What one non-fiction book would you love people to read?

Sounds like Gary Stevenson needs to read some John Maynard Keynes 😂. And there is a unit on poverty and inequality in the Economics A level (I imagine his beef is with the universities though).

Bill Bryson is GREAT.

I have read this though and yes it’s brilliant and terrifying.

I’ve got The Five, Henrietta Lacks, and Invisible Women, and I haven’t read any of them.

dies of shame

Why does he do that- Lundy Bancroft. Probably my most- recommended book in real life. Still, so many women don't understand the dynamics of abuse- and that they are being abused.

Seconding Wilding by Isabella Tree.

I've just finished Trading Game by Gary Stevenson. The greater part of it is his story of how a working class boy got a job in finance, made his millions and went mad, but just one paragraph crystallised so much of what I've been mulling over for years.

Basically, he comes to the conclusion that the economy will never recover, because so much money is being siphoned out of it by the global super rich, who do not spend it and keep it circulating like normal people do, and that this isn't recognised in conventional economic theory because inequality isn't factored into their equations.

Into that darkness- interviews with the commandant of Treblinka. Terrifying and fascinating insight into the banality of evil.

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick is one of the best non-fiction books I've read. It follows the lives of several ordinary North Koreans and shows what day-to-day life was really like under the regime, particularly during the famine years. Fascinating,

I love the sound of that one but I'd probably end up going off grid, living in a yurt and become slightly more feral against the damage being done to our lovely planet

Well I read it myself in the school library (I'm a teacher) and thought it was very good indeed, so enjoy.

I've come back to recommend Material World by Ed Conway. It's about the conditions minerals and metals are mined under and basically the practical stuff that would need to happen to reverse climate change. It's an eye opener.

I recently enjoyed History for Tomorrow by Roman Krznaric - he looks into history for ways in which similar problems to today's were solved in the past - multiculturalism, water management, environment and circular economy, social media, democracy, AI etc. It's very hopeful and can-do - a real tonic.

Another one that I found uplifting was Wilding by Isabella Tree, about the process of rewilding an unproductive farm. What struck me the most was the sheer speed at which nature came roaring back to life when given the conditions to flourish.

And a plus 1 for Braiding Sweetgrass, which I thought was going to be heavy and worthy but was in fact a beautiful, lyrical book about the land, its bounty and the human connection to it.

Only Plane In The Sky by Garrett Graff

The only plane being the one George W Bush was in on 9/11

Wavewalker is fab , another one I'd add.

And forgot to mention Careless People by Sarah Wynn Williams for a taste of how the tech bros really don't give a shit - slightly paranoid that my laptop won't let me type the first i in her surname. She's so censored maybe Apple have put a ban on mentioning her.

• Wavewalker - Suzanne Heywood
• The Blue Tattoo: the life of Olive Oatman

whatsit84

It energised me no end, got me thinking about what wasn’t a big deal to do everyday but also stopped my ridiculously long list of things I should do everyday!!

Yep I was going to say this one. By Prof Jane Monckton Smith. Excellent book, all women should read it. Or anyone in a relationship really.

Another couple of fascinating books are Unnatural Causes and The Seven Ages of Death, both by Dr Richard Shepherd who was a home office forensic pathologist.

I am also a big fan of Bill Bryson - At Home and his biography of Shakespeare are both brilliant in addition to others already mentioned upthread

This found it's way into my basket "for my DC" definitely not me

Primo Levi - if this is a man/ the truce

If there's any Rosling goslings out there, Bad Science by Ben Goldacre is pretty good in a similarish vein

Ah that's interesting, atomic habits did not work for me first time round, I tried it again recently. I will persevere!

"A Random Walk Down Wall Street" by Burton G. Malkiel is brilliant. It's a very accessible guide to how financial markets work and how to invest well.

Coupled with "The Wealth Hoarders" by Chuck Collins which is about how super-rich people keep getting richer through protecting family wealth and paying as little tax as possible. There's not too much to be learned for normal people's personal finances from it, but there are a few tips and tricks here and there.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer - an environmental book from the perspective of a Native American - for me she explained the connection to the land and the way it is embodied in their language, such that it helped to « flip » the Western approach in my head.

Also found Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond to be helpful explaining the background of world history, something in the manner of Prisoners of Geography.

I can’t remember all of the tips in 4000 weeks but it definitely made me accept I cannot do everything, which is a valuable lesson!

Ooh I have atomic habits but not got around to reading it yet. Did it really make changes for you?

Also agree, the age of diagnosis would have been my 3rd one to recommend. But felt I’d already broken the rules to suggest two. The mental health one is well worth a read if you enjoyed that.