A lot of book suggestions this time, and so surely some will be recycled in the future while others might be read outside the scope of this book club. :)
I for one have been in search for a good pop-sci book on game theory. But, they are not easy to find. Maybe because it is difficult to make something that is both easy enough to read and still useful. The topic is increasingly interesting with the collapse of trust in media, leaving one left to one's own devices for building a sensible picture of where things are heading. Although truth be told, game theory has been a good tool to understand stuff for some time. Did you for instance know that the banning of cigarette ads in the US actually lead to increased profits for the dominating companies, and that this was no unforseen side effect? Understanding simple games, like The prisoner's dilemma and it's societal version The tragedy of the commons may shed new light on why collaborating towards outcomes that are better for all involved is not so straight-foward as it first may seem. I have found a few books that I deem to be worth reading, and even if we don't pick any of these we can at least remember to keep our eyes open for similar works that we would like to read.
Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. Nalebuff - The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life (1991) {512pp} [Goodreads link]
Dixit is a name I've heard in the context several times, and this book is praised by many. The focus of the book is to explain game theory in a readable way. The drawback with this title is its age; even if the theory itself has not evolved much since its publication, it's always nice with examples and anecdotes that are from the present. I'd definitely read it.
Erez Yoeli and Moshe Hoffman - Hidden Games: The Surprising Power of Game Theory to Explain Irrational Human Behavior (2022) {368pp} [Goodreads link]
A more recent work from two MIT economists that aims to reconcile classical and behavioral economics - two schools of thought that often predict quite contrary things. Surely a fun read.
Alvin E. Roth - Who Gets What and Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design (2015) {260pp} [Goodreads link]
A Nobel laureate reveals the often surprising rules that govern a vast array of activities — both mundane and life-changing — in which money may play little or no role. Perhaps a bit too simplistic - according to reviews - and focuses exclusively on American reality and mentality.
Gary Rivlin - AI Valley: Microsoft, Google, and the Trillion-Dollar Race to Cash In on Artificial Intelligence (2025) {320pp} [Goodreads link]
A veteran Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist shadows the top thinkers in the field of Artificial Intelligence introducing the breakthroughs and developments that will change the way we live and work. Written in 2024 and published just a month ago, it might be the in-depth update on the full scope of the current AI hype.
J. Doyne Farmer - Making Sense of Chaos: A Better Economics for a Better World (2024) {384pp} [Goodreads link]
Introduction of a new perspective on economics; from the vantage point of complexity theory. Argues for how complexity theory can complement current understanding of economic activity, and aims to demostrate that we now have the ability to gather enough data and have sufficiently powerful computers to build realistic models of large economies.
Brett Christophers - The Price is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won't Save the Planet (2024) {432pp} [Goodreads link]
Brett Christophers, a professor of economic geography at Uppsala University in Sweden, presents his arguments for why (unregulated) capitalism will not aid us in slowing/halting climate change. The thesis of the book seems to be that most of us have an skewed understanding of how capitalism works and its propelling forces, and seeks to remedy this misunderstanding - thereby enabling us to make more informed decisions.
Gardiner Harris - No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson (2025) {464pp} [Goodreads link]
In our book club, we have yet to read about the business of medicine. This new publication - from earlier this month - may or may not be a good place to start. Perhaps too much of a human vs corporate evil book. Nevertheless these kinds of works often not only detail how things work but also offer insightful contrasts between presentation and reality.
Adam Zeman - The Shape of Things Unseen: A New Science of Imagination (2025) {384pp} [Goodreads link]
A brand new scientific deep dive into what imagination is, what it's used for and how it varies among individuals. Definitely a topic that ought not suffer from being dressed in modern understanding.
Rebecca Lemov - The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyper-Persuasion (2025) {464pp} [Goodreads link]
I feel like I've seen an increase of books on this topic - that is on the topic of loss of groundedness, control and free thought. The topic is not new, and has been likely received more wide attention with the continued expansion of diverse one-way communication tools. The current book seems to be an updated work that wants to equip us for the increasing challenges we face from social media, AI, and an unprecedented, global form of surveillance capitalism.
Anil Ananthaswamy - Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI (2024) {480pp} [Goodreads link]
While a lot of pop-sci books focus on the implications - real and imagined - of LLM and AI, this book attempts to make the reader understand how it all works to aid making one's own conclusions and predictions. I think that in order to form an independent understanding of what is going on, reading a book such as this one is necessary. However, I'm not sure it's a good book for the book club; according to reviews the book is rather dry and is filled with equations and mathematical proofs, which makes me wonder whether the audiobook is at all accessible. Perhaps this book is best read outside the scope of this book club, but I put it here anyway as a way of urging everyone to read something like it to avoid being lead astray by the hype.
Ted Cruz - Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America (2023) {384pp} [Goodreads link]
Suggested by Osa, who doesn't want to read it thinks she should and would love the book club serving as a support group for debriefing afterwards.