions (psychology and behavioral science) that spawned “enhanced interrogation.”

Andreas' book list on the history of torture

Andreas Killen Why Andreas loves this book

Klein’s first chapter tells the disturbing story of Dr. Ewan Cameron, the eminent psychiatrist who ran the Allan Memorial Institute associated with McGill University, and whose experimental treatment, partly funded by the CIA, incorporated ECT, sensory deprivation, LSD into a research program designed to erase patients’ memories.

Especially intriguing for the way it links this story to a bold account of how efforts to reprogram people at a deep level were linked to the spread of new forms of capitalism in the late 20th century. This is history as told by an activist, in ways that academic historians are not always comfortable with.

By Naomi Klein ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Shock Doctrine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Impassioned, hugely informative, wonderfully controversial, and scary as hell' John le Carre

Around the world in Britain, the United States, Asia and the Middle East, there are people with power who are cashing in on chaos; exploiting bloodshed and catastrophe to brutally remake our world in their image. They are the shock doctors.

Exposing these global profiteers, Naomi Klein discovered information and connections that shocked even her about how comprehensively the shock doctors' beliefs now dominate our world - and how this domination has been achieved. Raking in billions out of the tsunami, plundering Russia, exploiting Iraq - this is…


Book cover of Debt: The First 5,000 Years

David Birch Author Of Money in the Metaverse: Digital Assets, Online Identities, Spatial Computing and Why Virtual Worlds Mean Real Business

From my list on the future of money.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a physicist by education and therefore fundamentally interested in how things work, my early career was spent in secure communications before moving into finance, specifically payments. I helped to found one of the leading consultancies in the field and worked globally for organizations ranging from Visa and AMEX to various governments and multiple Central Banks. I wrote, it turned out, one of the key books in the field, Identity Is The New Money (2014), and subsequently, Before Babylon, Beyond Bitcoin (2017), about the history and future of money. The Currency Cold War (2020) was a prescient implication of digital currencies, particularly CBDC.

David's book list on the future of money

David Birch Why David loves this book

I see David Greaeber’s book as a landmark in the field. He completely changed my understanding of and views on money’s role in society and its evolution. I had the good fortune to meet David a few times (in fact, I made a podcast with him) and feel like I learned from every conversation.

Until I read David’s book, I had assumed that the Barter theory of money and the double coincidence of wants was the natural and unchallenged explanation for how money came to be and what roles it performed. David’s and subsequent authors' work has shown that this view is simplistic and outdated. 

By David Graeber ,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked Debt as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The groundbreaking international best-seller that turns everything you think about money, debt, and society on its head—from the “brilliant, deeply original political thinker” David Graeber (Rebecca Solnit, author of Men Explain Things to Me)
 
Before there was money, there was debt. For more than 5,000 years, since the beginnings of the first agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems to buy and sell goods—that is, long before the invention of coins or cash. It is in this era that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors—which lives on in full force to this day.

So…


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Book cover of Old Man Country

Old Man Country by Thomas R. Cole,

This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.

In these and other intimate conversations, the book…

Book cover of Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World's Economy

Laurie Laybourn Author Of Planet on Fire: A Manifesto for the Age of Environmental Breakdown

From my list on to help us face up to the environmental crisis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I research, write and speak about the global environmental emergency and the policies and politics we need to adequately respond. Drawing on a decade of experience in academia, activism, and policymaking, my work explores the leadership needed to transition to more sustainable and equitable societies while contending with the growing destabilisation resulting from the worsening environmental crisis. I’ve worked at a range of leading policy research organisations and universities and have won awards for my work. I’ve got a BSc in physics and an MPhil in economies from the University of Oxford. 

Laurie's book list on to help us face up to the environmental crisis

Laurie Laybourn Why Laurie loves this book

How can we make sense of the Covid-19 pandemic? Adam Tooze gives us a clear answer: it is the first crisis of the new era of environmental crisis. My work now focuses on the increasingly destabilizing effects that the crisis will bring into the future and how future leaders can be better ready to carry on the struggle under worsening conditions. The responses of current leaders to the pandemic – some good, many poor – are a key resource to learn from. This book is a first bash at learning the lessons from the pandemic. Into the future, more than anything we need leaders and governments who are capable of freeing us from the freezing embrace of fear in face of seemingly insurmountable odds. 

By Adam Tooze ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Shutdown as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"This book's great service is that it challenges us to consider the ways in which our institutions and systems, and the assumptions, positions and divisions that undergird them, leave us ill prepared for the next crisis."-Robert Rubin, The New York Times Book Review

"Full of valuable insight and telling details, this may well be the best thing to read if you want to know what happened in 2020." --Paul Krugman, New York Review of Books

Deftly weaving finance, politics, business, and the global human experience into one tight narrative, a tour-de-force account of 2020, the year that changed everything--from the…


Book cover of The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money: With the Economic Consequences of the Peace
Book cover of Currency Trading and Intermarket Analysis: How to Profit from the Shifting Currents in Global Markets
Book cover of The Secrets of Economic Indicators: Hidden Clues to Future Economic Trends and Investment Opportunities

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in financial crises, monetary policy, and the financial crisis of 2007–2008?

Financial Crises 26 books
Monetary Policy 11 books