History is unchanging, but new perspectives on our past can bring hidden stories to light—stories that paint a whole different picture of what we thought we knew. Celebrate and contemplate the story of America this 4th of July weekend with these seven fresh takes on understanding our nation.
Triumph of the Yuppies: America, the Eighties, and the Creation of an Unequal Nation
By Tom McGrath
Triumph of the Yuppies charts Boomers’ transformation from hippy idealists in the late 1960s to careerists in the early 1980s, and details how marketers, the media, and politicians pivoted to appeal to this influential new group. Most significantly, the me‑first mindset typical of Yuppieness helped create the largest income inequality in a century. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Tom McGrath, in the Next Big Idea App
The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It
By Corey Brettschneider
American presidents have often pushed the boundaries established for them by the Constitution; this is the inspirational history of the people who pushed back. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Heather McGhee, in the Next Big Idea App
Ben & Me: In Search of a Founder’s Formula for a Long and Useful Life
By Eric Weiner
New York Times bestselling author Eric Weiner follows in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin, mining his life for inspiring and practical lessons in a book that’s part biography, part travelogue, part personal prescription. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Eric Weiner, in the Next Big Idea App
The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis
By George Stephanopoulos
George Stephanopoulos, former senior advisor to President Clinton and for more than 20 years anchor of This Week and co-anchor of Good Morning America, recounts the crises that decided the course of history, from the place 12 presidents made their highest-pressure decisions: the White House Situation Room. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author George Stephanopoulos, in the Next Big Idea App
The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective
By Steven Johnson
A sweeping account of the anarchists who terrorized the streets of New York and the detective duo who transformed policing to meet the threat—a tale of fanaticism, forensic science, and dynamite from the bestselling author of The Ghost Map. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Steven Johnson, in the Next Big Idea App
Poverty for Profit: How Corporations Get Rich off America’s Poor
By Anne Kim
A devastating investigation into the “corporate poverty complex”—the myriad businesses that profit from the poor. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Anne Kim, in the Next Big Idea App
Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America
By Shefali Luthra
An urgent investigation into the experience of seeking an abortion after the fall of Roe v. Wade, and the life-threatening consequences of being denied reproductive freedom. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Shefali Luthra, in the Next Big Idea App
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium video e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
