5 Books About Taboo Subjects and Dangerous Ideas
Magazine / 5 Books About Taboo Subjects and Dangerous Ideas

5 Books About Taboo Subjects and Dangerous Ideas

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5 Books About Taboo Subjects and Dangerous Ideas

“Everything the light touches is our kingdom,” Mufasa tells his awestruck son in The Lion King. “What about that shadowy place?” Simba asks. “You must never go there,” Mufasa says firmly. So what does Simba do? He heads straight for it.

Indeed, something within often pulls us toward the forbidden, the unknown, the taboo. So if you’d like to investigate the dangerous ideas and shadowy places of our cultural discourse—alongside wise, informative guides who know the territory well—then check out the five fascinating reads below.

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Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

By Amanda Montell

The author of the widely praised Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power.

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The Truth About Lies: The Illusion of Honesty and the Evolution of Deceit by Aja Raden

The Truth About Lies: The Illusion of Honesty and the Evolution of Deceit

By Aja Raden

Buttressed by history, psychology, and science, The Truth About Lies is both an eye-opening primer on con-artistry―from pyramid schemes to shell games, forgery to hoaxes―and also a telescopic view of society through the mechanics of belief: why we lie, why we believe, and how, if at all, the acts differ.

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Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear by Carl L. Hart

Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear

By Carl L. Hart

Columbia neuroscientist Carl Hart draws on decades of research and his own personal experience to argue that the criminalization and demonization of drug use—not drugs themselves—have been a tremendous scourge on America, not least in reinforcing this country’s enduring structural racism.

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Let's Talk About Hard Things by Anna Sale

Let’s Talk About Hard Things

By Anna Sale

Diving into five of the most fraught conversation topics—death, sex, money, family, and identity—Sale moves between memoir, fascinating snapshots of a variety of Americans opening up about their lives, and expert opinions to show why having tough conversations is important and how to do them in a thoughtful and generous way.

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Dangerous Ideas: A Brief History of Censorship in the West, from the Ancients to Fake News by Eric Berkowitz

Dangerous Ideas: A Brief History of Censorship in the West, from the Ancients to Fake News

By Eric Berkowitz

More than just a history of censorship, Dangerous Ideas illuminates the power of restricting speech; how it has defined states, ideas, and culture; and (despite how each of us would like to believe otherwise) how it is something we all participate in.

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