The 50 Most Dangerous Families in the World

Hannu Sokala

Original title: Maailman 50 vaarallisinta sukua

Author: Hannu Sokala

Published: 2023

Publisher: Otava/Nemo

Genre: General Nonfiction

Reading material:

English sample

They prefer to stay in the shadows. Who are the families with the most influence in the world?

  • A bestseller in Finland with close to 8,000 copies sold!
  • The newest title by the co-author of The 50 Most Dangerous Companies in the World, sold to 8 territories!
  • English sample available, featuring 5 of the dangerous families: Rotenberg, Musk, Guriev, Grimaldi, Wallenberg
  • Updates slated for 2024!

Very few of us know the Lees, the al-Nahyans, the Quandts, the Safras or the Wertheimers. We all know, however, their companies Samsung, Manchester City, BMW, Chiquita, and Chanel. Many of the world’s most influential companies are still family businesses, and many of these families go back many generations, some even to the 18th Century. Many of them operate around the world, and some are worth tens of billions of dollars. Still, we know astonishingly little about these families.

The stories of the families in this book contain larger-than-life characters, unbelievable plots, and numerous conflicts, tragedies, and successes. This non-fiction book by the experienced business journalist Hannu Sokala offers a comprehensive and surprising perspective on the world’s most important, and dangerous families.

In his book, Hannu Sokala has gathered a selection of rich families who, in addition to wealth, have gathered influence that stretches in multiple directions. In the foreword, he states that as a journalist, not as a researcher or a historian, he has selected families that appear more influential and interesting than others. The reader is grateful. [---] This book, like THE 50 MOST DANGEROUS COMPANIES IN THE WORLD, published in 2021 (co-authored by Sokala and Juha-Pekka Raeste), deserve a spot in everyone’s personal library.

Leena Brandt, Verde online newspaper

Download reading materials

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava/Nemo (orig.)
HUNGARY: Scolar

About author

Hannu Sokala

Hannu Sokala has worked as a financial journalist for over 30 years, starting at the daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and, lastly, as an investigative reporter for the Finnish National Broadcasting Company YLE. He enjoys digging into the biggest banks and corporations and the most powerful industries.

Hannu’s latest books (The 50 Most Dangerous Companies in the World, with co-author Juha-Pekka Raeste, and The 50 Most Dangerous Families in the World) are bestsellers in Finland.

Hannu resides with his wife, daughter, and two huskies in Tuusula, a 40-minute train ride north of Helsinki. The four seasons start at the front door of their house, which is surrounded by big trees.

In addition to books, Hannu is into music (he is only one short of seeing 30 Bruce Springsteen concerts; his most recent big favourite is the amazing Welsh artist Ren), television (do not get him started, but everything by Stephen Poliakoff and Dennis Potter, in addition to Heimat, Seinfeld, The Sopranos, Gomorrah, Lost, Better Call Saul, etc.), and movies (just don’t).

His ambition is to write nonfiction in a way that inspires people to get interested in the big questions about money, economics, and democracy.

Bibliography


2023, General Nonfiction

Hannu Sokala

The 50 Most Dangerous Families in the World