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Recommendations based on Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Matteredby Ernst F. Schumacher
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The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism
by Fritjof Capra
An exploration of the connections between modern physics and ancient Eastern philosophies.
Gandhi: An Autobiography
by Mahatma Gandhi
An intimate account of Gandhi's life, philosophy, and political activism.
Mohandas K. Gandhi is one of the most inspiring figures of our time. In his classic autobiography he recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of active nonviolent resistance, ... (Goodreads)
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
by Thomas L. Friedman
An exploration of the rapid globalization of the world, and the implications of this shift.
When scholars write the history of the world twenty years from now, and they come to the chapter Y2K to March 2004 , what will they say was the most crucial development? The attacks on the World ... (Goodreads)
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
by Thomas S. Kuhn
An analysis of how scientific progress is made, and the role of paradigms and paradigmatic shifts.
A good book may have the power to change the way we see the world, but a great book actually becomes part of our daily consciousness, pervading our thinking to the point that we take it for granted, ... (Goodreads)
Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources
by Martin Lings
Comprehensive biography of the Prophet Muhammad, based on the earliest sources.
Martin Lings’ biography of Muhammad is an internationally acclaimed, comprehensive, and authoritative account of the life of the prophet. Based on the sira, the eighth- and ninth-century Arabic ... (Goodreads)
Thinking, Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
An exploration of the two systems of the mind, and how they influence decision-making.
In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow , Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and ... (Goodreads)
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution – and How It Can Renew America
by Thomas L. Friedman
Urges for a green revolution to combat climate change, population growth, and globalization. Provides solutions for a sustainable future.
In this brilliant, essential book, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas L. Friedman speaks to America's urgent need for national renewal and explains how a green revolution can bring about both a ... (Goodreads)
Walden
by Henry David Thoreau
A reflective journey into nature, exploring the power of contemplation and simplicity.
Originally published in 1854, Walden; or, Life in the Woods, is a vivid account of the time that Henry D. Thoreau lived alone in a secluded cabin at Walden Pond. It is one of the most influential and ... (Goodreads)
Tao Te Ching
by Lao Tzu
A collection of wise sayings and reflections on the nature of existence.
A lucid translation of the well-known Taoist classic by a leading scholar-now in a Shambhala Pocket Library edition. Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Teh Ching , or -The Classic of ... (Goodreads)
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
by Michael Pollan
Exploration of the modern food chain, examining the impact of food choices on our health and the environment.
What should we have for dinner? The question has confronted us since man discovered fire, but according to Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Botany of Desire , how we answer it today, at ... (Goodreads)
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
by Naomi Klein
Examination of the exploitation of economic crises and shock tactics by governments and corporations.
In her ground-breaking reporting from Iraq, Naomi Klein exposed how the trauma of invasion was being exploited to remake the country in the interest of foreign corporations. She called it "disaster ... (Goodreads)
Pedagogy of the Oppressed
by Paulo Freire
Analysis of the educational system, advocating a pedagogy of liberation.
First published in Portuguese in 1968, Pedagogy of the Oppressed was translated and published in English in 1970. The methodology of the late Paulo Freire has helped to empower countless impoverished ... (Goodreads)
Debt: The First 5,000 Years
by David Graeber
A history of money and debt, exploring the roots of our current financial system.
Before there was money, there was debt Every economics textbook says the same thing: Money was invented to replace onerous and complicated barter systems—to relieve ancient people from having to haul ... (Goodreads)
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
by Barbara Kingsolver
A family's journey to eat locally grown, sustainable food.
Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they'd only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it ... (Goodreads)
A Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson
A captivating overview of the natural sciences, spanning the history of the universe.
In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory ... (Goodreads)
India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy
by Ramachandra Guha
An expansive account of India's post-independence history, exploring its unique path to democracy.
A magisterial account of the pains, the struggles, the humiliations, and the glories of the world's largest and least likely democracy, Ramachandra Guha's India After Gandhi is a breathtaking ... (Goodreads)
How to Lie with Statistics
by Darrell Huff
A humorous guide to mastering the art of manipulating data to support any argument.
Darrell Huff runs the gamut of every popularly used type of statistic, probes such things as the sample study, the tabulation method, the interview technique, or the way the results are derived from ... (Goodreads)
The Social Contract
by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Exploration of the relationship between a government and its citizens, and the rights of individuals.
"Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains." These are the famous opening words of a treatise that has not ceased to stir vigorous debate since its first publication in 1762. Rejecting the ... (Goodreads)
Confessions
by Augustine of Hippo
A spiritual autobiography tracing Augustine's journey from youthful excess to Christian faith.
Augustine's Confessions is one of the most influential and most innovative works of Latin literature. Written in the author's early forties in the last years of the fourth century A.D. and during his ... (Goodreads)
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
An exploration of the concept of 'flow' and how it can be used to enhance optimal experience.
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's investigations of "optimal experience" have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. During flow, ... (Goodreads)
Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant
by W. Chan Kim
A guide to creating unique and profitable business strategies by surpassing competition.
The global phenomenon, embraced by business worldwide and now published in more than 40 languages. This international bestseller challenges everything you thought you knew about the requirements for ... (Goodreads)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
by Malcolm X
A gripping account of one man's transformation from criminal to civil rights leader.
Alternate cover for ISBN 9780345350688 Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his ... (Goodreads)
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
A study of the role of randomness in life, and how it can lead to unexpected events.
A black swan is a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear ... (Goodreads)
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
by Sogyal Rinpoche
Guide to attaining inner peace in life and death, drawing from Buddhist wisdom.
“A magnificent achievement. In its power to touch the heart, to awaken consciousness, [ The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying ] is an inestimable gift.” — San Francisco Chronicle A newly revised and ... (Goodreads)
Man and His Symbols
by C.G. Jung
An exploration of the collective unconscious, and its implications for self-realization.
Man and His Symbols owes its existence to one of Jung's own dreams. The great psychologist dreamed that his work was understood by a wide public, rather than just by psychiatrists, and therefore he ... (Goodreads)
The Republic
by Plato
A philosophical discourse on justice, examining morality, politics, and virtue.
Presented in the form of a dialogue between Socrates and three different interlocutors, this classic text is an enquiry into the notion of a perfect community and the ideal individual within it. ... (Goodreads)
59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot
by Richard Wiseman
Evidence-based self-help book that provides practical tips to improve various aspects of life in under a minute.
In "59 Seconds," psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman presents a fresh approach to change that helps people achieve their aims and ambitions in minutes, not months. From mood to memory, persuasion ... (Goodreads)
The Art of Happiness
by Dalai Lama XIV
A spiritual guide to finding lasting joy and contentment.
An updated edition of a beloved classic—the original book on happiness, with new material from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Dr. Howard Cutler,Nearly every time you see him, he's laughing, or at ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology
by Ray Kurzweil
A futurist's prediction of a technological singularity where humans merge with machines, leading to a new era of evolution.
For over three decades, Ray Kurzweil has been one of the most respected and provocative advocates of the role of technology in our future. In his classic The Age of Spiritual Machines , he argued ... (Goodreads)
What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures
by Malcolm Gladwell
Collection of essays about the surprising connections between seemingly unrelated topics.
What is the difference between choking and panicking? Why are there dozens of varieties of mustard but only one variety of ketchup? What do football players teach us about how to hire teachers? What ... (Goodreads)
