Ready Player One by Ernest Kline
Set in a dystopian future dependent on virtual reality and threatened by environmental decline, Ready Player One is a tale of a teenager's quest through cyberspace to solve a puzzle that will define his world and his place in it.Wade struggles with good and evil on his way to self-discovery and a new understanding of what it means to be human in a technologically-dominant world.
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
The award-winning New York Times business reporter, Charles Duhigg, takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. With penetrating intelligence and an ability to distill vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives, Duhigg brings to life a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Written by Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is about Henrietta Lacks and the immortal cell line, known as HeLa, that came from her cervical cancer cells in 1951. The book is notable for its accessible science writing and dealing with ethical issues of race and class in medical research.
Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson
Using Cline's own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the science of hurricanes, Erik Larson builds a chronicle of one man's heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude. Riveting, powerful, and unbearably suspenseful, Isaac's Storm is the story of what can happen when human arrogance meets the great uncontrollable force of nature.
China's Son by Da Chen
China’s Son tells the story of Da Chen, a young boy who comes of age during Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution in China. In writing about the difficulties and triumphs of childhood, Da's touching memoir also explores the fascinating history of China during a time of great upheaval. Da, born in 1962 in the small village of Yellow Stone in Southern China, begins his story by detailing the deprivation his once respected family endures as a result of the political situation in China.
The Fly in the Ointment by Dr. Joe Schwarcz
Aphrodisiacs, bottled waters, vitamins, plastic wrap, DDT, Alzheimer's, and smoked meat: little escapes Dr. Joe's critical eye. From pesticides and environmental estrogens to lipstick and garlic, Dr. Joe focuses on the science of our everyday world in The Fly in the Ointment. Although proper scientific investigation gives us tremendous advantages, he reminds us that there is often “a fly in the ointment.”
Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by John de Graaf
Now revised and expanded, this bestselling classic shows how problems ranging from loneliness, longer work hours, and family conflict to rising debt, environmental pollution, and rampant commercialization are all symptoms of the disease of affluenza.