These Books are So Exceptional — You Have To Read Them At Least Once
Cults, drugs, and death
Take out your wallets!
Because you’ll be forced to buy the books on today’s list.
From making life decisions to facing death, these books will show you the ins and outs of many different aspects of life. You’ll also travel to food factories and the Nazi Germany.
In short, there is a lot to learn so buckle up for the ride!
1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Story of cells that have been alive for more than 100 years.
Henrietta Lacks was a woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951.
But her story doesn’t stop there. She played a huge role in medical science. And this book tells us how.
You see, normal human cells have a limited life. They die after a specific number of divisions. But Henrietta’s cells from her tumor were different.
“…normal human cells — either in culture or in the human body — can’t grow indefinitely like cancer cells.”
A sample from her cervix did remarkably well in a petri dish and kept reproducing. That made them the first immortal human cells to be grown in a laboratory.
They were named HeLa cells. These cells were given away by John Hopkins, the hospital where Henrietta was treated. Soon, they were being sold as well.
Henrietta’s family wasn’t informed about this. This brings in the topic of medical ethics. For a long time, the family stayed in the dark.
“Henrietta’s cells have now been living outside her body far longer than they ever lived inside it…”
Rebecca Skloot contacted Deborah, Herietta’s daughter, for the purpose of writing this book. After initially declining, Deborah agreed to take part in the research on the promise of full transparency.
2. The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
Ailments of the mind.
Oliver Sacks was a well-known neurologist.
He was from Britain but spent most of his career in the US. He went on to write many books including his autobiography and his experiences as a neurologist.
This book discusses various cases of his patients. It also has philosophical reflections from Sacks.
“Biologically, physiologically, we are not so different from each other; historically, as narratives — we are each of us unique.”
The title of this book is derived from the incident that happened to one of Oliver Sacks’ patients in front of him. That patient is referred to as Mr. P.
Mr P suffered from visual agnosia. This means he couldn’t identify objects by looking at them. The following took place:
“He reached out his hand, and took hold of his wife’s head, tried to lift it off, to put it on. He had apparently mistaken his wife for a hat! His wife looked as if she was used to such things.”
We learn about other issues such as Korsakoff’s syndrome and Tourette’s.
If you like reading books with a personal touch, this will be right up your alley.
3. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
The battle between industrial and wholesome food.
The way we eat our food has gone through dramatic changes.
We used to hunt and gather. Now, we get packaged food sitting on a supermarket shelf.
This book goes deep into the industrialization of the food industry.
“… the way we eat represents our most profound engagement with the natural world. Daily, our eating turns nature into culture, transforming the body of the world into our bodies and minds.”
To be honest, this topic is close to my heart. When I think of animals trapped in factories, being abused, it bothers me.
The author also talks about the “organic” food movement and how the promises made on the billboards and advertisements are unrealistic.
Although people feel uncomfortable with hunting and killing, they are okay with not knowing where their food is coming from. This is one of the many topics Pollan touches on.
“Dreams of innocence are just that; they usually depend on a denial of reality that can be its own form of hubris.”
The author encourages locally grown and raised sources of food.
4. The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan
Critical thinking over blind faith.
Carl Sagan, an astrophysicist, opens our eyes and minds through the exploration of critical thinking.
The author criticizes half-truths and pseudoscientific theories. He says that belief unsupported by physical evidence leads to harm.
He is relentless in his criticism of UFO sightings and alien abductions. The same is the case for organized religion, faith healing, witch-hunting, and more.
“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.”
Sagan’s definition of spirituality stems from the sense of wonder and humility we have at the vastness of the universe and the beauty of life.
We don’t need to see miracles like those being broadcasted on evangelical TV channels. We have enough in the real world to appreciate.
“There are wonders enough out there without our inventing any.”
Sagan tells us not to snub the many questions that children ask. Instead, we can acknowledge our lack of knowledge when we don’t know the answer.
5. Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler
Who was pulling Hitler’s strings?
Hilter and the Nazi Germany ran on drugs.
That is what this book shows.
Through the many historical documents (some previously unreleased), Ohler explores the prevalence of drugs in Germany during World War 2. The public was hooked on methamphetamines.
Drugs were being used as medicines and as performance enhancers. Heroin was even being recommended to babies for colic.
“The fact was that between the autumn of 1941, when he started being given hormone and steroid injections, and the second half of 1944, when first the cocaine and then above all the Eukodal kicked in, Hitler hardly enjoyed a sober day.”
This expanded to the top Nazi leadership.
We learn about the relationship Hitler had with his personal physician, Dr. Theodor Morell. Dr. Morell was central to Hitler’s drug dependence.
Ohler argues that this drug use led to erratic behavior and poor decisions.
6. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
An experienced mortician spills the beans.
This book encourages us to view death positively.
Death is a reality. It will come to us sooner or later. There is no use denying its existence.
In fact, death is the motivator of our creative pursuits.
“Death drives every creative and destructive impulse we have as human beings. The closer we come to understanding it, the closer we come to understanding ourselves.”
Through this book, Caitlin Doughty explores her own journey of understanding and coming to terms with death. She also explores various cultural approaches and rituals.
As an adult, Doughty chose to become a mortician. This brought her face-to-face with her mortality in a profound way.
“In many ways, women are death’s natural companions. Every time a woman gives birth, she is creating not only a life, but a death.”
She shares her experiences in the funeral industry as well as the many reflections she has gained by working there.
7. Debt: The First 5000 Years by David Graebe
A new look at economics.
In this book, David Graebe challenges the traditional economic understanding.
He says:
“We did not begin with barter, discover money, and then eventually develop credit systems. It happened precisely the other way around.”
The author traces the system of credit, money, and other economic institutions throughout history.
Credit or debt has been a part of human interactions as far as human society goes. For example, if one needed grains from the village farmer, he would get them. It means now this person owes the farmer.
“…there is every reason to believe that slavery, with its unique ability to rip human beings from their contexts, to turn them into abstractions, played a key role in the rise of markets everywhere.”
Graebe shows us two sides of money. It can be a unit of trust in close societies. Whereas in an economy where it is a unit of scarcity, state-backed violence ensues.
This book challenges the common economic understanding. By reading it, economic or business students would benefit from having a different look at things.
8. Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts by Annie Duke
Bet on your future the right way.
I am open-minded, you might say.
However, the research shows something else. Every new information we receive, we alter it to fit our beliefs rather than the other way around.
“Truthseeking, the desire to know the truth regardless of whether the truth aligns with the beliefs we currently hold, is not naturally supported by the way we process information.”
Annie Duke helps us face our human shortcomings when making life decisions.
Life is unpredictable and uncertain. The issue arises when we treat life decisions as chess. They are more like poker, says the author.
In chess, we can win by making the right decisions. In life, we can lose even if we make the right decision.
The author invites us to stop thinking in terms of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. She tells us to embrace gray.
“Improving decision quality is about increasing our chances of good outcomes, not guaranteeing them.”
By treating our decisions as bets, we can prevent ourselves from falling into common decision traps.
9. Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World by Tim Marshall
The map games.
To understand world events, look at geography. That’s the premise of this book.
Tim Marshall explores the geopolitics of the world. He shows us how different nations went on different development paths because of their geography.
Having access to warm waters is important. It allows for trade leading to economic development. Such is the case for China.
“If China did not control Tibet, it would always be possible that India might attempt to do so.”
The author also discusses the lack of trade between China and India. China has control over Tibet to prevent India from having strategic influence.
Not having access to trade routes makes the country aggressive as it tries to find alternate ways such as the Russian annexation of Crimea.
“India and Pakistan can agree on one thing: neither wants the other one around.”
The book also touches on South Asian politics, particularly the strife between India and Pakistan.
Marshall analyzes America’s success and Africa’s lack of development. That also comes down to the geographic properties of the region.
10. Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
Words are a tell-all sign for cults.
Some time ago, I had several interactions with someone who claimed to be ‘spiritual’.
That woman’s ideology and practices struck me as odd. And in response to my questioning and skepticism, she said I had mental blocks.
Well, there goes any trust I had in you, lady. I labeled her approach as cult-ish to my friend.
“The words we hear and use every day can provide clues to help us determine which groups are healthy, which are toxic, and which are a little bit of both — and to what extent we wish to engage with them.”
This book tells us the same. We can point out the amount of cultishness in a group by analyzing their language.
The author tells us that language is an important part of who we are. It influences our behaviors and beliefs.
When someone uses “absolutist language”, that’s a red flag. They use oversimplification and make claims such as ‘we are all part of the cosmos’ or ‘we all have trauma’ etc.
“A linguistic concept called the theory of performativity says that language does not simply describe or reflect who we are, it creates who we are.”
This book is an interesting discussion of how languages inform our beliefs.
I hope you have found this article useful. If you did, it would be awesome if you gave me a clap or left a response!
If you enjoyed this article and want to support Novel Nest, click this link to get notified whenever I publish something new.
If you enjoyed these book recommendations, check out the rest of my book lists on my blog- https://www.thenovelnest.com/blog
Affiliate Disclaimer: This post features Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links.
