Although much progress has been made in fighting the global pandemic, many of us still feel like our worlds have been turned upside down. And it’s not just because of COVID-19—jarring changes have recently emerged across social, political, and economic spheres, changes that affect our lives in dramatic but sometimes confusing ways.
Fortunately, however, some of our brightest scientists and writers are here to take a bird’s-eye view of society, to figure out what’s going on and how on Earth we got here. So if you’ve ever wondered what the world today is coming to, you might find answers in the nine new books below.
The Plague Cycle: The Unending War Between Humanity and Infectious Disease
By Charles Kenny
How unique is the scale and seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic, and what useful insights can we learn from history’s great plagues? These are the questions that economist Charles Kenny tackles in The Plague Cycle, a sweeping history of the relationship between humanity and infection disease. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move
By Sonia Shah
Speaking of infectious disease, there’s a widespread fear that immigrants could carry deadly pathogens to one’s own shores. But science journalist Sonia Shah explains that this is a myth; in fact, migration is a natural and healthy phenomenon. It’s an educated, heartening message for a world frequently divided by immigration issues. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
Social Chemistry: Decoding the Patterns of Human Connection
By Marissa King
As we begin to emerge from our socially-distanced hibernation, we may struggle a bit with activities like networking, making small talk, or reconnecting with friends in person. Fortunately, Yale professor Marissa King shows us how we can build better relationships in both our personal and professional lives. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear
By Carl L. Hart
New York recently became the latest U.S. state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Is this a positive step toward a more free, more just society? Or perhaps a harbinger of dangerous developments to come? Get some straight talk about the science of drug use from Columbia neuroscientist Carl Hart. 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 2021, sexual orientation is a major pillar of one’s identity, and can be an essential determinant in how we interact with the world—but it hasn’t always been this way. In this new book from religious scholar Carl Trueman, we discover how and why sexual identity became so important to who we are, and what that means for our society. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World
By Simon Winchester
Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau once wrote, “The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple enough to believe him was the true founder of civil society.” Indeed, as acclaimed journalist Simon Winchester explores in Land, the notion of property has shaped who we are—and it points toward who we’re becoming. View on Amazon
Post Corona: From Crisis to Opportunity
By Scott Galloway
If you’re looking for the latest and greatest thinking about how the coronavirus pandemic will affect, well, everything, then look no further than Post Corona. NYU professor Scott Galloway examines everything from technology to education to government in his wide-ranging discussion of the world that COVID will leave us. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
Nobody’s Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness
By Roy Richard Grinker
The pandemic has wreaked havoc not just on our bodies, but also on our minds. If you or someone you love has struggled with a bout of depression or anxiety, be sure to pick up Nobody’s Normal, in which anthropologist Roy Richard Grinker explains why leaning on others for support is not a failure, but a hallmark quality of the human experience. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
Work: A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots
By James Suzman
Despite living in a world of material abundance, many of us are working harder and harder to get by—in fact, our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived fairly relaxed lives by comparison. How did this happen? In Work, social anthropologist James Suzman investigates how labor evolved from an ancient necessity into a modern obsession. View Our “Book Bite” Summary
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