Kochland

Christopher Leonard's history of Koch Industries follows how a regional pipeline business became one of the largest private companies in the world. The first part starts with Charles Koch taking charge after his father Fred died in 1967 and covers union fights, a struggle for control among the Koch brothers, and the troubled 1996 purchase of Purina Mills. The second turns to commodity trading and finance, including the purchase of Georgia-Pacific and the company's part in the 2000 California electricity crisis. Its last part examines how regulatory battles and Charles Koch's libertarian views fed a long campaign to discredit climate change. Leonard spent seven years on the book, which came out in 2019.

William Cohan, author of House of Cards, endorsed it for its deep reporting and narrative flair, describing a portrait of the Kochs as both ruthless businessmen and savvy political operatives.