Book Notes
Summaries, reflections, and key takeaways from books I've read. Each note includes a three-sentence summary, extended overview, and connections to other ideas in the garden.
| Title | Topics |
|---|---|
| 21 Lessons for the 21st Century | technologypoliticshuman-naturevaluesbeliefs |
| A Brief History of Earth | historylifesciencegeology |
| A Hacker's Mind: How the Powerful Bend Society's Rules, and How to Bend them Back | hackingsocial-engineeringinformation-securitypower-dynamicssocietal-rules |
| A Higher Loyalty | biographyethicshistorylaw-enforcement |
| A New Culture of Learning | educationlearningculturedigitalageinnovationtechnologyin |
| Abundance | economicsinequalitysociety |
| Acceptance | science-fictionhuman-naturemysteryecology |
| Access Is Capture | technologyaccessdatasurveillance |
| After | near-death-experienceslife-after-deathspiritualitymedical-research |
| Alt-America | american-politicsextremismalt-rightsocial-issuespolitical-science |
| Altered Carbon | science-fictionlifedeathidentitymortality |
| American Gods | beliefstraditionscultural-identityimmigrationspirituality |
| Ancillary Justice | science-fictionartificial-intelligencegender-identityspace-operasocial-justice |
| Annihilation | naturescience-fictionselfconciousnessaliensecosystems |
| Anthem | empathysocietal-normsvaluesadvocacyfreedomself-determination |
| Anxiety | philosophyanxietyexistentialismbuddhismpsychoanalysis |
| Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics | ethicsphilosophyvirtue |
| Armada | virtual-realityalienscoming-of-age |
| Artemis | gendersurvivalsocietyscience-fiction |
| At the Edge of Empire | empireexplorationpower |
| Atomic Habits | habitsgoalsfocusprocess |
| Authority | powerscience-fictionself-destruction |
| Autocracy, Inc. | autocracypoliticspower |
| Bad Samaritans | economicsglobalizationdevelopment |
| Barracoon | african-american-literatureslaveryhistorybiographycultural-heritage |
| Becoming Wise | wisdomlearninggrowthknowledgelanguage |
| Between the World and Me | racismsystemic-discriminationprejudice |
| Black Power | black-powercivil-rightsactivism |
| Blue Mars | space-explorationcolonizationpoliticalethicsscience-fiction |
| Blueprint for Revolution | activismrevolutionleadership |
| Broken Angels | dystopiancyberpunkdetective-fictionmilitaryscience-fiction |
| Bullshit Jobs | workcapitalisminequalitylabor |
| Children of Blood and Bone | determinationcouragefriendshipfighting_injusticescience-fiction |
| Children of Ruin | science-fictionpost-apocalypticspace-operaepic-fantasyadventureexploration |
| Children of Time | aliensocietyhumanitysurvivalspacescience-fiction |
| Creative Quest | creativitymindfulnessinspirationcollaborationdiscipline |
| Cultivating Genius | educationpersonal-developmenttalentcultivationgeniusnurturingcognitiion |
| Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain | pedagogyracebiasculture |
| Cyberlibertarianism | cyberlibertarianismtechnologyinternetpolitics |
| DEI Deconstructed | diversityinclusionequitybusiness-strategyorganizational-culture |
| Daring Greatly | self-helpvulnerabilitystrenthweaknessimperfection |
| Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs | sciencecosmologygeologybiologypaleontology |
| Democracy More or Less | democracypoliticsgovernmentabundance |
| Democracy and Education | educationdemocracyphilosophy |
| Democracy in America | democracyamericapolitics |
| Destructive Creation | businesscreativitypoliticssocietyinnovationdestruction |
| Digital Minimalism | |
| Dune Messiah | sciencefictionpoliticalintrigueprophecyphilosophyecology |
| Dune | science-fictionpoliticsreligionecologyevolution |
| Dust | post-apocalypticsurvivalcommunitysacrifice |
| Eichmann in Jerusalem | holocaustnazismjustice |
| Empire of Normality | societycomformityrebellion |
| Fear - Trump in the White House | politicsinfightingdysfunctionchaos |
| Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt | stock-marketinnovationfinance |
| Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange | |
| Freedom Is a Constant Struggle | freedomstugglesocial-justice |
| Fugitive Pedagogy | educationhistorysocial-justiceracial-inequalityafrican-american-studies |
| Green Mars | politicalpowerandambitionsciencesociologyscience-fiction |
| Hatching Twitter | tech-startupssocial-mediacorporate-dramaentrepreneurship |
| Head On | science-fictionidentitydisabilitysocietyepidemics |
| Hello World | programmingintroductiontutorialcomputersciencecoding |
| Hijacked | neoliberalismwork-ethicsocial-democracylaborlabor-rightspolitical-economy |
| How the Word Is Passed | racismhistoryamericaslavery |
| How to stop worrying & start living | attitudeproblem-solvinggratituderelationships |
| Impromptu | aitechnology |
| In the Wake | african-american-studieshistorysociologycultureracial-justice |
| In the Plex | googleinnovationdecision-making |
| Kindred | science-fictionafrican-americanliteraturetime-travelslaveryspeculative-fiction |
| King: A Life | biographypolitical-climatecivil-rights-movementsystemic-racismsegregationsocial-issues |
| Leaders - Myth and Reality | leadershiphistory |
| Leonardo da Vinci | knowledgecuriosityscienceinventioneducation |
| Leviathan Wakes | science-fictionspace-operamysteryinterstellar-politicsalien-technology |
| Listen, Liberal | politicsliberalisminequality |
| Lock In | technologydisabilitymysterygreedconspiracy |
| Looking at Women Looking at War | warwomen |
| Mind and Cosmos | philosophyconsciousnessmetaphysicsevolutionreality |
| Modern Physics and Ancient Faith | religionsciencescientific-materialismphysicsfaith |
| New York 2140 | resilienceadaptationingenuityadversityscience-fiction |
| Nineteen Eighty-four | resistancepowerslaveryidentityfreedomdystopia |
| Old Man's War | science-fictionmilitary-strategyspace-explorationhuman-condition |
| On Bullshit | philosophytruthdeception |
| On Freedom | freedomphilosophypolitical-theory |
| On Tyranny | tyrannypoliticshistory |
| Otherland: City of Golden Shadow | science-fictionvirtual-realitydigitalconsciousnessidentityreality |
| Perceptrons: An Introduction to Computational Geometry, Expanded Edition | artificial-intelligencemachine-learningneural-networks |
| Project Hail Mary | thrillerspace-explorationsurvivalaliensfriendshipapocalypsescience-fiction |
| Public Citizens: The Attack on Big Government and the Remaking of American Liberalism | liberalismbig-governmentabundance |
| Radical Technologies | technology-criticismurbanismdigital-societyinternet-of-thingsfuturism |
| Ratchetdemic | educationcultural-relevancesocial-justicehip-hop-pedagogyurban-education |
| Ready Player One | science-fictiongamingdystopianvirtual-reality |
| Ready Player Two | science-fictionvirtual-realitydystopiaadventure |
| Red Mars | science-fictionenvironmentalismpolitical-systemseconomic-inequalityhuman-nature |
| Redshirts | science-fictionfree-willdeterminism |
| Risk Forward | personal-growthself-helpmotivationentrepreneurshiplife-transitions |
| Rogue Code | technologycybersecurity |
| Sapiens | societyeconomyhuman-historyhistory |
| Seeing Like a State | stategovernancesociety |
| Seveneves | science-fictionevolutionengineeringsocietyhumanitysurvival |
| Shift | dystopiansurvivalpost-apocalyptic |
| Shop Class as Soulcraft | educationknowledgepractical-skillssocietyproblem-solving |
| Start Here, Start Now | anti-bias-educationequityteaching-strategiesinclusive-educationsocial-justice |
| SuperBetter | resiliencegamingvideo-gamespersonal-growth |
| Switch | personal-growthresiliencemotivationadaptation |
| Thank You for Being Late | technologyclimate-changeglobalizationworkplaceethicscommunity |
| The 4-Hour Work Week | work-life-balanceoutsourcinghacksworkcultureentrepreneurship |
| The AI Mirror | aitechnologyethics |
| The Almagest | astronomyscience |
| The Anxious Generation | playanxietyparentingscreentime |
| The Art of Screen Time | youthparentingscreentimetechnopanicdigital |
| The Atlas of AI | machine-learningAI |
| The Attention Merchants | |
| The Blade Itself | fantasypolitical-intriguemoral_ambiguity |
| The British Are Coming | historyamerican-revolution |
| The Cambridge Concise History of Astronomy | astronomyscienceculturehistory |
| The Civically Engaged Classroom | civic-engagementeducationpedagogysocial-justiceclassroom-strategies |
| The Comfort Crisis | self-improvementpersonal-growthgrowth-mindsetmindset |
| The Coming Storm | politicscrisis |
| The Creative Act | creativitygrowth-mindsetprocess |
| The Defining Moment | politicshistoryleadership |
| The Disengaged Teen | adolescentsscreentimeteensparentingdisengagement |
| The End of All Things | science-fictionspacepoliticssurvival |
| The Fifth Season | science-fictionpost-apocalypticfantasydystopianfeminism |
| The Ghost Brigades | science-fictionscienceethicshumanitytechnology |
| The Gifts of Imperfection | self-helppersonal-growthpsychologyvulnerabilityresilience |
| The Graveyard Book | ghostsmurderlife-lessonsmysteryadventure |
| The Handmaid's Tale | dystopiafeminismtotalitarianismpower-dynamicsreproductive-rights |
| The Harrow | investigative-journalismthrillercorruptiondark-humor |
| The Human Division | science-fictiondiploimacypolitical-intriguealienswar |
| The Hunger Games | survivalgovernmentpowerrebellionbraveryself-relianceoppressiondefianceauthority |
| The Information | informationinformation-sciencelanguagecomputer-science |
| The Innovators | biographyhistoryinnovationtechnology |
| The Internet of Us: Knowing More and Understanding Less in the Age of Big Data | big-datainternetknowledgeunderstanding |
| The Jungle Book | identitysocietybelongingmorals |
| The Martian | science-fictionproblem-solvingresiliencescience |
| The Network State | cryptocryptocurrencyblockchain-technologygovernancedecentralized-governancedigital-society |
| The Obstacle Is the Way | stoicismhistoryobstaclesgritgrowth-mindsetperception |
| The Pacific Circuit | technologyinnovationhistory |
| The Peripheral | science-fictionpowercorruptionapocalyptictechnological-advancement |
| The Populist Moment | populismpolitical-movementshistory |
| The Promise of Access | technologyaccessequity |
| The Promise of Politics | politicspromisephilosophydemocracy |
| The Road to Unfreedom | politicshistoryauthoritarianism |
| The Road | post-apocalypticfictionsurvivalrelationshipsdespairhopehumanitydecay |
| The Shallows | primary-topicgenre-or-domainreading-level |
| The Signal and the Noise | data-analysispredictionstatisticsdecision-makinginformation-theory |
| The Source of Self-Regard | literatureself-esteemself-perceptionpersonalgrowthself-awareness |
| The Sum of Us | social-policyracial-inequalityeconomic-inequalityamerican-politicssocial-justice |
| The Three-Body Problem | science-fictionhumanityaliensscienceexistencecivilization |
| The Unaccountability Machine | financeaccountabilityrisk-managementrisk |
| There Are Rivers in the Sky | familyidentityculturecultural-heritage |
| They Want to Kill Americans | terrorismnational-securitycounterterrorismamerican-politicsinternational-relations |
| Thinking, Fast and Slow | cognitionthinkingintuitiondecision-making |
| Time Travel | timetime-travelcultureliteraturehistoryphysics |
| Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow | video-gamesidentitycreativitylove |
| Tribe | societycommunitywarnatural-disasterscooperation |
| Twitter and Tear Gas | social-mediatwitterprotestpoliticalorganizationsurveillancemisinformationdisinformation |
| Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Teaching and Learning | culturallyresponsiveteachinghistorically-responsive-learningeducationdiversity |
| Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life | self-helppersonal-responsibilitymental-healthexcusespositive-thinking |
| Universality | |
| Unwired | technologyprivacydigital-rights |
| We Got This | educationteaching-strategiesstudent-diversityinstructional-practices |
| Weapons of Math Destruction | educationalgorithmsmathematicstransparencyregulation |
| When They Call You a Terrorist | |
| When Violence is the Answer | violenceself-defensevulnerableaggressiondanger |
| Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | data-privasygreedcorporationssurveillancedigital-society |
| White Fragility | raceracismconversationsbiasprivelegeinequalityintersectionality |
| Who's Afraid of Gender? | genderfeminismidentity |
| Why Don't Students Like School? | educationcognitionengagementpsychologythinkingsurvival |
| Why Nothing Works | societypoliticscommunityabundance |
| Woken Furies | science-fictioncyberpunkconsciousness |
| Wool | dystopiansurvivalsecrets |