Fall Into a Good Book: Brilliant Non-Fiction to Brighten Up Your November

The Next Big Idea Club’s November 2024 must-read books

I’m pleased to share what I consider the most promising, must-read nonfiction titles scheduled for release this month. These titles join our group of nominees for Season 25 of the Next Big Idea Club.

For those of you who don’t know how the Club works, our curators—Susan Cain, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink—will narrow the list down to a handful of finalists and, ultimately, to two official season selections, which we send out to our Executive Members. If you’d like to sign up for yourself or as a gift for a book-loving friend, check it out here.

And now, the November 2024 titles are…

Lincoln vs. Davis: The War of the Presidents

By Nigel Hamilton
Publication Date: November 5, 2024

From renowned biographer­­­ Nigel Hamilton comes the story of how two American presidents faced off as the fate of the nation hung in the balance. View on Amazon

Box Office Poison: Hollywood’s Story in a Century of Flops

By Tim Robey
Publication Date: November 5, 2024

A riotous and revealing story of Hollywood’s most spectacular flops and how they ended careers, bankrupted studios and changed film history. View on Amazon

What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird

By Sy Montgomery
Publication Date: November 5, 2024

A charming and eye-opening exploration of the special relationship between humans and chickens. View on Amazon

Anatomy of Desire: Five Secrets to Create Connection and Cultivate Passion

By Emily Jamea
Publication Date: November 5, 2024

Combining over fifteen years of clinical experience with her groundbreaking research into the science of flow, Dr. Emily Jamea delivers a fresh perspective on the untapped potential of our sex lives, intimate partner connections, and personal wellbeing. View on Amazon

What the Body Knows: A Guide to the New Science of Our Immune System

By John Trowsdale
Publication Date: November 5, 2024

A leading scientist’s spirited, confident guide to the way our immune system protects us—most of the time. View on Amazon

MoneyGPT: AI and the Threat to the Global Economy

By James Rickards
Publication Date: November 12, 2024

A telling prediction for how AI will endanger global economic markets and security. View on Amazon

Ingenious: A Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Scientist

By Richard Munson
Publication Date: November 12, 2024

The dramatic story of an ingenious man who explained nature and created a country. View on Amazon

Four Points of the Compass: The Unexpected History of Direction

By Jerry Brotton
Publication Date: November 12, 2024

The revelatory history of the four cardinal directions that have oriented and defined our place on the globe for millennia. View on Amazon

Stand in My Window: Meditations on Home and How We Make It

By LaTonya Yvette
Publication Date: November 12, 2024

Through essays with stunning photography, the beloved multimedia storyteller and author of Woman of Color shares the powerful lessons she’s learned about creating a home that honors the past and celebrates the future. View on Amazon

Cabinet of Curiosities: A Historical Tour of the Unbelievable, the Unsettling, and the Bizarre

By Aaron Mahnke
Publication Date: November 12, 2024

Based on the long-running hit podcast by Aaron Mahnke, a compendium of tales about wonderful, astounding, and downright bizarre people, places, and things throughout history. View on Amazon

A Certain Idea of America: Selected Writings

By Peggy Noonan
Publication Date: November 12, 2024

From Pulitzer-prize winning Wall Street Journal columnist and New York Times bestselling author Peggy Noonan, a masterclass in how to see and love America. View on Amazon

Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures

By Katherine Rundell
Publication Date: November 12, 2024

A globe-spanning tour of the world’s most awe-inspiring animals currently facing extinction. View on Amazon

Never Lead Alone: 10 Shifts from Leadership to Teamship

By Keith Ferrazzi
Publication Date: November 12, 2024

In this timeless guide on maximizing teams to achieve outstanding business success, Ferrazzi distills his years of experience coaching teams at Fortune 500 companies and startup unicorns to optimize team performance. View on Amazon

The Endless Refrain: Memory, Nostalgia, and the Threat to New Music

By David Rowell
Publication Date: November 12, 2024

A veteran music journalist argues that the rise of music streaming and the consolidation of digital platforms is decimating the musical landscape, with dire consequences for the future of our culture. View on Amazon

The M&A Failure Trap: Why Most Mergers and Acquisitions Fail and How the Few Succeed

By Baruch Lev & Feng Gu
Publication Date: November 13, 2024

A distinguished team of finance and accounting researchers and practitioners delivers a practical and up-to-date exploration of the shortcomings of managerial mergers and acquisitions decisions. View on Amazon

Cities Made Differently

By David Graeber & Nika Dubrovsky
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

Full of playful graphics, provocative questions, and curious facts, this book asks what makes a city and how we might make them differently. View on Amazon

To the Limit: The Meaning of Endurance from Mexico to the Himalayas

By Michael Crawley
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

The author of Out of Thin Air, winner of the Margaret Mead Award 2022, journeys through different cultures to find out the meaning of endurance. View on Amazon

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World

By Robin Wall Kimmerer
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

A bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world. View on Amazon

Stranger Than Fiction: Lives of the Twentieth-Century Novel

By Edwin Frank
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

A legendary editor’s reckoning with the twentieth-century novel and the urgent messages it sends. View on Amazon

How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World

By Donald Robertson
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

As a practicing cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, Robertson also uses his expertise to reveal many parallels between the evidence-based concepts and techniques of modern psychology and the philosophy of Socrates. View on Amazon

Resist: How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America

By Rita Omokha
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

The story of young Black activists at the helm of fighting injustice over the last century, from the 1920s to the Trayvon generation, and how they transformed America and left an indelible mark on history. View on Amazon

Job Moves: 9 Steps for Making Progress in Your Career

By Ethan Bernstein, Michael Horn & Bob Moesta
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

Three innovators offer a road-tested framework for career development that helps anyone make real progress on their path when they switch jobs. View on Amazon

Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit

By Henry Kissinger, Craig Mundie & Eric Schmidt
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

In his final book, the late Henry Kissinger joins forces with two leading technologists to explore the epochal challenges and opportunities presented by the revolution in artificial intelligence. View on Amazon

Golden Years: How Americans Invented and Reinvented Old Age

By James Chappel
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

The surprising history of old age in modern America, showing how we created unprecedented security for some and painful uncertainty for others. View on Amazon

Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future

By Vince Beiser
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

How the metals we need to power technology and energy are spawning environmental havoc, political upheaval, and murder—and how we can do better. View on Amazon

The Art of Small Business Social Media: A Blueprint for Marketing Success

By Peg Fitzpatrick
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

Recognizing that social media isn’t a one-size-fits-all tool, Fitzpatrick provides a roadmap for entrepreneurs to navigate the digital landscape effectively. View on Amazon

Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More

By Israa Nasir
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

Being productive isn’t necessarily about how you manage your time. It’s about how you manage your emotions. View on Amazon

Citizen: My Life After the White House

By Bill Clinton
Publication Date: November 19, 2024

A powerful, candid, and richly detailed memoir from an American icon, revealing what life looks like after the presidency: triumphs, tribulations, and all. View on Amazon

The Color of Family: History, Race, and the Politics of Ancestry

By Michael O’Malley
Publication Date: November 22, 2024

A uniquely blended personal family history and history of the changing definitions of race in America. View on Amazon

Terrible Beauty: Reckoning with Climate Complicity and Rediscovering Our Soul

By Auden Schendler
Publication Date: November 26, 2024

A firsthand, trench-view story of the failure of the modern corporate sustainability movement—and an inspiring prescription for positive change. View on Amazon

Freedom: Memories 1954 – 2021

By Angela Merkel
Publication Date: November 26, 2024

Former Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, offers unique insight into the inner workings of power, and a decisive plea for freedom. View on Amazon

Big Goals: The Science of Setting Them, Achieving Them, and Creating Your Best Life

By Caroline Adams Miller
Publication Date: November 27, 2024

The new approach you need to more confidently and effectively move forward towards achieving your goals in your personal and professional life. View on Amazon