The Economist reads

North Korea

What to read to understand North Korea

Our correspondent picks six essential books on the Hermit Kingdom

Xinjiang

What to read to understand Xinjiang

Books and a documentary that consider Uyghur culture and repression by China

Why people flee

What to read (and watch) to understand refugees

An introduction to the problems of forced migration

The Economist reads

An introduction to the books of Hilary Mantel

Our culture correspondent recommends five works by the Booker prizewinning novelist

Xi Jinping

What to read to understand Xi Jinping

China’s leader is deliberately secretive, but five books offer clues about his back story

Travel writing by women

What to read to follow the footsteps of great women travel writers

Six essential travel books

Donald Trump

What to read to understand Donald Trump

Five handy books on the man who remains at the centre of American politics

The monarchy

What to read to understand the British monarchy

Our former Britain correspondent suggests seven books

Opinion polling

What to read to understand how polling is done

One of our data journalists picks four books to help readers understand political polls

How to write

What to read to become a better writer

Five texts that explain how to write simply and well

The keepers of money

What to read to understand central banking

Four books and a paper on the most powerful wonks in the world

Turkey

What to read to understand Turkey

Our correspondent selects five books to help understand a fascinating, changing country