Some books are a return to familiar comforts—a deliciously predictable romance novel, for example. But other reads offer an adventure into wholly new territory, covering topics that you hadn’t previously given a second thought. If you’re intrigued by that second option, we recommend checking out the five New York Times bestselling books below.
Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Outcomes
By Shane Parrish
Through stories, mental models, and more, Clear Thinking offers the missing link between behavioral science and real-life outcomes. The result is a must-have manual for optimizing decision-making, gaining competitive advantage, and living a more intentional life. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Shane Parrish, in the Next Big Idea App
Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal
By Bettina Love
Punished for Dreaming argues that Reagan’s presidency ushered in a War on Black Children, pathologizing and penalizing them in concert with the War on Drugs. It then offers a road map for repair, arguing for reparations with transformation for all children. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Bettina Love, in the Next Big Idea App
Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell
By Sy Montgomery
The National Book Award finalist author of The Soul of an Octopus turns her journalistic curiosity to the wonder and wisdom of our long-lived cohabitants—turtles—and through their stories of hope and rescue, reveals to us astonishing new perspectives on time and healing. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Sy Montgomery, in the Next Big Idea App
Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—And What We Can Do About It
By Jennifer Breheny Wallace
Drawing on interviews with families, educators, and an original survey of nearly 6,000 parents, an award-winning reporter reveals how the pressure for students to perform is not a matter of parental choice, but baked in to our larger society. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jennifer Breheny Wallace, in the Next Big Idea App
The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the 21st Century’s Greatest Dilemma
By Mustafa Suleyman, with Michael Bhaskar
An urgent warning of the unprecedented risks that AI and other fast-developing technologies pose to global order, and how we might contain them while we have the chance—from a co-founder of the pioneering artificial intelligence company DeepMind. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Michael Bhaskar, 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!
