This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate

What Happened

Hillary Rodham Clinton2017

Hillary Clinton recounts her 2016 presidential campaign. She details the logistics of the race and her reaction to the results.

pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Seeing Like a State

James C. Scott1998

An analysis of how large-scale state projects fail by ignoring local knowledge. It covers forestry, city planning, and forced villagization.

earnest → analytical, still politics

pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1

Karl Marx2015

An analysis of the capitalist mode of production focusing on commodities, surplus value, and the exploitation of labor.

earnest → clinical

pace0·prose+2·bleak0

Confessions

Augustine of Hippo

A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

earnest → meditative

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2

Factfulness

Hans Rosling2018

A data-driven look at global trends in poverty, health, and education. It uses statistics to correct common misconceptions about the world.

Same earnest register, still economics

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Steven D. Levitt

An economist uses data to investigate the incentives behind real-world phenomena like cheating teachers and falling crime rates.

earnest → wry, still economics

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

The Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown2003

A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.

earnest → propulsive

pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Neil deGrasse Tyson2017

A summary of the origin of the universe, the laws of physics, and the nature of space and time.

earnest → playful

pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2

Steal Like an Artist

Austin Kleon2012

A series of short, illustrated principles for creative work. It focuses on remixing existing ideas and establishing productive daily habits.

earnest → playful

pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2

Poke the Box

Seth Godin2011

A short manifesto encouraging readers to start projects and take initiative. It argues that the greatest risk is staying in place.

Same earnest register

pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2

Confessions

Augustine of Hippo

A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

earnest → meditative

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2

How to Read a Book

Mortimer J. Adler1940

This is a guide to active reading techniques for different genres. It outlines levels of reading from basic literacy to syntopical analysis.

earnest → mysterious

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

The Red Book: Liber Novus

C.G. Jung2009

A psychologist records his visions and internal dialogues in an illuminated manuscript created during a period of intense self-exploration.

earnest → dreamlike

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

Animal Farm

George Orwell1945

Farm animals overthrow their human owner to run the farm themselves. The pigs gradually seize control and establish a new hierarchy.

earnest → sardonic

pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank2001

A Jewish teenager records her daily life and thoughts while hiding from the Nazis in a secret annex in Amsterdam.

Same earnest register

pace0·prose0·bleak+1

A Child Called "It"

Dave Pelzer1987

A memoir of the author's childhood survival against severe physical and psychological abuse by his mother in California.

earnest → bleak

pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1