I’m pleased to share what I consider the most promising, must-read nonfiction titles scheduled for release in July 2025.
These titles will be included in our longlist of potential titles for Season 27 of the Next Big Idea Club. In a few months, the list will be narrowed down to a handful of finalists and, ultimately, two official season titles, which we will send members.
All must-read authors are invited to create a “Book Bite”, a short audio self-recording that features five key insights from their book. Imagine chatting with a stranger while waiting in line at the supermarket—only that person just happened to write a fascinating nonfiction book.
And now, the July 2025 titles are…
We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate
By Michael Grunwald
Publication Date: July 1, 2025
A groundbreaking piece of reportage from the trenches of the next climate war: the fight to fix our food system. View on Amazon
Like: A History of the World’s Most Hated (and Misunderstood) Word
By Megan Reynolds
Publication Date: July 1, 2025
A comprehensive and thought-provoking investigation into one of the most polarizing words in the English language. View on Amazon
After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People
By Dean Spears & Michael Geruso
Publication Date: July 8, 2025
An eye-opening exploration of humanity’s unprecedented path to global depopulation and its significance from economists Dean Spears and Michael Geruso. View on Amazon
How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence
By Matt Richtel
Publication Date: July 8, 2025
A groundbreaking investigation into adolescence, the pivotal life stage undergoing profound—and often confounding—transformation. View on Amazon
Human History on Drugs: An Utterly Scandalous but Entirely Truthful Look at History Under the Influence
By Sam Kelly
Publication Date: July 8, 2025
A lively, hilarious, and entirely truthful look at the druggie side of history’s most famous figures, including Shakespeare, Queen Victoria, and the Beatles. View on Amazon
The West: The History of an Idea
By Georgios Varouxakis
Publication Date: July 8, 2025
A comprehensive intellectual history of the idea of the West. View on Amazon
Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity
By Joseph Lee
Publication Date: July 15, 2025
A sweeping, personal exploration of Indigenous identity and the challenges facing Indigenous people around the world. View on Amazon
The Stronger Sex: What Science Tells Us about the Power of the Female Body
By Starre Vartan
Publication Date: July 15, 2025
A myth-busting vindication of women’s physical strengths. View on Amazon
How to Be a Living Thing: Meditations on Intuitive Oysters, Hopeful Doves, and Being Human in the World
By Mari Andrew
Publication Date: July 15, 2025
A luminous collection of essays exploring the lessons we can incorporate from the animal world in order to live more fully as humans. View on Amazon
The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction―and a Search for Relief
By Tom Zeller Jr.
Publication Date: July 15, 2025
A deeply reported, sometimes harrowing, and frequently humorous journey into excruciating headaches, and the science behind these surprisingly mysterious disorders that may, finally, offer relief. View on Amazon
Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously)
By Bree Groff
Publication Date: July 15, 2025
A refreshing and unconventional take on the world of work. View on Amazon
The Almightier: How Money Became God, Greed Became Virtue, and Debt Became Sin
By Paul Vigna
Publication Date: July 22, 2025
The complete story of how we came to worship money, and how we can stop greed from destroying everything. View on Amazon
Don’t Talk About Politics: How to Change 21st-Century Minds
By Sarah Stein Lubrano
Publication Date: July 22, 2025
Democracy is dying because we are clinging to a dangerous and outdated myth: talking about politics can change people’s minds. It doesn’t. View on Amazon
The Wealth Ladder: Proven Strategies for Every Step of Your Financial Life
By Nick Maggiulli
Publication Date: July 22, 2025
Building wealth isn’t just about hard work—it’s about applying the right strategy at the right time to focus on what matters most. View on Amazon
The Emotionally Intelligent Team: Building Collaborative Groups that Outperform the Rest
By Vanessa Urch Druskat
Publication Date: July 22, 2025
A model for building and leading emotionally intelligent teams. View on Amazon
You Already Know: The Science of Mastering Your Intuition
By Laura Huang
Publication Date: July 29, 2025
A research-backed framework for honing and harnessing your intuition to make the right decisions and attain greater levels of achievement. View on Amazon
The Scaling Era: An Oral History of AI, 2019–2025
By Dwarkesh Patel
Publication Date: July 29, 2025
An inside view of the AI revolution, from the people and companies making it happen. View on Amazon
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