First published 2026
Do individual leaders shape history, or do larger forces control human destiny? Jared Diamond tackles this fundamental question by examining leaders across politics, religion, business, and sports. He opens with a striking example: on March 13, 1930, a truck nearly killed Adolf Hitler in a traffic accident. Would World War Two and the Holocaust have happened if Hitler had died that day? Diamond studies figures from Genghis Khan to Margaret Thatcher, from Mark Zuckerberg to basketball coach John Wooden. He analyzes Botswana president Seretse Khama, environmentalist Rachel Carson, and other leaders both famous and obscure. Through these case studies, Diamond reveals how leadership effectiveness depends on complex factors including individual talent, historical circumstances, timing, and opportunity. The book examines what qualities enable some leaders to change the world while others fail to leave their mark. Diamond shows how understanding leadership successes and failures helps readers evaluate contemporary leaders and make better decisions about votes, faith, and the people who guide society.
Genres: biography, history, business, leadership, non-fiction
Vibes: analytical, contemplative, insightful, scholarly, thought-provoking
Tropes: case-study-analysis, comparative-biography, counterfactual-history
Setting: Botswana
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century, World War II
400 pages · Paperback · William Morrow Large Print
Content warnings: war