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The Economist

The Economist Books of the Year 2021

The Economist Books of the Year 2021 names 41 books across 7 categories. 14 of them also won or were shortlisted for an award.

Biography and memoir

  1. All In by Billie Jean Kingsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days by Rebecca Donnersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Fall by John Prestonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Last King of America by Andrew Robertssource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Radical Potter by Tristram Huntsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. There is Nothing for You Here by Fiona Hillsource (opens in a new tab)

Culture

  1. Barça by Simon Kupersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Fallen Idols by Alex von Tunzelmannsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. God: An Anatomy by Francesca Stavrakopoulousource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Sinner and the Saint by Kevin Birminghamsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock by Edward Whitesource (opens in a new tab)

Economics and business

  1. Career and Family by Claudia Goldinsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Future of Money by Eswar Prasadsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Key Man by Simon Clark and Will Louchsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Power of Creative Destruction by Philippe Aghion, Céline Antonin and Simon Bunel, translated by Jodie Cohen-Tanugisource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Story of Work by Jan Lucassensource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The World for Sale by Javier Blas and Jack Farchysource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth by Wole Soyinkasource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peterssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Great Circle by Maggie Shipsteadsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishigurosource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Mother for Dinner by Shalom Auslandersource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Jennifer Croftsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitzsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Promise by Damon Galgutsource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Greek Revolution by Mark Mazowersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Gun, the Ship and the Pen by Linda Colleysource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Tunnel 29 by Helena Merrimansource (opens in a new tab)

Politics and current affairs

  1. Do Not Disturb by Michela Wrongsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. How the Word is Passed by Clint Smithsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Invisible China by Scott Rozelle and Natalie Hellsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Red Roulette by Desmond Shumsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamahsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higginssource (opens in a new tab)

Science and technology

  1. A Shot to Save the World by Gregory Zuckermansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Being You by Anil Sethsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. I, Warbot by Kenneth Paynesource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Genetic Lottery by Kathryn Paige Hardensource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Water: A Biography by Giulio Boccalettisource (opens in a new tab)

About the The Economist Books of the Year

The Economist's annual books-of-the-year round-up, published in late November or early December. One list a year, split into the paper's own sections. Section names drift, so they are folded into seven: Politics and current affairs, Biography and memoir, History, Economics and business, Science and technology, Culture, and Fiction. Culture covers "Culture and digressions", "Culture, society and travel", "Culture and ideas", "Culture and the arts" and similar names. Fiction includes the 2006-2008 "Fiction and memoirs" section and the 2010-2012 poetry sections. The 2024 "Science and health" section is filed under Science and technology and "Business, economics and technology" under Economics and business. Left out: the 2025 Food (cookbooks) section, lists of books by Economist staff, and the mid-year "best books so far" lists. Edited volumes credit the editor the page names. Titles drop a trailing ": A Novel". No list is ranked. economist.com disallows Claude-User in robots.txt, so 2006-2023 pages were read through Wayback Machine copies; the 2007 list is the old displayStory URL because no capture of its newer URL was found. Every 2024 and 2025 Wayback copy is cut off by the paywall, so those lists come from yearendlists.com, which matched the Economist pages title for title for 2021-2023. The 2023 page misprints Claire Kilroy's "Soldier Sailor" as "Solider Sailor"; the yearendlists spelling is used.

Organization: The Economist. Official site (opens in a new tab)

The most recommended books of 2021