When it comes to the important things in life, we always take the time to prepare. Standardized tests, first dates, wedding speeches—all would be a disaster without a bit of prep work.
So when it comes to the future of our world at large, why do we so often just shrug and hope for the best? As the ten excellent books below point out, there are real steps we can take to get ready for the future—and even help shape it ourselves.
Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything—Even Things That Seem Impossible Today
By Jane McGonigal
A world-renowned future forecaster and game designer draws on the latest scientific research in psychology and neuroscience to show us how to think the unthinkable and imagine the unimaginable. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jane McGonigal, in the Next Big Idea App
How Big-Tech Barons Smash Innovation―and How to Strike Back
By Ariel Ezrachi and Maurice E. Stucke
Two market experts deconstruct the drivers and inhibitors to innovation in the digital economy, explain how large tech companies can stifle disruption, and outline policy changes to take power away from big tech and return it to entrepreneurs. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Ariel Ezrachi and Maurice E. Stucke, in the Next Big Idea App
We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy
By Eboo Patel
From the former faith adviser to President Obama comes an inspirational guide for those who seek to promote positive social change and build a more diverse and just democracy. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Eboo Patel, in the Next Big Idea App
The Loop: How Technology Is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight Back
By Jacob Ward
This eye-opening narrative journey into the rapidly changing world of artificial intelligence reveals the dangerous ways AI is exploiting the unconscious habits of our minds—and the real threat it poses to humanity. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jacob Ward, in the Next Big Idea App
The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is: A History, a Philosophy, a Warning
By Justin E. H. Smith
Combining the sweep of intellectual history with the incisiveness of philosophy, The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is cuts through our daily digital lives to give a clear-sighted picture of what the internet is, where it came from, and where it might be taking us in the coming decades. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Justin E. H. Smith, in the Next Big Idea App
The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work
By Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Vesterlund, and Laurie Weingart
The No Club walks you through how to change your workload, empowering women to make savvy decisions about the work they take on. The authors also illuminate how organizations can reassess how they assign and reward work to level the playing field. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Linda Babcock, in the Next Big Idea App
Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace
By Christopher Blattman
Why We Fight lays out the root causes and remedies for war, showing that violence is not the norm; that there are only five reasons why conflict wins over compromise; and how peacemakers turn the tides through tinkering, not transformation. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Christopher Blattman, in the Next Big Idea App
Rewired: Protecting Your Brain in the Digital Age
By Carl D. Marci
Rewired provides scientifically supported solutions for everyone who wants to restore their tech–life balance―from parents concerned about their children’s exposure to the internet to stressed workers managing the expectation of 24/7 availability. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Carl D. Marci, in the Next Big Idea App
Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century
By Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman
Offering incisive portraits of today’s authoritarian leaders, Spin Dictators explains some of the great political puzzles of our time―from how dictators can survive in an age of growing modernity to the disturbing convergence and mutual sympathy between dictators and populists like Donald Trump. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Sergei Guriev, in the Next Big Idea App
The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the World Can Adapt to a Riskier Future
By Stephen Poloz
Filled with takeaways for employers, investors, and policymakers, as well as families discussing jobs and mortgage renewals around the kitchen table, The Next Age of Uncertainty is an indispensable guide for those navigating the fault lines of the risky world ahead. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Stephen Poloz, in the Next Big Idea App
To enjoy “Book Bite” summaries of these books and many more, download the Next Big Idea App today:
