Powered by a book like {foo}
Recommendations based on Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japanby Jake Adelstein
* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
by Barbara Demick
Exploration of the lives of North Koreans during the famine and repression of the 1990s.
Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the unchallenged rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and the ... (Goodreads)
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
by Sam Kean
Fascinating tales of discovery and exploration of the elements of the periodic table.
Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? Why did the Japanese kill Godzilla with missiles made of cadmium (Cd, 48)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why did tellurium (Te, ... (Goodreads)
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
by J.D. Vance
An exploration of the struggles of working-class Americans, and the power of family and culture to shape one's life.
Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for ... (Goodreads)
Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines
by Nic Sheff
A young man's personal account of his struggles with addiction and how he overcame them.
The story that inspired the major motion picture, Beautiful Boy, featuring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet,., This, New York Times, bestselling memoir of a young man’s addiction to methamphetamine ... (Goodreads)
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
by Scott McCloud
Exploration of the visual language of comics and its role in storytelling.
Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics is a seminal examination of comics art: its rich history, surprising technical components, and major cultural significance. Explore the secret world between the ... (Goodreads)
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
by Katherine Boo
Explores the lives of the people living in Mumbai's slums and the harsh realities they face.
From Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo, a landmark work of narrative nonfiction that tells the dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story of families striving toward a better life in one of the ... (Goodreads)
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
by Jon Ronson
Exploration of the psychiatric industry, examining the definition and diagnosis of psychopathy.
In this madcap journey, a bestselling journalist investigates psychopaths and the industry of doctors, scientists, and everyone else who studies them. The Psychopath Test is a fascinating journey ... (Goodreads)
Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.
“This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)
But What If We're Wrong? Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past
by Chuck Klosterman
Examining how present-day beliefs and values could be viewed differently in the future.
We live in a culture of casual certitude. This has always been the case, no matter how often that certainty has failed. Though no generation believes there’s nothing left to learn, every generation ... (Goodreads)
The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy
by Bill Simmons
A deep dive into the history and culture of the NBA, from the perspectives of a lifelong basketball fan.
There is only one writer on the planet who possesses enough basketball knowledge and passion to write the definitive book on the NBA.* Bill Simmons, the from-the-womb hoops addict known to millions ... (Goodreads)
Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator
by Ryan Holiday
A former media strategist exposes the corrupt practices of the modern media and how they manipulate the public for profit and power.
You've seen it all before. A malicious online rumor costs a company millions. A political sideshow derails the national news cycle and destroys a candidate. Some product or celebrity zooms from total ... (Goodreads)
Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
by David Sheff
An intimate look at a father's struggle to understand and help his son through his addiction.
With a new afterword Now a Major Motion Picture What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted David Sheff’s journey through ... (Goodreads)
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
by James W. Loewen
Exposing the inaccuracies in American history textbooks and exploring the forces that shaped them.
“Every teacher, every student of history, every citizen should read this book. It is both a refreshing antidote to what has passed for history in our educational system and a one-volume education in ... (Barnes & Noble)
Gomorrah
by Roberto Saviano
Exposing the dark underworld of the Neapolitan mafia and its insidious effects on society.
A groundbreaking major bestseller in Italy, Gomorrah is Roberto Saviano's gripping nonfiction account of the decline of Naples under the rule of the Camorra, an organized crime network with a large ... (Goodreads)
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made
by Jason Schreier
A behind-the-scenes look at the development of popular video games, from concept to release, and the challenges faced by their creators.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER Developing video games—hero's journey or fool's errand? The creative and technical logistics that go into building today's hottest games can be more harrowing and complex than the ... (Barnes & Noble)
How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization
by Franklin Foer
Exploring the political, economic and social ties between soccer and the world.
Soccer is much more than a game, or even a way of life. It is a perfect window into the cross-currents of today's world, with all its joys and its sorrows. In this remarkably insightful, wide-ranging ... (Goodreads)
Contagious: Why Things Catch On
by Jonah Berger
Exploring the science behind why some products and ideas become popular.
New York Times bestseller and named Best Marketing Book of 2014 by the American Marketing Association What makes things popular? Why do people talk about certain products and ideas more than others? ... (Goodreads)
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
by Timothy J. Keller
An exploration of the power of humility and surrendering one's pride and ego.
‘What are the marks of a supernaturally changed heart?’ This is one of the questions the Apostle Paul addresses as he writes to the church in Corinth. He’s not after some superficial outward ... (Goodreads)
Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right
by Arlie Russell Hochschild
An exploration of the deep story of the American Right, uncovering the feelings and motivations that drive it.
In Strangers in Their Own Land , the renowned sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild embarks on a thought-provoking journey from her liberal hometown of Berkeley, California, deep into Louisiana bayou ... (Goodreads)
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
by Charles Duhigg
Uncovering the science of habit formation and how to use it to achieve success.
A young woman walks into a laboratory. Over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, run a marathon, and been promoted at work. The patterns ... (Goodreads)
Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
by David Kushner
The story of John Carmack and John Romero, creators of the video game Doom, and their impact on the gaming industry.
Masters of Doom is the amazing true story of the Lennon and McCartney of video games: John Carmack and John Romero. Together, they ruled big business. They transformed popular culture. And they ... (Goodreads)
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh offers an introduction to Buddhism, exploring its core teachings and practices for achieving inner peace and happiness.
“If there is a candidate for ‘Living Buddha’ on earth today, it is Thich Nhat Hanh.” ... (Goodreads)
The Prince
by Niccolò Machiavelli
A timeless political treatise on the art of acquiring and maintaining power.
Machiavelli needs to be looked at as he really was. Hence: Can Machiavelli, who makes the following observations, be Machiavellian as we understand the disparaging term? 1. So it is that to know the ... (Goodreads)
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
by Richard Rothstein
Examination of the US government's role in creating and enforcing racial segregation in housing.
In this groundbreaking history of the modern American metropolis, Richard Rothstein, a leading authority on housing policy, explodes the myth that America’s cities came to be racially divided through ... (Goodreads)
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town
by Jon Krakauer
A harrowing account of sexual assaults in Missoula, Montana and the failures of the justice system to bring justice to the victims.
Missoula, Montana, is a typical college town, home to a highly regarded state university whose beloved football team inspires a passionately loyal fan base. Between January 2008 and May 2012, ... (Barnes & Noble)
Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life
by C.S. Lewis
Autobiography of an Oxford professor's spiritual journey from atheism to faith.
Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life is a partial autobiography describing Lewis' conversion to Christianity. The book overall contains less detail concerning specific events than typical ... (Goodreads)
This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life
by David Foster Wallace
Reflections on leading a meaningful life, with compassion and understanding.
In this rare peak into the personal life of the author of numerous bestselling novels, gain an understanding of David Foster Wallace and how he became the man that he was. Only once did David Foster ... (Barnes & Noble)
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
by Jon Krakauer
A gripping narrative of the 1996 expedition on Mount Everest that resulted in tragedy.
When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. ... (Goodreads)
So You've Been Publicly Shamed
by Jon Ronson
An exploration of the impact of public shaming in the digital age, and its implications for justice.
For the past three years, Jon Ronson has travelled the world meeting recipients of high-profile public shamings. The shamed are people like us - people who, say, made a joke on social media that came ... (Goodreads)
The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood
by James Gleick
A comprehensive history of the development of information technology, from ancient times to the digital age.
James Gleick, the author of the best sellers Chaos and Genius , now brings us a work just as astonishing and masterly: a revelatory chronicle and meditation that shows how information has become the ... (Goodreads)
