Towards a History of Failure (69 books)

Listopia > Towards a History of Failure

"Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan." I get tired of reading success stories that are mostly survivor bias and 20/20 hindsight. What about the people, groups, companies, etc that thought they were making the smart moves but failed anyway? These are their stories.

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou 4.40 avg rating — 285,679 ratings score: 292, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	The Pope's Daughter: The Extraordinary Life of Felice Della Rovere by Caroline P. Murphy 3.74 avg rating — 658 ratings score: 199, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris 4.04 avg rating — 29,421 ratings score: 197, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale by Michael Bamberger 3.75 avg rating — 476 ratings score: 197, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	How They Choked: Failures, Flops, and Flaws of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg 3.79 avg rating — 1,296 ratings score: 196, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero 4.29 avg rating — 35,325 ratings score: 185, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	I Tried to Run a Railway by Gerard Fiennes 3.89 avg rating — 53 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times by Kenneth Whyte (Goodreads Author) 4.35 avg rating — 1,614 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Eugenie: The Empress And Her Empire by Desmond Seward 3.76 avg rating — 171 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management by Roger Lowenstein 4.20 avg rating — 32,038 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Piedras de Afilar: The Unfulfilled Dream of a 19th Century Scottish Botanist in South America by Oliver Dawe 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	As Ding Saw Herbert Hoover by Jay N. Darling really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron by Bethany McLean 4.22 avg rating — 28,590 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	John Lydgate's Fall of Princes: Narrative Tragedy in Its Literary and Political Contexts (Oxford English Monographs) by Nigel Mortimer it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism by Kevin Phillips 3.72 avg rating — 1,047 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline by Flora Fraser 3.59 avg rating — 276 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Rebel Brag and British Bluster: A Record of Unfulfilled Prophecies, Baffled Schemes, and Disappointed Hopes, with Echoes of Very Insignificant Thunder: Very Pleasant to Read and Instructive to All Who Are Capable of Learning. by Richard Grant White 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Poor People's Movements: Why They Succeed, How They Fail by Frances Fox Piven 4.12 avg rating — 533 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Charlotte & Leopold: The True Story of the Original People's Princess by James Chambers 3.92 avg rating — 919 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 123,571 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Songs of a Man Who Failed; The Poetical Writings of Henry Clinton Parkhurst by Henry Clinton Parkhurst 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Vanquished by Robert Gerwarth 4.17 avg rating — 1,854 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser 3.94 avg rating — 38,773 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis 4.30 avg rating — 173,212 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Design and Construction Failures: Lessons From Forensic Investigations by Dov Kaminetzky it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 7 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Boo Hoo: A Dot.com Story from Concept to Catastrophe by Ernst Malmsten 3.81 avg rating — 328 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Chickenshit Club: Why the Justice Department Fails to Prosecute Executives by Jesse Eisinger 3.79 avg rating — 2,007 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline P. Murphy 3.94 avg rating — 1,353 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Recollections of an Ill-Fated Expedition to the Headwaters of the Madeira River in Brazil by Neville B. Craig really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Justice Failed by Alton Logan 3.92 avg rating — 63 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	The United States and China in the Twentieth Century by Michael Schaller 3.32 avg rating — 37 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street by Sheelah Kolhatkar (Goodreads Author) 4.20 avg rating — 17,326 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Higher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology by Helge Kragh 4.45 avg rating — 104 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Revolution that Failed: Reconstruction in Natchitoches by Adam Fairclough 4.25 avg rating — 8 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan by Michael Hastings 3.93 avg rating — 2,669 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Tramping to Failure, An Autobiography by Thomas Hall Shastid 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Nicholas Ray: The Glorious Failure of an American Director – A Biography of Struggles, Triumphs, and Classic Cinema by Patrick McGilligan 3.88 avg rating — 98 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Fatal Flight: The True Story of Britain's Last Great Airship by Bill Hammack (Goodreads Author) 3.88 avg rating — 155 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	California Comeback: How A "Failed State" Became a Model for the Nation by Narda Zacchino 3.77 avg rating — 44 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray by Sabine Hossenfelder 4.05 avg rating — 3,497 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Paving Paradise: Florida's Vanishing Wetlands and the Failure of No Net Loss (The Florida History and Culture Series) by Craig Pittman (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 51 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande 4.28 avg rating — 53,128 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Who Really Feeds the World? The Failures of Agribusiness and the Promise of Agroecology by Vandana Shiva 3.93 avg rating — 442 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Ablaze: The Story of the Heroes and Victims of Chernobyl by Piers Paul Read 3.91 avg rating — 374 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Your Band Sucks: What I Saw at Indie Rock's Failed Revolution (But Can No Longer Hear) by Jon Fine (Goodreads Author) 3.60 avg rating — 665 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	I Am A Successful Failure by Sheldon Moldoff 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	The Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Torture: Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and InterrogationProgram by Senate Select Committee on Intelligence 4.10 avg rating — 352 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The More We Know: NBC News, Educational Innovation, and Learning from Failure by Eric Klopfer liked it 3.00 avg rating — 3 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	The Peasants' Revolt: England's Failed Revolution of 1381 by Alastair Dunn 3.85 avg rating — 34 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of our Times by George Crile 4.01 avg rating — 9,810 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The 5 Unanswered Questions About 9/11: What the 9/11 Commission Report Failed to Tell Us by James Ridgeway 3.46 avg rating — 28 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error by Sidney Dekker 4.22 avg rating — 635 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	SO WRONG FOR SO LONG: How the Press, the Pundits--and the President--Failed on Iraq (2013 Edition) by Greg Mitchell (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 71 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Bad Science by Ben Goldacre 4.06 avg rating — 45,162 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Roméo Dallaire 4.25 avg rating — 13,990 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients by Ben Goldacre 4.09 avg rating — 9,420 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Your Government Failed You: Breaking the Cycle of National Security Disasters by Richard A. Clarke 3.90 avg rating — 263 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that Predicted the Destruction of the World by Leon Festinger 3.80 avg rating — 1,345 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady by Florence King 4.01 avg rating — 1,999 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 15,839 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Descent into Chaos: The United States & the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan & Central Asia by Ahmed Rashid 3.95 avg rating — 2,646 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing by Peter Robison 4.17 avg rating — 4,359 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond 3.94 avg rating — 75,301 ratings score: 78, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned by John Strausbaugh (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 935 ratings score: 78, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why We Suffer by Bart D. Ehrman 3.95 avg rating — 6,038 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Intelligence Matters: The CIA, the FBI, Saudi Arabia, and the Failure of America's War on Terror by Bob Graham 3.92 avg rating — 117 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	The Big Book of Losers (Factoid Books) by Paul Kirchner 3.83 avg rating — 158 ratings score: 75, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	Thieves, Rascals and Sore Losers: The Unsettling History of the Dirty Deals that Helped Settle Nebraska by Marilyn Coffey (Goodreads Author) 3.64 avg rating — 36 ratings score: 74, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.03 avg rating — 7,487 ratings score: 73, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars