What’s Oaktree Reading? 2024 Year-End Book Recommendations

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

Armen Panossian

Co-CEO and Head of Performing Credit

For those interested in historical narratives that offer valuable learnings, this book presents a fascinating exploration of Genghis Khan’s significant yet fleeting empire. Despite his achievements, including controlling a greater share of the world than the Roman Empire later would, his rapid expansion led to an unsustainable empire. Not only does this book provide an engaging historical account and insightful lessons for the modern world, it also offers key takeaways for businesses, emphasizing the importance of careful and controlled growth.

Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World by Ginni Rometty

Jenny Li

Head of Asia Pacific, Real Estate

The former IBM Chairman and CEO narrates her journey from a difficult childhood to becoming the company’s first female CEO. Ginni Rometty reflects on the “good power” that has propelled her, including always finding a way forward, embracing discomfort, and celebrating progress over perfection. As she aims to foster a more equitable organization and society, she continues to lead with respect and conviction. The most poignant part of the book for me is her handwritten letter, reflecting her belief that positive change comes from not only what you do but how you do it.

Trust by Hernan Diaz

Katherine Green

Vice President, Environmental, Social, and Governance

This captivating novel follows the lives of Helen and Benjamin Rask, a Wall Street tycoon and his whip-smart wife, set against the backdrop of 1920s New York. Unfolding from four different perspectives, it explores profound questions surrounding wealth, success, mental health, and patriarchal norms. Trust offers a brilliant glimpse into the bustling world of Wall Street during the Roaring Twenties, while simultaneously exploring the stark contrast between external perceptions and internal realities.

Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller

Sean Regan

Vice President, Marketing

It’s hardly surprising that Chip War was awarded the Best Business Book of 2022 by the Financial Times. What is surprising, however, is how long it sat untouched collecting dust on my shelf. This book provides a deep dive into the semiconductor industry, a sector that significantly influences supply chains, global business, and world power dynamics. Given the current geopolitical climate and the surge in artificial intelligence, Chip War serves as a timely and crucial guide to understanding an essential technology that is shaping the world.

Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class by Rob Henderson

Todd Molz

Chief Operating Officer

Rob Henderson’s memoir details his tumultuous upbringing with a drug-addicted mother and an absent father, moving through ten foster homes before being adopted. Despite his hopes for stability, his youth was marked by divorce, tragedy, poverty, and violence. Henderson’s story contrasts his achievements – a military career, Yale education, and Cambridge doctorate – with the unfortunate fates of friends who ended up incarcerated or dead. His memoir offers a fascinating perspective on the relative importance of class, family stability, and privilege in today’s world.

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Madeleine Horton

Global Head of Human Resources

Switch presents a compelling framework to help individuals achieve positive change. The book illustrates how the rational and emotional sides of our brain require different motivations: the former necessitates clear direction, while the latter thrives on the power of instinct. Importantly, it further highlights how our external environment must also be conducive to change. The authors incorporate practical examples that are both relatable and actionable, offering insights especially useful for those interested in learning more about the power of influence and how to successfully navigate complex projects with various teams and priorities.

Night Walks by Charles Dickens

Harry Whitelaw

Assistant Vice President, Corporate Communications & Branding

In Night Walks, a collection of pleasingly brief essays from a novelist more known for his tomes, Charles Dickens takes readers on his insomnia-induced walks. He often roamed London’s streets after dark to gather his thoughts and observe the minutiae – and often misery – of the city. While conjuring a vivid cityscape, Dickens’s nighttime essays also reflect a journalistic endeavor to highlight (albeit sometimes clumsily) the brutal inequality of Victorian London. Over 150 years later, the importance of understanding societal disparities persists, while the idea of head-clearing strolls should resonate with a generation eager to briefly escape the intrusion of technology.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Brendan Beer

Co-Portfolio Manager, Structured Credit

In McKeown’s management book, he offers a clever guide for identifying unproductive elements that often clutter our professional lives, along with advice for giving yourself the space and perspective to enhance your work life. I found his analogy of the “slowest hiker” particularly powerful. Every firm, and even every department within a company, tends to over-resource certain capabilities while under-resourcing others. It requires moments of uncomfortable intellectual honesty to determine which skill is the “slowest hiker.”

Beating France to Botany Bay: The Race to Found Australia by Margaret Cameron-Ash

Jeremy Bolton

Assistant Vice President, Corporate & Technology Services

Beating France to Botany Bay explores the race between Britain and France to claim the continent of Australia in 1788. Margaret Cameron-Ash, a successful lawyer who began researching this topic in her free time, offers an intriguing historical account of the event. Simultaneously, she emphasizes how decision making is often influenced by speculation and misunderstanding. The choices made by a few British and French government officials altered history: this examination of the profound impact of individual decisions, viewed through the lens of the founding of my home country, was particularly fascinating to me.

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant

Ophelia Wen

Senior Manager, Fund Accounting & Operations

Think Again is a thought-provoking exploration of the transformative power of re-evaluating and unlearning. Grant masterfully illustrates how questioning our own assumptions can lead to both personal and professional growth. The book is filled with compelling anecdotes and practical advice, making it both an insightful and captivating read. It encourages readers to embrace the joy of being wrong and to see the value in changing their minds. This book has challenged and inspired me to “think again” in a positive way.