Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Critical
Animal Farm
by George Orwell
A satirical fable of a group of farm animals who overthrow their oppressive master and attempt to create a utopian society.
The poorly-run Manor Farm near Willingdon , England , is ripened for rebellion from its animal populace by neglect at the hands of the irresponsible and alcoholic farmer, Mr. Jones . One night, the ... (Wikipedia)
The Satanic Verses
by Salman Rushdie
An exploration into the clash between faith and reason, with a controversial narrative of religious satire.
Just before dawn one winter's morning, a hijacked jetliner explodes above the English Channel. Through the falling debris, two figures, Gibreel Farishta, the biggest star in India, and Saladin ... (Goodreads)
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
by Dee Brown
An in-depth account of the displacement of Native American tribes by the US government.
Now a special 30th-anniversary edition in both hardcover and paperback, the classic bestselling history The New York Times called "Original, remarkable, and finally heartbreaking...Impossible to put ... (Goodreads)
The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood
A dystopian future where women are oppressed and used as a commodity.
After a staged attack that killed the President of the United States and most of Congress , a radical political group called the "Sons of Jacob" uses quasi-Christian ideology to launch a revolution . ... (Wikipedia)
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)
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
by Eric Schlosser
An exploration of the industrial food system and its effects on U.S. society.
Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list ... (Goodreads)
A People's History of the United States
by Howard Zinn
An examination of American history from a perspective of marginalized people.
In the book, Zinn presented a different side of history from the more traditional "fundamental nationalist glorification of country". Zinn portrays a side of American history that can largely be seen ... (Goodreads)
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
by Timothy Snyder
A study of history and a call to action against the rise of authoritarianism.
#1, New York Times, Bestseller •, A historian of fascism offers a guide for surviving and resisting America's turn towards authoritarianism., The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat ... (Barnes & Noble)
Dispatches
by Michael Herr
A journalist's account of the Vietnam War, depicting the brutality, confusion and chaos of the conflict.
Written on the front lines in Vietnam, Dispatches became an immediate classic of war reportage when it was published in 1977. From its terrifying opening pages to its final eloquent words, Dispatches ... (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)
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
by Sam Harris
An exploration of religion, its implications for our world and how it can be replaced with reason.
In The End of Faith , Sam Harris delivers a startling analysis of the clash between reason and religion in the modern world. He offers a vivid, historical tour of our willingness to suspend reason in ... (Goodreads)
Orientalism
by Edward W. Said
Exploration of the Middle East through the West's prejudiced lens.
More than three decades after its first publication, Edward Said's groundbreaking critique of the West's historical, cultural, and political perceptions of the East has become a modern classic. In ... (Goodreads)
The History of Sexuality, Volume 1: An Introduction
by Michel Foucault
Examination of the power dynamics and social constructions of sexual behavior.
Michel Foucault offers an iconoclastic exploration of why we feel compelled to continually analyze and discuss sex, and of the social and mental mechanisms of power that cause us to direct the ... (Goodreads)
Are Prisons Obsolete?
by Angela Y. Davis
Critique of existing prison systems and exploration of alternative solutions.
With her characteristic brilliance, grace and radical audacity, Angela Y. Davis has put the case for the latest abolition movement in American life: the abolition of the prison. As she quite ... (Goodreads)
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 5: Lonely City
by Warren Ellis
A science-fiction dark comedy about a journalist navigating a dystopian world.
SC, TPB, in cello, New, Written by Warren Ellis. Art by Darick Robertson. Published in June of 2001. Softcover, 144 pages, full color. Mature Readers. Cover price $14.99. ... (Goodreads)
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
by Joan Didion
Collection of essays exploring the cultural landscape of 1960s America.
The first nonfiction work by one of the most distinctive prose stylists of our era, Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem remains, decades after its first publication, the essential portrait of ... (Goodreads)
Democracy in America
by Alexis de Tocqueville
A study of the political and social structure of the United States and its implications.
Democracy in America has had the singular honor of being even to this day the work that political commentators of every stripe refer to when they seek to draw large conclusions about the society of ... (Goodreads)
Perestroika
by Tony Kushner
A powerful look at the impact of political upheaval on the lives of ordinary people.
Set in New York City, the play takes place between October 1985 and February 1986. , The play begins with the funeral of Sarah Ironson, an elderly Jewish woman, whose rabbi eulogizes not only her, ... (Wikipedia)
Pump Six and Other Stories
by Paolo Bacigalupi
A collection of dystopian short stories exploring the consequences of environmental and technological disasters on humanity.
Paolo Bacigalupi's debut collection demonstrates the power and reach of the science fiction short story. Social criticism, political parable, and environmental advocacy lie at the center of Paolo's ... (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)
The Plot Against America
by Philip Roth
An alternate history of America, where a fascist president rises to power.
The novel is told from the point of view of Roth as a child growing up in Newark, New Jersey , as the younger son of Herman and Bess Roth. It begins with aviation hero Charles Lindbergh , who is ... (Wikipedia)
The Painted Word
by Tom Wolfe
A satirical critique of the contemporary art world and its reliance on art theory and criticism.
,"America's nerviest journalist" (,Newsweek,) trains his satirical eye on Modern Art in this "masterpiece" (,The Washington Post,),Wolfe's style has never been more dazzling, his wit never more ... (Goodreads)
Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America
by Barbara Ehrenreich
Critique of the positive thinking movement and its impact on American culture, economy, and politics.
Americans are a "positive" people—cheerful, optimistic, and upbeat: this is our reputation as well as our self-image. But more than a temperament, being positive, we are told, is the key to success ... (Goodreads)
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
by Ibram X. Kendi
Exploration of the history of racism in America, tracing its origins and its effects on society.
In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti–Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the ... (Goodreads)
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
by Christopher Hitchens
Criticism of organized religion, arguing it is the root of much suffering in the world.
With his unique brand of erudition and wit, Hitchens describes the ways in which religion is man-made. "God did not make us," he says. "We made God." He explains the ways in which religion is ... (Goodreads)
Père Goriot
by Honoré de Balzac
A tale of ambition, greed, and human relationships in 19th century Paris.
The novel opens with an extended description of the Maison Vauquer, a boarding house in Paris' rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève covered with vines, owned by the widow Madame Vauquer. The residents include ... (Wikipedia)
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
by Max Weber
Examines the relationship between Protestantism and the rise of capitalism, arguing that religious beliefs influenced economic behavior.
The Protestant ethic — a moral code stressing hard work, rigorous self-discipline, and the organization of one's life in the service of God — was made famous by sociologist and political economist ... (Goodreads)
They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing
by Gerald Graff
A guide to academic writing that teaches readers how to engage in productive dialogue with other writers and develop their own arguments effectively.
They Say / I Say shows that writing well means mastering some key rhetorical moves, the most important of which involves summarizing what others have said (they say) to set up one's own argument (I ... (Goodreads)
The Fire Next Time
by James Baldwin
Reflection on the plight of African Americans in a candid and deeply moving essay.
A national bestseller when it first appeared in 1963, The Fire Next Time galvanized the nation and gave passionate voice to the emerging civil rights movement. At once a powerful evocation of James ... (Goodreads)
Elmer Gantry
by Sinclair Lewis
Universally recognized as a landmark in American literature, Elmer Gantry scandalized readers when it was first published, causing Sinclair Lewis to be "invited" to a jail cell in New Hampshire and ... (Goodreads)
Women, Race & Class
by Angela Y. Davis
Examining the intersections of women's liberation, civil rights, and class struggle in the United States.
From one of our most important scholars and civil rights activist icon, a powerful study of the women’s liberation movement and the tangled knot of oppression facing Black women.,"Angela Davis is ... (Goodreads)
Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness
by Peter Godfrey-Smith
Exploration of the philosophical and scientific questions surrounding the emergence of consciousness in animals other than humans.
Although mammals and birds are widely regarded as the smartest creatures on earth, it has lately become clear that a very distant branch of the tree of life has also sprouted higher intelligence: the ... (Goodreads)
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
by Jon Krakauer
An exploration of the fundamentalist Mormon faith, its history, and the power of religious extremism.
A Story of Violent Faith A multilayered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, savage violence, polygamy, and unyielding faith. This is vintage Krakauer, an utterly compelling work of ... (Goodreads)
Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil
by Hannah Arendt
Exploration of the trial of Adolf Eichmann, examining the nature of evil and its implications.
Originally appearing as a series of articles in The New Yorker , Hannah Arendt’s authoritative and stunning report on the trial of Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann sparked a flurry of debate upon its ... (Goodreads)
Theogony / Works and Days
by Hesiod
"Theogony" tells the story of the Greek gods' creation and rise to power, while "Works and Days" offers advice on farming and morality.
Hesiod, one of the oldest known Greek poets, stands out as the first personality in European literature. The Theogony contains a systematic genealogy of the gods from the beginning of the world and ... (Goodreads)
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
A critical examination of the impact of randomness/chance in life and financial markets.
Fooled by Randomness, is a standalone book in Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a ... (Goodreads)
Measure for Measure
by William Shakespeare
A dark comedy about justice, morality, and the search for truth.
Measure for Measure is among the most passionately discussed of Shakespeare’s plays. In it, a duke temporarily removes himself from governing his city-state, deputizing a member of his ... (Goodreads)
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
by Stephen Greenblatt
Uncovering the history of an ancient philosophical poem, and its impact on the modern world.
One of the world's most celebrated scholars, Stephen Greenblatt has crafted both an innovative work of history and a thrilling story of discovery, in which one manuscript, plucked from a thousand ... (Goodreads)
Arguably: Selected Essays
by Christopher Hitchens
A collection of essays on politics, literature, and culture, showcasing Hitchens' wit and sharp analysis.
The first new book of essays by Christopher Hitchens since 2004, Arguably offers an indispensable key to understanding the passionate and skeptical spirit of one of our most dazzling writers, widely ... (Goodreads)
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
by Neil Postman
Analysis of the effects of mass media on modern culture and how it changes communication.
Television has conditioned us to tolerate visually entertaining material measured out in spoonfuls of time, to the detriment of rational public discourse and reasoned public affairs. In this ... (Goodreads)
White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America
by Nancy Isenberg
An in-depth analysis of the history of class in America, examining the lasting impact of the Establishment's grip on power.
In her groundbreaking history of the class system in America, extending from colonial times to the present, Nancy Isenberg takes on our comforting myths about equality, uncovering the crucial legacy ... (Goodreads)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
by Edward Albee
A darkly comedic exploration of a troubled couple's tumultuous marriage.
George and Martha engage in dangerous emotional games. George is an associate professor of history and Martha is the daughter of the president of the college where George teaches. After they return ... (Wikipedia)
The Odessa File
by Frederick Forsyth
The uncovering of a sinister Nazi plot, while searching for the truth of a young boy's death.
In November 1963, shortly after the assassination of John F. Kennedy , Peter Miller, a German freelance crime reporter, follows an ambulance to the apartment of Salomon Tauber, a Holocaust survivor ... (Wikipedia)
The Secret History of Wonder Woman
by Jill Lepore
The story of the origins and evolution of Wonder Woman and her creator, William Moulton Marston.
A cultural history of Wonder Woman traces the character's creation and enduring popularity, drawing on interviews and archival research to reveal the pivotal role of feminism in shaping her ... (Goodreads)
The Map and the Territory
by Michel Houellebecq
A darkly humorous exploration of life, art, and success in the modern world.
Si Jed Martin, le personnage principal de ce roman, devait vous en raconter l’histoire, il commencerait peut-être par vous parler d’une panne de chauffe-eau, un certain 15 décembre. Ou de son père, ... (Goodreads)
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
by Thomas Piketty
An economic analysis of wealth and inequality in the modern era.
What are the grand dynamics that drive the accumulation and distribution of capital? Questions about the long-term evolution of inequality, the concentration of wealth, and the prospects for economic ... (Goodreads)
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why
by Bart D. Ehrman
A historical analysis of the New Testament, exploring the discrepancies and alterations made by scribes and theologians throughout history.
For almost 1,500 years, the New Testament manuscripts were copied by hand––and mistakes and intentional changes abound in the competing manuscript versions. Religious and biblical scholar Bart Ehrman ... (Goodreads)
Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison
by Michel Foucault
Examines the emergence of the modern prison system and its effects on society.
Librarian note: an alternate cover for this edition can be found, here,. Barely two hundred and fifty years ago a man condemned of attempting to assassinate the King of France was drawn and quartered ... (Goodreads)
Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right
by Jane Mayer
Exposes the network of ultra-wealthy individuals who have funded the radical right-wing political agenda for the last four decades.
Why is America living in an age of profound economic inequality? Why, despite the desperate need to address climate change, have even modest environmental efforts been defeated again and again? Why ... (Goodreads)
Big Brother
by Lionel Shriver
A woman's obsession with her brother leads to a disturbing and destructive relationship.
For Pandora, cooking is a form of love. Alas, her husband, Fletcher, a self-employed high-end cabinetmaker, now spurns the “toxic” dishes that he’d savored through their courtship, and devotes hours ... (Goodreads)
We
by Yevgeny Zamyatin
A dystopian tale of a totalitarian state and its citizens' struggle for freedom.
A few hundred years after the One State's conquest of the entire world, the spaceship Integral is being built in order to invade and conquer extraterrestrial planets. Meanwhile, the project's chief ... (Wikipedia)
Gulag: A History
by Anne Applebaum
A comprehensive account of the Soviet Union's notorious prison system, the history of its inhumane treatment of inmates.
The Gulag–a vast array of Soviet concentration camps that held millions of political and criminal prisoners--was a system of repression and punishment that terrorized the entire society, embodying ... (Goodreads)
The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility, and Other Writings on Media
by Walter Benjamin
Reflection on the impact of technology on art, culture and society.
Benjamin’s famous 'Work of Art' essay sets out his boldest thoughts–on media and on culture in general--in their most realized form, while retaining an edge that gets under the skin of everyone who ... (Goodreads)
Main Street
by Sinclair Lewis
A small-town woman's quest for freedom and self-expression in a repressive society.
With Commentary by E. M. Forster, Dorothy Parker, H. L. Mencken, Lewis Mumford, Rebecca West, Sherwood Anderson, Malcolm Cowley, Alfred Kazin, Constance Rourke, and Mark Schorer. Main Street , the ... (Goodreads)
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq
by Thomas E. Ricks
A critical analysis of the US military's involvement in Iraq, highlighting the failures and missteps that led to a disastrous outcome.
This is the Story of The American Military Adventure in Iraq. The Heart of the story Fiasco has to tell, which has never been told before, is that of a Military occupation whose leaders failed to see ... (Goodreads)
Bad Science
by Ben Goldacre
A critical look at the misuse of scientific fact and the implications of bad science.
Full of spleen, this is a hilarious, invigorating and informative journey through the world of Bad Science . When Dr Ben Goldacre saw someone on daytime TV dipping her feet in an 'Aqua Detox' ... (Goodreads)
Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle
by Chris Hedges
A scathing critique of American culture, exposing the dangers of a society obsessed with entertainment and spectacle over critical thinking and literacy.
We now live in two Americas. One - now the minority - functions in a print-based, literate world that can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth. The other - the majority - is ... (Goodreads)
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
by Edward S. Herman
Critique of mass media and its role in shaping public opinion.
In this pathbreaking work, Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky show that, contrary to the usual image of the news media as cantankerous, obstinate, and ubiquitous in their search for truth and defense ... (Goodreads)
The Twelve Caesars
by Suetonius
Detailed biographies of the twelve Roman Emperors, from Julius Caesar to Domitian.
As private secretary to the Emperor Hadrian, Suetonius gained access to the imperial archives and used them (along with eye-witness accounts) to produce one of the most colorful biographical works in ... (Goodreads)
The Second Coming
by John Niven
A washed-up musician is given a second chance at fame, but at what cost? A darkly humorous tale of redemption and the music industry.
GOD'S COMING - LOOK BUSY! God really is coming, and he is going to be pissed. Having left his son in charge, God treated himself to a well-earned break around the height of the Renaissance. A good ... (Goodreads)
The Darkroom of Damocles
by Willem Frederik Hermans
A man's search for his missing identity amidst the chaos of World War II.
Osewoudt, a cigar store owner from Voorschoten , near Leiden, living under the Nazi occupation , makes his acquaintance with the mysterious Dorbeck, who claims to be involved in the Resistance ... (Wikipedia)
The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You
by Eli Pariser
The internet is creating personalized filters that limit our exposure to diverse perspectives, leading to a distorted view of the world.
An eye-opening account of how the hidden rise of personalization on the Internet is controlling - and limiting - the information we consume. In December 2009, Google began customizing its search ... (Goodreads)
Black Skin, White Masks
by Frantz Fanon
Examining the psychological and social effects of colonialism on people of color.
A major influence on civil rights, anti-colonial, and black consciousness movements around the world, Black Skin, White Masks is the unsurpassed study of the black psyche in a white world. Hailed for ... (Goodreads)
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
by Jane Jacobs
Exposes the flaws of urban planning, advocating for a more organic approach.
A direct and fundamentally optimistic indictment of the short-sightedness and intellectual arrogance that has characterized much of urban planning in this century, The Death and Life of Great ... (Goodreads)
Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist
by Walter Kaufmann
A comprehensive biography of Nietzsche, exploring his philosophy, psychology, and controversial views on religion and morality.
This classic is the benchmark against which all modern books about Nietzsche are measured. When Walter Kaufmann wrote it in the immediate aftermath of World War II, most scholars outside Germany ... (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)
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
by David Hume
Analysis of the nature of human understanding, challenging existing philosophical and religious beliefs.
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, is a book by the Scottish empiricist philosopher David Hume , published in English in 1748. , It was a revision of an earlier effort, Hume's A Treatise of ... (Wikipedia)
Mother Courage and Her Children
by Bertolt Brecht
A play exploring the impact of war and its aftermath on a woman and her children.
Widely considered one of the great dramatic creations of the modern stage, "Mother Courage and Her Children" is Bertolt Brecht's most passionate and profound statement against war. Set in the ... (Goodreads)
Detroit: An American Autopsy
by Charlie LeDuff
An in-depth examination of the decline of Detroit, focusing on the people and stories behind the city's fall.
In the heart of America, a metropolis is quietly destroying itself. Detroit, once the richest city in the nation, is now its poorest. Once the vanguard of America’s machine age—mass production, ... (Goodreads)
Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other
by Sherry Turkle
A critique of our dependence on technology and how it affects our relationships with others.
A groundbreaking book by one of the most important thinkers of our time shows how technology is warping our social lives and our inner ones Technology has become the architect of our intimacies. ... (Barnes & Noble)
Point Counter Point
by Aldous Huxley
A web of interweaving stories and characters, exploring themes of human relationships and morality.
Aldous Huxley's lifelong concern with the dichotomy between passion and reason finds its fullest expression both thematically and formally in his masterpiece Point Counter Point . By presenting a ... (Goodreads)
The Third Reich
by Roberto Bolaño
A collection of short stories exploring the lives of Nazi sympathizers and war criminals, revealing the dark underbelly of the Third Reich.
The novel concerns Udo Berger, a German wargame champion, who returns with his girlfriend Ingeborg to the small town on the Costa Brava where he spent the summers of his childhood. When one of his ... (Wikipedia)
Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance
by Noam Chomsky
Examination of US foreign policy, arguing for the need to confront corporate power and militarism.
An immediate national bestseller, Hegemony or Survival demonstrates how, for more than half a century the United States has been pursuing a grand imperial strategy with the aim of staking out the ... (Goodreads)
Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?
by Mark Fisher
Critique of late capitalism, exploring the oppressive power of neoliberalism.
After 1989, capitalism has presented itself as the only realistic political-economic system. What effects has this “capitalist realism” had on work, culture, education and mental health? Is it ... (Goodreads)
The Society of the Spectacle
by Guy Debord
A critical analysis of the commodification of society and the power of the media.
Few works of political and cultural theory have been as enduringly provocative as Guy Debord's The Society of the Spectacle. From its publication amid the social upheavals of the 1960s up to the ... (Goodreads)
Shooting an Elephant
by George Orwell
Orwell's personal account of shooting an elephant in colonial Burma, exploring the complexities of imperialism and power.
This is an alternate cover edition of Shooting an Elephant. "Shooting an Elephant" is Orwell's searing and painfully honest account of his experience as a police officer in imperial Burma; killing an ... (Goodreads)
The Age of Reason
by Jean-Paul Sartre
A philosophical exploration of the nature of human freedom in an absurd world.
Set in France during the days immediately before World War II, this is the story of Mathieu, a French professor of philosophy obsessed with the idea of freedom. Translated from the French by Eric ... (Goodreads)
Civilization and Its Discontents
by Sigmund Freud
Exploration of the psychological underpinnings of human civilization and its discontents.
It stands as a brilliant summary of the views on culture from a psychoanalytic perspective that he had been developing since the turn of the century. It is both witness and tribute to the late theory ... (Goodreads)
Simulacra and Simulation
by Jean Baudrillard
Analysis of the effects of technology on our lives, exploring the concept of hyperreality.
The publication of Simulacra et Simulation in 1981 marked Jean Baudrillard's first important step toward theorizing the postmodern. Moving away from the Marxist/Freudian approaches that had concerned ... (Goodreads)
London Fields
by Martin Amis
A female artist's exploration of life and death, told through the lens of an apocalyptic setting.
London Fields is set in London in 1999 against a backdrop of environmental, social and moral degradation, and the looming threat of world instability and nuclear war (referred to as "The Crisis"). ... (Wikipedia)
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)
War with the Newts
by Karel Čapek
The story of a colony of intelligent newts, who are exploited and ultimately fight for their independence.
Only the last four of the book's 27 chapters deal with the eponymous war. The rest of the book is concerned with the discovery of the Newts, their exploitation and evolution, and growing tensions ... (Wikipedia)
It Can't Happen Here
by Sinclair Lewis
A cautionary tale of how fascism can take hold in America, following the rise of a demagogue who becomes president.
In 1936, Senator Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, a charismatic and power-hungry politician, wins the 1936 United States presidential election on a populist platform, promising to restore the country to ... (Wikipedia)
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)
Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1
by Karl Marx
Analysis of capitalism, exploring its economic and social systems.
Capital , one of Marx's major and most influential works, was the product of thirty years close study of the capitalist mode of production in England, the most advanced industrial society of his day. ... (Goodreads)
Letter to a Christian Nation
by Sam Harris
A refutation of religious dogma and an argument for the supremacy of reason.
In response to The End of Faith , Sam Harris received thousands of letters from Christians excoriating him for not believing in God. Letter to A Christian Nation is his reply. Using rational ... (Goodreads)
The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever
by Christopher Hitchens
Selection of essays, articles, and excerpts from some of the greatest minds in atheism.
From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of God Is Not Great , a provocative and entertaining guided tour of atheist and agnostic thought through the ages with never-before-published pieces by ... (Goodreads)
The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice
by Christopher Hitchens
A critical examination of the life and works of Mother Teresa, exploring her motivations and impact.
Among his many books, perhaps none have sparked more outrage than The Missionary Position , Christopher Hitchens's meticulous study of the life and deeds of Mother Teresa. A Nobel Peace Prize ... (Goodreads)
The Prague Cemetery
by Umberto Eco
A thrilling, historical mystery, unravelling the secrets of a 19th century conspiracy.
The main character is Simone Simonini, a man whom Eco claims he has tried to make into the most cynical and disagreeable character in all the history of literature , (and is the only fictional ... (Wikipedia)
The Dinner
by Herman Koch
A tense family dinner that unravels a series of secrets and lies.
The story is narrated by Paul Lohman, a former history teacher. He and his wife Claire meet at a fancy restaurant in Amsterdam with his elder brother Serge, a prominent politician and contender for ... (Wikipedia)
The Burnout Society
by Byung-Chul Han
A critique of contemporary society's obsession with productivity and positivity, leading to burnout and depression.
Our competitive, service-oriented societies are taking a toll on the late-modern individual. Rather than improving life, multitasking, "user-friendly" technology, and the culture of convenience are ... (Goodreads)
Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder
by Richard Dawkins
An exploration of science and spirituality, examining the importance of wonder in understanding the universe.
Keats accused Newton of destroying the poetry of the rainbow by explaining the origin of its colours. In this illuminating and provocative book, Richard Dawkins argues that Keats could not have been ... (Goodreads)
What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets
by Michael J. Sandel
Exploration of the moral and ethical implications of market-driven economies.
A renowned political philosopher rethinks the role that markets and money should play in our society Should we pay children to read books or to get good grades? Should we put a price on human life to ... (Goodreads)
Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients
by Ben Goldacre
Exposé of the pharmaceutical industry's unethical practices, revealing how they prioritize profits over patient safety.
Medicine is broken. We like to imagine that it’s based on evidence and the results of fair tests. In reality, those tests are often profoundly flawed. We like to imagine that doctors are familiar ... (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)
مهزلة العقل البشري
by علي الوردي Ali Al-Wardi
An exploration of the human mind, uncovering its inner workings and limitations.
كتب الدكتور علي الوردي هذا الكتاب فصولاً متفرقة في أوقات شتى وذلك بعد صدور كتابه "وعّاظ السلاطين" وهذه الفصول ليست في موضوع واحد، وقد أؤلف بينها أنها كتبت تحت تأثير الضجة التي قامت حول كتابه المذكور، ... (Goodreads)
Eisenhower in War and Peace
by Jean Edward Smith
Biography of Dwight Eisenhower's life, from World War II to the Cold War.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY, The Christian Science Monitor • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, In his magisterial bestseller FDR, Jean Edward Smith gave us a fresh, modern look at one of the ... (Goodreads)
The Group
by Mary McCarthy
Eight Vassar graduates navigate life in 1930s New York City, exploring love, sex, and societal expectations.
Librarian note: An alternate cover of this ISBN can be found, here,., Mary McCarthy's most celebrated novel follows the lives of eight Vassar graduates, known simply to their classmates as "the ... (Goodreads)
In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks . . . And Other Complaints from an Angry Middle-Aged White Guy
by Adam Carolla
A humorous and irreverent take on modern society, politics, and culture from the perspective of a middle-aged white man.
A couple years back, I was at the Phoenix airport bar. It was empty except for one heavy-set, gray bearded, grizzled guy who looked like he just rode his donkey into town after a long day of panning ... (Goodreads)
El árbol de la ciencia
by Pío Baroja
The first part of the novel deals with the life of the medicine student Andrés Hurtado. Through his family, teachers, classmates and diverse friends, Baroja draws a merciless painting of the ... (Wikipedia)
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