Books for the Beach 2025

South African books

The Deal: Inside the Talks that Shaped South Africa’s Future

By Mandy Wiener

Seasoned author Wiener goes behind the scenes of the coalition negotiations that followed South Africa’s 2024 election. She provides the background story of the 14 days of deal-making between former adversaries that led to the creation of a Government of National Unity and averted a “doomsday” alliance.

Goodreads rating: 4.6 out of 5

Rule Breakers: How the 2024 Election Campaign Changed South Africa Forever

By Hermann Pretorius

Pretorius is a young political analyst who covers the campaigning behind and aftermath of last year’s watershed elections. He addresses the slump in support for the ANC, the contrasting fortunes of the newcomer parties, and the dealmaking that led to the creation of the Government of National Unity.

No rating

The Shadow State: Why Babita Deokaran Had to Die

By Jeff Wicks

One of the biggest concerns for South Africa in recent years has been the extent to which corruption and the involvement of organised crime have undermined the functioning of the public sector. Crime reporter Wicks looks at one of the most high-profile cases in the healthcare sector that led to the tragic assassination of whistleblower Babita Deokaran. He delves into the network of officials, political figures and criminal syndicates behind the scandal that Deokaran tried to expose.

Goodreads rating: 4.6 out of 5

Being There: Backstories from the Political Front

By Tony Leon

Former opposition leader, diplomat and now political commentator Leon shares some of his thoughts and anecdotes gleaned over decades in South Africa’s changing political landscape as well as from the global scene. Included are insights into leading figures such as Nelson Mandela, FW de Klerk and Boris Johnson, underlining the critical role of leadership in driving change.

Goodreads rating: 4.2 out of 5

It’s About Tyme: Banking Beyond Borders

By Adrian Saville and Bruce Whitfield

Formed in 2012, TymeBank has gone from a local startup to becoming a global fintech player. The authors provide the backstory of TymeBank’s early challenges and its later expansion into Asia, culminating in its inclusion this year among Time magazine’s 100 most influential companies.

Goodreads rating: 4 out of 5

Under Smuts’s Rule: Jan Smuts and His Impact on Black South Africans

By Bongani Ngqulunga

There have been numerous books written about Jan Smuts, a pioneer in the creation of South Africa as a sovereign country in the early 20th century and a leader on the global stage. What has perhaps been lacking is an examination of his legacy from a Black South African perspective. Historian Ngqulunga examines the impact of Smuts’s decisions and policies on the lives of Black South Africans and their lasting effects.

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Malema: Money. Power. Patronage

By Micah Reddy & Pauli van Wyk

Investigative journalists Reddy and Van Wyk delve into the world of EFF leader Julius Malema, examining scandals in his home province of Limpopo and the VBS Mutual Bank scandal. This book asks some important questions, notably how self-styled revolutionaries often enrich themselves at the public’s expense.

Goodreads rating: 3.6 out of 5

The Traveller: Crossing Borders and Connecting Africa

By Thebe Ikalafeng

Ikalafeng is a branding expert who has travelled to all 54 countries in Africa. This book is a kind of travelogue that challenges stereotypes about the continent and celebrates Africa’s identity and potential.

Goodreads rating: 3.6 out of 5

Hollywood on the Veld: When Movie Mayhem Gripped the City of Gold

By Ted Botha

(See below)

Goodreads rating: 3.6 out of 5

The Chaos Precinct: Johannesburg as a Port City

By Tanya Zack

Given Johannesburg’s importance to South Africa’s economy, its infrastructure and service delivery problems and next year’s local elections, it’s fitting that we include two books that investigate two engaging stories of its past and present. Hollywood on the Highveld tells the astonishing story of Johannesburg’s brief spell as a silent-film capital in the 1910s and how the industry fell away as quickly as it rose. The Chaos Precinct brings us to the present, looking at “Little Addis”, the Ethiopian quarter in inner-city Johannesburg. Zack relates how migrant Ethiopian traders have transformed a derelict part of Jeppe Street into a bustling marketplace that rivals any mall.

Business and finance

Abundance

By Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson

A recurring theme of recent years in many economies has been one of unaffordability and shortages, from housing to qualified workers. The authors argue that tackling these problems requires a different mindset, one that focuses on laws and institutions that enable abundance rather than restrict access.

Goodreads rating: 4 out of 5

Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future

By Dan Wang

While many Western countries follow a model that we could call a “lawyerly” approach, China’s model is one driven by engineers. The author examines how China’s engineering-driven culture and state-industrial model, with its emphasis on megaprojects, are shaping its global position.


Goodreads rating: 4.2 out of 5

How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle

By Ray Dalio

Dalio, the well-known investor, has created a second career as an author of books that address major political and economic themes. In this work, he discusses how national debt cycles unfold, chronicling the debt-fuelled booms and busts that have brought down empires.

Goodreads rating: 4.1 out of 5

The Art of Spending Money: Simple Choices for a Richer Life

By Morgan Housel

The prolific author of The Psychology of Money turns his attention to the act of spending, offering practical ideas on how to align your spending with your values. The message is clear – wise expenditure is as vital as wise investing.

Goodreads rating: 4.2 out of 5

Fixed: Why Personal Finance Is Broken and How to Make It Work for Everyone

By John Y Campbell and Tarun Ramadorai

This provocatively titled book addresses, according to the authors, two of the most significant obstacles to growing wealth in the modern system of personal finance: complexity and cost. This book proposes concrete solutions that leverage the power of regulation, investment expertise, and technology to make the system work for ordinary people.

Goodreads rating: 3.9 out of 5

Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI

By Karen Hao

Tech journalist Hao delves into the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) through the story of OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. She looks at the mission to achieve the holy grail of artificial general intelligence, asking the key ethical and practical questions behind this goal.

Goodreads rating: 4.1 out of 5

Current affairs, science, philosophy and psychology

Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse

By Luke Kemp

Using a deep systems approach that examines the most extensive datasets available, the author distills data from over 300 cases of civilisational collapse to help us draw lessons for our times about risk and resilience.

Goodreads rating: 4.2 out of 5

Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

By John Green

Tuberculosis has affected humans for millennia. It has taken the lives of famous people like Franz Kafka and George Orwell, while Nelson Mandela suffered from it during his long imprisonment. Even though it is curable today, it continues to take its toll on the world’s poor. Green examines the history of the disease and what it says about the human condition and our challenges.

Goodreads rating: 4.4 out of 5

Out of This World and Into the Next: A Physicist’s Guide to Space Exploration

By Adriana Marais

South African theoretical physicist Adriana Marais takes us on a grand tour of humanity’s quest to become a multi-planetary species. For most of us, this is the stuff of science fiction, but Marais argues that it’s a natural goal for our civilisation. How we get there, though, will also reveal a great deal about how we sustain life on Earth.

Goodreads rating: 3.6 out of 5

The Age of Decay

By Shamil Ismail

Ismail examines the demographic time bomb of aging populations and declining birth rates that the world is facing. His message isn’t a positive one: he doesn’t believe that measures such as raising the retirement age or developing robots will be enough to fix the problems this creates.  Amid the stark outlook, however, he finds hope in the idea that this age of decay will spur the innovations needed to tackle the problem.

Goodreads rating: 4.2 out of 5

The Genius Myth

By Helen Lewis

Lewis warns of the perils of our modern society’s obsession with lone, eccentric geniuses.  She argues that collaboration and circumstance often play a larger role in breakthroughs than a single brilliant mind.

Goodreads rating: 3.9 out of 5

Could Should Might Don’t: How We Think About the Future

By Nick Foster

Predictions are hard, especially about the future, goes the old saying. Foster examines the mental traps that hinder our ability to predict, including overconfidence, anxiety, and inertia. In their place, he suggests rational optimism and creative scenario planning.

Goodreads rating: 4 out of 5

Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference

by Rutger Bregman

The Dutch author of Utopia for Realists and Humankind returns with a call to embrace “moral ambition” in our lives – in other words, to redefine success in terms of social impact. He challenges conventional career advice and offers ways to find purpose in work beyond financial gain.

Goodreads rating: 3.7 out of 5

Sport and health

Bok to Bok

By Mike Greenaway

Rassie Erasmus’s Springbok team has redefined success in modern sport, providing a model for growth and hope in our troubled times. Greenaway goes back to the 2023 World Cup, when the Boks demonstrated resilience and focus in winning three close playoff matches to claim the trophy. The book captures the key deciding moments and the behind-the-scenes action.

Unlocked

By Eben Etzebeth

Etzebeth has been a constant in the formidable Springbok team that Erasmus has built over the last seven years, epitomising the power, commitment and skill that the team is known for. In this autobiography, Etzebeth recounts his life story, from his upbringing in the Western Cape to his ups and downs in his professional career, offering a personal insight into one of South Africa’s greatest Springbok dynasties.

Goodreads rating: 4.3 out of 5

Being Carlos Alcaraz: The Man Behind the Smile

By Mark Hodgkinson

The tennis scene has been dominated by the likes of Federer, Djokovic and Nadal for a long time, so it’s exciting to see players like Sinner and Alcaraz building their own legacies on the global men’s circuit. Hodgkinson provides a detailed picture of the young Spaniard and his world.

Goodreads rating: 3.6 out of 5

Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson

By Mark Kriegel

Kriegel tells this engaging story about one of the sport’s most complex greats, from his troubled upbringing to his rise to the pinnacle of the sport and the subsequent ups and downs. It also provides the backstory of some of the characters involved in boxing from the 1980s to the present day.

Goodreads rating: 4 out of 5

The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports

By Nicholas Thompson

Thompson tells the story about how running became a bond across three generations – connecting him with his marathoning father and his own son. He discusses the discipline required to succeed, as well as how the solitude of long-distance running can help one examine some of life’s big questions.

Goodreads rating: 4.6 out of 5

Running Africa: Cape to Cairo – A Journey of Heart and Hope

By Keith Boyd

South Africa’s “rainbow runner,” Keith Boyd left Cape Town in 2023 and arrived in Cairo 301 days later, breaking a world record and raising awareness for youth voter participation. Boyd tells the story of his brushes with danger, illness and injury along his 11,000km journey. The book is both a story of endurance and a homage to the African continent.