I’m pleased to share what I consider the most promising, must-read nonfiction titles scheduled for release in September 2024. These titles make up our final group of nominees for Season 25 of the Next Big Idea Club (the first group was announced here, second here, and third here).
Our Next Big Idea Club curators—Susan Cain, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink—will narrow the list down to a handful of finalists and, ultimately, two official season selections.
Authors will also be invited to create a “Book Bite”, a 15-minute audio self-recording that features five key insights from their book. Imagine chatting with a stranger on an airplane—only that person just happened to write a fascinating nonfiction book!
And now, the September 2024 titles are…
Lovely One: A Memoir
By Ketanji Brown Jackson
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
In her inspiring, intimate memoir, the first Black woman to ever be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States chronicles her extraordinary life story. View on Amazon
The Atomic Human: What Makes Us Unique in the Age of AI
By Neil Lawrence
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
A renowned computer scientist seeks the unique human quality that will prevail against artificial intelligence. View on Amazon
Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and Sexuality in America
By Rebecca Davis
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
From an esteemed scholar, a richly textured, authoritative history of sex and sexuality in America―the first major account in three decades. View on Amazon
Chernobyl Roulette: War in the Nuclear Disaster Zone
By Serhii Plokhy
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
A harrowing account of Russia’s occupation of the Chernobyl and Zaporizhia nuclear power plants, and the dangers of nuclear power colliding with warfare. View on Amazon
Dynamic Drive: The Purpose-Fueled Formula for Sustainable Success
By Molly Fletcher
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
In a world fixated on fleeting success, challenge the status quo and redefine your understanding of drive so that you can achieve greater fulfillment and purpose-driven success using this proven formula for engaging, sustaining, and maximizing high performance in all areas of your life. View on Amazon
Upworthy – Good People: Stories From the Best of Humanity
By Gabriel Reilich & Lucia Knell
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
Embrace—and share—the transformative power of kindness through stories of more than one hundred good people, brought to you by Upworthy, the beloved social media platform where millions find inspiration, joy, and daily affirmation. View on Amazon
Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness
By Jamil Zaki
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
Cynicism is making us sick. Stanford Psychologist Dr. Jamil Zaki imparts the secret for beating back cynicism: hopeful skepticism. View on Amazon
Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve
By Alison Fragale
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
Behavioral scientist Alison Fragale offers powerful new insights and a practical playbook for women to advance in any workplace, full of tips, tricks, and strategies to help secure that elusive corner office. View on Amazon
How Economics Explains the World: A Short History of Humanity
By Andrew Leigh
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
A sweeping, engrossing history of how economic forces have shaped the world—all in under 200 pages. View on Amazon
Follow the Science: How Big Pharma Misleads, Obscures, and Prevails
By Sharyl Attkisson
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
Respected Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist exposes the corruption that has ruled the pharmaceutical industry and news media for decades. View on Amazon
Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
By Yuval Noah Harari
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sapiens comes the groundbreaking story of how information networks have made, and unmade, our world. View on Amazon
Memento Mori: The Art of Contemplating Death to Live a Better Life
By Joanna Ebenstein
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, grieving a loved one, or seeking a greater sense of purpose, Memento Mori is an invaluable guide to living a life of greater meaning and joy. View on Amazon
Einstein’s Tutor: The Story of Emmy Noether and the Invention of Modern Physics
By Lee Phillips
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
The revelatory story of an intellectual giant who made foundational contributions to science and mathematics and persevered in the face of discrimination against women in science. View on Amazon
Tías and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us
By Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
From the author of For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts, a celebration of the women at the heart of Latine families. View on Amazon
To Overthrow the World: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Communism
By Sean McMeekin
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
From an award-winning historian, a new global history of Communism. View on Amazon
Is Earth Exceptional?: The Quest for Cosmic Life
By Mario Livio & Jack Szostak
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
A New York Times–bestselling astrophysicist and a Nobel laureate describe the quest to discover how and where the universe breathed life into matter. View on Amazon
The Art of the Interesting: What We Miss in Our Pursuit of the Good Life and How to Cultivate It
By Lorraine Besser
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
Interesting experiences captivate our minds, engage our thoughts and emotions, and often change our perspective. What’s interesting is different for everyone, and everyone can obtain and strengthen the skills necessary to access the interesting for living a good life of psychological richness. View on Amazon
I Once Was Lost: My Search for God in America
By Don Lemon
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
In a deeply personal follow-up to his #1 bestseller This is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends about Racism, a modern media iconoclast faces a test of his own faith and examines the rise and fall of Evangelicals in America. View on Amazon
By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land
By Rebecca Nagle
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
A powerful work of reportage and American history that braids the story of the forced removal of Native Americans onto treaty lands in the nation’s earliest days, and a small-town murder in the ‘90s that led to a Supreme Court ruling reaffirming Native rights to that land over a century later. View on Amazon
Strive: 8 Steps to Find Your Awesome
By Venus Williams
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
An inspiring and innovative guide towards living your best life–made easy–from Venus Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of all time. View on Amazon
Magically Black and Other Essays
By Jerald Walker
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
In this engaging follow up to How to Make a Slave and Other Essays, the recipient of PEN New England Award for nonfiction and finalist for the National Book Award sharply examines and explains Black life and culture with equal parts candor and humor. View on Amazon
‘Til Stress Do Us Part: How to Heal the #1 Issue in Our Relationships
By Elizabeth Earnshaw
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
What if the problem isn’t your partner―it’s stress? This relatable and empowering guide offers indispensable tools to stress-proof your relationship. View on Amazon
Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the Race that Will Change the World
By Parmy Olson
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
A tech writer at Bloomberg tells the astonishing story of the battle between these two AI firms, their struggles to use their tech for good, and the hazardous direction they could go as they serve two tech monopolies whose power is unprecedented in history. View on Amazon
Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future
By Jason Stanley
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
A Yale professor offers a searing confrontation with the authoritarian right’s attacks to undo a century of work to advance social justice action on race, gender, sexuality, and class. View on Amazon
The Highest Calling: Conversations on the American Presidency
By David Rubenstein
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
Rubenstein interviews living American presidents and top historians and journalists who reflect on the US presidency, including Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Maggie Haberman, Ron Chernow, and more. View on Amazon
Everybody Needs an Editor: The Essential Guide to Clear and Effective Writing
By Melissa Harris & Jenn Bane
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
Wedding toasts, website copy, social media posts, even holiday cards—you’ll become a sharper everyday writer with this witty and comprehensive guide to clearer, better communication. View on Amazon
Paris in Ruins: Love, War, and the Birth of Impressionism
By Sebastian Smee
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
The Pulitzer Prize–winning art critic’s gripping account of the “Terrible Year” in Paris and its monumental impact on the rise of Impressionism. View on Amazon
Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right
By Arlie Russell Hochschild
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
The National Book Award finalist and bestselling author Arlie Russell Hochschild now ventures to Appalachia, uncovering the “pride paradox” that has given the right’s appeals such resonance. View on Amazon
The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond
By Debra Whitman
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
Expert guidance for living a longer, healthier, more meaningful second half of life. View on Amazon
The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Learn to Lead from the Inside Out
By Dana Maor, Hans-Werner Kaas, Kurt Strovink & Ramesh Srinivasan
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
When the pressure is on, many of the world’s top CEOs turn to McKinsey & Company to reinvent themselves and their organizations. The Journey of Leadership brings the experience of one of the world’s most influential consulting firms right to your fingertips. View on Amazon
Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion
By Anne Chow
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
Drawing from over three decades of experience, former CEO of AT&T Business Anne Chow shares how to lead bigger by leveraging inclusion beyond DEI, to elevate your work, workforce, and workplace. View on Amazon
The Joy You Make: Find the Silver Linings–Even on Your Darkest Days
By Steven Petrow
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
From award-winning Washington Post columnist Steven Petrow, a guide to finding joy even during life’s most difficult times. View on Amazon
Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification
By Melissa Petro
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
A courageous, in-depth investigation into the modern epidemic of shame in our society—what it is, why women are uniquely susceptible, and how we can shift the shame off our plates and live our best lives in an over-exposed, image-obsessed world. View on Amazon
Digital Dharma: How AI Can Elevate Spiritual Intelligence and Personal Well-Being
By Deepak Chopra
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
A visionary and unprecedented exploration of how artificial intelligence can revolutionize well-being and open new horizons for personal development. View on Amazon
On Freedom
By Timothy Snyder
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
A brilliant exploration of freedom—what it is, how it’s been misunderstood, and why it’s our only chance for survival—by the acclaimed Yale historian and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller On Tyranny. View on Amazon
The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America
By Sarah Lewis
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
The award-winning art historian and founder of Vision & Justice uncovers a pivotal era in the story of race in the United States when Americans came to ignore the truth about the false foundations of the nation’s racial regime. View on Amazon
The Genetic Book of the Dead: A Darwinian Reverie
By Richard Dawkins
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
From a renowned biologist and best-selling author, a whole new way of looking at living organisms: reading them as documents describing ancient worlds. View on Amazon
The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust
By Francis Collins
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
From the former director of the National Institutes of Health, a deeply thoughtful guidebook to get us beyond societal divisions and back to the sources of wisdom. View on Amazon
Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience
By Terry Szuplat
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
One of Barack Obama’s longest-serving speechwriters reveals the public speaking lessons that will help you become a more confident and compelling communicator and leader. View on Amazon
The Power of Words: How to Speak, Listen and Think Better
By Mariano Sigman
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
Discover the transformative power of words and conversations in The Power of Words, the profound and inspiring international bestseller by renowned neuroscientist Mariano Sigman. View on Amazon
The Money Trap: Lost Illusions Inside the Tech Bubble
By Alok Sama
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
A gripping and entertaining memoir that shines a rare light on an industry that is disrupting our lives. View on Amazon
Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life
By Brigid Schulte
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
From the New York Times bestselling author of Overwhelmed, a deeply reported exploration of why American work isn’t working and how our lives can be made more meaningful. View on Amazon
She-Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street
By Paulina Bren
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
The propulsive story of the women who sought, and gained, a piece of the action on Wall Street. View on Amazon
Leading Through: Activating the Soul, Heart, and Mind of Leadership
By Kim Clark, Jonathan Clark & Erin Clark
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
Generative AI and the remote-work revolution show us every day that we are in a new era. The rules and norms have changed—and so must leadership. View on Amazon
Hyperefficient: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work
By Mithu Storoni
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
Neuroscience researcher Dr. Mithu Storoni reveals how to maximize your mental resources to get your mind working at peak efficiency throughout your day. View on Amazon
It’s A Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World
By Mark Miodownik
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
A fascinating guided tour of the secret life of gases: the strange, elusive, and fascinating substances that shape our world. View on Amazon
The Inner Clock: Living in Sync with Our Circadian Rhythms
By Lynne Peeples
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
How the groundbreaking science of circadian rhythms can help you sleep better, feel happier, and improve your overall health. View on Amazon
The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, From the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement
By Sharon McMahon
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
From America’s favorite government teacher, a heartfelt, inspiring portrait of twelve ordinary Americans whose courage formed the character of our country. View on Amazon
The Happy High Achiever: 8 Essentials to Overcome Anxiety, Manage Stress, and Energize Yourself for Success―Without Losing Your Edge
By Mary Anderson
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
A game-changing road map for ambitious people to transform chronic stress and anxiety into sustainable happiness and success. View on Amazon
Directional Living: A Transformational Guide to Fulfillment in Work and Life
By Megan Hellerer
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
A guide for creating a life of maximum fulfillment and purpose, by the career coach whose approach has helped hundreds re-orient their careers and lives. View on Amazon
The Burning Earth: A History
By Sunil Amrith
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
A brilliant, paradigm-shifting global history of how humanity has reshaped the planet, and the planet has shaped human history, over the last 500 years. View on Amazon
Earthly Bodies: Embracing Animal Nature
By Vanessa Chakour
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
Examining the cultural belief that our animal instincts are to be corrected or corralled, nature advocate and rewilding facilitator Vanessa Chakour explores our inner and outer landscapes through the lens of wild animals. View on Amazon
The Darwinian Trap: The Hidden Evolutionary Forces That Explain Our World (and Threaten Our Future)
By Kristian Rönn
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
A provocative exploration of how humans are wired to seek short-term success at the expense of long-term survival—an evolutionary “glitch” that explains everything from toxic workplaces to climate change. View on Amazon
The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley
By Marietje Schaake
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
A behind-the-scenes account of how technology companies crept into nearly every corner of our lives and our governments. View on Amazon
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