Every season, Next Big Idea Club curators Adam Grant, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, and Malcolm Gladwell review dozens and dozens of upcoming books to identify the new must-read nonfiction titles. Now, for this upcoming spring season, we’re inviting our members to help with the discovery process—if you’re passionate about a nonfiction book coming out in March, April, or May of 2020, we invite you to nominate it for inclusion in the Next Big Idea Club!
The books currently under consideration for Spring 2020 are listed below, and to send in your own recommendation, simply fill out this form by March 15th, 2020. Books that receive three or more recommendations will become official nominees, and will be added to the list on this page. Thank you so much for your input—we can’t wait to see which new books you’ll send our way!
Spring 2020 Nominees
Acting with Power: Why We Are More Powerful Than We Believe
By Deborah Gruenfeld
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
There is so much we get wrong about power. This eye-opening look at the true nature of power explores who has it, what it looks like, and the role it plays in our lives. We often assume that power flows to those with the loudest voice or the most commanding presence in the room. But, in fact, true power is often much quieter and more deferential than we realize. Moreover, it’s not just how much power we have but how we use it that determines how powerful we actually are. View on Amazon
Always Day One: How the Tech Titans Plan to Stay On Top Forever
By Alex Kantrowitz
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
An acclaimed tech reporter reveals the inner workings of Amazon, Facebook, Google, Apple, and Microsoft, showing how to compete with the tech titans using their own playbook. View on Amazon
Member Nomination: Attention: A Love Story
By Casey Schwartz
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
Casey Schwartz details the decade she spent taking Adderall to help her pay attention (or so she thought) and then considers the role of attention in defining our lives. From our craving for distraction to our craving for a cure, from Silicon Valley consultants and psychedelic researchers to the findings of trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté, Schwartz takes us on an eye-opening tour of the modern landscape of attention. View on Amazon
Bring Yourself: How to Harness the Power of Connection to Negotiate Fearlessly
By Mori Taheripour
Publication Date: March 24, 2020
A look at how relationships can drive successful negotiation, from an award-winning faculty member at the Wharton School of Business. The essence of bargaining isn’t the transaction, but the conversation and human connection. It is when we bring our whole, authentic selves to the table that we can advocate for ourselves fearlessly and find creative solutions that benefit everyone. View on Amazon
Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World
By Emily Balcetis
Publication Date: February 25, 2020
Successful people literally see the world differently. Now an award-winning scientist explains how anyone can leverage this “perception gap” to their advantage. Drawing on her own rigorous research and cutting-edge discoveries in vision science, cognitive research, and motivational psychology, Balcetis offers unique accounts of the perceptual habits, routines, and practices that successful people use to set and meet their ambitions. View on Amazon
Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism
By Anne Case & Angus Deaton
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism paints a troubling portrait of the American dream in decline. For the white working class, today’s America has become a land of broken families and few prospects. As the college educated become healthier and wealthier, adults without a degree are literally dying from pain and despair. In this critically important book, Case and Deaton tie the crisis to the weakening position of labor, the growing power of corporations, and, above all, to a rapacious health-care sector that redistributes working-class wages into the pockets of the wealthy. Capitalism, which over two centuries lifted countless people out of poverty, is now destroying the lives of blue-collar America. View on Amazon
Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving
By Celeste Headlee
Publication Date: March 10, 2020
In Do Nothing, award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee illuminates a new path ahead, seeking to institute a global shift in our thinking so we can stop sabotaging our well-being, put work aside, and start living instead of doing. As it turns out, we’re searching for external solutions to an internal problem. We won’t find what we’re searching for in punishing diets, productivity apps, or the latest self-improvement schemes. Yet all is not lost—we just need to learn how to take time for ourselves, without agenda or profit, and redefine what is truly worthwhile. View on Amazon
Girl Decoded: A Scientist’s Quest to Reclaim Our Humanity by Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Technology
By Rana el Kaliouby
Publication Date: April 21, 2020
In a captivating memoir, an Egyptian American visionary and scientist provides an intimate view of her personal transformation as she follows her calling—to humanize our technology and how we connect with one another. View on Amazon
Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk
By Justin Tosi & Brandon Warmke
Publication Date: May 1, 2020
Drawing from work in psychology, economics, and political science, and along with contemporary examples spanning the political spectrum, the authors dive deeply into why and how we grandstand. Using the analytic tools of psychology and moral philosophy, they explain what drives us to behave in this way, and what we stand to lose by taking it too far. Most importantly, they show how, by avoiding grandstanding, we can re-build a public square worth participating in. View on Amazon
How to Be an Artist
By Jerry Saltz
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
From the first sparks of inspiration—and how to pursue them without giving in to self-doubt—Saltz offers invaluable insight into what really matters to emerging artists: originality, persistence, a balance between knowledge and intuition, and that most precious of qualities, self-belief. Brimming with rules, prompts, and practical tips, How to Be an Artist gives artists new ways to break through creative blocks, get the most from materials, navigate career challenges, and above all find joy in the work. View on Amazon
Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life
By Marie Kondo & Scott Sonenshein
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
In Joy at Work, bestselling author and Netflix star Marie Kondo and Rice University business professor Scott Sonenshein offer stories, studies, and strategies to help you eliminate clutter and make space for work that really matters. View on Amazon
Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age
By Bruce Feiler
Publication Date: May 12, 2020
Life In The Transitions introduces the fresh, pressing vision of the nonlinear life, in which personal disruptions and lifequakes are becoming more plentiful, nontraditional life shapes are becoming the norm, and each of us has the opportunity to write our own story. Drawing on an extraordinary trove of insights, Feiler offers a powerful, new transition toolkit with original strategies for coping with the difficult, painful, or unsettling times of life. View on Amazon
Life’s Great Question: Discover How You Contribute To The World
By Tom Rath
Publication Date: February 4, 2020
What are the most meaningful contributions we can make? Life’s Great Question will show you how to make your work and life more meaningful, and greatly boost your wellbeing. In this remarkably quick read, author Tom Rath describes how finding your greatest contribution is far more effective than following talent or passion alone.More than a book, each copy includes a code for an online program that identifies the most significant contributions you can make. View on Amazon
No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram
By Sarah Frier
Publication Date: April 14, 2020
Award-winning reporter Sarah Frier reveals an inside, never-before-told, behind-the-scenes look at how Instagram defied the odds to become one of the most culturally defining apps of the decade. The book brings readers inside users’ strategies to craft their personal image and fame, explaining how the company’s product decisions have affected the structure of our society. From teenagers to the pope, No Filter tells the captivating story of how Instagram not only created a new industry but also changed our lives. View on Amazon
Not to Scale: How the Small Becomes Large, the Large Becomes Unthinkable, and the Unthinkable Becomes Possible
By Jamer Hunt
Publication Date: March 3, 2020
In Not to Scale, Jamer Hunt investigates the complications of scale in the digital age, highlighting an interesting paradox: We now have a world of information at our fingertips, yet ironically the more informed we have become, the more overwhelmed we feel. By taking massive problems and shrinking them down to size, we can use scale to effect positive change and adapt to the modern era. View on Amazon
Parents Who Lead: The Leadership Approach You Need to Parent with Purpose, Fuel Your Career, and Create a Richer Life
By Stewart D. Friedman & Alyssa F. Westring
Publication Date: March 10, 2020
Parents in today’s fast-paced, disorienting world can easily lose track of who they are and what really matters most. But it doesn’t have to be this way. As a parent, you can harness the powerful science of leadership in order to thrive in all aspects of your life. Stew Friedman and coauthor Alyssa Westring offer a robust, proven method that will help you gain a greater sense of purpose and control. View on Amazon
Radical Uncertainty: Decision-Making Beyond the Numbers
By John Kay & Mervyn King
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
Much economic advice is bogus quantification, warn two leading experts in this essential book. Invented numbers offer false security; we need instead robust narratives that yield the confidence to manage uncertainty. Radical uncertainty concerns events whose determinants are insufficiently understood for probabilities to be known or forecasting possible. View on Amazon
Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire
By Rebecca Henderson
Publication Date: April 28, 2020
A renowned Harvard professor debunks prevailing orthodoxy with a new intellectual foundation and a practical pathway forward for a system that has lost its moral and ethical foundation. With rich discussions of how the worlds of finance, governance, and leadership must also evolve, Henderson provides the pragmatic foundation for navigating a world faced with unprecedented challenge, but also with extraordinary opportunity for those who can get it right. View on Amazon
Member Nomination: Reprogramming the American Dream: From Rural America to Silicon Valley—Making AI Serve Us All
By Kevin Scott, with Greg Shaw
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
A rural native and Silicon Valley veteran, Microsoft’s Chief technology officer tackles one of the most critical issues facing society today: the future of artificial intelligence and how it can be realistically used to promote growth, even in a shifting employment landscape. View on Amazon
Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life
By John Kaag
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
Sick Souls, Healthy Minds is a compelling introduction to William James’s life and thought that shows why the founder of pragmatism and empirical psychology―and an inspiration for Alcoholics Anonymous―can still speak so directly and profoundly to anyone struggling to make a life worth living. View on Amazon
The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another
By Ainissa Ramirez
Date: April 7, 2020
In The Alchemy of Us, scientist and science writer Ainissa Ramirez examines eight inventions―clocks, steel rails, copper communication cables, photographic film, light bulbs, hard disks, scientific labware, and silicon chips―and reveals how they shaped the human experience. Ramirez tells the stories of the woman who sold time, the inventor who inspired Edison, and the hotheaded undertaker whose invention pointed the way to the computer. View on Amazon
Member Nomination: The Blueprint: 6 Practical Steps to Lift Your Leadership to New Heights
By Douglas Conant, with Amy Federman
Publication Date: March 4, 2020
Part leadership manifesto, part practical manual, Doug Conant teaches leaders how to work through the same six steps that he used to transform his journey. Leaders who feel stuck and overwhelmed finally have a blueprint for lifting their leadership to make meaningful change in their organizations and in the world. View on Amazon
The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone’s Mind
By Jonah Berger
Publication Date: March 3, 2020
The Catalyst identifies the key barriers to change and how to mitigate them. You’ll learn how catalysts change minds in the toughest of situations: how hostage negotiators get people to come out with their hands up and how marketers get new products to catch on, how leaders transform organizational culture and how activists ignite social movements, how substance abuse counselors get addicts to realize they have a problem, and how political canvassers change deeply rooted political beliefs. View on Amazon
The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time
By Jim McKelvey
Publication Date: March 10, 2020
From the cofounder of Square, an inspiring and entertaining account of what it means to be a true entrepreneur and what it takes to build a resilient, world-changing company. An irreverent first-person look inside the world of entrepreneurship, and a call to action for all of us to find the entrepreneur within ourselves and identify and fix unsolved problems—one crazy idea at a time. View on Amazon
The Soul of an Entrepreneur: Work and Life Beyond the Startup Myth
By David Sax
Publication Date: April 21, 2020
The Soul of an Entrepreneur is a business book of a different kind, exploring our work but also our passions and hopes. David Sax reports on the deeply personal questions of entrepreneurship: why an immigrant family risks everything to build a bakery; how a small farmer fights to manage his debt; and what it feels like to rise and fall with a business you built for yourself. View on Amazon
Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day
By Jay Shetty
Publication Date: April 14, 2020
In this inspiring, empowering book, Shetty draws on his time as a monk in the Hindu tradition to show us how we can clear the roadblocks to our potential and power. Drawing on ancient wisdom and his own rich experiences in the ashram, Think Like a Monk reveals how to overcome negative thoughts and habits to access the calm and purpose that lie within all of us. View on Amazon
Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life
By Ozan Varol
Publication Date: April 14, 2020
In this accessible and practical book, Ozan Varol reveals nine simple strategies from rocket science that you can use to make your own giant leaps in work and life — whether it’s landing your dream job, accelerating your business, learning a new skill, or creating the next breakthrough product. Today, thinking like a rocket scientist is a necessity. We all encounter complex and unfamiliar problems in our lives. Those who can tackle these problems — without clear guidelines and with the clock ticking — enjoy an extraordinary advantage. View on Amazon
Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World
By Vivek H. Murthy
Publication Date: April 28, 2020
Humans are social creatures: in this simple and obvious fact lies both the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness. In his groundbreaking book, the 19th Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy makes a case for loneliness as a public health concern: a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today from alcohol and drug addiction to violence to depression and anxiety. View on Amazon
Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different
By Lisa Selin Davis
Publication Date: May 5, 2020
Davis talks to experts from clothing designers to psychologists, historians to neuroscientists, and tomboys from eight to eighty, to illuminate debates about what is masculine and feminine; what is biological versus socially constructed; what constitutes the categories of boy and girl; and the connection between tomboyism, gender identity, and sexuality. View on Amazon
Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization
By Scott Barry Kaufman
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
A bold reimagining of Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs–and new insights for realizing your full potential and living your most creative, fulfilled, and connected life. In this groundbreaking book, Kaufman picks up where Maslow left off, unraveling the mysteries of his unfinished theory, and integrating these ideas with the latest research on attachment, connection, creativity, love, purpose and other building blocks of a life well lived. View on Amazon
Upstream: The Quest to Stop Problems Before They Happen
By Dan Heath
Publication Date: March 3, 2020
New York Times bestselling author Dan Heath examines how to prevent problems before they happen, drawing on insights from his innovative behavior research, as well as hundreds of new interviews with unconventional problem solvers. View on Amazon
Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World
By Olga Khazan
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
Weird explores why it is that we crave conformity, how that affects people who are different, and what they can do about it. First, the book dives into the history of social norms and why some people hew to them more strictly than others. Next, Khazan explores the causes behind-and the consequences of-social rejection. She then reveals the hidden upsides to being “weird,” as well as the strategies that people who are different might use in order to achieve success in a society that values normalcy. Finally, the book follows the trajectories of unique individuals who either decided to be among others just like them; to stay weird; or to dwell somewhere in between. View on Amazon
What’s Your Problem?: To Solve Your Toughest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve
By Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
Using real-world stories and unforgettable examples like “the slow elevator problem,” author Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg offers a simple, three-step method – Frame, Reframe, Move Forward – that anyone can use to start solving the right problems. Reframing is not difficult to learn. It can be used on everyday challenges and on the biggest, trickiest problems you face. View on Amazon
