“I’m going to steal the Declaration of Independence.”
So proclaims Nicholas Cage in National Treasure, a pulse-pounding 2004 movie in which he decodes centuries-old messages in pursuit of the world’s greatest treasure. While the real Declaration of Independence (probably) doesn’t have a map hidden on the back, the film is correct about one thing: We’re still discovering remarkable new secrets from history all the time.
If you’d like to get in touch with your inner Nick Cage, a number of new books are ready to take you on a revelatory journey through the ages—and the six reads below are an excellent place to start.
Humankind: A Hopeful History
By Rutger Bregman
From the New York Times bestselling author of Utopia for Realists comes a remarkably optimistic take on human nature, one that shows how our innate kindness and cooperation have been the greatest factors in our long-term success on the planet. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution
By Carl R. Trueman
In this timely book, religious scholar Carl Trueman analyzes the development of the sexual revolution as a symptom—rather than the cause—of the human search for identity. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
Enemy of All Mankind: A True Story of Piracy, Power, and History’s First Global Manhunt
By Steven Johnson
Bestselling author Steven Johnson reveals how a notorious pirate named Henry Every triggered the emergence of the East India Company, the British Empire, and the modern global marketplace: a densely interconnected planet ruled by nations and corporations. View on Amazon
Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age
By Annalee Newitz
Acclaimed science journalist Annalee Newitz takes readers on a mind-bending adventure into the deep history of urban life by exploring the rise and fall of four ancient cities, each the center of a sophisticated civilization. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
By Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell weaves together the stories of a Dutch genius and his homemade computer, a band of brothers in central Alabama, a British psychopath, and pyromaniacal chemists at Harvard to examine one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history. View on Amazon
The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science
By Seb Falk
Cambridge science historian Seb Falk takes us on a tour of medieval science through the eyes of a fourteenth-century monk named John of Westwyk, showing how medieval ideas continue to color how we see the world today. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
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