Sick of the AI slop that’s infiltrated every corner of the internet? Desperate to ditch the corporate rat race? Stressing about the cost of living while billionaires shoot rockets into space? We’ve got book recs for that!
If the current state of the world has you spiraling into existentialism, swap your doomscrolling for summer reading + take solace in the fact that you’re not the only one who’s tired of living through unprecedented times.
For cathartic tales of corporate mayhem:
Discontent by Beatriz Serrano, translated by Mara Faye Lethem
Fallow by Sarah Anderson
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue
For analyses of artificial intelligence:
Love Machines: How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Our Relationships by James Muldoon
Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI by Carissa Véliz
Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI by Karen Hao
Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines by Sherry Turkle
For timely examinations of climate change:
Paradise Burns by Pol Guasch, translated by Mara Faye Lethem
The Nature of Our Cities: Harnessing the Power of the Natural World to Survive a Changing Planet – An Environmental Science Guide to Urban Resilience and Hope by Nadina Galle
Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster by Jacob Soboroff
For sharp criticisms of the wage gap + wealth disparity:
Keystroke Capitalism: How Banks Create Money for the Few (Futures) by Aaron Sahr, translated by Sharon Howe
We Need to Tax Billionaires by Gabriel Zucman
Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed by Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff
Unpaid: The Past, Present and Future of Wage Theft by Matthew Cole
For guides to refreshing your brain with a lower screen time:
Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being by Manoush Zomorodi
Against Convenience: Embracing Friction in an Age of Endless Ease – A Sociology and Self-Help Guide to Digital Detox and Mindfulness by Gabe Bullard
Screen People: How We Entertained Ourselves Into a State of Emergency – An Urgent Exploration of Media Culture, Politics, and Social Reality by Megan Garber
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