Your Must-Read Book List For September

Led by Elizabeth Gilbert, Steven Pinker, Jill Lepore, Jim Cramer, Sanjay Gupta, and Mary Roach, the new month brings a long list of exciting nonfiction releases.

I’m excited to introduce a new batch of standout nonfiction—the most compelling and thought-provoking titles scheduled for release in September 2025.

Each of these books has earned a spot on our longlist for Season 27 of the Next Big Idea Club. In the coming months, we’ll narrow the field to a few finalists, and ultimately select two official season picks to send to our members (physical books in an actual box! Remember analog things like books and boxes?).

So, without further ado, here are the September 2025 must-reads…

Food Fight: From Plunder and Profit to People and Planet

By Stuart Gillespie
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

Both unflinching exposé and revolutionary call to arms, Food Fight shines a light inside the black box of politics and power and, crucially, maps a way towards a new system that gives us hope for a future of global health and justice. View on Amazon

Anointed: The Extraordinary Effects of Social Status in a Winner-Take-Most World

By Toby Stuart
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

A leading organizational theorist takes us deep into the realm of humanity’s most powerful invisible force—social status—and how it shapes everything from who we trust and what we value to which ideas and innovations change the world and who gets credit for their success. View on Amazon

The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics

By Michael Osterholm & Mark Olshaker
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

As bad as Covid-19 was, the next pandemic could be worse—but we have the tools to prepare, as revealed in this urgent, gripping warning. View on Amazon

Smarter: 10 Lessons for a More Productive and Less-Stressed Life

By Emily M Austen
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

Those who work smarter, not harder, achieve greater long-term success. With 10 actionable steps and insights from successful entrepreneur Emily Austen, Smarter will help you shift your mindset from scarcity to abundance. View on Amazon

The Shape of Wonder: How Scientists Think, Work, and Live

By Alan Lightman & Martin Rees
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

Acclaimed physicists Alan Lightman and Martin Rees illuminate the life and work of numerous scientists in order to demystify the scientific process and show that scientists are concerned citizens, just like the rest of us. View on Amazon

Mission Driven: The Path to a Life of Purpose

By Mike Hayes
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

Former Navy SEAL commander, White House Fellow, and nonprofit and business leader Mike Hayes offers an inspiring playbook for understanding and achieving your most rewarding and purposeful life. View on Amazon

Move. Think. Rest.: Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship with Time

By Natalie Nixon
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

Natalie Nixon, known as the creativity whisperer, helps corporate leaders harness the power of everyday activities to stress less and be more productive. View on Amazon

The Creative Shift: How to Power Up Your Organization by Making Space for New Ideas

By Andrew Robertson
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

A brass-tacks guide to delivering and successfully executing one groundbreaking idea after another, without interrupting business as usual. View on Amazon

The Fractured Age: How the Return of Geopolitics Will Splinter the Global Economy

By Neil Shearing
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

The Fractured Age charts the emergence of geopolitical blocs in a world undergoing profound change – blocs whose relative size and economic diversity will be pivotal in reordering everything from goods trade and investment flows to technology transfers and access to critical minerals. View on Amazon

The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why It Matters

By Christine Webb
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

An impassioned celebration of humility before the living world that leads us to a new understanding of other species—and ourselves. View on Amazon

The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups

By Colin M. Fisher
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

A fascinating exploration into the surprising science of group dynamics that will forever change how you live and work. View on Amazon

10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World: How Parents Can Stop Smartphones, Social Media, and Gaming from Taking Over Their Children’s Lives

By Jean M. Twenge
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

A concrete and accessible guide to raising resilient, successful, happy children in a time of overwhelming technological intrusion. View on Amazon

The Intelligence Explosion: When AI Beats Humans at Everything

By James Barrat
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

A leading technology expert equips readers with the tools to navigate the complex and often chaotic landscape of modern AI. View on Amazon

It Doesn’t Have to Hurt: Your Smart Guide to a Pain-Free Life

By Sanjay Gupta
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

Transform your everyday life by reducing and eliminating chronic pain with the latest science-backed pain relief techniques and expert practical advice from America’s bestselling doctor and neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta. View on Amazon

How to Be Free: A Proven Guide to Escaping Life’s Hidden Prisons

By Shaka Senghor
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

We all have hidden prisons—grief, anger, shame, trauma, self-doubt. But these prisons have doors. Drawing from his extraordinary journey from incarceration to New York Times bestselling author, resilience expert, and entrepreneur, Shaka Senghor reveals the mindset and proven practices that transformed his life—and can help anyone achieve their wildest dreams. View on Amazon

Fawning: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves–and How to Find Our Way Back

By Dr. Ingrid Clayton
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

From a clinical psychologist and expert in complex trauma recovery comes a powerful guide introducing fawning, an often-overlooked piece of the fight-flight-freeze reaction to trauma—explaining what it is, why it happens, and how to help survivors regain their voice and sense of self. View on Amazon

Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away

By David Gelles
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

New York Times reporter and bestselling author David Gelles reveals how Patagonia became a global leader in doing well by doing good and how other companies are adopting its principles. View on Amazon

Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You

By Jeff Selingo
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

A playbook for families coping with a more stressful era of startling low admission rates and sky-high prices—one that widens the aperture beyond the Top 25 schools and connects students, parents, and counselors with quality, affordable choices. View on Amazon

The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear into Your Superpower

By Michelle "Mace" Curran
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

Former Thunderbird Lead Solo Michelle “MACE” Curran provides a blueprint for converting your fear into a strength based on the hard-earned lessons she learned in the cockpit and beyond. View on Amazon

A Trick of the Mind: How the Brain Invents Your Reality

By Daniel Yon
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

From a groundbreaking neuroscientist, a book that will reshape the way we understand how our brain perceives the world around us. View on Amazon

Traveling in Bardo: The Art of Living in an Impermanent World

By Ann Tashi Slater
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

A thoughtful guide to navigating change and transience rooted in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of bardo. View on Amazon

Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World

By Michael Mann & Peter Hotez
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

Two of the world’s most respected scientists reveal the forces behind the dangerous anti-science movement—and show us how to fight back. View on Amazon

The World’s Worst Bet: How the Globalization Gamble Went Wrong (And What Would Make It Right)

By David J. Lynch
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

Why globalization failed so many Americans and how it still can be saved despite burgeoning economic nationalism. View on Amazon

All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation

By Elizabeth Gilbert
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

In her first nonfiction book in a decade, the #1 bestselling writer who taught millions of readers to live authentically (Eat Pray Love) and creatively (Big Magic) shows how to break free. View on Amazon

The Crisis Casebook: Lessons in Crisis Management from the World’s Leading Brands

By Edward Segal
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

Edward Segal expertly recounts the good, the bad, and the ugly ways companies and people have managed a variety of crisis situations showing you how to avoid crisis management mistakes. View on Amazon

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Dr. Bot: Why Doctors Can Fail Us―and How AI Could Save Lives

By Charlotte Blease
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

How does AI compare to a doctor when it comes to saving lives? View on Amazon

Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity

By Marcus du Sautoy
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

An Oxford mathematician, playwright, and musician reveals how creative people can harness the profound and productive relationship between mathematics and the arts. View on Amazon

This Is for Everyone: The Unfinished Story of the World Wide Web

By Tim Berners-Lee
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

The inventor of the World Wide Web explores his vision’s promise―and how it can be redeemed for the future. View on Amazon

Don’t Call It a Comeback: What Happened When I Stopped Chasing PRs, and Started Chasing Happiness

By Keira D’Amato
Publication Date: September 9, 2025

A victorious tale of coming back in middle age to topple marathon records, from the running world’s most beloved underdog, mom of two, and woman voted “most fun follow” on Strava. View on Amazon

Finding Focus: Own Your Attention in an Age of Distraction

By Zelana Montminy
Publication Date: September 16, 2025

A guide to reclaiming your mind in a world designed to exploit it. It’s for those who are ready to simplify and reconnect with their potential, and ultimately, ready to live fully. View on Amazon

Mastery: Why Deeper Learning Is Essential in an Age of Distraction

By Tony Wagner & Ulrik Juul Christensen
Publication Date: September 16, 2025

A radical new approach to education for learners of any age. View on Amazon

Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World

By Scott Anthony
Publication Date: September 16, 2025

A kaleidoscopic look at how eleven disruptive innovations—including the iPhone, transistor, disposable diapers, and Julia Child’s The Art of French Cooking—reshaped industries and societies, propelling humanity toward new frontiers. View on Amazon

iWar: Fortnite, Elon Musk, Spotify, WeChat, and Laying Siege to Apple’s Empire

By Tim Higgins
Publication Date: September 16, 2025

The wildly enthralling and entertaining story of Apple’s monopolistic impulses and the global business and political forces arrayed against its $3 trillion empire. View on Amazon

We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution

By Jill Lepore
Publication Date: September 16, 2025

A stunning new history of the U.S. Constitution, for a troubling new era. View on Amazon

Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy

By Mary Roach
Publication Date: September 16, 2025

A rollicking exploration of the quest to re-create the impossible complexities of human anatomy. View on Amazon

Dealing with Feeling: Use Your Emotions to Create the Life You Want

By Marc Brackett
Publication Date: September 16, 2025

From the founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence comes an essential guide for regulating how we respond to our emotions in order to transform our lives. View on Amazon

What Matters Most: Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living

By Diane Button
Publication Date: September 16, 2025

A profound, heartfelt, and inspiring exploration into living a meaningful life, filled with passion, joy, gratitude, and peace. View on Amazon

Rule Breaker Investing: How to Pick the Best Stocks of the Future and Build Lasting Wealth

By David Gardner
Publication Date: September 16, 2025

Motley Fool’s Co-Founder and Chief Rule Breaker shares his complete investing playbook, giving you everything you need to apply his proven process for yourself. View on Amazon

If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All

By Eliezer Yudkowsky & Nate Soares
Publication Date: September 16, 2025

An urgent warning from two artificial intelligence insiders on the reckless scramble to build superhuman AI—and how it will end humanity unless we change course. View on Amazon

Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse

By Luke Kemp
Publication Date: September 23, 2025

A vast and unprecedented survey of societal collapse—stretching from the Stone Age to the age of silicon—that digs through the ruins of fallen societies to understand the root causes of their downfall and the most dire consequences for our future. View on Amazon

Humanish: What Talking to Your Cat or Naming Your Car Reveals About the Uniquely Human Need to Humanize

By Justin Gregg
Publication Date: September 23, 2025

With a delightful mix of scientific insight and humor, this comprehensive exploration delves into the bizarre ways we engage in anthropomorphism. View on Amazon

Why Rats Laugh & Jellyfish Sleep: And Other Enchanting Stories of Evolution

By David Stipp
Publication Date: September 23, 2025

For fans of accessible and fun popular science comes an exploration of evolution’s quirkiest puzzles and most enduring mysteries. View on Amazon

On Drugs: Psychedelics, Philosophy, and the Nature of Reality

By Justin Smith-Ruiu
Publication Date: September 23, 2025

On Drugs blends autobiography, intellectual history, and philosophical inquiry to explore the transformative impact of psychedelics on human consciousness and thought. View on Amazon

Food Intelligence: The Science of How Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us

By Julia Belluz & Kevin Hall
Publication Date: September 23, 2025

The essential guide for understanding what you’re eating, and the forces that are driving you to eat it. View on Amazon

When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . .: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life

By Steven Pinker
Publication Date: September 23, 2025

An insightful work that explains how we think about each other’s thoughts about each other’s thoughts, ad infinitum. It sounds impossible, but Steven Pinker shows that we do it all the time. This awareness, which we experience as something that is public or “out there,” is called common knowledge, and it has a momentous impact on our social, political, and economic lives. View on Amazon

Psychobabble: Viral Mental Health Myths & the Truths to Set You Free

By Joe Nucci
Publication Date: September 23, 2025

Psychotherapist Joe Nucci discusses common mental health myths and replaces them with no-nonsense truths and accessible guidance for real healing. View on Amazon

The Biology of Trauma: How the Body Holds Fear, Pain, and Overwhelm, and How to Heal It

By Aimie Apigian
Publication Date: September 23, 2025

The Biology of Trauma breaks down the latest research to reveal how trauma impacts our bodies on a cellular level and offers an empowering path to whole-body healing. View on Amazon

Choose Wisely: Rationality, Ethics, and the Art of Decision-Making

By Barry Schwartz & Richard Schuldenfrei
Publication Date: September 23, 2025

A leading psychologist and philosopher challenge the shortcomings of rational choice theory—and propose a new framework for understanding decision-making. View on Amazon

Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours

By Corinne Low
Publication Date: September 23, 2025

You’re not imagining it: Women aren’t getting a good deal at home or at work. Corrine Low shares the evidence to prove it–and power to change it. View on Amazon

How to Be Bold: The Surprising Science of Everyday Courage

By Ranjay Gulati
Publication Date: September 30, 2025

A distinguished Harvard Business School professor offers a fresh examination of courage: what it is and how we are all capable of brave acts. View on Amazon

The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives–Including Your Own

By Tom Frieden
Publication Date: September 30, 2025

The formula to stop invisible killers—an approach that can protect your health and prevent the next pandemic—from one of the most influential public health leaders in the US. View on Amazon

How to Make Money in Any Market

By Jim Cramer
Publication Date: September 30, 2025

Renowned personal finance expert Jim Cramer returns with how to make money in any market for every investor. View on Amazon

The Future of Truth

By Werner Herzog
Publication Date: September 30, 2025

From legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, a compact, effervescent, and deeply personal exploration of art, philosophy, and history that unravels one of our most elusive and contested questions: What is truth—and how to find it in our “post-truth” era? View on Amazon

Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work

By Jodi-Ann Burey
Publication Date: September 30, 2025

Writer and critic Jodi-Ann Burey delves into the dangers of disclosure in environments that aren’t built for our well-being. View on Amazon