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Essays Book Summaries

These Precious Days
by Ann Patchett • 2021
Tom Hanks's assistant visited for a weekend. Cancer and a pandemic kept her there for months.
4.42
47k+
These Precious Days Summary
These Precious Days
Tom Hanks's assistant visited for a weekend. Cancer and a pandemic kept her there for months.
by Ann Patchett 2021 320 pages
4.42
47k+ ratings
12 Bytes
by Jeanette Winterson • 2021
AI has a history: female, literary, and older than electricity. A novelist connects the dots.
3.90
1k+
12 Bytes Summary
12 Bytes
AI has a history: female, literary, and older than electricity. A novelist connects the dots.
by Jeanette Winterson 2021 324 pages
3.90
1k+ ratings
The Essential Smart Football
by Chris B. Brown • 2012
Football's tactical arms race: how scheme and deception turned a collision sport into a chess match.
4.00
1k+
The Essential Smart Football Summary
The Essential Smart Football
Football's tactical arms race: how scheme and deception turned a collision sport into a chess match.
by Chris B. Brown 2012 141 pages
4.00
1k+ ratings
I Remember Nothing
by Nora Ephron • 2010
Memory shot. Stories intact. Nora Ephron on what stays when everything else goes.
3.80
37k+
I Remember Nothing Summary
I Remember Nothing
Memory shot. Stories intact. Nora Ephron on what stays when everything else goes.
by Nora Ephron 2010 137 pages
3.80
37k+ ratings
100 Things We've Lost to the Internet
by Pamela Paul • 2021
A hundred things the internet took: boredom, unrecorded mistakes, and the right to disappear.
3.39
2k+
100 Things We've Lost to the Internet Summary
100 Things We've Lost to the Internet
A hundred things the internet took: boredom, unrecorded mistakes, and the right to disappear.
by Pamela Paul 2021 234 pages
3.39
2k+ ratings
El amor, las mujeres y la vida
by Mario Benedetti • 1995
Love as daily resistance to death: a poet's half-century of intimacy, absence, and stubborn hope.
4.21
6k+
El amor, las mujeres y la vida Summary
El amor, las mujeres y la vida
Love as daily resistance to death: a poet's half-century of intimacy, absence, and stubborn hope.
by Mario Benedetti 1995 176 pages
4.21
6k+ ratings
I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet
by Shauna Niequist • 2022
When old ways stop working, one honest admission can rebuild your life and your faith.
3.99
13k+
I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet Summary
I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet
When old ways stop working, one honest admission can rebuild your life and your faith.
by Shauna Niequist 2022 240 pages
3.99
13k+ ratings
The Unabomber Manifesto
by Theodore John Kaczynski • 1995
Industrial civilization cannot be saved. Its endpoint is humans rebuilt to fit the machine.
3.85
12k+
The Unabomber Manifesto Summary
The Unabomber Manifesto
Industrial civilization cannot be saved. Its endpoint is humans rebuilt to fit the machine.
by Theodore John Kaczynski 1995 90 pages
3.85
12k+ ratings
What About Men?
by Caitlin Moran • 2023
Boys get no instruction manual for feelings. What a feminist found when she finally asked about men.
3.66
3k+
What About Men? Summary
What About Men?
Boys get no instruction manual for feelings. What a feminist found when she finally asked about men.
by Caitlin Moran 2023 319 pages
3.66
3k+ ratings
Power, Politics and Culture
by Edward W. Said • 2001
The scholar who revealed how Western learning became a tool of empire, in his own words.
4.26
500+
Power, Politics and Culture Summary
Power, Politics and Culture
The scholar who revealed how Western learning became a tool of empire, in his own words.
by Edward W. Said 2001 512 pages
4.26
500+ ratings
Bobos in Paradise
by David Brooks • 2000
Why the new elite spends fortunes on kitchen stoves but despises luxury cars.
3.62
4k+
Bobos in Paradise Summary
Bobos in Paradise
Why the new elite spends fortunes on kitchen stoves but despises luxury cars.
by David Brooks 2000 284 pages
3.62
4k+ ratings
I Can't Date Jesus
by Michael Arceneaux • 2018
A Beyoncé concert opened a door his church kept locked. Walking through it took years.
3.77
4k+
I Can't Date Jesus Summary
I Can't Date Jesus
A Beyoncé concert opened a door his church kept locked. Walking through it took years.
by Michael Arceneaux 2018 256 pages
3.77
4k+ ratings
Strangers Drowning
by Larissa MacFarquhar • 2015
They give kidneys and fortunes to strangers. Why their goodness is more unsettling than inspiring.
3.91
2k+
Strangers Drowning Summary
Strangers Drowning
They give kidneys and fortunes to strangers. Why their goodness is more unsettling than inspiring.
by Larissa MacFarquhar 2015 336 pages
3.91
2k+ ratings
Walking in Wonder
by John O'Donohue • 2018
The modern world dulls the soul. Wonder, nature, grief, and aging are the doorways back.
4.45
1k+
Walking in Wonder Summary
Walking in Wonder
The modern world dulls the soul. Wonder, nature, grief, and aging are the doorways back.
by John O'Donohue 2018 173 pages
4.45
1k+ ratings
Trust Kids!
by carla joy bergman • 2022
Adult supremacy is the root of all domination, and ceding power to youth is the revolution.
4.12
296
Trust Kids! Summary
Trust Kids!
Adult supremacy is the root of all domination, and ceding power to youth is the revolution.
by carla joy bergman 2022 240 pages
4.12
296 ratings
Our Culture, What's Left of It
by Theodore Dalrymple • 2005
Abandoning moral judgment doesn't liberate the strong; it abandons the weak. A prison doctor's case.
4.14
1k+
Our Culture, What's Left of It Summary
Our Culture, What's Left of It
Abandoning moral judgment doesn't liberate the strong; it abandons the weak. A prison doctor's case.
by Theodore Dalrymple 2005 356 pages
4.14
1k+ ratings
The Man Without Content
by Giorgio Agamben • 1970
Plato banished poets for their power. Aesthetics made art safe, and the artist empty.
4.15
383
The Man Without Content Summary
The Man Without Content
Plato banished poets for their power. Aesthetics made art safe, and the artist empty.
by Giorgio Agamben 1970 144 pages
4.15
383 ratings
A History of India, Vol. 1
by Romila Thapar • 1990
How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.
3.63
2k+
A History of India, Vol. 1 Summary
A History of India, Vol. 1
How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.
by Romila Thapar 1990 384 pages
3.63
2k+ ratings
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays
by Stephen W. Hawking • 1993
Black holes are not black, imaginary time behaves like space, and everything is determined.
4.18
18k+
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays Summary
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays
Black holes are not black, imaginary time behaves like space, and everything is determined.
by Stephen W. Hawking 1993 182 pages
4.18
18k+ ratings
It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It
by Robert Fulghum • 1989
Life is a burning bed, a child's paper sack, and a mirror fragment reflecting light.
4.10
6k+
It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It Summary
It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It
Life is a burning bed, a child's paper sack, and a mirror fragment reflecting light.
by Robert Fulghum 1989 218 pages
4.10
6k+ ratings
Shakespeare's Freedom
by Stephen Greenblatt • 2010
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
3.83
175
Shakespeare's Freedom Summary
Shakespeare's Freedom
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
by Stephen Greenblatt 2010 168 pages
3.83
175 ratings
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
by Pierre Bayard • 2020
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
3.44
5k+
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read Summary
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
by Pierre Bayard 2020 185 pages
3.44
5k+ ratings
Personality, Character, and Intelligence
by Malcolm Gladwell • 2009
Criminal profilers, job interviewers, and pit bull owners all fall for the same costly mistake.
3.92
500+
Personality, Character, and Intelligence Summary
Personality, Character, and Intelligence
Criminal profilers, job interviewers, and pit bull owners all fall for the same costly mistake.
by Malcolm Gladwell 2009 100 pages
3.92
500+ ratings
We're Going to Need More Wine
by Gabrielle Union • 2017
Growing up Black in a white suburb, surviving assault, failed IVF: a Hollywood star chooses herself.
4.19
37k+
We're Going to Need More Wine Summary
We're Going to Need More Wine
Growing up Black in a white suburb, surviving assault, failed IVF: a Hollywood star chooses herself.
by Gabrielle Union 2017 272 pages
4.19
37k+ ratings
Bronze Age Mindset
by Bronze Age Pervert • 2018
An internet manifesto commanding men to ditch democracy, build godlike bodies, and live as pirates.
3.81
4k+
Bronze Age Mindset Summary
Bronze Age Mindset
An internet manifesto commanding men to ditch democracy, build godlike bodies, and live as pirates.
by Bronze Age Pervert 2018 198 pages
3.81
4k+ ratings
One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter
by Scaachi Koul • 2017
Online trolls, body hair, Indian wedding: a daughter of immigrants learns where her fight belongs.
3.72
13k+
One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter Summary
One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter
Online trolls, body hair, Indian wedding: a daughter of immigrants learns where her fight belongs.
by Scaachi Koul 2017 241 pages
3.72
13k+ ratings
Small Wonder
by Barbara Kingsolver • 2002
A novelist watches hummingbirds and dying rivers and finds the lesson America keeps ignoring.
4.03
11k+
Small Wonder Summary
Small Wonder
A novelist watches hummingbirds and dying rivers and finds the lesson America keeps ignoring.
by Barbara Kingsolver 2002 300 pages
4.03
11k+ ratings
How to Not Always Be Working
by Cody Cook-Parrott • 2018
Craft rituals, spaces, and phone rules that keep your creative work from becoming your prison.
3.31
1k+
How to Not Always Be Working Summary
How to Not Always Be Working
Craft rituals, spaces, and phone rules that keep your creative work from becoming your prison.
by Cody Cook-Parrott 2018 103 pages
3.31
1k+ ratings
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference
by Greta Thunberg • 2019
Eight years of carbon budget left. The speeches that turned one school strike into a global alarm.
3.85
27k+
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference Summary
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference
Eight years of carbon budget left. The speeches that turned one school strike into a global alarm.
by Greta Thunberg 2019 112 pages
3.85
27k+ ratings
I'm a Stranger Here Myself
by Bill Bryson • 1998
After twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson came home to an America he no longer understood.
3.90
69k+
I'm a Stranger Here Myself Summary
I'm a Stranger Here Myself
After twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson came home to an America he no longer understood.
by Bill Bryson 1998 304 pages
3.90
69k+ ratings
Inciting Joy
by Ross Gay • 2022
Why skateboarders share everything: a poet's case for joy in grief and refusal to be useful.
4.13
5k+
Inciting Joy Summary
Inciting Joy
Why skateboarders share everything: a poet's case for joy in grief and refusal to be useful.
by Ross Gay 2022 256 pages
4.13
5k+ ratings
Self-Reliance and Other Essays
by Ralph Waldo Emerson • 1844
Your inner voice is universal truth, and conformity is the only thing that can stop it.
4.12
20k+
Self-Reliance and Other Essays Summary
Self-Reliance and Other Essays
Your inner voice is universal truth, and conformity is the only thing that can stop it.
by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1844 117 pages
4.12
20k+ ratings
Enchantment
by Katherine May • 2023
Wonder is not rare. It waits in ordinary things for anyone who remembers how to look.
3.59
12k+
Enchantment Summary
Enchantment
Wonder is not rare. It waits in ordinary things for anyone who remembers how to look.
by Katherine May 2023 212 pages
3.59
12k+ ratings
So Sad Today
by Melissa Broder • 2016
A vomit fetish, an open marriage, and the internet addiction that makes it all bearable.
3.80
17k+
So Sad Today Summary
So Sad Today
A vomit fetish, an open marriage, and the internet addiction that makes it all bearable.
by Melissa Broder 2016 206 pages
3.80
17k+ ratings
Doctor Strange and Philosophy
by Mark D. White • 2018
How a surgeon's shattered hands open a portal to virtue ethics, quantum mind, and dirty choices.
4.27
44
Doctor Strange and Philosophy Summary
Doctor Strange and Philosophy
How a surgeon's shattered hands open a portal to virtue ethics, quantum mind, and dirty choices.
by Mark D. White 2018 288 pages
4.27
44 ratings
How to Fail
by Elizabeth Day • 2019
What divorce, infertility, and not fitting in taught her that success never could.
3.93
13k+
How to Fail Summary
How to Fail
What divorce, infertility, and not fitting in taught her that success never could.
by Elizabeth Day 2019
3.93
13k+ ratings
Heroic Failure
by Fintan O'Toole • 2018
Brexit wasn't about economics. It was a culture of glorified defeat and shared self-harm.
4.11
2k+
Heroic Failure Summary
Heroic Failure
Brexit wasn't about economics. It was a culture of glorified defeat and shared self-harm.
by Fintan O'Toole 2018 240 pages
4.11
2k+ ratings
Cassandra Speaks
by Elizabeth Lesser • 2020
The myths we inherited were written by men. Rewriting them rewrites power itself.
4.05
5k+
Cassandra Speaks Summary
Cassandra Speaks
The myths we inherited were written by men. Rewriting them rewrites power itself.
by Elizabeth Lesser 2020 304 pages
4.05
5k+ ratings
Girl Logic
by Iliza Shlesinger • 2017
Women seem crazy but are actually running a complex internal calculus. A comic explains.
3.84
8k+
Girl Logic Summary
Girl Logic
Women seem crazy but are actually running a complex internal calculus. A comic explains.
by Iliza Shlesinger 2017 264 pages
3.84
8k+ ratings
Spook
by Mary Roach • 2005
What happens after death? Science has weighed souls, recorded ghosts, and wired dying brains.
3.60
40k+
Spook Summary
Spook
What happens after death? Science has weighed souls, recorded ghosts, and wired dying brains.
by Mary Roach 2005 311 pages
3.60
40k+ ratings
Hackers & Painters
by Paul Graham • 2004
Making beautiful things, breaking dumb rules, and why the kid you ignored is building your future.
4.05
9k+
Hackers & Painters Summary
Hackers & Painters
Making beautiful things, breaking dumb rules, and why the kid you ignored is building your future.
by Paul Graham 2004 272 pages
4.05
9k+ ratings
The Empathy Exams
by Leslie Jamison • 2014
Empathy isn't a feeling but a practice, and these essays examine what it demands of us.
3.67
15k+
The Empathy Exams Summary
The Empathy Exams
Empathy isn't a feeling but a practice, and these essays examine what it demands of us.
by Leslie Jamison 2014 230 pages
3.67
15k+ ratings
The Life That's Waiting
by Brianna Wiest • 2025
Breakthroughs don't start with grand plans, but with one small improvement you repeat daily.
4.02
2k+
The Life That's Waiting Summary
The Life That's Waiting
Breakthroughs don't start with grand plans, but with one small improvement you repeat daily.
by Brianna Wiest 2025 235 pages
4.02
2k+ ratings
Coming Home to Myself
by Marion Woodman • 1998
The soul is a well, not a crown. Wholeness through feminine depth, dreams, and body wisdom.
4.26
297
Coming Home to Myself Summary
Coming Home to Myself
The soul is a well, not a crown. Wholeness through feminine depth, dreams, and body wisdom.
by Marion Woodman 1998 280 pages
4.26
297 ratings
How to Be Fine
by Jolenta Greenberg • 2020
Fifty self-help books, road-tested by two friends. The dozen lessons that actually worked.
3.51
5k+
How to Be Fine Summary
How to Be Fine
Fifty self-help books, road-tested by two friends. The dozen lessons that actually worked.
by Jolenta Greenberg 2020 256 pages
3.51
5k+ ratings
Breakfast with Socrates
by Robert Rowland Smith • 2009
Waking up, getting dressed, sitting in traffic: every mundane moment hides a philosophical question.
3.28
1k+
Breakfast with Socrates Summary
Breakfast with Socrates
Waking up, getting dressed, sitting in traffic: every mundane moment hides a philosophical question.
by Robert Rowland Smith 2009 237 pages
3.28
1k+ ratings
The Art of Intimacy
by Stacey D'Erasmo • 2013
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
3.93
248
The Art of Intimacy Summary
The Art of Intimacy
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
by Stacey D'Erasmo 2013 144 pages
3.93
248 ratings
My Planet
by Mary Roach • 2013
A science writer scrutinizes domestic life and finds marriage more baffling than any cadaver.
3.66
3k+
My Planet Summary
My Planet
A science writer scrutinizes domestic life and finds marriage more baffling than any cadaver.
by Mary Roach 2013 191 pages
3.66
3k+ ratings
Men and Style
by David Coggins • 2016
Fashion chases the new; style lives in the worn-in, the inherited, the second whiskey.
3.63
221
Men and Style Summary
Men and Style
Fashion chases the new; style lives in the worn-in, the inherited, the second whiskey.
by David Coggins 2016 272 pages
3.63
221 ratings
Westworld and Philosophy
by Richard Greene • 2018
Westworld turns consequence-free violence into philosophy's sharpest questions about your own mind.
3.81
21
Westworld and Philosophy Summary
Westworld and Philosophy
Westworld turns consequence-free violence into philosophy's sharpest questions about your own mind.
by Richard Greene 2018 312 pages
3.81
21 ratings
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