We’re waist-deep into the holiday season, and if you’re anything like me, when this article is published on Dec. 6, you’ll still be a solid two weeks out from seriously considering 90 per cent of your shopping list. While I can’t help you choose a gift for your new-age aunt (I’ll go out on a limb and suggest something hemp), I can make some literary recommendations.
Now I know that between The New York Times Best Seller list and BookTok, readers are spoiled for choice when it comes to fiction, but what about a present for that lifelong learner in your orbit who might not want the latest YA crime thriller? What follows is a completely subjective — yet still entirely correct — selection of books that will expand your horizons, pose big questions, or make you more contemplative. In addition, all of these selections come in audio-form with better-than-average narration; something absolutely critical to a good audiobook experience.
Whether for yourself or someone you care about, books are gifts that keep on giving. Instead of another coffee mug, give your local landfill a break, and seek out these reads today.
Blowout — Rachel Maddow
There is perhaps no better time to read Rachel Maddow’s exploration into the oil and gas industry than now. Certainly, the ravages of climate change are as good a reason as any, but Blowout is so much more than a history of fossil fuels. For the uninitiated, one of the journalist’s gifts is as a storyteller, and the narrative Maddow lays out is full of fascinating juxtapositions that keep you turning the pages — or listening. (Her tenure as the host of her own show on MSNBC has given her the experience to produce a very polished audiobook.)
Maddow’s investigative scope takes her from the frigid waters of the Bering Sea to the dusty plains of Oklahoma; from the tropical coast of Equatorial Guinea to the petroleum-soaked permafrost of Siberia. But Blowout is ultimately a human story, which makes it a much different read than most books with this much research behind them. It takes big concepts like geopolitics, global warming, and international security, and makes them digestible. With a cast of characters ranging from oil tycoons, Soviet spies, a stressed-out seismologist, an over-indulgent prince, corrupt nations, striking teachers, and Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Blowout delivers a deeper understanding of the forces and decisions that have shaped the world, and made it what it is today.
The Anthropocene Reviewed — John Green
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet began in 2018 as a podcast by the author and YouTuber John Green. The premise is simple: Green sets out to “review facets of the human-centered planet, on a five-star scale.” However, what begins as a history lesson on the origins of Diet Dr. Pepper, a reflection on Mario Kart, or the importance of Rock, Paper, Scissors, often becomes a captivating reflection. Through Green, the mundane becomes extraordinary, and the ubiquitous — inane.
The Anthropocene Reviewed is equal parts historical exploration, personal memoir, and social commentary — and Green’s skills as both a writer and as a presenter shine in this work. While the origins of Hawaiian Pizza and Piggly Wiggly are fun and informative, others are deeply inspiring or truly heartbreaking, and you typically can’t tell which will be which from the focus of the review. One of Green’s podcast essays: “Lascaux Paintings,” became the source material for a beautifully produced video by the YouTube channel, Kurzgesagt, entitled “The Past We Can Never Return To,” which has been viewed over 8 million times.
One of Green’s strengths is his ability to connect with readers and listeners on a deeply personal level. Through his essays, you can feel him making those connections in subtle, emotionally resonant ways that often take you by surprise. Green has wisdom to share, but the lessons are quiet, obscured by the uniqueness of the forms they take. He invites you to observe your own world in a new, more considerate way — and you will.
How to Change Your Mind — Michael Pollan
If you want to take a trip through the looking glass, get a hold of How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. Michael Pollan’s masterful exploration of psychedelics — equal parts memoir, historical research, and modern journalism — is more quietly revolutionary than most of the books on this list. A seasoned author with previous works such as The Botany of Desire and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan was perhaps uniquely positioned to explore this opaque and mysterious subject. With a career focused on “places where the human and natural worlds intersect,” Pollan approaches nature with a cautious reverence and deep appreciation for how species coexist and co-evolve.
With an easy, approachable style, Pollan leads the reader through a fascinating and often fraught relationship with psychedelic substances both natural and human-crafted. From ancient Aztec rituals to Swiss laboratories, the book traces the history of some of these compounds, unearthing what many have tried to bury. Pollan ventures into a space where people speak in whispers, encountering academics, guides, and converts who feel charged with the responsibility of keeping the knowledge of these substances. In his quest to better understand what psychedelics do, and how they do it, he explores these experiences for himself, conveying his odyssey to the reader.
How To Change Your Mind simultaneously demystifies psychedelics while enrapturing his audience to the possibilities they hold. Acutely aware that unrestrained advocacy of psychedelics can lead to greater restrictions at the very moment the culture is lifting its boot off of researchers, Pollan is cautious, but unequivocal in his assessment that with care and due diligence, these substances hold the power to change more than one’s mind. Published in 2018, the book has spawned countless conversations and even a Netflix series, representing a cultural touchstone, and demonstrating that blending meticulous research, personal experiences, and a keen journalistic eye can be a powerful tool for change.
Bullshit Jobs — David Graeber
If you’ve ever had that thought what they hell does that person do all day, you’re not alone. In fact, that person might be thinking the very same thing regarding their own job. In the controversial and thought-provoking book, Bullshit Jobs: A Theory, the late author and anthropologist David Graeber challenges not only the nature of work in our societies, but the underlying social structure that subsidizes it. A decade ago, when Twitter was still a somewhat useful tool for outreach, Graeber put out a call for self-reports from workers across the depth and breadth of the job market. His call was simple: regardless of pay, position, or prestige — do you consider your job to be “bullshit,” and if so, in what way? The response, from executive assistants, academic administrators, bankers, designers, labourers, and everyone in between, led him to assert that almost a third of our jobs are utterly useless.
Sorted into five distinct categories: flunkies, goons, duct tapers, box tickers, and taskmasters; these “bullshit” positions are so pervasive that we seldom even notice them — even when we occupy them. And yet, they are not a new phenomenon. Films like Office Space and Fight Club illustrate the psychological harm that these sorts of careers can inflict on an individual, but the cost to these jobs is not localized to the “self.” Instead, the persistence of these jobs — where people are paid to not work and not provide any measurable value to the world — is that everyone must collectively work more than they would otherwise have to. Graeber argues that the standard workweek would be reduced significantly if these jobs went away.
The thesis is one that economists like to challenge as impossible in a free-market system — with its impulse to streamline and cut costs. However, a great deal of these private-sector jobs intersect with the public sector, and governments often dole out funds without looking too closely at where their money is going. Graeber’s tale is rife with professionals who earn big dollars to write reports that nobody will ever read. Box ticked. Cheque cashed.
Sapiens — Yuval Noah Harari
Are you looking to cram several billion years of history into your brain, but don’t know where to start? Might I suggest Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Think of it like a first-year course: let’s call it Humanity 101. It’s not going to make you an expert on — well — anything, but I have to give credit where it’s due. Given that it took Ron Chernow 818 pages to write a biography of Alexander Hamilton, what Harari manages to cover in Sapiens 552-page text is mind-boggling.
As the name suggests, the book is a story of modern humans; better known in paleoanthropology circles as Homo sapiens sapiens. Are you yawning yet? Don’t worry. Harari deals with the first 13.5 billion years of history (give or take an eon) in the first chapter. Before you know it, this “animal of no significance” is cooking, counting, crafting, and constructing. Ambitious little bees aren’t we?
Divided into four parts: The Cognitive Revolution; The Agricultural Revolution; The Unification of Humankind; and The Scientific Revolution, Harari follows our trajectory with brevity and tact. His ability to distill vast spans of history into a comprehensible and engaging narrative makes Sapiens a brilliant and thought-provoking book that transcends the typical boundaries of academic writing. It asks the reader to reflect on key points in history, and contemplate the future of humanity. It prompts questions about the impact of technology, the sustainability of our current systems, and the ethical challenges we face. It gazes at the distance we’ve come, and ponders how far we’ll ultimately go.
Does the compact nature of the endeavour mean it gets a little reductionist at times? Of course. Are there academics out there, incensed that Harari has condensed the subject of their focus into three paragraphs? I’m sure. But — for the interdisciplinarians among us, Sapiens is masterful. It’s a testament to the power of a story well told. This one just happens to be about ourselves. Did Harari write a perfect book? No — but he’s only human.
The Dawn of Everything — David Graeber
In October 2021, American author and former Yale professor William Deresiewicz wrote about his initial meeting with his then-colleague David Graeber two decades prior. “Five minutes into our lunch,” he writes, “I realized that I was in the presence of a genius. Not an extremely intelligent person — a genius. … I had never experienced anything like it before. I quickly went from trying to keep up with him, to hanging on for dear life, to simply sitting there in wonder.” The reflection provided context for a review of The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity; a sprawling work by Graeber and David Wengrow that aims to flip our understanding of the last 30 millennia on its head.
The book is a monumental challenge to established narratives of human history, offering a fresh and innovative perspective on the evolution of societies, reframing our understanding of human culture, politics, and social organization. With its interdisciplinary approach, Graeber and Wengrow dismantle traditional assumptions about the inevitability of hierarchical societies, exploring the rich tapestry of human existence and the diverse ways communities have organized themselves throughout history. By delving into the neglected corners of history and unearthing evidence of egalitarian societies, they invite readers to reconsider preconceived ideas about human nature and social organization, arguing that human history is characterized by a complex interplay of experimentation and adaptation. The book openly challenges “settled” assumptions, including those made in another book on this list — Sapiens — which I love, because I salivate over high-level discourse.
Sadly, Graeber passed away in 2020, but his radical ideas live on. Deresiewicz concludes his review of the posthumously released Dawn of Everything by calling the book “something of a glorious mess, full of fascinating digressions, open questions, and missing pieces. It aims to replace the dominant grand narrative of history not with another of its own devising, but with the outline of a picture, only just becoming visible…” In a world that feels increasingly intractable, that curious, ambiguous space — full of potential and opportunity — is a fascinating place to be.
What’s Our Problem? — Tim Urban
Maybe you know Tim Urban from his long-running blog “Wait But Why.” Maybe you know him from his 2016 TED talk, “Inside the mind of a master procrastinator;” currently the third-most watched presentation in the TED catalogue with over 66 million views. It’s more likely you’ve never heard of Tim Urban — and that’s a shame — but don’t fret, because now you have.
What’s Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies is… different. For starters, this book is a digital exclusive. That’s possibly because there wasn’t room in a print version for the 303 drawings that go along with it. And those drawings are important. Urban’s ability to dissect intricate subjects — breaking them down into digestible, entertaining, and highly informative pieces — is part of what makes him such an effective communicator. His crude, stick-figure illustrations that pair with his explanations are an important ingredient in the sauce. He also has an easy, conversational writing style that fosters a sense of intellectual curiosity and engagement. Urban largely throws out the academic jargon and intellectual buzzwords in favour of his own simplified metaphorical representations.
Despite the book’s approachable style, it’s heavy on research. Urban worries that the current discourse in our societies is driving a rising factionalism with very illiberal tendencies, and he’s brought the receipts to back up his thesis. He argues that the left-right divide we often view our world through lacks a critical vertical dimension, and that tribalistic low-rung rhetoric has supplanted the valuable and energizing high-rung disagreements that move our societies forward. This is evident in our politics, but also, concerningly, in many academic institutions — especially the most prestigious universities.
The real virtue of What’s Our Problem? is that it asks the reader to reflect on their own narratives. What kinds of conversations are we having, and where do we sit on the ideological rungs? Are we zealots or scientists? Golems or genies? What do we stand for, and how do we engage with others? Rather than claiming to have the answers to our problems, Urban advocates for “Idea Labs” where the best and brightest challenge preconceptions and draw strength from diversity. A wise man once said, “It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others — the other elements, and the other nations, will help you become whole.” The fact that it was Uncle Iroh, a Nickelodeon cartoon character, only reinforces the point.
Surprise, Kill, Vanish — Annie Jacobsen
Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins by Annie Jacobsen is a serious page-turner. Jacobsen — an acclaimed investigative journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist — weaves together historical events, insider accounts, and declassified information to create a gripping narrative. The story that unfolds shines a light on the covert operations that have shaped modern geopolitics.
Jacobsen has done extensive research for this book, but it’s far from dry. The story takes readers on a journey through the evolution of the CIA’s paramilitary capabilities, starting from its formation in the years following the Second World War. As the story unfolds, she repeatedly returns to Billy Waugh, a central figure who acts as a narrative throughline. Working for over 50 years with U.S. Special Forces and the CIA, Waugh witnessed the birth of U.S. paramilitary operations in the Korean War and was still fighting in Afghanistan in 2001 at the age of 71. The incredible careers highlighted in the book lead Jacobsen from the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Sudan, giving the story a Bond-esque globetrotting scope.
Arguably, Jacobsen has packed too much material into the book’s 560 pages. Many of the subjects she covers could be works unto themselves — and many are — so those interested in the minutia of, say, the Tet Offensive, will be left wanting. However, I suspect that for most of us, Surprise, Kill, Vanish balances data and drama in just the right measure to keep us turning the pages.
When diplomacy breaks down and war looms, readers are asked to grapple (as Jacobsen does) with the notion of using the president’s “third option” and the practical and ethical implications that come with it. By humanizing these agents and providing context to their decisions, Jacobsen adds layers of depth, letting readers empathize with the challenges and moral dilemmas faced by those engaged in these high-stakes missions. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the covert realm of espionage, recommended for those intrigued by the intersections of history, politics, and intelligence operations.
Long ago, when DeLoreans roamed the earth, Brad was born. In accordance with the times, he was raised in the wild every afternoon and weekend until dusk, never becoming so feral that he neglected to rewind his VHS rentals. His historical focus has assured him that civilization peaked with The Simpsons in the mid 90s. When not disappointing his parents, Brad spends his time with his dogs, regretting he didn’t learn typing in high school.