This is How They Tell Me the World Ends (Bloomsbury 2021), Nicole Perlroth’s alarming look at the world of underground cyberarms, has been named the 2021 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year. “Digital sabotage,” Perlroth said after her win, “is the immediate threat that we can do something about—if we wake up. The goal of this book is to wake people up.”
The book draws on nearly a decade of the author’s cybersecurity and digital espionage reporting for the New York Times, where she worked with hundreds of sources including hackers and government officials. On December 1, Perlroth left the Times to join a new committee with the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Maybe one day I will hopefully get back to journalism,” she said, “but in the meantime, the threat is too great for me to keep doing what I was doing.”
McKinsey’s Europe managing partner Magnus Tyreman and Financial Times editor Roula Khalaf awarded the £30,000 prize during a live event at London’s National Gallery, where CBI director general Tony Danker was guest speaker. Along with the previous two winners, Sarah Frier and Caroline Criado-Perez, Perlroth becomes the third woman in a row to take the prize.
“Nicole Perlroth has written a book that is more than just a timely wake-up call to the profound implications of the arms race among hackers, cybercriminals, businesses, and national governments,” Magnus said. “It is an alarming book, one in which the author makes a granular and matter-of-fact case demonstrating how vulnerable global computer systems have become and an urgent plea for specific and systematic action.”
The judging panel was chaired by Khalaf, who said she hoped the book would be read, and paid attention to, by CEOs. Joining her on the panel were Mimi Alemayehou, senior vice president for public-private partnerships at Mastercard’s humanitarian and development group; Mitchell Baker, CEO, Mozilla; Mohamed El-Erian, president, Queens’ College, Cambridge, and advisor to Allianz and Gramercy; Herminia Ibarra, professor of organizational behavior, London Business School; James Kondo, chair, International House of Japan; Randall Kroszner, professor of economics and deputy dean for executive programs at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business; Raju Narisetti, publisher, global publishing, McKinsey; and Shriti Vadera, chair, Prudential.
The Bracken Bower Prize for the best business book proposal in 2021 by an author under 35 was also awarded at the event. Ines Lee and Eileen Tipoe’s proposal for Failing the Class, which looks at the future of higher education, was awarded the £15,000 prize.
The Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award is given annually to the book that provides “the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues.” Each of this year’s shortlisted authors receives £10,000.
