Every season, the Next Big Idea Club editorial staff reviews dozens of upcoming books to identify the most exciting, must-read nonfiction titles. We start with a broad pool of nominees, and then share them with our curators—Adam Grant, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, and Malcolm Gladwell—to identify a small handful finalists and, ultimately, two official season selections.
Today, we’re excited to share our list of nominees for Winter 2022. Neither our staff nor our curators have read each and every title below, but we believe that the two best nonfiction books of the season are among them. So if you’re looking for some exciting new reading, the nominees are…
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story
By Nikole Hannah-Jones
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
A dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story offers a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present. View on Amazon
An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States
By Kyle T. Mays
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
The first intersectional history of the Black and Native American struggle for freedom in our country that also reframes our understanding of who was Indigenous in early America. View on Amazon
Around the World in 80 Books
By David Damrosch
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
A transporting and illuminating voyage around the globe, through classic and modern literary works that are in conversation with one another and with the world around them. View on Amazon
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
By Brené Brown
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
Five-time #1 New York Times bestselling author Dr. Brené Brown writes, “If we want to find the way back to ourselves and one another, we need language and the grounded confidence to both tell our stories and to be stewards of the stories that we hear. This is the framework for meaningful connection.” View on Amazon
Beyond D&I: Leading Diversity with Purpose and Inclusion
By Kay Formanek
Publication Date: November 18, 2021
Formanek brings more than twenty years of experience working with the world’s leading organizations to integrate diversity and inclusion into the strategic roadmap of an organization. View on Amazon
Boundless Leadership: The Breakthrough Method to Realize Your Vision, Empower Others, and Ignite Positive Change
By Joe Loizzo and Elazar Aslan
Publication Date: December 21, 2021
Realize your fullest leadership potential, claim your boldest vision, and prioritize the well-being of your team and world with this new science-based approach to leadership. View on Amazon
Business Ethics: What Everyone Needs to Know
By J.S. Nelson and Lynn A. Stout
Publication Date: December 24, 2021
An authoritative and practical guide to business ethics, written in an accessible-question-and answer format. View on Amazon
Choose Your Story, Change Your Life: Silence Your Inner Critic and Rewrite Your Life from the Inside Out
By Kindra Hall
Publication Date: January 11, 2022
Kindra Hall offers up a new window into your psychology, one that travels the distance from the frontiers of neuroscience to the deep inner workings of your thoughts and feelings. View on Amazon
The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything* (*Abridged): Adventures in Math and Science
By Hannah Fry and Adam Rutherford
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
An illuminating guide to the entire universe (skipping the boring parts) through the head-scratching questions only science can answer. View on Amazon
Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us
By Brian Klaas
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
A provocative and revelatory look at what power is, who gets it, and what happens when they do, based on over 500 interviews with those who (for a while, at least) have had the upper hand. View on Amazon
Dark and Magical Places: The Neuroscience of Navigation
By Christopher Kemp
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
How the brain helps us to understand and navigate space―and why, sometimes, it doesn’t work the way it should. View on Amazon
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
By David Graeber and David Wengrow
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
A dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution―from the development of agriculture and cities to the origins of the state, democracy, and inequality―and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation. View on Amazon
Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet
By Colin Butfield and John Hughes
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
The Earthshot concept is simple: Urgency + Optimism = Action. We have ten years to turn the tide on the environmental crisis, but we need the world’s best solutions and one shared goal—to save our planet. View on Amazon
Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking
By Leonard Mlodinow
Publication Date: January 4, 2022
Using deep insights into our evolution, biology, and neuroscience, Mlodinow gives us the tools to understand our emotions better and to maximize their benefits. View on Amazon
The End of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us and How to Build Better Lives
By Jonathan Malesic
Publication Date: January 4, 2022
Going beyond the how and why of burnout, a former tenured professor combines academic methods and first-person experience to propose new ways for resisting our cultural obsession with work and transforming our vision of human flourishing. View on Amazon
Exponential: Transform Your Brand by Empowering Instead of Interrupting
By Jeff Rosenblum
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
One of the world’s top advertising executives shows how iconic brands win new customers and build armies of evangelists. View on Amazon
The Eye Test: A Case for Human Creativity in the Age of Analytics
By Chris Jones
Publication Date: January 11, 2022
In a world increasingly ruled by numbers and algorithms, award-winning journalist Chris Jones makes a compelling case for a more personal approach to analytical thinking. View on Amazon
Fixed.: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem Solving
By Amy Herman
Publication Date: December 14, 2021
With Amy Herman’s Fixed., we now have access to what the FBI, NATO, the State Department, Interpol, Scotland Yard, and many more organizations and their leaders have been using to solve their most intractable problems. View on Amazon
Flywheels: How Cities are Creating Their Own Futures
By Tom Alberg
Publication Date: November 2, 2021
Tom Alberg, a venture capitalist who was one of the first investors in Amazon, draws on his experience in Seattle’s tech boom to offer a vision for how cities and businesses can build a brighter future together. View on Amazon
Futureproof Your Career: How to Lead and Succeed in a Changing World
By Shaheena Janjuha-Jivraj and Naeema Pasha
Publication Date: December 14, 2021
An essential guide on how to improve your career and take full advantage of opportunities for progression. View on Amazon
Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation
By Ayelet Fishbach
Publication Date: January 4, 2022
Psychologist and behavioral scientist Ayelet Fishbach presents a new theoretical framework for self-motivated action, explaining how to identify the right goals, attack the “middle problem,” battle temptations, use the help of others around you, and so much more. View on Amazon
The Good Life Method: Reasoning Through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning
By Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko
Publication Date: January 4, 2022
Two Notre Dame philosophy professors into the classroom to work through issues like what justifies our beliefs, whether we should practice a religion, and what sacrifices we should make for others—as well as to investigate what figures such as Aristotle, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Iris Murdoch, and W. E. B. Du Bois have to say about how to live well. View on Amazon
How to Break Up with Your Friends: Establishing New Boundaries for Modern Friendships
By Erin Falconer
Publication Date: January 18, 2022
Nurture healthier connections with this friendship detox, and create the boundaries you need for a more supportive relationship circle. View on Amazon
How We Eat: The Brave New World of Food and Drink
By Paco Underhill
Publication Date: January 4, 2022
An entertaining and timely exploration of how our food—from where it’s grown to how we buy it—is in the midst of a transformation, showing how this is our chance to do better, for us, for our children, and for our planet, from a global expert on consumer behavior. View on Amazon
I Didn’t Do the Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt
By Madeleine Dore
Publication Date: January 11, 2022
Designed as a companion for the days that go off track, the book’s chapters explore the various ways we encounter productivity guilt—including comparison to others, striving for perfection, and our great expectations—to point to how a day doesn’t have to be optimized, but simply occupied. View on Amazon
Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen
By Zoe Chance
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Based on the most popular course at Yale School of Management, Mastering Influence and Persuasion, this transformative book draws on groundbreaking research in behavioral economics, neuroscience, and psychology to explain how to effect change that’s meaningful, durable, and contagious. View on Amazon
Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About Them
By Tessa West
Publication Date: January 18, 2022
For anyone pulling their hair out over an irritating colleague who’s not technically breaking any rules, a hilarious guide to getting difficult people off your back, from NYU psychology professor Tessa West. View on Amazon
Jump: Do What Scares You in Business and in Life
By Kim Perell
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
Discover the simple, successful formula for facing fear head on, ditching the excuses that hold you back, and finding the courage to Jump into the next chapter of your life. View on Amazon
Kingdom of Characters: The Language Revolution That Made China Modern
By Jing Tsu
Publication Date: January 18, 2022
A story of almost impossible odds and seemingly unsolvable puzzles, this account of China’s transformation as a triumph of linguistic innovation offers a new angle for understanding the rising superpower. View on Amazon
Lead with We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future
By Simon Mainwaring
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
Discover an urgent prescription for a new business paradigm—one that better serves humanity and the planet. View on Amazon
The Loop: How Technology is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight Back
By Jacob Ward
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
An eye-opening narrative journey into the rapidly changing world of artificial intelligence, revealing the dangerous ways AI is exploiting the unconscious habits of our minds and the real threat it poses to humanity. View on Amazon
Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers
By Chip Heath and Karla Starr
Publication Date: January 11, 2022
A clear, practical, first-of-its-kind guide to communicating and understanding numbers and data—from bestselling business author Chip Heath. View on Amazon
The Metail Economy: 6 Strategies for Transforming Your Business to Thrive in the Me-Centric Consumer Revolution
By Joel Bines
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
From Joel Bines, one of today’s top retail brand thought leaders, The Metail Economy provides innovative methods for connecting with the Me-centric consumer, and shows organizations how to survive this consumer revolution. View on Amazon
Money Magic: An Economist’s Secrets to More Money, Less Risk, and a Better Life
By Laurence Kotlikoff
Publication Date: January 4, 2022
Increase your spending power, enhance your standard of living, and make it on your own by following the insightful tips and tricks shared in this revolutionary guide to money management. View on Amazon
A Natural History of the Future: What the Laws of Biology Tell Us About the Destiny of the Human Species
By Rob Dunn
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
A leading ecologist argues that if humankind is to survive on a fragile planet, we must understand and obey its iron laws. View on Amazon
Not Being: The Art of Self-Transformation
By Steven D’Souza and Khuyen Bui
Publication Date: January 11, 2022
Through a range of inspirational stories from people in many different walks of life, Not Being is the essential guide to a more dynamic, meaningful, and rewarding way of life. View on Amazon
Nothing but Net: 10 Timeless Stock-Picking Lessons from One of Wall Street’s Top Tech Analysts
By Mark Mahaney
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
How can investors reliably find the next big winners in the space? In Nothing but Net, Evercore ISI’s Mark Mahaney lays out the framework for investors to fundamentally understand the tech sector and make shrewd decisions with their money rather than simply throw darts at what they hope is the next hot stock. View on Amazon
Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home
By Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
A future-looking, game-changing book from two leading culture reporters about the radical and transformational potential of working from home. View on Amazon
Please Scream Inside Your Heart: Breaking News and Nervous Breakdowns in the Year That Wouldn’t End
By Dave Pell
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
From the publisher of the NextDraft newsletter comes a cathartic and humorous ride through the unnerving, maddening hellscape of the 2020 press cycle, reestablishing the line between “real” news and real life. View on Amazon
The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again
By Catherine Price
Publication Date: December 21, 2021
If you’re not having fun, you’re not fully living. The author of How to Break Up with Your Phone makes the case that, far from being frivolous, fun is actually critical to our well-being—and shows us how to have more of it. View on Amazon
Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail
By Ray Dalio
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
Legendary investor Ray Dalio examines history’s most turbulent economic and political periods to reveal why the times ahead will likely be radically different from those we’ve experienced in our lifetimes—and offers practical advice on how to navigate them well. View on Amazon
The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back
By Donald Cohen and Allen Mikaelian
Publication Date: November 23, 2021
America’s leading defender of the public interest and a bestselling historian show us how to prevent the private takeover of our cherished public resources. View on Amazon
The Promises of Giants
By John Amaechi
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
The Promises of Giants is a challenge to anyone who aspires to make a difference in their environment. Over fourteen promises, it seamlessly intertwines personal anecdotes and workplace and social observation with the latest research, to provide practical, proven tips and strategies to empower you to maximize your own potential and inspire others. View on Amazon
Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy
By David Chalmers
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
In this highly original work of “technophilosophy,” Chalmers argues that virtual worlds generated by computers are not second-class worlds; we can live a meaningful life in virtual reality. View on Amazon
Seven Games: A Human History
By Oliver Roeder
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
Oliver Roeder traces the stories of enduring and beloved games: checkers, chess, go, backgammon, poker, scrabble, and bridge. He charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and the behavorial design that make them pleasurable. View on Amazon
Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company
By Whitney Johnson
Publication Date: January 11, 2022
Whitney Johnson dives more deeply than ever into the S Curve of Learning so that you can envision how growth happens and direct yourself and others in your organization to create a culture that fosters it. View on Amazon
Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk About Racism―and How to Do It
By Celeste Headlee
Publication Date: November 2, 2021
In this urgently needed guide, the PBS host, award-winning journalist, and author of We Need to Talk teaches us how to have productive conversations about race, offering insights, advice, and support. View on Amazon
Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now
By John Doerr
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
#1 bestselling author and acclaimed venture capitalist John Doerr reveals a sweeping action plan to conquer humanity’s greatest challenge: climate change. View on Amazon
Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence
By Amy B. Zegart
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
The first comprehensive book on the past, present, and future of American intelligence, one that outlines what’s urgently needed to protect our nation today. View on Amazon
Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again
By Johann Hari
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
Our ability to pay attention is collapsing. From the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections comes a groundbreaking examination of why this is happening—and how to get our attention back. View on Amazon
The Sunny Nihilist: A Declaration of the Pleasure of Pointlessness
By Wendy Syfret
Publication Date: January 4, 2022
An examination of a traditionally pessimistic concept of living that will redefine what we deem important—and leave us happier because of it. View on Amazon
The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny
By Bradley Schurman
Publication Date: January 18, 2022
Demographic and aging expert Bradley Schurman describes the “super age,” the time when there will be more people older than sixty-five than younger, and what that means for our collective future. View on Amazon
Talent: The Market Cap Multiplier
By Anish Batlaw and Ram Charan
Publication Date: January 4, 2022
General Atlantic’s Operating Partner Anish Batlaw and veteran business advisor and New York Times bestselling author Ram Charan show you how to build and incentivize management teams that can multiply enterprise value several times over in 4-5 years. View on Amazon
Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy
By Whitney Goodman
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
A powerful guide to owning our emotions—even the difficult ones—in order to show up authentically in the world, from the popular therapist behind the Instagram account @sitwithwhit. View on Amazon
Tracking Wonder: Reclaiming a Life of Meaning and Possibility in a World Obsessed with Productivity
By Jeffrey Davis
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
Discover how the lost art of wonder can help you cultivate greater creativity, resilience, meaning, and joy as you bring your greatest contributions to life. View on Amazon
The Transcendentalists and Their World
By Robert A. Gross
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
An intimate journey into the life of a community and a searching cultural study of major American writers as they plumbed the depths of the universe for spiritual truths and surveyed the rapidly changing contours of their own neighborhoods. View on Amazon
The Urge: Our History of Addiction
By Carl Erik Fisher
Publication Date: January 18, 2022
An authoritative, illuminating, and deeply humane history of addiction—a phenomenon that remains baffling and deeply misunderstood despite having touched countless lives—by an addiction psychiatrist striving to understand his own family and himself. View on Amazon
A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in Twelve Pithy Chapters
By Henry Gee
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
In the tradition of Richard Dawkins, Bill Bryson, and Simon Winchester comes an entertaining and uniquely informed narration of Life’s life story. View on Amazon
The Week: A History of the Unnatural Rhythms That Made Us Who We Are
By David M. Henkin
Reconstructing how weekly patterns insinuated themselves into the social practices and mental habits of Americans, Henkin argues that the week is more than just a regimen of rest days or breaks from work, but a dominant organizational principle of modern society. View on Amazon
Where Is My Flying Car?
By J. Storrs Hall
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
From an engineer and futurist, an impassioned account of technological stagnation since the 1970s and an imaginative blueprint for a richer, more abundant future. View on Amazon
White Men’s Law: The Roots of Systemic Racism
By Peter Irons
Publication Date: December 1, 2021
A searing—and sobering—account of the legal and extra-legal means by which systemic white racism has kept Black Americans “in their place,” from slavery to police and vigilante killings of Black men and women, from 1619 to the present. View on Amazon
Winning on Purpose: The Unbeatable Strategy of Loving Customers
By Fred Reichheld
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
With keen insight and moving personal stories, Reichheld advances the thinking and practice of the Net Promoter System. Winning on Purpose is your indispensable guide for inspiring customer love within your own teams and using Net Promoter to achieve both personal and business success. View on Amazon
Women in the Picture: What Culture Does with Female Bodies
By Catherine McCormack
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
Art historian Catherine McCormack challenges how culture teaches us to see and value women, their bodies, and their lives. View on Amazon
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