Non-fiction books give you facts, theories, and insight: all things that we students need to be well-versed in. Whether you’re looking for personal development, experiences, or you simply wish to read about cool things like space, the non-fiction world of books is an important one to immerse yourself in. Here are nine non-fiction book recommendations, both from you guys and from yours truly.
1. The Art of Thinking Clearly – Rolf Dobelli
As I understand it, this book is a sizable guide on 99 of the most common thinking errors. These errors range from things like envy to cognitive biases and logical fallacies in everyday decision-making. Once you can recognise and isolate these thinking errors, chances are you’ll be able to think and make decisions more rationally.
2. Atomic Habits – James Clear
This is one of those books that’s always recommended to you – and while I’m skeptical of most self-help books, or ‘booktok’ recommendations, this one’s pretty great. Essentially, Atomic Habits is a book on how small, consistent changes in behaviour and routine can lead to drastic personal and professional growth. It also delves deeply into habit formation with examples, which I found quite interesting.
3. Deep Work – Cal Newport
If you’ve ever sat down to do something important but found yourself doom-scrolling, going on YouTube or, essentially, getting distracted by the smallest of things, then this book might be for you. Deep Work focuses on the importance of intense, focused work in an age of distractions. Newport, a computer scientist and professor, celebrates the power of traction and explains why deep work is essential for success and productivity both personally and professionally.
4. Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
You’ve probably heard this rule: to master something, you must put in at least “10.000 hours” doing that thing. This is what the author, Malcolm Gladwell, stresses in Outliers – he highlights what makes extremely successful people different from the rest of the population. Gladwell also talks about how external factors such as culture, upbringing, and sheer luck play a massive role in your success.
5. Socrates op Sneakers – Elke Wiss
As someone who used to struggle with having deeper, more meaningful conversations, this book seemed like it was worth picking up. Now that it’s sitting on my shelf, I have no excuse but to finish it – though you’re probably curious about this book, too. Deep conversations are all about asking the right questions, and Socrates op Sneakers tells you all about the science behind the right questions, inspired by Socratic dialogue and Socratic method. Rather than just giving surface-level advice on communication, this book provides a philosophical yet practical approach to having better discussions – be it in your personal life or professional one. Do note that the original book is in Dutch, but there are English versions available.
6. Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss
This book has a fascinating premise – a former FBI hostage negotiator talks about the art of negotiating. Chris Voss, the author and negotiator, talks about his experiences with high-stakes negotiations, in a world that led him to the brink of death many times. It’s not about manipulating people, but rather coming to the best conclusion that all involved parties can agree on.
7. Cosmos – Carl Sagan
This was probably the book that got me into science as a kid. Carl Sagan, a celebrated astronomer, takes you on a journey spanning 15 billion years of cosmic evolution, where he talks about his reflections on anthropology, cosmology, biology, history and astronomy, from the very start of the universe to where we stand now. Sagan also speaks about extraterrestrial life, and puts things into perspective: even though the universe is so unfathomably massive that there can be almost no other possible reason why aliens shouldn’t exist, evidence for life outside of Earth has not yet been found. Finally, he pays homage to the contributions of many scientists in their development of modern science, which sparked me down a rabbit hole when I first read it. It’s a fantastic read, and quite digestible as a kid – a must-read for anyone interested in space.
8. A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking
To accompany Cosmos, reading A Brief History of Time is a must. It’s a technical book about theoretical physics written in non-technical terms, so the average layman could ‘theoretically’ read this and understand it. Each chapter of the book discusses similar topics in cosmology, ranging from the Big Bang and black holes to stars and the expansion of the universe. However, even though the book is marketed as an easy read, I feel as though you need at least some interest in theoretical physics and an understanding of a few key concepts to make your way through this book. Regardless, it’s still a good read, and any book that talks about space (and written by Stephen Hawking, no less) is a win for me.
9. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind – Yuval Noah Harari
I really liked Sapiens – I’m a fan of the lectures-turned-bestsellers type of format for books, similar to how Richard Feynman’s (a theoretical physicist) books worked. Sapiens discusses world history, and how humanity and human culture came to be. However, with human history comes philosophy, and the author delves into the ‘cognitive revolution’ that he believes caused our species, Homo Sapiens, to take over the Stone Age from other anatomically modern human species. Harari also talks about the different turning points in humankind’s history that propelled us to dominion, including our ability to work together, which is Harari’s main argument for why concepts such as gods, nations, and money exist at all. It’s extremely interesting and also shaped many of my own thoughts regarding why humanity is the main force on this planet.
