Literature

SURELY YOU'RE JOKING, MR. FEYNMAN is a good autobiography.

I read "Solitary" by Albert Woodfox - it's his account of spending decades in solitary confinement on shaky charges, partly as retaliation for his getting involved in the Black Panther Party while incarcerated. Definitely an eye-opening read about the US prison system and an inspirational read in some ways, given that he didn't let his decades in solitary confinement stop him from doing what he could to fight for better conditions in the prison

Interdependence: Biology and Beyond by Kriti Sharma will turn your worldview upside down. Through so-called “contingentism”, biologist Kriti Sharma will challenge the human-centric, objective and individualistic metaphysical world that classical modern thinkers designed from their high towers. Furthermore, the author tries to show us how interdependent organisms are, and how blurry are the boundaries that separate us from other living beings.

Edward Glaeser's Triumph of the City is a really detailed and interesting account of all the good urban areas have done for us.

Sprout Lands: Tending the Endless Gift of Trees -- William Bryant Logan, link to authors website

Once, farmers knew how to make a living hedge and fed their flocks on tree-branch hay. Rural people knew how to prune hazel to foster abundance: both of edible nuts, and of straight, strong, flexible rods for bridges, walls, and baskets. Townspeople cut their beeches to make charcoal to fuel ironworks. Shipwrights shaped oaks to make hulls. No place could prosper without its inhabitants knowing how to cut their trees so they would sprout again.

Seeing like a State: How Certain Schemes to improve the human condition have failed.

Learned a great deal from that book.

The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher. It's about social media companies, and how their algorithms have affected society and caused social and political division. It's very insightful and eye opening.

How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith. Smith travels to eight places in America and one abroad to understand how each reckons with its relationship with American slavery and the linger effects in the present.

I'm also enjoying The Bird Way by Jennifer Ackerman.

I've really enjoyed 'Into Thin Air' by Jon Krakauer. It's about an Everest expedition that ended in disaster - it's really well written and compelling!

It seems like most people I know have already read it, but I always mention The Devil in the White City for nonfiction fans.

I'm partially through The Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton. I'm not usually a fan of autobiographies but the writing style has me hooked. Also as a non-religious person the glimpse though that mindset at that particular time in history is very interesting.