Every season, the Next Big Idea Club editorial staff reviews dozens of upcoming books to identify the most exciting, must-read nonfiction titles. We start with a broad pool of nominees, and then share them with our curators—Adam Grant, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, and Malcolm Gladwell—to identify a small handful of finalists and, ultimately, two official season selections.
Today, it’s our pleasure to share our list of eight finalists for Season 21! Without further ado, the new books we’re most excited about right now are…
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age
By Katherine May
Blending lyricism and storytelling, sensitivity and empathy, Enchantment invites each of us to open the door to human experience in all its sensual complexity, and to find the beauty waiting for us there. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Katherine May, in the Next Big Idea App
Fool Proof: How Fear of Playing the Sucker Shapes Our Selves and the Social Order―and What We Can Do About It
By Tess Wilkinson-Ryan
Facing the fear of being suckered head-on means deciding for ourselves what risks to take, what relationships to invest in, when to share, and when to protest—drafting a new template for how to live with integrity in a sucker’s world. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Tess Wilkinson-Ryan, in the Next Big Idea App
Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way
By Jonah Berger
A world-renowned marketing expert reveals how mastering a few words can change your life, offering an inside look at the new science of language and how you can use it to motivate, engage, and persuade. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jonah Berger, in the Next Big Idea App
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
By Peter Attia
From a visionary physician and leading longevity expert comes a groundbreaking manifesto on living better and longer, one that challenges the conventional medical thinking on aging and reveals a new approach to preventing chronic disease and extending long-term health. Read an excerpt of our podcast episode with author Peter Attia
Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues
By Jonathan Kennedy
Drawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics, Pathogenesis takes us through sixty thousand years of history, exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that have made the modern world. View on Amazon
Psych: The Story of the Human Mind
By Paul Bloom
Was Freud right that we are all plagued by forbidden sexual desires? What is the function of emotions such as disgust, gratitude, and shame? A renowned psychologist answers these questions and many more in this riveting new book about the science of the mind. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Paul Bloom, in the Next Big Idea App
Selfless: The Social Creation of “You”
By Brian Lowery
We don’t just exist in communities; we are created and shaped by them. By recognizing that we are products of relationships—from fleeting transactions to deep connections—we shatter the myth of individualism and free ourselves to make our lives and the world accordingly. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Brian Lowery, in the Next Big Idea App
Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us
By Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
A life-altering journey through the science of neuroaesthetics, which shows how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts—and how this knowledge can both improve our health and help us build stronger communities. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, in the Next Big Idea App
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 video 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!
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