Two book recommendations

Tevi Troy presents his yearly round-up of RIPs. He laments the passing of several important conservatives, while highlighting several deaths that are legitimate cause for celebration — Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Speaking of Tevi, I want to recommend his latest book: The Power and the Money. As the subtitle says, it’s about “the epic clashes between commanders in chief and titans of industry.”

The presidents Tevi covers span most of American history, from Ulysses Grant to Joe Biden. The CEO’s range from John D. Rockefeller and JP Morgan to Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk.

The anecdotes alone make the book worthwhile, but Tevi also draws important and timely lessons from them. Among the lesson are:

CEO’s can’t wait for a crisis or an emergency to begin engaging with Washington.

When dealing with Washington, DC. (as modern CEO’s must), they need to take the reins personally, rather than ceding government relations to lobbyists.

And, of particular relevance in light of very recent developments, CEO’s must constantly be aware of the degree to which corporate unpopularity creates significant vulnerabilities for companies and entire industries.

I also want to recommend The Last Boy, Jane Leavy’s biography of Mickey Mantle, which I re-read this month. In my opinion, this is not only a great baseball book, it’s one of the best biographies of anyone that I’ve ever read. (Of course, Ron Chernow didn’t have the benefit of hanging out with his subjects, as Leavy did with Mantle.)

The book made my laugh out loud — Mantle had a wicked sense of humor. It also nearly brought me to tears — Mantle’s is a tragic story.

Anyone who cared about baseball in the 50s and 60s will likely enjoy The Last Boy as much as I did. Younger baseball fans should enjoy it, too.