Besides CZ's new book, what other biographies of people in the cryptocurrency industry are worth reading?

On April 8, 2026, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) released his new book "Freedom of Money," sparking interest in the crypto community.
The article recommends a must-read booklist for the crypto world, divided into Western and Chinese perspectives.
Western perspective books include "Digital Gold" (origin of Bitcoin), "The Infinite Machine" (birth of Ethereum), "Going Infinite" (rise and fall of SBF), and "Kings of Crypto" (Coinbase's compliance), focusing on technology, regulation, and capital markets.
Chinese perspective documentaries include "韭菜的自我修养" (retail investor philosophy), mining war chronicles (Bitmain infighting), Sun Yuchen and OKX stories (CEX history), and the collapse of the Huiwang empire (dark web risks), emphasizing grassroots, power struggles, and human nature.
The conclusion highlights how these resources help understand the logic, capital, power, and humanity behind the crypto decade.

Author: Shouyi I Biteye Content Team

On April 8, 2026, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ)'s new book, "Freedom of Money," was officially launched, instantly igniting a reading frenzy throughout the crypto community.

The cryptocurrency world is never short of stories of overnight riches, but hidden behind the candlestick charts and code are often more thrilling human struggles and power battles.

If you still feel unsatisfied after reading CZ's new book, then the following must-read list and in-depth documentary on the cryptocurrency world, covering both Chinese and foreign perspectives, will definitely give you a clear understanding of this magical decade-long industry.

I. Western Perspective: From Geek Utopia to Wall Street's Global Narrative

Western-perspective biographies often focus more on the clash of technological idealism, compliance struggles, and the frenzy of the capital market.

1. Digital Gold - The "Genesis" of Bitcoin

Key figures: Satoshi Nakamoto, the Winklevoss brothers, and early geeks
Highlights: If you want to know how it all started, this is a must-read foundational work. Author Nathaniel Popper uses detailed oral history to record how Bitcoin went from a geek experiment in a cypherpunk mailing list to attracting dark web hackers on the Silk Road, Silicon Valley venture capitalists, and ultimately the Winklevoss twins to re-enter the market.

2. *The Infinite Machine* - The Chaotic Birth of Ethereum

Key figures: Vitalik Buterin (V God) and co-founder of Ethereum
Highlights: This book vividly portrays how Vitalik Buterin led a group of geniuses and madmen with diverse personalities to build the Ethereum empire amidst chaos. It details the early DAO hack and the ensuing hard fork crisis, showcasing the compromises and perseverance of technological idealism in the face of practical interests.

3. *Going Infinite* - The Collapse of a Super Bubble

Key figure: Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF)
Highlights: Written by Michael Lewis, author of *The Big Short*, this book chronicles the absurd journey of FTX founder SBF, from a "genius billionaire" to a prisoner. Combined with CZ's assessment of SBF in his new book, reading both books side-by-side will provide a deeper understanding of how Alameda's financial black hole devoured billions of dollars.

4. Kings of Crypto - A Compliance Model for Embracing Regulation

Key figure: Brian Armstrong (Coinbase CEO)
Key Takeaways: Unlike Binance's early "wandering" approach, Coinbase took a path of relentless compliance with US regulations. This book chronicles Brian Armstrong's journey from humble beginnings to taking Coinbase public on Nasdaq under the watchful eye of the SEC, providing crucial insight into the evolution of power within the US cryptocurrency industry.

II. A Chinese-language perspective: Rise of the grassroots, internal strife, and the dark web – a chronicle of the underworld.

Compared to Western technical narratives, the history of the Chinese-speaking cryptocurrency community is more like a rough-and-tumble chronicle full of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) spirit. Due to regulatory sensitivity, there are relatively few official autobiographies of prominent figures in the Chinese-speaking world, but the top-tier in-depth feature articles are equally brilliant.

5. "The Self-Cultivation of Leeks" - An Enlightenment and Self-Mockery for Retail Investors

Key figure: Li Xiaolai
Highlights: As one of the most controversial "Bitcoin billionaires" in the early Chinese-speaking world, Li Xiaolai's book, though short, bluntly reveals the logic of cryptocurrency market manipulators and the fatal mentality of retail investors ("newbies"). It is an epitome of early Chinese-language cryptocurrency investment philosophy.

6. The Mining Wars: A Chronicle of Bitmain's Internal Strife (In-Depth Feature)

Key figures: Wu Jihan vs. Zhan Ketuan
Key Takeaways: Computing power was once the most powerful weapon for Chinese-language cryptocurrency companies to dominate the global market. This in-depth documentary series details the dramatic "Wu-Wu split" between Bitmain's two founders, from working side-by-side to fighting for the company seal, splitting up, and going to court. Understanding it reveals the power vacuum in the mining industry and the truth behind the bear market.

Wu Jihan: The Beauty of Computing Power

https://www.techflowpost.com/en-US/article/10614

Bitmain's "Gods Clash," But It's Them Who Get Hurt.

https://36kr.com/p/745657888526214

Bitmain has finally quieted down; Wu Jihan leaves with love in his heart.

https://36kr.com/p/1072430725510278

7. Justin Sun's Biography and OK Life (In-depth Documentary Collection)

Key figures: Sun Yuchen, Xu Mingxing, Li Lin
Highlights: Whether it's Justin Sun, the marketing genius who secured a dinner with Warren Buffett, or Xu Mingxing, who led OKX through a dramatic turnaround after dropping out of school and amidst rights protection controversies, or Li Lin, who sadly sold Huobi, these three individuals' stories, interwoven with in-depth recaps from major media outlets in 2026 and revelations from CZ's new book, form a complete ten-year history of the fierce battle in the Chinese-language CEX (centralized exchanges).

"This World Is Both Cruel and Gentle," Justin Sun's 2026 B.AI Interview

https://www.techflowpost.com/en-US/article/31072

Xu Mingxing's "OK Life"

https://en.theblockbeats.news/news/61880

8. The Collapse of the Huiwang Empire: A 24 Billion Yuan Underground River (Latest Investigation Report in 2026)

Key figures: Gray market tycoons and money laundering networks
Key Takeaways: With the regulatory crackdown expected in 2026, a hidden cryptocurrency black market empire in Southeast Asia has come to light. This series of investigative reports exposes the operational logic of Telegram's dark web marketplace, USDT money laundering networks, and fraudulent industrial parks, providing a stark warning about the "dark river risks" of cryptocurrency.

The Collapse of the Huiwang Empire: A 24 Billion Underground River

https://www.odaily.news/en/post/5210095

Conclusion

The cryptocurrency industry's rise over the past decade or so has not been a sudden phenomenon, nor has it been a mere gambling operation. Western biographies outline the industry's technological landscape and capital logic, while in-depth documentaries from the Chinese-speaking world fill in the gaps with the flesh and blood of power, desire, and human nature.

From the geek spirit in *Digital Gold*, to the reflections behind bars in *Freedom of Money*, and the stark warning in *The Collapse of the Huiwang Empire*, reading these texts will not only help you understand the logic behind candlestick charts, but also give you a clearer understanding of this crazy world built on "cryptography and human nature."