Social Analysis

Steven Pinker wants to prove that we are living in a world that is better off than it has ever been, and it will only continue to get better. In Enlightenment Now, Pinker argues that the best tools we have come from the 18th century ideals of reason, science, progress, and humanism, and we can leverage them in very 21st century ways by using data to tell the story of our modern world. (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.)

This is an audio summary and analysis of Hans Rosling's groundbreaking book, Factfulness. Intended as a companion to the original book, this summary includes a synopsis of the original book, Rosling's original quiz, an editorial review, background on the author, and more.

This is an audio summary and analysis of Daniel Coyle’s The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups. Author Daniel Coyle shares the secrets to creating a successful organizational culture. Drawing from various examples, Coyle shows that everyone from companies to comedy troupes can have success with three simple conditions.

This is a summary and analysis of Unconventional Medicine, author and alternative medicine expert Chris Kresser’s call to action for revolutionizing a health care industry that is corrupt, dysfunctional, and unequipped to properly address the chronic disease epidemic.

Treating People Well: The Extraordinary Power of Civility at Work and in Life is a guide to civility, modern etiquette, and treating others with care and respect. Authored by White House social secretaries Lea Berman and Jeremy Bernard, this book gives civility insights alongside White House anecdotes. Don't miss out on this ZIP Reads summary of Treating People Well. Learn how simple etiquette can change your work and life.

Start Publishing Notes’ Summary, Analysis, and Review of Jen Hatmaker’s Of Mess and Moxie includes a summary of the book, a review, analysis and key takeaways, and a detailed "about the author" section. Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight out of This Wild and Glorious Life is a collection of nonfiction essays and life advice by the best-selling Christian humorist Jen Hatmaker.

Start Publishing Notes' Summary, Analysis, and Review of Timothy Ferriss's The 4-Hour Workweek includes a summary of the book, review, analysis and key takeaways, and detailed "About the Author" section.

There is no doubt about it, 9/11/2001 changed the world. What is really fueling this hate for Americans and the West is radical Islam and certain Islamic principles in general. The only way we can address these issues is by helping Islam evolve some of its core principles to fit into the modern world. In Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Heretic, she addresses the problems within Islam that inspire terror and how to remedy them. This review and analysis sums up the main points of her book.

When we think about viruses, we think about diseases such as the flu. For the most part, the flu comes and goes—the body is able to fight it. For some, it can be deadly. There are of course more dangerous viruses out there such as Ebola that in some cases kills 90 percent of those infected. In today's world, viruses can spread very quickly and it's for this reason we must be vigilant. Carl Zimmer in his book A Planet of Viruses discusses what viruses are and why they are so hard to eradicate. He also explains how not all viruses are bad and are, in fact, vital to our survival. Enjoy!

Start Publishing Notes' Summary, Analysis, and Review of Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success includes a summary of the book, review, analysis and key takeaways, and detailed "about the author" section.

In 1963's The Feminine Mystique, she identified "the problem that has no name" afflicting women pressured to devote themselves to domestic life. After World War II, society fostered the idea that women wanted different things from men - namely, to run homes and live through the achievements of their husbands and children. In reality, rigid gender roles left housewives frustrated and depressed and caused tensions both in their marriages and in how couples raised their children.

This short summary and analysis covers the 33 key secrets of ancient Europe and Rome. The secrets and synopsis are extracted from the famous book Meditations, written by the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (AD 121-180) was emperor of Rome from AD 161 till his death in AD 180. He was notable among Roman emperors, as he was a devotee of the study and practice of philosophy. History implies that Marcus also served as a priest to the Roman state religion.

Instead, we have already read This Town and pulled out some of the key take-away points and insights to give you a comprehensive chapter-by-chapter summary & review. In doing so, unfortunately we do not have the space to include all of the many important ideas and anecdotes found in This Town. To get it all, you should first order the full audiobook.

Why has gender inequality persisted for so long without revolutionary change? That's the central question Joan Wallach Scott poses in her 1998 collection of essays, Gender and the Politics of History. Scott notes that obvious economic, social, and class inequalities have produced large-scale social change, but uncovering the reality of gender inequality has not done the same.

In his 1986 book War Without Mercy, American historian John Dower examines Japanese-American relations during World War II and investigates links between popular culture, stereotypes, and extreme violence. He argues that it was the concept of racism - used equally by both sides - that underpinned the military conflict and led to a particularly brutal war in the Pacific and East Asia.

Even as recently as the 1920s the historical lack of great female writers was often considered as evidence of women's inferiority. Virginia Woolf disagreed. In her 1929 essay A Room of One's Own, she argues that creativity is impossible without privacy and freedom from financial worries - and that throughout history women have had neither. As a result, no tradition of great female writing existed to inspire women. Woolf's focus on the everyday suppression of women was a turning point.

Though written around 1513, more than 500 years ago, Italian diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince is still both widely listened to and very influential. Listeners turn to it for its direct advice on the question of how to attain - and retain - power. Machiavelli's answer, in brief: Use any means necessary to make sure the state survives.

Iranian American writer and scholar Hamid Dabashi wrote Iran: A People Interrupted amid the political fallout following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York - his adopted city - in 2001. As US President George W. Bush declared a "war on terror" and named Iran as part of an "axis of evil" that supported terrorism, Dabashi offered an insider's insight into the Iranian psyche.

Thomas Henry Huxley was a prominent member of the scientific community and an early advocate of evolutionism. His work and public debates served to explore this idea and to usher in widespread acceptance, forming the foundation of our current understanding of biology and the place of man in the cosmos. Evolution and Ethics is a work which highlights the ethical and theological implications of the theory of evolution.

In the sixth century BC, Pherekydes of Syros, the reputed teacher of Pythagoras and contemporary of Thales and Anaximander (born 610 BC), wrote a book about the birth of the gods and the origin of the cosmos. Considered one of the first prose works of Greek literature, Pherekydes' book survives only in fragments, while the teachings of Pythagoras permeate all scientific and spiritual boundaries.