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If you loved
Books like How we got to now
A thrilling intellectual treasure hunt that reveals the invisible threads connecting a glass of clean water to the invention of the microchip. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with How we got to now.
- intellectually stimulating
- optimistic
- expansive
- awe-inspiring
- 01
Where good ideas come from
Steven Johnson
An illuminating, cross-disciplinary journey that reveals how collaboration, serendipity, and shared spaces spark human progress.
- 02
Future perfect
Steven Johnson
An optimistic, intellectually stimulating exploration of how networked thinking can solve society's most gridlocked problems.
- 03
How the World Really Works
Vaclav Smil
A bracing, data-drenched cold plunge into the physical realities and hidden infrastructures that keep modern civilization running.
- 04
What technology wants
Kevin Kelly
A sweeping, optimistic reframing of technology as a living, evolving force deeply intertwined with human destiny.
- 05
The World Is Flat -A Brief History OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Thomas L. Friedman
A sweeping, anecdote-driven tour of a rapidly shrinking globe that leaves you feeling both awestruck and urgently compelled to keep pace.
- 06
A history of the world in 6 glasses
Tom Standage · 2005
A lively, conversational journey through human history that reveals how our favorite beverages shaped the modern world.
- 07
Connections
Burke, James · 1978
A dizzying, delightful connect-the-dots journey through history that reveals the hidden threads linking ancient accidents to modern marvels.
- 08
The Master Switch
Tim Wu
A sweeping, cautionary journey through the history of media that reveals how every open frontier of communication eventually falls to corporate empires.
- 09
The Day the Universe Changed
Burke, James · 1985
A dizzying, exhilarating ride through the hidden connections and paradigm shifts that built the modern mind.
- 10
Why the West Rules - For Now
Ian Morris
A sweeping, God's-eye view of human history that turns millennia of data into a gripping puzzle about geography, power, and our collective future.
- 11
Machines of loving grace
John Markoff
A sweeping, journalistic exploration of the ethical tightrope between human agency and artificial intelligence.
- 12
The Future Is Faster Than You Think
Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler
A dizzying, urgent roadmap to the exponential technological shifts about to reinvent our daily lives.
