When we cheered in a new decade on December 31st, nobody could have known we’d spend most of the next year home while a pandemic erupted across the globe. As the world undergoes a pivotal transformation, these 10 books, written by experts on politics, the economy and the environment, will help us prepare for what comes next.
Recommendations
10 Vintage non-fiction books to prepare us for a new world
The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris (14 Jan)
Kamala Harris has become the first female, first Black and first South Asian Vice President Elect, stewarding a powerful shift in US politics. In The Truths We Hold, through the arc of her own life, Harris communicates a vision of shared struggle, purpose, and values and grapples with complex issues that affect America and the world at large, from health care and the new economy to immigration, national security, the opioid crisis, and accelerating inequality. By drawing on the hard-won wisdom and insight from her own career and the work of those who have most inspired her, The Truths We Hold is a masterclass of her visions and strategies.
Our Malady by Timothy Synder (2020)
Just months before we heard whispers of coronavirus in the West, Timothy Snyder found himself gravely ill and reflecting on the vulnerability of American citizens without basic healthcare rights. One pandemic and a devastating government response later, Snyder outlines the crucial lessons we must learn from our malady this year.
Metropolis by Ben Wilson (2020)
23% of our population live in a city, making cities breeding grounds for dynamic change, progress and development. Metropolis details the most powerful megalopolises throughout history, from powerful ancient Athens to modern-day sprawling Lagos, with exciting snapshots of daily life.
Spoon-Fed by Tim Spector (2020)
Atkins. BBG. Paleo. Raw food. For years we’ve been steered by dieting advice, but our obsession with nutrition has led to a negative relationship with food that we need to rethink. In this groundbreaking book, scientist Tim Spector myth-busts almost everything we’ve been cautioned not to eat, and outlines how we must change for ourselves and for the planet.
Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch (2018)
‘But where are you really from?’ It’s something Afua Hirsch has been asked all her life, despite being born, raised and educated in Britain. Part history and part personal experience, Brit(ish) is an examination of Britain’s denial of its imperial origins and the racism experienced today. As one Booker Prize 2019 judge said, ‘We want to be post-racial, without having ever admitted how racial a society we have been’, but we can start by reading this book.
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (2020)
It’s the unexpected runaway hit of 2020: a book about fungi. But did you know that fungi supply an underground network for other plants nicknamed the ‘World Wood Web?’ And that they can alleviate mental illness? And that they are being used in groundbreaking new technologies? Frankly, after just a few pages of Entangled Life you will never look at a mushroom the same way again.
Another Now by Yanis Varoufakis (2020)
What would an equal society look like? Can our prosperity grow without costing the Earth? Can we do it free of capitalism? These are the questions asked by renowned economist Yanis Varoufakis in Another Now where he theorises an alternative society in 2025 where work, money, technology and politics are all democratised, and what we must do to make it a reality.
Now We Have Your Attention by Jack Shenker (2020)
Are you feeling a little whiplashed from the government’s changing Covid rules? Now We Have Your Attention is the remedy. Told from the perspective of the most economically-challenged communities in Britain instead of the halls of Westminster, it’s a thought-provoking look at how the underprivileged are driving great change.
Left Out by Gabriel Pogrund and Patrick Maguire (2020)
Speaking of politics, this is excellent coverage of the Corbyn administration during the election campaign – from his popularity spike in 2017 to his catastrophic fall in 2019, leading to the subsequent rise of Starmer. Tackling the antisemitism scandal head-on, it’s an important read on history-changing politics and where it all went wrong.
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez (2020)
Declared by Nicola Sturgeon as ‘required reading for decision-makers everywhere,’ this is the book that made waves worldwide in exposing the statistical disadvantages of being female. From phones being manufactured too big for their hands to being over 47% more likely to be injured in a car accident, you’ll be left gasping at the impact of gender bias.
