Every year brings no shortage of bold nonfiction, but only a few books really stick with us. These are the 2025 titles the Next Big Idea Club staff couldn’t stop thinking about.
Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird: The Art of Eastern Storytelling
By Henry Lien
An introduction to Eastern storytelling that opens readers’ minds to radically different ways of telling a satisfying story. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Henry Lien, or view on Amazon.
The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports
By Nicholas Thompson
Running has the capacity to show us what we’re made of and help us grow beyond our limits—both as we race ahead on the track and in life. Struggle, aging, and even trauma can become engines of transformation if we learn how best to keep moving forward. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Nicholas Thompson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
By Walter Isaacson
The Declaration of Independence was shaped through collaboration, revision, and moral striving by the Founding Fathers, whose work shows that progress—whether in innovation, personal growth, or society—requires iterative improvement, purpose-driven effort, and unity to advance justice and equality. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Walter Isaacson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change
By Olga Khazan
Is it really possible to change your entire personality in a year? The Atlantic journalist Olga Khazan proves that it is in Me, But Better, which covers her year-long experiment in personality change. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Olga Khazan, or view on Amazon.
Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away
By David Gelles
New York Times reporter David Gelles reveals how Patagonia became a global leader in doing well by doing good and how other companies are adopting its principles. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author David Gelles, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
The Family Dynamic: A Journey into the Mystery of Sibling Success
By Susan Dominus
What explains those rare families that boast multiple children who achieve extraordinary success? An award-winning New York Times journalist weaves story with science to explore the circumstances that set those families apart. Listen to our podcast interview with author Susan Dominus in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon.
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 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!
When you buy through our Amazon links, the Next Big Idea Club may earn an affiliate commission.
