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Essays Book Summaries

The Road to Little Dribbling
by Bill Bryson • 2015
Twenty years on, Bryson returns to Britain: prettier, richer, and somehow even more perplexing.
3.73
38k+
The Road to Little Dribbling Summary
The Road to Little Dribbling
Twenty years on, Bryson returns to Britain: prettier, richer, and somehow even more perplexing.
by Bill Bryson 2015 380 pages
3.73
38k+ ratings
Labyrinths
by Jorge Luis Borges • 1962
Stories where a library holds every possible book and a man dreams another into being.
4.44
33k+
Labyrinths Summary
Labyrinths
Stories where a library holds every possible book and a man dreams another into being.
by Jorge Luis Borges 1962 260 pages
4.44
33k+ ratings
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays
by David Foster Wallace • 2005
Mainstream acceptance forced adult film into a paradox: to keep its edge, it grew more extreme.
4.18
54k+
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays Summary
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays
Mainstream acceptance forced adult film into a paradox: to keep its edge, it grew more extreme.
by David Foster Wallace 2005 505 pages
4.18
54k+ ratings
What This Comedian Said Will Shock You
by Bill Maher • 2024
From cancel culture to pandemic theater, a comedian dismantles the pieties nobody else will touch.
4.18
5k+
What This Comedian Said Will Shock You Summary
What This Comedian Said Will Shock You
From cancel culture to pandemic theater, a comedian dismantles the pieties nobody else will touch.
by Bill Maher 2024 395 pages
4.18
5k+ ratings
Travels with Epicurus
by Daniel Klein • 2012
On a Greek island, one man discovers that Epicurus had old age figured out.
3.82
3k+
Travels with Epicurus Summary
Travels with Epicurus
On a Greek island, one man discovers that Epicurus had old age figured out.
by Daniel Klein 2012 115 pages
3.82
3k+ ratings
The Return of the Russian Leviathan
by Sergei Medvedev • 2017
Governance traded for spectacle: how resentment and distorted history built Putin's Russia.
4.06
337
The Return of the Russian Leviathan Summary
The Return of the Russian Leviathan
Governance traded for spectacle: how resentment and distorted history built Putin's Russia.
by Sergei Medvedev 2017 140 pages
4.06
337 ratings
The Boy Who Could Change the World
by Aaron Swartz • 2015
Schools were built to kill your curiosity. A radical vision for learning differently.
4.21
477
The Boy Who Could Change the World Summary
The Boy Who Could Change the World
Schools were built to kill your curiosity. A radical vision for learning differently.
by Aaron Swartz 2015 368 pages
4.21
477 ratings
How to Have a Life
by Seneca
You guard every dollar but hemorrhage hours. An ancient Stoic on the cure.
3.90
432
How to Have a Life Summary
How to Have a Life
You guard every dollar but hemorrhage hours. An ancient Stoic on the cure.
by Seneca 194 pages
3.90
432 ratings
Beyond Numeracy
by John Allen Paulos • 1990
Math, not as right answers, but as a lens on chaos, coincidence, and everyday decisions.
3.83
498
Beyond Numeracy Summary
Beyond Numeracy
Math, not as right answers, but as a lens on chaos, coincidence, and everyday decisions.
by John Allen Paulos 1990 304 pages
3.83
498 ratings
Steve Jobs and Philosophy
by Shawn E. Klein • 2015
What made Steve Jobs a tyrant also made him a visionary. Philosophers weigh the evidence.
3.81
21
Steve Jobs and Philosophy Summary
Steve Jobs and Philosophy
What made Steve Jobs a tyrant also made him a visionary. Philosophers weigh the evidence.
by Shawn E. Klein 2015
3.81
21 ratings
Thinking In Numbers
by Daniel Tammet • 2013
Numbers live in a family of nine, an Icelandic counting word, snowflakes, and how decades shrink.
3.53
1k+
Thinking In Numbers Summary
Thinking In Numbers
Numbers live in a family of nine, an Icelandic counting word, snowflakes, and how decades shrink.
by Daniel Tammet 2013 288 pages
3.53
1k+ ratings
Eastern Wisdom, Modern Life
by Alan W. Watts • 2006
The self is a hallucination. Alan Watts' 1960s talks dissolve it with Eastern precision.
4.42
417
Eastern Wisdom, Modern Life Summary
Eastern Wisdom, Modern Life
The self is a hallucination. Alan Watts' 1960s talks dissolve it with Eastern precision.
by Alan W. Watts 2006 272 pages
4.42
417 ratings
Birds Art Life Death
by Kyo Maclear • 2017
As her father faded, a writer watched city birds. Small things, closely seen, restored her life.
4.00
3k+
Birds Art Life Death Summary
Birds Art Life Death
As her father faded, a writer watched city birds. Small things, closely seen, restored her life.
by Kyo Maclear 2017 274 pages
4.00
3k+ ratings
The Mexico Reader
by Gilbert M. Joseph • 2002
Five hundred years of Mexico, from conquest to maquiladoras, told by the people who lived it.
4.09
325
The Mexico Reader Summary
The Mexico Reader
Five hundred years of Mexico, from conquest to maquiladoras, told by the people who lived it.
by Gilbert M. Joseph 2002 808 pages
4.09
325 ratings
Numerate Life
by John Allen Paulos • 2015
Your life story is a statistical error: a mathematician breaks down why.
3.49
170
Numerate Life Summary
Numerate Life
Your life story is a statistical error: a mathematician breaks down why.
by John Allen Paulos 2015 206 pages
3.49
170 ratings
Gabriel García Márquez
by Michael Wood • 1990
The craft behind the curse: how magical realism, circular time, and prophecy hold Macondo together.
4.54
6k+
Gabriel García Márquez Summary
Gabriel García Márquez
The craft behind the curse: how magical realism, circular time, and prophecy hold Macondo together.
by Michael Wood 1990 132 pages
4.54
6k+ ratings
Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old
by Steven Petrow • 2021
The anti-bucket list for aging: name what you won't do, and the rest falls into place.
3.67
5k+
Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old Summary
Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old
The anti-bucket list for aging: name what you won't do, and the rest falls into place.
by Steven Petrow 2021 272 pages
3.67
5k+ ratings
The Discipline of Law
by Baron Alfred Denning • 1979
The law is not a machine of rules, but a craft of words wielded toward justice.
4.17
126
The Discipline of Law Summary
The Discipline of Law
The law is not a machine of rules, but a craft of words wielded toward justice.
by Baron Alfred Denning 1979 353 pages
4.17
126 ratings
mental floss presents Condensed Knowledge
by Will Pearson • 2004
A smart aleck's guide to the universe: relativity, radiation, and why Hollywood gets physics wrong.
3.92
500+
mental floss presents Condensed Knowledge Summary
mental floss presents Condensed Knowledge
A smart aleck's guide to the universe: relativity, radiation, and why Hollywood gets physics wrong.
by Will Pearson 2004 345 pages
3.92
500+ ratings
Lectures of Col. Robert Green Ingersoll
by Robert G. Ingersoll • 1942
Bible's God commands atrocities; its devil shows more mercy. Ingersoll's case for reason over faith.
4.60
119
Lectures of Col. Robert Green Ingersoll Summary
Lectures of Col. Robert Green Ingersoll
Bible's God commands atrocities; its devil shows more mercy. Ingersoll's case for reason over faith.
by Robert G. Ingersoll 1942 334 pages
4.60
119 ratings
In Praise of Prejudice
by Theodore Dalrymple • 2007
The war on prejudice backfires: it returns as conformity, atomization, and state control.
4.04
500+
In Praise of Prejudice Summary
In Praise of Prejudice
The war on prejudice backfires: it returns as conformity, atomization, and state control.
by Theodore Dalrymple 2007 129 pages
4.04
500+ ratings
Body Work
by Melissa Febos • 2022
Personal writing threatens power. The stigma that silences women and queer writers is by design.
4.22
6k+
Body Work Summary
Body Work
Personal writing threatens power. The stigma that silences women and queer writers is by design.
by Melissa Febos 2022 171 pages
4.22
6k+ ratings
I Think, Therefore I Laugh
by John Allen Paulos • 1985
A mathematician's tour of logic's strangest corners, where every lesson arrives disguised as a joke.
3.48
245
I Think, Therefore I Laugh Summary
I Think, Therefore I Laugh
A mathematician's tour of logic's strangest corners, where every lesson arrives disguised as a joke.
by John Allen Paulos 1985 192 pages
3.48
245 ratings
A Room of One’s Own
by Virginia Woolf • 1929
Money and a private room: why five centuries of women's genius never reached the page.
4.22
200k+
A Room of One’s Own Summary
A Room of One’s Own
Money and a private room: why five centuries of women's genius never reached the page.
by Virginia Woolf 1929 112 pages
4.22
200k+ ratings
A Sense of the Mysterious
by Alan Lightman • 2005
The creative fire behind cold equations: a physicist-novelist on what science shares with art.
3.82
500+
A Sense of the Mysterious Summary
A Sense of the Mysterious
The creative fire behind cold equations: a physicist-novelist on what science shares with art.
by Alan Lightman 2005 224 pages
3.82
500+ ratings
Philosophy Bites
by David Edmonds • 2012
The big questions of philosophy, served in bite-sized interviews with today's leading thinkers.
3.69
371
Philosophy Bites Summary
Philosophy Bites
The big questions of philosophy, served in bite-sized interviews with today's leading thinkers.
by David Edmonds 2012 268 pages
3.69
371 ratings
The Longing for Less
by Kyle Chayka • 2020
The clean lines of minimalism hide a messy history: Zen monks, art rebels, and $8,200 stereos.
3.45
1k+
The Longing for Less Summary
The Longing for Less
The clean lines of minimalism hide a messy history: Zen monks, art rebels, and $8,200 stereos.
by Kyle Chayka 2020 272 pages
3.45
1k+ ratings
The Right Chemistry
by Joe Schwarcz • 2012
Why soap cleans, what killed Napoleon, and 106 other chemical mysteries of daily life.
3.84
79
The Right Chemistry Summary
The Right Chemistry
Why soap cleans, what killed Napoleon, and 106 other chemical mysteries of daily life.
by Joe Schwarcz 2012 304 pages
3.84
79 ratings
Becoming Wise
by Krista Tippett • 2016
Wisdom is a practice, not a possession. Every ordinary life contains everything it requires.
4.08
5k+
Becoming Wise Summary
Becoming Wise
Wisdom is a practice, not a possession. Every ordinary life contains everything it requires.
by Krista Tippett 2016 288 pages
4.08
5k+ ratings
Storyteller
by Kate Wilhelm • 2005
Twenty-seven years of Clarion distilled: character drives story, and every word must earn its place.
3.93
350
Storyteller Summary
Storyteller
Twenty-seven years of Clarion distilled: character drives story, and every word must earn its place.
by Kate Wilhelm 2005 200 pages
3.93
350 ratings
The Inner History of Devices
by Sherry Turkle • 2008
Your devices are confidants, not just tools. What they reveal about the self you're becoming.
3.83
81
The Inner History of Devices Summary
The Inner History of Devices
Your devices are confidants, not just tools. What they reveal about the self you're becoming.
by Sherry Turkle 2008 208 pages
3.83
81 ratings
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us
by Hanif Abdurraqib • 2017
A poet traces the pulse beneath Black America's grief and defiance, from punk shows to funerals.
4.55
19k+
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us Summary
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us
A poet traces the pulse beneath Black America's grief and defiance, from punk shows to funerals.
by Hanif Abdurraqib 2017 291 pages
4.55
19k+ ratings
What Should We Be Worried About? Real Scenarios That Keep Scientists Up at Night
by John Brockman • 2014
Cognitive traps. Fragile networks. Captured watchdogs. The real fears of a hundred scientists.
3.45
1k+
What Should We Be Worried About? Real Scenarios That Keep Scientists Up at Night Summary
What Should We Be Worried About? Real Scenarios That Keep Scientists Up at Night
Cognitive traps. Fragile networks. Captured watchdogs. The real fears of a hundred scientists.
by John Brockman 2014 478 pages
3.45
1k+ ratings
An Alchemy of Mind
by Diane Ackerman • 2004
A poet's tour of the brain: how 100 billion neurons invent your reality.
3.96
1k+
An Alchemy of Mind Summary
An Alchemy of Mind
A poet's tour of the brain: how 100 billion neurons invent your reality.
by Diane Ackerman 2004 320 pages
3.96
1k+ ratings
Popper
by David Miller • 1985
Science asks to be proven wrong; democracy asks to be thrown out without a revolution.
4.06
211
Popper Summary
Popper
Science asks to be proven wrong; democracy asks to be thrown out without a revolution.
by David Miller 1985 430 pages
4.06
211 ratings
Small Pleasures
by The School of Life • 2016
Grand joys exhaust us. The quiet daily pleasures already hold the meaning we're chasing.
3.89
1k+
Small Pleasures Summary
Small Pleasures
Grand joys exhaust us. The quiet daily pleasures already hold the meaning we're chasing.
by The School of Life 2016 248 pages
3.89
1k+ ratings
Friendship
by A.C. Grayling • 2013
2,500 years of philosophy on why friendship is a requirement, not a bonus.
3.27
117
Friendship Summary
Friendship
2,500 years of philosophy on why friendship is a requirement, not a bonus.
by A.C. Grayling 2013 248 pages
3.27
117 ratings
Sidecountry
by John Branch • 2021
Dispatches from sport's wild edge: avalanches, impossible climbs, and the communities left behind.
3.84
1k+
Sidecountry Summary
Sidecountry
Dispatches from sport's wild edge: avalanches, impossible climbs, and the communities left behind.
by John Branch 2021 368 pages
3.84
1k+ ratings
In Praise of Risk
by Anne Dufourmantelle • 2011
To avoid risk is to refuse life. A philosopher's argument for love, beauty, and freedom.
4.12
500+
In Praise of Risk Summary
In Praise of Risk
To avoid risk is to refuse life. A philosopher's argument for love, beauty, and freedom.
by Anne Dufourmantelle 2011 196 pages
4.12
500+ ratings
One in a Millennial
by Kate Kennedy • 2024
The MySpace top eight was a leaderboard, not a friend list, and she played to win.
3.70
21k+
One in a Millennial Summary
One in a Millennial
The MySpace top eight was a leaderboard, not a friend list, and she played to win.
by Kate Kennedy 2024 336 pages
3.70
21k+ ratings
Claiming the B in LGBT
by Kate Harrad • 2018
Queer spaces often erase bisexuality. How to own your identity and what allies keep getting wrong.
4.07
164
Claiming the B in LGBT Summary
Claiming the B in LGBT
Queer spaces often erase bisexuality. How to own your identity and what allies keep getting wrong.
by Kate Harrad 2018 351 pages
4.07
164 ratings
Propaganda and the Public Mind
by Noam Chomsky • 1998
How humanitarian words sell one bombing and bury another, and the machinery behind the script.
4.06
1k+
Propaganda and the Public Mind Summary
Propaganda and the Public Mind
How humanitarian words sell one bombing and bury another, and the machinery behind the script.
by Noam Chomsky 1998 256 pages
4.06
1k+ ratings
Humour
by Terry Eagleton • 2019
From gloating superiority to utopian carnival, a philosopher surveys every major theory of laughter.
3.19
500+
Humour Summary
Humour
From gloating superiority to utopian carnival, a philosopher surveys every major theory of laughter.
by Terry Eagleton 2019 224 pages
3.19
500+ ratings
Life Beyond Measure
by Sidney Poitier • 2008
Sidney Poitier's letters to a great-granddaughter: the fear, faith, and fury that shaped a life.
3.83
500+
Life Beyond Measure Summary
Life Beyond Measure
Sidney Poitier's letters to a great-granddaughter: the fear, faith, and fury that shaped a life.
by Sidney Poitier 2008 304 pages
3.83
500+ ratings
Los superhéroes y la filosofía
by Tom Morris • 2001
What Batman's vigilantism and Spider-Man's guilt reveal about the age-old question: Why be moral?
3.84
500+
Los superhéroes y la filosofía Summary
Los superhéroes y la filosofía
What Batman's vigilantism and Spider-Man's guilt reveal about the age-old question: Why be moral?
by Tom Morris 2001 430 pages
3.84
500+ ratings
Rights of Man, Common Sense and Other Political Writings
by Thomas Paine • 1776
Rights aren't gifts from kings. Government works for you, and when it fails, you replace it.
4.02
500+
Rights of Man, Common Sense and Other Political Writings Summary
Rights of Man, Common Sense and Other Political Writings
Rights aren't gifts from kings. Government works for you, and when it fails, you replace it.
by Thomas Paine 1776 504 pages
4.02
500+ ratings
Breaking Bread with the Dead
by Alan Jacobs • 2020
Information overload shrinks your sense of time; old books stretch it back open.
3.92
2k+
Breaking Bread with the Dead Summary
Breaking Bread with the Dead
Information overload shrinks your sense of time; old books stretch it back open.
by Alan Jacobs 2020 192 pages
3.92
2k+ ratings
Full Frontal Feminism
by Jessica Valenti • 2007
Forty percent more likely to be poor: the numbers that prove feminism isn't done with you.
3.86
8k+
Full Frontal Feminism Summary
Full Frontal Feminism
Forty percent more likely to be poor: the numbers that prove feminism isn't done with you.
by Jessica Valenti 2007 289 pages
3.86
8k+ ratings
Seeds of the Word
by Robert Barron • 2015
Your favorite movie already knows the Gospel. Not a coincidence: it is the opening.
4.31
372
Seeds of the Word Summary
Seeds of the Word
Your favorite movie already knows the Gospel. Not a coincidence: it is the opening.
by Robert Barron 2015 288 pages
4.31
372 ratings
Mobile Home
by Megan Harlan • 2020
Seventeen homes on four continents before age 17: a memoir that excavates the meaning of home.
4.60
184
Mobile Home Summary
Mobile Home
Seventeen homes on four continents before age 17: a memoir that excavates the meaning of home.
by Megan Harlan 2020 184 pages
4.60
184 ratings
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