ECFR’s summer entertainment list

Every summer, our experts and staff compile a list of books, podcasts, and television series as recommendations for the relaxing days ahead. This year, their book choices will transport you across Africa, then to China, Italy, Jamaica, Paris, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as an audiobook that will take you back to the origins of Europe.

But if you prefer to listen to a podcast while on the road, or simply when you’re pottering around at home, we also have you covered. One recommendation teaches us about the fight against AIDS and queer stigmatisation in early 1980s Germany; the other aims to reconnect listeners to the human body, acknowledging the changing relationship between physiology and technology. The list also contains recommendations for the more visually inclined, as well as any Manga lovers.

We wish you pleasant journeys, and a restful summer.

“Eva Sleeps”, by Francesca Melandri

Recommended by

Eva Sleeps is about the lives of Gerda, a cook; 40-year-old PR manager Eva, who is Gerda’s daughter; and Vito, a Carabiniere posted far from his hometown of Calabria. But it also about the lives of many family members, colleagues, and friends of this unconventional trio of characters. It is about love, prejudice, racism, cultural clashes; the strong north-south divide which characterises Italy; and the historical, political, territorial, and cultural tensions between northern Italy and the Austrian Tyrol. But it is also the story of Italy between two world wars, and the terrorism of the 1960s and 1970s. A long train trip, full of memories and pain, will break the hearts and souls of Eva, Gerda, and Vito – and it will also reconnect them. It is the perfect historic read to help understand Italy today.

Recommended by

Policy Fellow

The Premonitions Bureau is a non-fiction book by British journalist, Sam Knight, which tells the story of John Barker, a psychiatrist obsessed with the idea of premonitions and other unexplained mental states. In the 1960s, Barker established the ‘Premonitions Bureau’ – an institution where people could send their visions and dreams, which were then checked for their accuracy and predictive powers. Although it sounds like a work of fiction, the Premonitions Bureau actually existed for a few years – this story is also a captivating account of one man’s obsession with predicting the future (something that many in the think-tank world can probably identify with!) Finally, the book serves as a reminder of how much remains unknown about the world around us.

Recommended by

Communications Officer

“I know that it feels a kind o’ hissin; and ticklin’ like to see a colored woman get up and tell you about things, and woman’s rights. We all have been thrown down so low that nobody thought we’d ever get up again; but we have been long enough trodden now; we will come up again, and now I am here.” – Sojourner Truth. “Women, Race and Class” by Angela Davis is a historical exploration of the bravery of many Black women in their fight for rights and freedom. The book details the history of race, gender, and class inequality, from the age of slavery to contemporary injustices. Davis delves into various forms of racism, discrimination, and violations of women’s rights. While she highlights the once-acceptable structural problems and malpractices, she takes a tough and unflinching look at some that persist today. This should be a mandatory book in schools.

Recommended by

Senior Policy Fellow

Charlemagne, anyone? The Sicilian Vespers? The Scramble for Africa? Most of us know bits and pieces of Europe’s back story, but perhaps lack a sense of how it connects. During years spent in Brussels, I discovered that a good deal has happened on the continent, which my own British historical education – largely focused on the six wives of Henry VIII, and the splendours of the British Empire – had rather skipped over. I realised I needed a short, accessible account of the major events, ideas and personalities that had created the Europe of today – in short, something to pack alongside the crime fiction for holiday reading. Not finding what I wanted, I decided to produce my own. The result is an audiobook which tells Europe’s story, from the end of the Dark Ages to the Paris Peace Conference, over 20 half-hour episodes. The five-minute intro should give you a good idea of what’s on offer, and whether you might enjoy it. Follow the above link, or search the usual podcast platforms.

Recommended by

Senior Policy Fellow

“A Philosophy of Walking” by Frédéric Gros is a book about walking, and its profound effect on meditation, thinking, inspiring creativity, and even soothing troubled souls. While the book is short, it is well-written, clear, and precise. Avid walkers will enjoy reading this book, which is a great manifestation of finding the joy in simple things.

“Drops of God” series, based on the Manga written by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto

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Senior Policy Fellow

The “Drops of God” series, based on and adapted by the same Manga collection, is a story about family and wine, taking place in France and Japan. It’s also a story of difficulties in love and ethics in life, while at the same time focusing on wine. In the end, one protagonist will become a wine connoisseur during a search to buy the whole Manga collection under the same name – which proves to be difficult to find.

Recommended by

Programme Coordinator, Middle East and North Africa programme

Safiya Sinclair’s autobiography retells the story of her upbringing in a strict and repressive Rastafarian community in Jamaica. Being a woman meant enjoying fewer rights, and being worth less than a man; Sinclair writes about self-empowerment, self-discovery, and disentanglement from her father’s oppressive world views. Don’t shy away from this book because it is non-fiction – on the contrary, Sinclair’s language is so smooth and beautiful that you could be reading poetry. But be careful: this book might make you see reggae, and Bob Marley, a little more critically – there is more to it than the male perspective…

“An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence”, by Zeinab Badawi

Recommended by

Office and Programme Coordinator

“When the lions have historians, then the hunters will cease to be heroes” – this proverb perfectly captures why the world needs more African writers to cover African topics. As many continue to underestimate the richness of African heritage, traditions, and diversity of culture, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to the continent’s rich history – it is an antidote to the one-sided perspective taught – if we are taught anything – at school. From the origins of humans, to musings on how the continent can move forward, Badawi brilliantly captures the history of different African regions; her fresh and light writing style makes “An African History of Africa” the perfect summer read. Once you start exploring the stories of warrior queens, ancient cities, and sacred art, you won’t put the book down – and the chapters on slavery are also not be missed.

Recommended by

Lena Krause, Programme assistant

For all German speakers, listeners, or language learners, I can recommend “I Will Survive – Der Kampf gegen die AIDS-Krise.” This podcast takes the listener on an emotional journey back to the disco-fever of the 1980s, a time also marked by the AIDS crisis and queer people’s experiences of identity crises, stigmatisation, and discrimination. The host speaks to witnesses from the period about their memories, fears, losses, and resistance, and reflects on what their legacy means for today’s queer community.

Recommended by

Policy Fellow

“The king is dead, long live the king!” But which king, exactly? After Alexander the Great died in Babylon, his generals could not agree on the succession – thus beginning a conflict for the imperial legacy that set the world, from India to the Balkans, ablaze. Imagine a real-life “House of the Dragon” featuring war elephants instead of fire-breathing beasts: James Romm combines great research with vivid storytelling, guiding the reader through an obscure yet fascinating period of antiquity. As Alexander’s successors competed among ever-changing allegiances, with huge battles fought and murder plots devised, they did so with the backdrop of the first globalised world – amid the bloodshed, trade flows and cultural exchanges flourished through astonishing distance. The book highlights extraordinary people fighting for supremacy and survival, and the fate of an empire unravelling into several rival kingdoms holds a lesson or two for a multipolar world where competition is fierce, and alliances are hardly set in stone.

Recommended by

Grant Administrator

The author recalls the political scene in Paris after the fall of Robespierre – and the price she paid for opposing Napoleon Bonaparte. Firstly, she recounts Napoleon’s rise and gradual takeover of France; the book depicts the mutual animosity between him and the author, who quickly and unwittingly becomes a centre of intellectual opposition against his rule. This increasingly confrontational rivalry leads to her exile, and to an unrelenting persecution that will affect her friends and family. The second part is an impassioned plea for freedom, and a warning about the dangers of charismatic strongmen who use populism and violence to gain power. It also serves as a travelogue of de Staël’s experiences in Prussia, Austria, Russia, and Sweden. Her narrative offers a fascinating portrayal of key figures of the era, including Joseph Fouché, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, and Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès. In essence, this book is a moving exploration of political responsibility, personal resilience, and the constant search for ideological integrity and artistic self-expression.

“Body Electric” series one and two, a podcast by NPR

Recommended by

Head, ECFR Paris
Senior Policy Fellow

This podcast explores the relationship between technology and the human body, specifically the impact of a lack of movement in our everyday lives. Increasingly, people report fatigue, despite spending hours at desks, sat in front of computers. Presenting the science behind this phenomenon, and partnering with Columbia University Medical Center, journalist Manoush Zomorodi challenges listeners to add a little movement in their everyday lives, with the idea being that everyone benefits physically, emotionally, and professionally from walking for five minutes every half-hour, or every hour, or at least every two hours. Have you ever felt that, after an hour of a video call you are jittery and impatient, after two hours you can’t concentrate any more, and after three you want to resign? Make Zoom calls last only 50 minutes, then go for a short walk. You’ll come back happier, less tired, and full of fresh ideas! I tried it, and I’m not going back.

Recommended by

Amy Sandys, Editorial assistant

Russia, 1922. The revolution is a year from being over, and its effects are permeating throughout the country. Enter Count Alexander Rostov, an unrepentant yet sympathetic aristocrat sentenced by the Bolsheviks to indefinite house arrest in his current residency – which so happens to be Moscow’s grand Hotel Metropol. Although the novel’s setting is limited to one building, the genius of Amor Towles’ writing is the entire worlds he conjures up within. Helped along by a vivid cast of hotel staff and visitors, from Anna the glamorous actress to Emile the temperamental chef, Count Rostov experiences friendship, romance, and adversity – and not an insignificant amount of fine wine – against the backdrop of a changing Russia, and a new world order. In its scope and humanity, “A Gentleman in Moscow” manages to be evocative, funny, and politically astute, all at the same time.

“The Idea of China”, by Alicja Bachulska, Mark Leonard, and Janka Oertel

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ECFR communications team

China is known for the export of its products, but in the coming years, it could become even better known for the export of Chinese ideas. On questions ranging from AI to the green transition to the international financial system, Chinese thinkers are trying to write a new playbook. Debates are taking place about demography, feminism, and how to spread the word about China’s successes on the global stage. ECFR authors Alicja Bachulska, Mark Leonard, and Janka Oertel conducted over one hundred hours of interviews with Chinese thinkers, and analysed hundreds of recent publications in Chinese academia, to delve into some of the main intellectual contributions shaping China under the leadership of Xi Jinping. Their new book shines a light on important debates taking place in the restricted information environment within the country in an accessible way for Western readers.