This just in from the Next Big Idea Club: Curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink have carefully read through our list of newly nominated books, and have hand-picked the most exciting nonfiction titles of the season. We’re proud to announce that the eight finalists for the summer of 2021 are…
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
By Amanda Montell
Publication Date: June 15, 2021
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. View on Amazon
Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing
By Pete Davis
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
A profoundly inspiring and transformative argument that purposeful commitment can be a powerful force in our age of restlessness and indecision. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain
By Annie Murphy Paul
Publication Date: June 8, 2021
A bold new book reveals how we can tap the intelligence that exists beyond our brains—in our bodies, our surroundings, and our relationships. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
Extra Life : A Short History of Living Longer
By Steven Johnson
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
The surprising story of how humans gained what amounts to an extra life, from the bestselling author of How We Got to Now and Where Good Ideas Come From. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
By Katy Milkman
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
Award-winning Wharton professor Katy Milkman reveals a proven path that can take you from where you are to where you want to be. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgement
By Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass Sunstein
Publication Date: May 18, 2021
From the Nobel Prize-winning author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, an Oxford professor, and a Harvard professor comes a revolutionary exploration of why people make bad judgments—and how to make better ones. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
The Premonition: A Pandemic Story
By Michael Lewis
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
Michael Lewis’s taut and brilliant nonfiction thriller pits a band of medical visionaries against the wall of ignorance that was the official response of the Trump administration to the outbreak of COVID-19. View on Amazon
The Sea We Swim In: How Stories Work in a Data-Driven World
By Frank Rose
Publication Date: June 29, 2021
Building on insights from cognitive psychology and neuroscience, Rose shows us how to see the world in narrative terms, not as a thesis to be argued or a pitch to be made but as a story to be told. View on Amazon
