Category: reading recommendations

• Strange and incongruous relation

  My bookshelves are overflowing, and always have been. And it’s not just the shelves. As I write this, there are three separate piles of books on my desk. I’ve read many of these books. They are old friends. Seeing their spines reminds me why I love them, what I learned from them. I have yet…

• Don DeLillo on the overview effect

  In “Human Moments in World War III” from The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories, an astronaut gazes down at Earth from orbit: The view is endlessly fulfilling. It is like the answer to a lifetime of questions and vague cravings. It satisfies every childlike curiosity, every muted desire, whatever there is in him of the scientist, the…

• The best books I read in 2019

  Every month, I send a newsletter recommending three books that changed the way I see the world. Every year, I review each missive and curate my absolute favorites. I discovered so many gems in 2019 that choosing between them was excruciating, so I hope you enjoy this list of the twelve best books I read…

• Kim Stanley Robinson on how to spark hope in a future ravaged by climate change

  Maria Popova says that critical thinking without hope is cynicism and hope without critical thinking is naïveté. Kim Stanley Robinson’s New York 2140 finds the golden mean between the two. He challenges us to reevaluate our own assumptions and priorities with a vision of the future that is at once hopeful and pragmatic. The novel follows…

• There is no better gift than a good book

  Books contain the distilled wisdom of humanity’s greatest thinkers. Books challenge us to expand our horizons and reevaluate our most deeply held assumptions. Books invite us to explore distant galaxies, face our fears, find meaning in our lives, unlock our imaginations, and slip inside someone else’s skin.   When you give someone a book, you’re…

• The At-Home Gene Editing Revolution Starts Now

  In the new Scout Incoming Transmission, I talk to bestselling author Daniel Suarez about the future of synthetic biology. Read the interview right here. We discuss the scientific, economic, and political implications of CRISPR and how science fiction can illuminate the social impacts of tech. Daniel shares details on how he goes about rigorously researching his…

• ‘Null States’ Maps Out the Geopolitics of Tomorrow

  My review of Malka Older’s new science fiction thriller that brings the future of democracy to vivid, divisive life ran in The Chicago Review of Books. Read the review right here. Older’s series hits the center of my Venn diagram of weird obsessions: imagining the future, gorging on international street food, seeking out crazy adventures, and…

• Why Business Leaders Need to Read More Science Fiction

  My first-ever piece for Harvard Business Review explores how science fiction can help us overcome false assumptions. Science fiction reveals how fragile the status quo is, and how malleable the future can be. Science fiction isn’t useful because it’s predictive. It’s useful because it reframes our perspective on the world. This is a topic very close…

• Joining Scout

  I’m excited to share that I’m joining Scout as an editor and special adviser. Scout is a fantastic new publication that combines original speculative fiction and in-depth technology journalism to explore the social implications of innovation. I backed them on Kickstarter way back when and quickly befriended the founders, Berit Anderson and Brett Horvath. It’s…

• Reading Recommendation: Flatland

  Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott was originally published in 1884 and is proof that great stories survive the test of time. It’s a mind-bending adventure starring a protagonist that lives in a two-dimensional world. The story is filled with humor, romance, and satire. Flatland is a captivating and delightful invitation to free our thinking from…