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Where books open worlds.
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Books are more than stories on a page — they are mirrors, maps, challenges, and companions in understanding ourselves and the world we inhabit.

Big Think Books is a space devoted to the writers and ideas that shape culture, knowledge, and the way we think. Through thoughtful recommendations, deep dives, and engaging commentary, this column guides readers toward books that expand curiosity, provoke insight, and deepen understanding across fields like science, history, psychology, literature, and more. Whether you’re exploring the latest releases or rediscovering timeless classics, here you’ll find ideas worth your time and thought.

with

Kevin Dickinson is a staff writer and columnist at Big Think, focusing on the intersection of education, psychology, business, and science. He holds a master’s in English and writing, and his work has appeared in Agenda, RealClearScience, and The Washington Post.

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The medieval “love story” that was really a tale of psychological abuse
Classic literature reveals how resilience can be both a source of strength in troubled times — and a dangerous ideal.

by Henry Eliot

A collage featuring classical illustrations: a muscular figure holding up a map, fragments of text, silhouettes, a ship drawing, and tree branches on a green background.
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Book cover of "Emergence" by David Sussillo, featuring a blue background with fish and circuit patterns, and a subtitle about boyhood, computation, and the mysteries of mind.
Books
Emergence: A memoir by David Sussillo
In this preview, the Stanford professor muses on how emergence, arriving at complex patterns from simple parts, explains AI, brains, and life itself.
David Sussillo
Book cover for "The Moys of New York and Shanghai" by Charlotte Brooks, featuring a historical portrait of a woman seated beside a small table, evoking the era and heritage central to The Moys of New York and Shanghai.
Books
The Moys of New York and Shanghai: A new generational history
A preview of the latest book by Chinese history expert Charlotte Brooks
Charlotte Brooks
Book cover of "No Friend to This House" by Natalie Haynes, featuring an ornate dagger, decorative lines, and a quote noting her as the bestselling author of "Stone Blind." A striking design hints that danger is no friend of this house.
Books
No Friend of This House: A novel by Natalie Haynes
A preview of the latest novel by the New York Times bestselling author.
Natalie Haynes
Text reads "follow the rules?" with "follow" underlined twice and a question mark after "rules" drawn in red. The simple beige background highlights the message—a subtle nod to good writing and when to challenge conventions.
Books
“If it sounds literary, it isn’t”: The deceptively simple rules behind good writing
Anne Lamott and Neal Allen join us to discuss why embracing constraints can be the best way to find freedom in the craft.
Jasna Hodžić
Book cover for "Separation of Powers" by Cass R. Sunstein, featuring bold red, white, and blue text blocks that highlight the importance of separation of powers, with the subtitle "How to Preserve Liberty in Troubled Times.
Books
How the U.S. Constitution protects liberty from the powerful’s dark impulses
In this excerpt from Separation of Powers, Cass Sunstein explains how the U.S. Constitution prevents such a concentration of authority from turning democracy into despotism.
Cass Sunstein
A person with purple hands holds a phone displaying text messages that read, "OMG then what happened??.
Books
From myth to machine: The technological evolution of storytelling
Throughout history, the ability to tell increasingly believable stories has become available to more people. Kevin Ashton says that’s a blessing and a curse.
Tim Brinkhof
A simple illustration of a house with two windows featuring cartoon eyes, set against a black background with minimal greenery—perfect for fans of that "wired on Wall Street" aesthetic.
Books
Inside Wall Street’s 2008 meltdown, through the eyes of an FBI informant
In this excerpt from Wired on Wall Street, Tom Hardin (aka "Tipper X") shares how he began gathering intelligence on insider trading for the FBI.
Tom Hardin
A set of large blue numbers from 1 to 9, with the number 2 in bold red and black scribbles drawn over it.
Books
Your life, scored: How metrics warp your sense of meaning
What’s in a number? Only a vanishingly small slice of your life, it turns out.
Kevin Dickinson
A solid orange rectangle fills the entire image without any patterns, text, or distinguishing features.
Books
Science fiction blinded us to the perils of settling Mars
Science fiction romanticized Mars as a place of adventure and future settlement; science tells a very different story.
Ross Pomeroy
A book cover titled "The Laws of Thought" by Tom Griffiths appears next to the phrase "an excerpt from" on a split lavender and beige background.
Books
The man who transposed human thought into algebra
In this excerpt from The Laws of Thought, Tom Griffiths shares how George Boole developed a mathematical theory of logic.
Tom Griffiths
A young girl and a boy, their curiosity piqued, peer behind a curtain, illustrated in a detailed, vintage etching style.
Books
Science shows curiosity is at the heart of great dates—and lasting love
In this excerpt from The Intimate Animal, Justin Garcia shows why curiosity and self-disclosure — not attraction alone — help build intimacy and sustain it over time.
Justin R. Garcia
The word "chaos" is repeatedly written in orange over a beige background, with a large, rough black scribble overlaid in the center.
Books
The profound life lesson at the heart of chaos theory
In this excerpt from Think Like a Mathematician, Junaid Mubeen explains how tiny actions can shape complex systems, revealing the limits of prediction and control in our lives.
Junaid Mubeen
A woman in a light pink dress sits indoors sewing, surrounded by soft furnishings, with a blue-white chalk circle drawn around her upper body.
Books
The “flow world” shows us that meaning is about being present, not achievement
In this excerpt from How to Live a Meaningful Life, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans discuss how flow transforms ordinary moments into deeply human experiences.
Bill Burnett & Dave Evans
Illustration of a person wearing Renaissance-era clothing, including a half-brown, half-striped tunic, blue tights, and a green belt, standing with a flourish against a plain background.
Books
Why fulfilled people make time for nothing at all
In this excerpt from Flourish, Daniel Coyle shares how stillness, presence, and attention help people build meaningful connections.
Daniel Coyle
A spinosaurus skeleton with tall back spines is shown in profile; its head is crossed out with a red scribble.
Books
The dinosaur that vanished twice: How WWII nearly erased Spinosaurus from history
Ernst Stromer discovered Spinosaurus in Egypt. His fossils were destroyed in WWII, yet still shape how we imagine this mysterious dinosaur today.
David Hone & Mark P. Witton
A man with glasses reads a newspaper, with a glowing lightbulb illustration above his head, symbolizing an idea or realization.
Books
Why “read more” may be the most underrated thinking advice we have
Reading isn’t just writing prep; together, reading and writing help writers think and generate original ideas through extended cognition.
Kevin Dickinson
The cover of "Big Trust" by Dr. Shadé Zahrai with Faycal Sekkouah features a blue background with light rays, highlighting the power of big trust in rewiring self-doubt and fueling success.
Books
Your brain loves labels — even when they limit your potential
Labels help your brain make sense of a complex world, but when self-attached, those same labels can convince you that you're unable to grow.
Shadé Zahrai
Book cover for "The Healing Power of Resilience" by Tara Narula, MD, featuring a flower entwined with an EKG line, symbolizing the healing power of resilience, on a beige background with a red border.
Books
The surprising case for denial as a path toward resilience
Tara Narula shares how journalist Richard Cohen challenged conventional ideas about illness, identity, and strength while living with MS.
Tara Narula
Abstract illustration of two wide eyes with red irises peeking over a pale green, angular shape against a black background.
Books
5 literary conspiracy theories — debunked
A tour of the literary cover-ups, extraterrestrials, and cryptids lurking in the bookish backwoods.
Josh Browning & Kevin Dickinson
Ancient-style illustration of three nude male warriors running, each holding a decorated round shield and wearing a crested helmet, inspired by themes explored by thinkers like Ezekiel Emanuel.
Books
The 2,500-year-old secrets to health and wellness (that aren’t secrets at all)
Health policy expert Ezekiel Emanuel says you don’t have to be obsessed to live a healthy life. Wellness can, and should, be something you enjoy.
Ross Pomeroy
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