12 Vintage non-fiction books to prepare us for a new world

Burning Questions by Margaret Atwood (1 March)

In over fifty pieces, Margert Atwood aims her prodigious intellect and impish humour at our world, and reports back to us on what she finds. The roller-coaster period covered in the collection brought an end to the end of history, a financial crash, the rise of Trump and a pandemic. From debt to tech, the climate crisis to freedom; from when to dispense advice to the young (answer: only when asked) to how to define granola, we have no better questioner of the many and varied mysteries of our human universe.

GO BIG by Ed Miliband (17 March)

For the past four years, Ed Miliband has been discovering and interviewing brilliant people all around the world who are successfully tackling the biggest problems we face, transforming communities and pioneering global movements. He draws on the most imaginative and ambitious of these ideas to provide a vision for the kind of society we need. A better world is possible; the solutions are out there. We just need to know where to look – and have the courage to think big.

What We Owe Each Other by Minouche Shafik (2021)

Our social contract shapes our politics, economic systems and every stage of life. Yet today, many believe that this contract is not working for them.

Economist Minouche Shafik examines societies across the world and demonstrates that the urgent challenges of technology, demography and climate require a major shift in priorities.

The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris (2019)

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.

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)

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.

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.