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Political commentator Ben Shapiro highlighted 12 essential biographies in a July 19 episode of The Ben Shapiro Show, spanning centuries, from revolutionary leaders to modern tech visionaries.
Biographies offer an intimate lens into the lives of influential figures, revealing their triumphs, flaws, and the historical contexts that shaped them. These meticulously researched works are not only personal narratives but also gateways to a larger world of politics, war, innovation, and power.
Here, we take a look at these must-read biographies recommended by Ben Shapiro.
Ben Shapiro's must-read biographies explored
1. John Adams - David McCullough
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Shapiro starts with a biography of a key figure in American history: the nation’s second president, John Adams. Through Adams’ diaries and letters, particularly those he wrote to and received from Abigail Adams, author David McCullough portrays a man deeply committed to the cause of freedom, even at the cost of estranging friends. However, he never parted company with the cause of liberty.
Shapiro praised the biography's accessibility and depth, calling Adams a perfect fit for Twitter for his unguarded honesty.
"He would have been amazing at Twitter, John Adams, because everything that he wanted to say, he just sort of said," Shapiro stated in his video.
2. Alexander Hamilton - Ron Chernow
Next on Ben Shapiro's list of biographies was Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton, on which the hit musical Hamilton is based. Shapiro noted that Chernow is one for exhaustive detail, but praised how Chernow debunks myths associated with the Founding Fathers.
Instead, Chernow depicts Hamilton as a self-made man and immigrant whose fiscal expertise helped lay the financial foundation for America’s rise.
3. The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York - Robert Caro
Moving into modern history, Robert Caro’s The Power Broker peels back the layers of the life of Robert Moses, the powerful and controversial urban planner who redesigned New York City.
Caro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, a behemoth at more than 1,300 pages, is an exploration of the routinization of idealism into untrammeled power. Shapiro expressed admiration for Caro’s ability to make bureaucratic maneuvering as gripping, calling him a "tremendous writer."
4. Huey Long - T. Harry Williams
T. Harry Williams’ Huey Long examines the fiery Louisiana governor whose populist rhetoric and ruthless tactics made him a powerhouse during the Depression era.
Shapiro drew parallels between Long’s blend of left-wing economics and Trump-like charisma, emphasizing that his assassination was a turning point in Southern politics.
5. The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill - William Manchester, Churchill: A Life - Martin Gilbert
No list of political biographies would be complete without Winston Churchill. For the sweeping narratives of Britain’s wartime leader, Ben Shapiro recommended William Manchester’s The Last Lion and Martin Gilbert’s Churchill: A Life.
The Manchester trilogy, with the last book completed by Paul Reid after his death, captures Churchill’s wit, determination, and strategic insight.
6. American Caesar - William Manchester
Similarly, Manchester’s American Caesar offers a nuanced portrayal of General Douglas MacArthur, contrasting his military genius with his vanity and decline.
Shapiro highlighted MacArthur’s clashes with President Truman as a cautionary tale about civil-military tensions. He also lauded Manchester's writing, saying:
"Manchester is a terrific writer. What you find in all of these biographies, it's not just the nature of the the people who are being written about. It's the quality of the writing, how colorful the writing is, how evocative it is, how much you feel about the people who are being spoken about as though they're real flesh and blood human beings."
7. Hitler - Ian Kershaw
To understand the authoritarian regimes of the era, Shapiro turns to Ian Kershaw’s two-volume biography of Hitler.
Kershaw’s work carefully traces Hitler’s ascent, highlighting the ideological fury and personal opportunism that drove his atrocities.
8. Stalin - Robert Service
Robert Service moves beyond Soviet-era portrayals to examine Stalin’s paranoia and ruthless actions. He argues that Stalin's crimes are on a par with Hitler’s, a point Shapiro emphasizes is often overlooked.
9. Mao: The Unknown Story - Jung Chang
Jung Chang’s Mao: The Unknown Story challenges more sympathetic portrayals of Mao. Based on newly available sources, Chang details Chairman Mao’s deliberate starvation of millions and his vengeful manipulation of World War II.
Shapiro lauds the book for offering a more critical perspective on Mao's legacy.
10. Kissinger: 1923-1968: The Idealist - Niall Ferguson
Niall Ferguson examines the often-debated statesman in the first volume of a planned two-part biography, Kissinger. The biographies focus on Kissinger's life as an intellectual.
Shapiro appreciated Ferguson’s balanced approach, noting how Kissinger’s experience as a refugee shaped his worldview.
11. Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson
In the tech world, Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs delves deeply into the Apple co-founder’s mercurial genius. Shapiro describes how Jobs metamorphosed from a volatile visionary to a balanced creative pragmatist.
Issacson's access to Jobs and those closest to him makes the biography unparalleled in verity.
12. Johannes Brahms: A Biography - Jan Swafford
Jan Swafford’s Johannes Brahms: A Biography celebrates the composer’s turbulent life.
Steeped from his earliest years playing piano in brothels, to his love life with Clara Schumann, Brahms’ was a tale of artistic struggle.
Shapiro’s picks reveal that biographies are more than just life stories. They are illuminations of social strata, the conundrums of leadership, and the habits and predispositions of nature.
From Adams’ role in the revolution to Kissinger’s diplomatic efforts, these biographies show that the best life stories can be both personal and widely relevant.
