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21 Lessons for the 21st Century
What if the invisible algorithms shaping your life are quietly rewriting the future of humanity—and you’re already complicit? In 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari confronts the existential riddles of our age—AI rebellion, political chaos, and the obsolescence of the human heart—as ordinary people grapple with truths that could dismantle their careers, relationships, and sanity. But when the stories we’ve built civilization on collapse, will adaptation mean liberation… or extinction? What if the most dangerous illusion is the one we’re living right now?
- Originally Published: 2018
- Publisher: Penguin Random House, 2018
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 352
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-1787330672
- Access: Members
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A Brief History of Mathematical Thought: Key concepts and where they come from
What if the very numbers that built civilizations also whispered humanity’s deepest existential riddles? A Brief History of Mathematical Thought unravels how ancient rituals, Pythagoras’ obsessions, and Alan Turing’s codebreaking forged the invisible logic binding our world—from clocks to quantum computers 139. But as Heaton traces the arc from stone-age counting to Gödel’s paradoxes, a haunting question emerges: What if the language we invented to master reality is the same one that could unravel our grasp of truth itself?
- Originally Published: 2015
- Publisher: Constable & Robinson, 2015
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 321
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-1472117113
- Access: Members
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Hot Pick
Animal Farm
What if freedom became just another cage? When the oppressed animals of Manor Farm overthrow their human masters, they vow to create a world of equality—only to watch their revolution devoured by cunning pigs who rewrite history and enforce tyranny with iron hooves. But as ideals crumble and loyal comrades vanish, one chilling truth echoes: All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others… How far would you go to believe the lie?
- Originally Published: August 1945
- Genre: Novella, Political Satire
- Pages: 101
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9780451526342
- Access: Members
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Bad Samaritans: The Guilty Secrets of Rich Nations and the Threat to Global Prosperity
What if the champions of global prosperity are its most cunning adversaries? In Bad Samaritans, Ha-Joon Chang unmasks how wealthy nations wield free trade and aid as weapons, entrapping developing economies in a gilded cage of dependency. But when the illusion of benevolence shatters, will humanity confront the harrowing truth—or remain complicit in a system where salvation and destruction wear the same face?
- Originally Published: 2007
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2008
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 288
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9781905211371
- Access: Members
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Dead Aid: Why aid is not working and how there is another way for Africa
What if the trillion-dollar ‘cure’ for poverty is its greatest poison? Dead Aid exposes how well-intentioned billions shackled a continent to dependency, breeding corruption and despair—but when economist Dambisa Moyo demands Africa sever the lifeline, survival hinges on a perilous wager: Can nations weaned from aid rediscover sovereignty, or will withdrawal unleash chaos darker than dependency itself? The answer will haunt every philanthropist, policymaker, and dreamer who dares believe in mercy.
- Originally Published: 2009
- Publisher: Penguin, 2010
- Genre: Politics, Economics
- Pages: 188
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0141031187
- Access: Members
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Following the Leader: Ruling China, from Deng Xiaoping to Xi Jinping
What happens when the world’s most populous nation is steered not by ideology, but by the personal power of its leaders? In Following the Leader, David Lampton unveils the behind-the-scenes battles, shifting loyalties, and calculated maneuvers that shaped China’s rise from Deng Xiaoping to Xi Jinping. But as the stakes grow higher and the grip tighter, one question remains—how long can a nation thrive when its fate hinges on the ambitions of a few?
- Originally published: February 3, 2014
- Publisher: University of California Press, 2019
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 320
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9780520303478
- Access: Members
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Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism
What if the architects of our global economy never believed in free markets—but sought to shackle democracy itself? Quinn Slobodian unveils how neoliberal visionaries, emerging from the ashes of empire, built an invisible fortress of rules to protect capital from the chaos of human choice. As their utopian project teeters amid revolt and ruin, one question remains: Did they save the world… or rig it against us all?
- Originally Published: March 2018
- Publisher: Harvard University Press
- Published: March 16, 2018
- Genre: Neoliberalism
- Pages: 400
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0674979529
- Access: Members
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Guns, Germs and Steel: A short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years
What if the fate of nations was written in the soil, not the stars? Jared Diamond dismantles the myth of destiny to reveal how geography and biology forged empires—where wheat domesticated humans, germs became weapons, and continents collided to decide who conquered whom. But as ancient seeds and silent plagues reshaped the world, a chilling question lingers: What if your ancestors’ triumph—or tragedy—was mere luck… and the next global reckoning is already rooted in the ground beneath your feet?
- Originally Published: 1997
- Publisher : Vintage, 2017
- Pages: 580
- Genre: Non-Fiction
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN-13: 978-0099302780
- Access: Members
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Hot Pick
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
What if humanity’s next evolutionary step isn’t biological—but something beyond our control? Homo Deus unravels a world where algorithms dictate destiny and immortality is a commodity, forcing us to confront what remains when machines outthink, outlive, and outfeel us. As the pursuit of godlike power clashes with the ache of human vulnerability, one question lingers: Will we transcend our bodies—or lose our souls in the code?
- Originally Published: 2017
- Publisher: Vintage, 2015
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 526
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-1784703936
- Access: Members
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Hot Pick
How the World Works
What if the systems controlling your life were designed to keep you powerless—and you didn’t even know it? In How the World Works, Noam Chomsky dismantles the invisible machinery of corporate fascism and geopolitical manipulation, exposing how profit-driven empires shape wars, economies, and even your thoughts. But when you realize your compliance fuels the chaos, one question remains: Will you keep feeding the beast—or dare to dismantle it?
- Originally Published: 2010
- Publisher: Hamish Hamilton, 2022
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 336
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9780241145388
- Access: Members
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How to Be a Dictator: The Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century
What if absolute power doesn’t corrupt—it reveals? Frank Dikötter’s How to Be a Dictator pulls back the curtain on the twentieth century’s most tyrannical figures—Hitler, Mao, Kim Il-sung, and others—who transformed themselves into living myths, weaponizing adoration and fear to enslave nations. But when the cult of personality becomes a dictator’s lifeline, what happens when the masks crack, the crowds falter, and the godlike facade crumbles to expose the trembling man beneath? Will the tyrant survive—or will the illusion die first?
- Originally Published: 2019
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019
- Genre: Politics, History
- Pages: 304
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-1408891612
- Access: Members
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Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain’s Gulag in Kenya
Imagine a war where the victors wrote history—and burned the evidence. Caroline Elkins’ explosive exposé reveals how post-WWII Britain, fresh from defeating fascism, orchestrated a gulag in Kenya: electric shocks, mass rape, and villages reduced to graveyards. Yet when survivors dared to speak, their testimonies were dismissed as lies… until now. What truths would you bury to protect a legacy?
- Originally Published: 2005
- Publisher: Holt Paperbacks, 2005
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 496
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9780805080018
- Access: Members
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Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism
What if the chains of colonialism never truly shattered—they just vanished from sight? In Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism, Kwame Nkrumah exposes a global chessboard where liberation is a carefully crafted illusion, and nations are pawns in a game of economic domination. As sovereignty teeters on the brink and the echoes of exploitation grow louder, dare you uncover the truth—or will you remain shackled by the lies that keep empires alive?
- Originally Published: 1965
- Publisher: Panaf, 2009
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 316
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0901787231
- Access: Members
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Hot Pick
Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
What if the stories that built civilizations could now erase them? In Nexus, Yuval Noah Harari unravels how humanity’s greatest strength—our ability to weave myths, laws, and digital networks—has become a ticking time bomb. As AI evolves from tool to autonomous agent, it threatens to hijack the very fabric of truth, turning our shared dreams into weapons of mass delusion. Will we reclaim control, or become footnotes in a future written by algorithms? The answer might keep you awake long after the last page
- Originally Published: 2024
- Publisher : Random House, 2024
- Pages: 492
- Genre: Social Science
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN-13: 978-0593736814
- Access: Prime Membership
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Hot Pick
Propaganda
What if your deepest desires were engineered by unseen architects, and your free will merely an illusion? In Propaganda, Edward Bernays unveils the century-old machinery that molds masses, manipulates democracies, and manufactures consent—turning citizens into unwitting pawns. But when the very tools used to control nations now lurk in your smartphone’s glow, will you dismantle the system… or become its perfect weapon?
- Originally Published: 1928
- Publisher: iG Publishing, 2004
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 175
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0970312594
- Access: Members
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Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations
What if survival demanded becoming the very thing you vowed to destroy? In Rise and Kill First, Ronen Bergman unveils the shadow operatives of Israel’s intelligence agencies—men and women who’ve navigated a labyrinth of moral compromises to protect a nation under siege. From poisoned toothpaste to drone strikes, their covert war has saved lives and shattered souls, blurring the line between justice and vengeance. But when every assassination breeds new enemies and every victory seeds future chaos… how far would you go to survive—and what would you sacrifice to sleep at night?
- Originally Published: 2018
- Publisher: Random House, 2018
- Genre: History
- Pages: 784
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9781400069712
- Access: Members
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Hot Pick
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
What if everything you believe about being human is a fairytale told by victorious ancestors? In Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari dismantles 70,000 years of human history, revealing how fragile myths—money, gods, nations—forged our dominance… and our doom. But as artificial intelligence looms and biotech rewrites our DNA, will we evolve into gods or go extinct by our own design? The answer might keep you awake long after the last page.
- Originally Published: 2011
- Publisher: Signal, 2014
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 464
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0771038501
- Access: Members
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The Art of War
What if victory and defeat were decided long before the first sword was drawn? Sun Tzu’s ancient treatise reveals warfare’s brutal elegance, where empires rise or crumble on the sharp edge of strategy, and survival hinges on outthinking—not outfighting—your foe. But when every alliance hides a dagger and every plan masks a lie, will you conquer the chaos… or vanish as another pawn in history’s bloody game?
- Originally Published: 5th century BC
- Publisher: Shambhala Classics
- Genre: Treatise, Non-fiction
- Pages: 296
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0007420124
- Access: Members
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The Bomber Mafia: A Tale of Innovation and Obsession
What if the dream of ending war humanely became the blueprint for its most devastating chapter? In The Bomber Mafia, a band of idealistic WWII airmen gambles on precision bombing to save lives—only to watch their moral crusade collide with the brutal calculus of total war. As technology and ideology clash, and firestorms erase the line between strategy and atrocity, one haunting question lingers: Can good intentions survive the inferno… or do they burn brightest just before they consume us?
- Originally Published: 2022
- Publisher: Penguin Books, 2022
- Genre: Self-help
- Pages: 237
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0141998404
- Access: Members
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The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy
What if the greatest threat to global stability wasn’t chaos, but control? In The Commanding Heights, Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw expose the century-long war between governments gripping economies and markets fighting to break free—a clash that toppled empires, birthed revolutions, and now silently dictates your paycheck. When the next crisis erupts, will it be freedom or authority that saves us… or seals our fate?
- Originally Published: 1998
- Publisher: Free Press, 2002
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 496
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9780684835693
- Access: Members
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The Dictator’s Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics
What if every leader—hero or tyrant—played by the same brutal rules to keep their grip on power? The Dictator’s Handbook pulls back the curtain on the unspoken calculus of control, where loyalty is traded like gold and entire nations become pawns in a game only the ruthless master. But when you discover the chilling patterns binding despots and CEOs alike, will you dare to dismantle the system—or find yourself seduced by its ruthless logic?
- Originally Published: September 2011
- Publisher: PublicAffairs
- Published: July 31, 2012
- Genre: Politics
- Pages: 352
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-1610391849
- Access: Members
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The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time
What if the key to ending poverty isn’t a mystery, but a choice we’ve refused to make? In The End of Poverty, visionary economist Jeffrey Sachs confronts the systemic injustices and untapped resources that trap billions in despair, arguing humanity’s survival hinges on bridging the chasm between abundance and deprivation. But when Sachs reveals how our wealth is inextricably tied to others’ suffering, will we cling to complacency—or dare to dismantle a world built on inequality?
- Originally Published: December 2005
- Publisher: Penguin Books, 2006
- Genre: Economics, Politics
- Pages: 464
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0143036586
- Access: Members
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The Jakarta Method: Washington’s Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World
What if the “free world” you know was built on a million unmarked graves? Vincent Bevins’ The Jakarta Method rips open the Cold War’s darkest secret: a U.S.-backed genocide in Indonesia that became a blueprint for global anticommunist extermination. From Bali’s paradise beaches—stained by mass executions—to whispered threats of “Jakarta is coming” on Chile’s streets, this is the buried history of how power rewrote reality. But when the survivors ask, “How did you win the Cold War?”… will you stomach the answer?
- Originally Published: 2020
- Publisher: PublicAffairs, 2020
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 320
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-1541742406
- Access: Members
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The Looting Machine: Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers, and the Theft of Africa’s Wealth
What if the wealth beneath a continent could doom its people to perpetual poverty? In The Looting Machine, investigative journalist Tom Burgis exposes a shadowy alliance of warlords, tycoons, and multinational corporations systematically plundering Africa’s natural riches—oil, diamonds, uranium—while millions remain shackled to deprivation212. But when the very systems powering our modern world depend on this exploitation, who’s truly profiting… and what price will humanity pay to keep the machine running?
- Originally Published: May 2015
- Publisher: PublicAffairs, 2016
- Genre: Economics, History
- Pages: 368
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-1610397117
- Access: Members
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Utopia
What if the perfect society demanded your darkest sacrifice? In Utopia, Thomas More’s visionary explorer stumbles upon an island where poverty and greed are relics—yet beneath its gleaming order lies a chilling bargain between idealism and humanity’s soul. As he unravels the cost of paradise, one question gnaws: could you live in a world that saves everyone… by erasing everything that makes them alive?
- Originally Published: 1516
- Publisher: Wordsworth Classic, 1997
- Genre: Utopia
- Pages: 160
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9781853264740
- Access: Members
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Hot Pick
Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
What if a nation’s fate hinges not on resources or culture, but on a silent war between those who hoard power and those fighting to dismantle it? In Why Nations Fail, Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson expose how centuries of extractive institutions—crafted by elites to siphon wealth from the masses—trap societies in cycles of poverty, while inclusive systems ignite revolutions of innovation and freedom. But when the very foundations of power crumble, will humanity break free from history’s cruelest paradox… or become its next casualty?
- Originally Published: 2012
- Publisher : Crown Currency, 2013
- Pages: 544
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN-13: 978-0307719225
- Access: Members
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Why War?
What if war isn’t a choice but an inescapable part of who we are? In Why War?, historian Richard Overy dissects humanity’s oldest addiction—violence—tracing its roots from prehistoric skulls split by stone axes to modern drones over Ukraine. Through the lens of biology, power-hungry leaders, and primal fears, he unveils a chilling truth: even Einstein and Freud couldn’t escape its grip. As nuclear tensions simmer and empires rise, will our survival instincts finally break the cycle… or prove Freud’s grim prophecy right?
- Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
- Published: June 4, 2024
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Pages: 304
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-1324021742
- Access: Members