Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit

The Secret Race

Tyler Hamilton2012

A professional cyclist details the systematic doping and deception within the U.S. Postal Service team during the Lance Armstrong era.

Same earnest register, still whistleblower

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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

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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

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Antifragile

Nassim Nicholas Taleb2012

A philosophical exploration of systems that thrive under stress and disorder. It argues against fragility in economics and personal life.

earnest → reflective

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Fer-de-Lance

Rex Stout1941

Nero Wolfe solves a murder involving a poisoned golf club without leaving his brownstone. His assistant Archie Goodwin does the legwork.

earnest → wry

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Ghost Ship

Clive Cussler2014

Kurt Austin survives a yacht sinking but suffers from conflicting memories. He investigates a global cybercrime conspiracy to find the truth.

earnest → propulsive

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Killer Blonde

Laura Levine2004

A freelance writer investigates a murder in the Hamptons after a socialite is killed. She balances the case with her work for a demanding boss.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Escape from Camp 14

Blaine Harden2012

The biography of Shin Dong-hyuk, the only person born in a North Korean political prison camp known to have escaped.

earnest → bleak, still investigative journalism

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Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam

Nick Turse

A journalist uses declassified documents and veteran interviews to document systemic violence against civilians during the Vietnam War.

earnest → bleak, still investigative journalism

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None of Us Were Like This Before: American Soldiers and Torture

Joshua E.S. Phillips

Interviews with veterans of an infantry battalion reveal how ordinary soldiers became involved in the torture of detainees during the Iraq War.

earnest → bleak, still investigative journalism

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