Reading Lists for 5 of This Week's Headline-Makers

These five people made their way into this week's headlines—and they must be exhausted. No better time to curl up with a good book, right? Here, let us guide their Amazon purchases:

Wendi Deng, future ex-wife of Rubert Murdoch:

• Are Men Necessary? by Maureen Dowd. Best paired with a pedicure and a mug of wine. Dowd's book examines marriage, divorce, and why/if it all matters. In her upcoming transition to her life as a divorcee, Deng may need some of Dowd's snark.

• A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, paired with The Vanishing Newspaper by Philip Meyer. Woolf's insistence that a successful woman needs "a room of one's own" can be applied to a fantastic next move for Deng: In his book, Meyer discusses journalism's future and his suggestions for how to save the newsroom. We hope it will guide Deng to build a media empire of her own.

Edward Snowden, NSA leaker:

• Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Snowden should find himself a cabin and a bean field, and try to stay out of touch for a little while. Learn to fish. Live simply.

• Cypherpunks by Julian Assange, Jacob Appelbaum, and Andy Muller-Maguhn. I'd like to imagine that Snowden is having a beer with Assange right now, and they're complimenting each other. ("Nice polo." "Nice glasses.")

Eric Glatt and Alexander Footman, former Fox interns:

• The Good Person of Szechuan by Bertolt Brecht. Brecht's play about a hardworking but broke prostitute and her alter-ego, a ruthless businessman, explores morality in a business-oriented world. Bercht advocates for the little people.

• Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Seuss. Seriously. Those dogs. Seeing Natalie Portman in a tutu wasn't enough?

Pedro Espada Jr., former New York state senator convicted of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his nonprofit:

• A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. Like Egan's young Sasha, Espada has sticky fingers and probably issues with control.