I’m pleased to share what I consider the most promising, must-read nonfiction titles scheduled for release in June 2025.
These titles will be included in our longlist of potential titles for Season 27 of the Next Big Idea Club. In a couple of months, our curators—Susan Cain, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink—will review all of my monthly selections, narrow the list down to a handful of finalists and, ultimately, choose our two official season titles, which we will send the 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 June 2025 titles are…
Raising AI: An Essential Guide to Parenting Our Future
By De Kai
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
From the pioneer of translation AIs like Google, Yahoo, and Bing translate, an accessible and authoritative guide to AI—as well as a framework of empowerment for a future with our artificial children. View on Amazon
The Neural Mind: How Brains Think
By George Lakoff & Srini Narayanan
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
An expansive, unified theory of thought that brings together the vast resources of neuroscience, computation, and cognitive linguistics. View on Amazon
Lean Learning: How to Achieve More by Learning Less
By Pat Flynn
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
Navigate the chaos of information overload and supercharge your efficiency with Lean Learning, a groundbreaking guide that reveals a counterintuitive approach to success: winning by learning less. View on Amazon
Sound Affects: How Sound Shapes Our Lives, Our Wellbeing and Our Planet
By Julian Treasure
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
A lively, engaging narrative that takes readers on an epic journey spanning disciplines, continents, and centuries that spotlights sound’s incredible impact on our bodies, feelings, thinking, and behavior. View on Amazon
Four Days a Week: The Life-Changing Solution for Reducing Employee Stress, Improving Well-Being, and Working Smarter
By Juliet Schor
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
Leading sociologist and economist Juliet Schor makes the case for a four-day work week, persuasively showing how this model can address major challenges such as burnout, AI and the climate crisis. View on Amazon
The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future
By Keach Hagey
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
The first biography of the enigmatic leader of the AI revolution, charting his ascent within the tech world as well as his ambitions for this powerful new technology. View on Amazon
More Than Words: How Talking Sharpens the Mind and Shapes Our World
By Maryellen MacDonald
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
The groundbreaking science of how and why we talk, and how this ability impacts every area of our lives. View on Amazon
The Invention of Design: A Twentieth-Century History
By Maggie Gram
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
A captivating critical history that shows how design became the hero of many of our most hopeful stories—dreams, fantasies, utopias—about how we might better live in a modern world. View on Amazon
The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things
By Annie Wilson & Ryan Hamilton
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
Porsches for soccer moms? Patagonia vests for finance bros? Crocs for trendsetters? Weight Watchers for wellness? What happens when growing your brand requires serving new customers with different wants and needs than your current customers? View on Amazon
Black Capitalists: A Blueprint for What Is Possible
By Rachel Laryea
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
A groundbreaking look at how Black visionaries—from Wall Street to Lagos and beyond—are reimagining capitalism to benefit the needs of Black people and, ultimately, everyone. View on Amazon
Speak, Memorably: The Art of Captivating an Audience
By Bill McGowan
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
A masterclass in interpersonal communication and an inspiring call to action for professionals to break free from forgettable “brand” speak and instead craft thoughtful and memorable messages. View on Amazon
The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains
By Pria Anand
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
In this collection of medical tales, a neurologist reckons with the stories we tell about our brains, and the stories our brains tell us. View on Amazon
Resurface: A Guide to Navigating Life’s Biggest Transitions
By Cassidy Krug
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
A toolkit for navigating all of life’s transitions, from a former Olympic diver. View on Amazon
Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn’t Solved Brain Disorders―and How We Can Change That
By Nicole Rust
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
A neuroscientist’s bold proposal for tackling one of the greatest challenges of our time: brain and mental illnesses. View on Amazon
The Magic of Code: How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World―and Shapes Our Future
By Samuel Arbesman
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
Code is the ultimate connector, providing new insight and meaning into how everything from language and mythology to biblical texts, biology, and even our patterns of thought connect with the history and nature of computing. View on Amazon
After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup
By Julia Austin
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
Entrepreneurship expert Julia Austin shares battle-tested strategies to help founders and startup joiners build their venture from the ground up. View on Amazon
Breaking the Engagement: How China Won & Lost America
By David Shambaugh
Publication Date: June 12, 2025
By focusing on the role of perceptions and U.S. expectations in fueling the shift towards competition and rivalry in the last decade, Shambaugh provides a unique new perspective on this critical global relationship. View on Amazon
Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age
By Shannon Watts
Publication Date: June 17, 2025
From the founder of Moms Demand Action, a guide to harnessing your potential, living without fear, and coming alive at any age. View on Amazon
The Gift of Not Belonging: How Outsiders Thrive in a World of Joiners
By Rami Kaminski
Publication Date: June 17, 2025
The first book to explore the otrovert personality – someone who feels like an outsider in any group, regardless of its members – revealing all the advantages of being an otrovert and ways otroverts contribute to the world. View on Amazon
Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet
By Kate Marvel
Publication Date: June 17, 2025
A captivating exploration of climate change that uses nine different emotions to better understand the science, history, and future of our evolving planet. View on Amazon
Invisible Rivals: How We Evolved to Compete in a Cooperative World
By Jonathan Goodman
Publication Date: June 17, 2025
A multidisciplinary view of how our competitive and cooperative natures make us human. View on Amazon
Lift: How Women Can Reclaim Their Physical Power and Transform Their Lives
By Anne Marie Chaker
Publication Date: June 17, 2025
From a professional bodybuilder and longtime Wall Street Journal reporter, a manifesto on how women can radically change their lives by tapping into their innate physical power. View on Amazon
AI First: The Playbook for a Future-Proof Business and Brand
By Adam Brotman & Andy Sack
Publication Date: June 24, 2025
What does the rapid rise and astonishing rate of improvement of AI mean for brands in the next five years? View on Amazon
Deep Listening: Transform Your Relationships with Family, Friends, and Foes―Transformational Communication, Listening, and Empathy Through an 8-Step Method
By Emily Kasriel
Publication Date: June 24, 2025
Why do so many conversations leave us feeling unheard and disconnected? Acclaimed BBC journalist, accredited executive coach, and mediator Emily Kasriel argues that it’s because we’ve forgotten how to truly listen. View on Amazon
The Brain at Rest: How the Art and Science of Doing Nothing Can Improve Your Life
By Joseph Jebelli
Publication Date: June 24, 2025
A narrative exploration of the science of doing nothing and its benefits for the brain and body. View on Amazon
Cyber Citizens: Saving Democracy with Digital Literacy
By Heidi Boghosian
Publication Date: June 24, 2025
A grounding exploration of how our online prowess shapes the very essence of democracy. View on Amazon
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