by R. Lewis

Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun? is the inspiring story of Reginald Lewis: lawyer, Wall Street wizard, philanthropist — and the wealthiest black man in American history. When six-year-old Reginald Lewis overheard his grandparents discussing employment discrimination against African Americans, he asked, “Why should white guys have all the fun?" This self-assured child would grow up to become the CEO of Beatrice International and one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever.

by Pimpin’ Ken Ivey

The pimp has reached nearly mythical status. We are fascinated by the question of how a guy from the ghetto with no startup capital and no credit — nothing but the words out of his mouth — comes not only to have a stable of sexy women who consider him “their man,” but to drive a Rolls, sport diamonds, and wear custom suits and alligator shoes from Italy. His secret is to follow the “unwritten rules of the game” — a set of regulations handed down orally from older, wiser macks.

by Sun Tzu

Written in the 6th century B.C., The Art of War remains the ultimate guide to combat strategy. Sun Tzu explains when and how to engage opponents in order to prevail in difficult situations. Instead of describing the logistics of warfare, he shows the reader how to succeed by motivating soldiers and leveraging tactical advantages. In short, he explains how to win the battle of wits. Though it was written for the battlefield, The Art of War contains valuable advice for other endeavors as well.

by Robert Greene

 Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws. As attention—grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers.

by Jean Rousseau

Rousseau’s explosive cry for human liberty helped to spark the French Revolution and has haunted our discussions of how we should rule one another ever since—seen as both a blueprint for political terror and as a fundamental statement of democracy.